Special Collections Department
James Leo Herlihy Papers
Manuscript Collection Number: 344
Accessioned: Purchase, July 1996.
Extent: 1.6 linear ft.
Content: Manuscripts, correspondence, notes, photographs,
clippings, reviews, interviews, advertisements, brochures, and programs.
Access: The collection is open for research.
Processed: October 1997 by Shanon Wilson.
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Special Collections, University of Delaware Library
Newark, Delaware 19717-5267
(302) 831-2229
Table of Contents
Biographical Note
Herlihy formed strong relationships in the Black Mountain community, and his friendships with such figures as Anais Nin and the poet/potter M. C. (Mary Caroline) Richards would provide inspiration and support in his future creative endeavors. After an aptitude test indicated that his abilities might lie in the theatre, Herlihy moved to California and attended the Pasadena Playhouse College from 1948-1950. Over the next four years, Herlihy performed in about fifty plays in theaters along the West Coast. In the early sixties, he became a member of the Theater Company of Boston, and he continued acting, off and on, throughout his life. Some highlights of his theatrical career included roles in Edward Albee's Zoo Story (which he performed in Paris and Boston in 1963) and in the film Four Friends (1982).
The Pasadena Playhouse also produced Herlihy's first plays: Streetlight Sonata (1950) and Moon in Capricorn (1953). In 1953, Herlihy collaborated with his teacher William Noble on the play Blue Denim, which had a successful run on Broadway in 1958 and was adapted into a film in 1959. From 1953-1958, Herlihy wrote scripts for television. In 1959, he directed Tallulah Bankhead in a touring production of his play Crazy October. A trio of Herlihy's one-act plays, collected under the title Stop You're Killing Me (1970), included Terrible Jim Fitch (produced in 1965), Bad Bad Jo-Jo (produced in 1969), and Laughs, Etc. (produced in 1973).
Herlihy was also successful as a fiction writer. In 1952, the Paris Review published one of his short stories that would become the title work of his 1959 collection, The Sleep of Baby Filbertson and Other Stories. His first novel, All Fall Down, was published in 1960, and 1965 saw the appearance of Midnight Cowboy. This latter work was adapted into an Academy Award-winning film, and much of Herlihy's lasting fame is based on the popularity of that movie. Despite this acclaim, Herlihy would only publish two more books: a collection of short stories and plays entitled A Story That Ends in a Scream and Eight Others (1967), and a novel about a young teenage runaway, The Season of the Witch (1971).
If Herlihy became more ambivalent about his writing over the years, he developed an increasing enthusiasm for teaching. He led classes in playwriting at City College, New York, in 1967-68, and was a distinguished visiting professor at the University of Arkansas, Fayetteville, in 1983. He also taught acting and writing at many other institutions, including Colorado College and the University of Southern California.
Herlihy traveled extensively throughout the United States and Europe, but lived for much of his life in Los Angeles, California. He also resided in Key West, Florida, in the late sixties and early seventies, and in New York City during various intervals. Herlihy died on October 20, 1993.
Sources:
Kendle, Burton S. "James Leo Herlihy," Contemporary American Dramatists. Ed. K.A. Berney. Detroit: St. James Press, 1994. pp. 261-265."James Leo Herlihy, 66, Novelist who wrote Midnight Cowboy." New York Times, 22 Oct., 1993: B9.
Olendorf, Donna, ed. Contemporary Authors. Volume.143. Detroit: Gale Research Co, 1994. p. 191.
Note: Biographical information also derived from the collection. For supplemental genealogical information, please contact the manuscripts librarian for assistance with the collection folder.
Scope and Content Note
The collection is organized in three series: I. Works by James Leo Herlihy, II. Correspondence of James Leo Herlihy to Mary Caroline Richards, and III. Miscellaneous Publicity, including photographs and theatre reviews.
The manuscripts of Herlihy's works are arranged chronologically by date of publication or, if unpublished, in order of composition based on editorial revisions. The series includes original typescript drafts of several of Herlihy's plays and novels, some photocopies, two setting typescripts, and several pages of notes. Many of these pages contain numerous autograph revisions by the author. The collection contains multiple drafts of four of the works: Herlihy's unfinished and unpublished musical adaption of Carson McCuller's Member of the Wedding (1967); two short stories, A Story That Ends with a Scream (1967) and Sweet William (1967); and his last novel, Season of the Witch (1971). The series also contains photocopies of reviews and promotional interviews with Herlihy which appeared in newspapers around the country with the release of Season of the Witch.
Section II contains Herlihy's correspondence to M.C. Richards, one of his instructors at Black Mountain College who remained a valuable friend throughout his life. The letters cover the years 1959 to 1986, although the correspondence is sparse in the early sixties and the mid - eighties, and there are gaps in 1971 and 1984. Some letters include enclosures of other correspondence, articles, or photographs.
M.C. Richards (b. 1916) is a poet, potter, and scholar, whose writings include lectures on pottery and education, poetry, and a translation of Artaud's Theatre of Cruelty. An influential member of the Black Mountain community, she helped John Cage bring about the first Happening in 1958. She apparently lived on Herlihy's farm, Jeffers Pond, in Hop Bottom, Pennsylvania, from 1971 to 1975. In his letters to her, Herlihy discussed his writing, acting, and teaching, as well as his experiences with friends in Los Angeles, where he primarily resided from 1973 onward. The correspondence also contains many references to the Black Mountain community, as well as references to Anais Nin, whom he looked after during her final illness, and Tennessee Williams, his fellow Key West resident. In other letters, Herlihy critiques -- sometimes harshly, more often admiringly -- the lectures and writings of his former teacher. Additionally, the correspondence reflects several contemporary concerns of the late sixties and seventies, including communal living and alternative health and nutrition.
Series III contains a miscellany of material that was probably used for promotional purposes. This series contains three black and white photographs of Herlihy from 1964, 1965, and 1967; a scholarly article about Midnight Cowboy; and theatrical reviews from Blue Denim, Terrible Jim Fitch, and the Boston production of Edward Albee's The Zoo Story in which Herlihy starred. Although the material in this series does not present anything close to a comprehensive view of Herlihy's theatrical activities, it does provide an indication of his success on the stage.
Contents List
1 Series I. Works by James Leo Herlihy
Arranged chronologically in order of publication or, if unpublished, of
composition.
Crazy October (1959)
F1 Draft, n.d.
Typescript with autograph corrections.
F2 Clean version, n.d.
Photocopied, bound
A Story That Ends With A Scream and Eight Others (1967)
Folders F3-F9 contain drafts of several of the stories and plays included in
Herlihy's collection.
F3 "Laughs Et Cetera," n.d.
Typescript with autograph corrections
F4 "Ezra," n.d.
Typescript with autograph corrections. Early version of the short story "A Story
that Ends With A Scream." One draft entitled "Second Draft," along with pages
of rewrites.
F5 "You'll Know Him When You See Him," n.d.
Typescript with autograph corrections. Early version of the short story "A Story
That Ends With A Scream," which appears to be a revision of the material in F4.
F6 "Sweet William," n.d.
Typescript with autograph corrections. Contains an outline of the story and three
early drafts.
F7 "Love and the Buffalo," n.d.
Typescript with minor autograph corrections. Bound in Ashley Famous Agency
folder.
A Story That Ends with a Scream and Eight Others, 1967
F8 Typescript setting copy from Simon and Schuster. Contains some mimeo.
Part I includes the first four stories:
"A Story That Ends with a Scream"
"Love and the Buffalo"
"The Astral Body of a U.S. Mail Truck"
"The Day of the Seventh Fire"
1 Series I. Works by James Leo Herlihy (cont'd)
F9 Part 2 includes:
"Laughs, Etc"
"The Fright of Mrs. Yeager"
"Terrible Jim Fitch"
"A Ceremony for the Midget"
"Sweet William"
Member of the Wedding
Drafts and notes for a 1967 unpublished musical based on Carson McCullers'
1946 novel of the same name.
F10 Draft A, n.d.
Typescript with autograph corrections.
F11 Draft B, n.d.
Typescript with autograph corrections. Some xerox.
F12 Draft C, n.d.
Xerox typescript with minor autograph corrections.
F13 Notes
Autograph and typescript with corrections. Contains a chronology of McCuller's
novel, an outline for the play, drafts of song lyrics, and drafts of dialogue
surrounding songs.
Season of the Witch (1971)
F14-F29 contain drafts and materials related to Herlihy's novel. Eacb draft has
been divided into three folders. Divisions occur at the same points in the novel for
each draft.
Season of the Witch, Draft A, n.d.
Typescript with autograph revisions.
F14 pps 1-142.
F15 pps 143-245.
F16 pps 246-456.
Season of the Witch, Draft B, n.d.
Typescript with autograph revisions
F17 pps 1-142
F18 pps 143a-245
F19 pps 246-395
1 Series I. Works by James Leo Herlihy (cont'd)
Season of the Witch, Draft C, n.d.
Typescript with minor autograph revisions
F20 pps 1-142
F21 pps 143-245b
F22 pps 246-454
F23 Notes for Season of the Witch
Autograph and typescript materials, many heavily corrected. Much of the notes
relate to Drafts A, B, and C.
F24 Notes (cont'd)
F25 Notes (cont'd)
Season of the Witch, Setting Copy, 1971
Typescript from Simon and Schuster. Proofreader's marks throughout.
2 F26 Setting copy, pp 1- 168
F27 Setting copy, pp 169 - 290
F28 Setting copy, pp 291 - 495
F29 Reviews for Season of the Witch
Photocopies. Also includes advertisements.
F 30 Interviews
Contains photocopies of written interviews that Herlihy gave while promoting
Season of the Witch. Includes Simon and book tour intinerary.
F 31 "The Golden Age," 1969 June 15
Typescript with autograph revisions. Records a conversation between Herlihy and
two others. Material may relate to Season of the Witch.
Addenda
Typescript with autograph revisions.
Series II. Correspondence
Consists of the letters from James Leo Herlihy to M.C. Richards, his former
teacher at Black Mountain College who was a poet and potter. The letters, which
are arranged chronologically, describe Herlihy's personal and artistic life.
2 F32 [1959 Sep 16] ACS 1p
[1962 Mar 17] ACS 1p
1962 Aug 8 ACS 1p
[1963] ACS 1p
[1963 Feb 27] ACS 1p
[1963 Apr 22] ACS 1p
F33 [1964] TCS 1p
[1964 Aug 19] ACS 1p
1964 Nov 9 TLS 3p
Note: First half of page one autograph.
1964 Nov 28 TLS 2p
F34 [1965] [Jun 30] TLS 2p
[1965 Oct 11] ALS 1p
[1965 Oct 18] ALS 5p
[1965 Oct 30] ACS 1p
F35 1966 Jan 12 TLS 1p
[1966 Jan 17] ACS 1p
1966 Jan 28 ALS 1p
[1966 Mar 18] ACS 1p
1966 Nov 26 TLS 1p
Nov 27 TLS 1p
F36 1967 Feb 6 TLS 1p
Jun 4 TLS 2p
3 F37 1968 Jul 15 TLS 3p
Note: Includes drawing on letter.
Aug 15 TLS 2p
Aug 21 TLS 3p
Sep 30 ALS 3p
Note: includes a 2p TLS from Herlihy to Jake Ross.
[1968 Nov 1] TLS 2p
3 Series II. Correspondence (cont'd)
F38 [1969] ACS 1p
1969 Jan 23 ALS 1p
Apr 16 TLS 1p
Sep 28 TLS 3p
F39 1970 Mar 14 TLS 1p
Jun 19 TLS 2p
[1970 Nov 13] TLS 2p
F40 [1972] TLS 4p
[1972] ALS 6p
[1972 Mar] ALS 2p
Note: second page typed.
1972 Mar 14 ALS 2p
Mar 19 ACS 2p
Apr 3 ALS 1p
Oct 16 ALS 1p
Note: includes Playboy article on film criticism.
F41 [1973 Jan 17] TLS 1p
1973 Mar 28 TLS 1p
Apr 25 ALS 2p
Note: includes 2p TLS from Joe Frazier to Herlihy.
Jun 14/15 TLS 5p
Nov 1 TLS 1p
Oct 30 TLS 3p
F42 1974 Jan 19 ALS 2p
Note: includes brochure for Villa Vegetariana.
Feb 18 TLS 1p
May 4 ALS 3p
May 6 ALS 2p
1974 Jul 20 TLS 2p
Note: includes US Department of Agriculture inventory/evaluation
of Jeffers Pond.
Aug 31 TLS 7p
Note: last page autograph.
[1974 Sept 17] ACS 1p
1974 Nov 2 ACS 1p
Dec 9 ACS 4p
F43 [1975 Mar 3] TLS 1p
1975 Mar 9 ALS 5p
May TLS 3p
Note: Last half of third page autograph.
Aug 4 ALS 2p
Oct 23 ALS 2p
F44 1976 Feb 22 TLS 3p
Note: includes LA Times review of Anais Nin's A Woman Speaks.
[1976 Apr] TLS 1p
Note: includes LA Times article on John Cage.
1976 Oct 1 TLS 2p
[1976 Dec 8] ACS 1p
1976 Dec 21 TLS 13p
F45 1977 Feb 2/3 TLS 10p
Feb 22 ALS 3p
Note: includes interviews with Herlihy in In Touch, The Advocate,
and Gay Weekly. Also includes Plutarch photocopy.
Apr 29 TLS 1p
Sep 12 TLS 1p
Nov 13 TLS 2p
F46 1978 Apr 2 TLS 3p
[1978 Oct 3] ALS 1p
1978 Dec 28 ALS 2p
F47 1979 Mar 27 ALS 2p
Nov 26 TLS 4p
F48 1980 Aug 27 TLS 2p
Nov 19 ACS 1p
Nov 25 ACS 1p
F49 1981 Jan 14/15 TLS 4p
Sep 22 ALS 1p
3 Series II. Correspondence (cont'd)
F50 1982 May 22 ACS 1p
Jun 21 ACS 1p
Jul 6/8 ALS 10p
Dec 6 ALS 1p
Note: includes two drawings.
F51 1983 Apr 1 TLS 2p
F52 1985 Feb 25 ACS 1p
Mar 5 ACS 2p
Jul 9 ALS 1p
F53 1986 Feb 9 ACS 2p
Note: includes two photographs.
F54 Undated letters
[n.d.] TLS 3p
[n.d.] TLS 5p
[n.d.] TLS 1p
[n.d.] ALS 1p
[n.d] ALS 2p
Note: includes drawing.
[n.d.] TLS 4p
[n.d.] ALS 2p
[n.d] ACS 2p
[n.y.] [6 March] ACS 1p
[n.d.] TCS 1p
[n.d.] ACS 3p
[n.d.] ALS 2p
[n.d.] TLS 1p
[n.d.] TLS 1p
[n.y.] Jan 12 ALS 4p
3 Series III. Miscellaneous Publicity
Contains photographs of Herlihy, flyers, programs, and theatre reviews.
F55 Photographs
Contains three photographs of Herlihy from 1964, 1965, and 1967.
F56 Midnight Cowboy
Contains a German advertisement for the film, a 1966 Dell Books flyer promoting
the book, and a photocopied article in the Classical Review by Charles F. Saylor
entitled "Orpheus in New York: The Classical Descent of Midnight Cowboy."
F57 Theatre
Contains a photocopy of an August 13, 1962 Boston Globe review of Albee's Zoo
Story, a April 27, 1973 Hollywood Reporter review of Terrible Jim Fitch, a
program from a Det Norske Teatret production of Blue Denim, and a photocopy of
two Norwegian reviews of the play, dated February 1 and 9, 1973.
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