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Contact information: http://hdl.loc.gov/loc.music/perform.contact
Catalog Record: https://lccn.loc.gov/2006560770
Collection material chiefly in English; some materials in Hebrew, Danish, and Swedish
The following terms have been used to index the description of this collection in the LC Catalog. They are grouped by name of person or organization, by subject or location, and by occupation and listed alphabetically.
Gift, Sylvia Fine,
No further accruals are expected.
Susan Davidson, Stephan Patejek, and Mary Edsall arranged and rehoused the initial
donations between 1993 and 1997. The original finding aid was created in
Audiovisual materials have been transferred to the Library of Congress Motion Picture, Broadcasting and Recorded Sound Division. Some of the audiovisual materials have been cataloged separately and are identified as part of the "Danny Kaye and Sylvia Fine Collection." (Library of Congress)."
Special collections at the University of Michigan holds the Holly Fine and Danny Kaye Papers.
The following Library of Congress collections contain Danny Kaye and/or Sylvia Fine correspondence, photographs, scripts, and oral history transcripts: the Bob Fosse and Gwen Verdon Collection (ML31.F72), Leonard Bernstein Collection (ML31.B49), Ruth Gordon and Garson Kanin Papers (MSS85114), Irving Berlin Collection (ML31.B48), Hume Cronyn and Jessica Tandy Papers (MSS17301), Vincent Price Papers (MSS36905), Clare Booth Luce Papers (MSS30759), Joshua Logan Papers (MSS80138), and the Burt Boyar Collection of Sammy Davis, Jr., Biographical Material (ML31.B68).
Materials from the Danny Kaye and Sylvia Fine Collection are governed by the Copyright Law of the United States (Title 17, U.S.C.). and other applicable international copyright laws.
The Danny Kaye and Sylvia Fine Collection is open to research. The bulk of the collection is in off-site storage and researchers are advised to contact the Music Division prior to visiting in order to determine whether the desired materials will be available at that time.
Persons granted access to the collection may procure single-copy reproductions of the unpublished materials in the collection, provided they have secured the written consent of the Danny Kaye and Sylvia Fine Kaye Foundation and/or other lawful owners of the intellectual property interests.
Selected materials from the Danny Kaye and Sylvia Fine Collection are available on the Library of Congress website at https://www.loc.gov/collections/danny-kaye-and-sylvia-fine/about-this-collection/.
Researchers wishing to cite this collection should include the following information: [item, date, and container number, as appropriate], Danny Kaye and Sylvia Fine Collection, Music Division, Library of Congress, Washington, D.C.
The Danny Kaye and Sylvia Fine Collection documents the life and work of actor, singer, dancer, and comedian, Danny Kaye, and his wife, lyricist, composer, writer, lecturer, and producer, Sylvia Fine. It spans the period 1918-1992, with the bulk of the materials falling between 1946 and 1988, and includes manuscript and printed music, scripts, correspondence, business and financial papers, promotional and publicity materials, speeches, oral history transcripts, photographs and iconography, programs, posters, clippings, honors, and realia.
Although the collection is quite extensive, it is not comprehensive. Outgoing correspondence is scarce and there are few documents in Kaye's hand. There is little documentation of Kaye's early performing career with the Three Terpsichoreans, his New York nightclub work, or Kaye and Fine's Broadway activities in the 1940s. Kaye's recording career is similarly undocumented beyond several album covers and photographs of recording sessions. However, the Motion Picture, Broadcasting, and Recorded Sound Division holds a significant quantity of audiovisual materials related to Kaye's recording career.
Music, in the form of scores, parts, orchestral arrangements, and sheet music, comprises the bulk of the collection. Most of this material was used in Kaye's performance tours, movies, stage productions, television specials, and his television series,
The collection also includes music manuscripts, printed music, and lyric sheets for songs written by Fine (alone or with others, including Sammy Cahn, Sy Miller, Vic Schoen, and Ben Weisman). Among these are "Anatole of Paris," "Life Could Not Better Be," "Melody in 4F," "Lullaby in Ragtime," and the main title for
Scripts in the collection largely consist of radio, television, and film scripts for productions in which Kaye performed. There are scripts for each Kaye film except
Kaye and Fine maintained two residences: their home in Beverly Hills, California, and an apartment in New York City. Personal staff managed their voluminous correspondence, telephone communications, and social schedules for each location. Kaye also relied upon staff of the William Morris Agency and later, Dena Pictures, to manage his professional correspondence and schedule. These circumstances are reflected in the collection arrangement. Most personal correspondence is found in the Correspondence series, while the Dena Pictures Files and the Danny Kaye Performance Files series contain business correspondence. Kaye's wide-ranging acquaintanceships and friendships are apparent through the telegrams and notes he received at the opening of stage performances, concerts, etc. and through his receipt of honors and awards.
The bulk of the personal correspondence is incoming letters and telegrams from family members, friends, business colleagues, and occasionally fans that reflect the various personal and professional interests of Kaye and Fine, including family, show business, politics, and social causes. Most true fan mail was not transferred with the collection; that which was is found in the files for the respective concert, film, play, stage performance, or television program with which it is associated. Birthday and Christmas greetings, get-well notes and cards, and condolence letters comprise the bulk of the correspondence, some of which contains additional printed material and photographs.
Kaye's many correspondents included members of the British, Danish, and Dutch royal families; political figures (Hubert Humphrey, Jacob Javits, Abraham Ribicoff, Leo Kolber, and Teddy Kolleck); baseball figures (Peter O'Malley, Walter Haas, Buzzie Bavasi, and Bowie Kuhn); musicians and conductors (Itzhak Perlman, James Levine, Henry Ellis Dickson, and Eugene Ormandy); fellow performers (Harvey Korman, Maurice Chevalier, and Laurence Olivier); and public figures (Katherine Graham, Henry Kissinger, and Eleanor Roosevelt). Personal friends with whom Kaye and Fine corresponded include Eli Wallach, Jack Benny, Douglas Fairbanks, Jr., Laurence Olivier, Olive Behrendt, Beverly Sills, Mary Lasker, Roddy McDowall, Frank McCarthy, Rupert Allan, Benay Venuta, Clifford Campion, Margot Fonteyn, Anne and Kirk Douglas, Cary and Barbara Grant, and Gregory and Veronique Peck. Kaye's cooking and Fine's parties also elicited thank you notes from guests, such as Henry Mancini, Ross Hunter, Dom DeLuise, Jack Lemmon, and George Will. Kaye also corresponded with fellow chefs James Beard, Maida Heatter, and Marion Cunningham.
Kaye and Fine's early careers (1940s-late 1950s) were closely intertwined. Fine wrote music for Kaye's films and stage performances, as well as negotiated contracts with film studios. During this period, the couple served as their own managers and sought the services of the William Morris Agency, especially Abe Lastvogel, as well as agents, lawyers, and promoters for professional, financial, and legal guidance, namely Bill Blowitz, Ed Dukoff, Robert McElwaine, Julius Lefkowitz, and Nyman Libson.
As Kaye's career grew more complex and his film appearances began to wane, he and Fine began to pursue separate interests. They ultimately created Dena Pictures as a corporate entity to manage Kaye's business activities. These included stage, film, and television performances and public service-related personal appearances, chiefly UNICEF and the USO. By 1957, Herb Bonis, Kaye's personal appearance road manager, had taken on the role of production head at Dena Pictures; he later served as vice president and general manager until Kaye's death. As a result, the Dena Pictures Files in the collection are effectively those of Bonis and Norman Sedawie, the head of program development for Dena Pictures.
The organization of the Business Papers series reflects these complex and fluid business arrangements. The Danny Kaye Performance Files span Kaye's entire career and capture all aspects of his public persona: stage performer, actor, conductor, and humanitarian. Materials are extensive and varied: programs, correspondence (including some fan mail), photographs, scrapbooks, and clippings document his stage and conducting appearances. However, there is little material detailing how Kaye conceived and executed these performances or how he created the
Correspondence concerning appearances and events, travel arrangements, photographs, and clippings document Kaye's public service. UNICEF activity and Kaye's work on behalf of the state of Israel comprise the bulk of the files, although Kaye's efforts to entertain United States troops via the USO and on his own are also well-documented. Additional information on these activities is found in the Photographs, Clippings, and Honors series. Materials from Kaye's film and television career beyond
The Kaye/Fine Productions subseries reflects the couple's joint activities, while the Danny Kaye Productions subseries documents Kaye's stage, film, and television performances, public service activities, and other business ventures. This latter subseries contains files for Dena Music and Dena Pictures. Of these, the files pertaining to
The Sylvia Fine Files document her diverse professional activities, including the productions of
Personal and biographical information for Kaye and Fine consists of writings by and about each of them, a small quantity of financial records from the 1940s and 1950s, a set of subject files related to their domestic activities, and files about Kaye's interest in aviation, baseball, cooking, golf, and medicine. Appointment calendars, telephone lists, and address books provide additional information about daily activities. Personal staff maintained appointment calendars for both Kaye and Fine throughout their lives. Some contain information about New York and/or Beverly Hills events, while others capture more mundane activities. Dinner guests, travel schedules, and appointments are regularly recorded.
Kaye was photographed regularly throughout his career. The collection contains large quantities of professional head shots, as well thousands of candid shots from press coverage of stage, public service, and social events. Notable photographers include Lotte Meitner-Graf, Roddy McDowall, and Phillipe Halsman. Sylvia Fine and Dena Kaye also sat for portraits by McDowall, and Fine was photographed by John Enstead. There are also images from Kaye's early career with the Three Terpsichoreans and from his time at Camp Tamiment. The Fine Family (1918-1940s), including Sylvia, is mostly documented through snapshots. More formal images of Sylvia Fine are also present, as are candid and formal pictures of Dena Kaye (mainly through her teenage years).
In addition to photographic portraits, the collection contains numerous other representations of Kaye, such as cartoons, caricatures, and artistic renderings in pencil, oil, crayon, and other media. Artists include Al Hirschfeld, Jim Berry, Tony Rafty, Dong Kingman, and Ernest Hamlin Baker. A number of sketches capture Kaye performing. Editorial cartoons from England, France, and northern Europe provide an indication of Kaye's beloved reputation around the globe. Most of these are clippings, but there is one original
Honors provide evidence of the esteem granted to Kaye for his humanitarian work, especially his contributions to UNICEF and the USO. Included in the collection are a selection of the awards: certificates, citations and proclamations, honorary degrees, and medals. Kaye's professional talents were recognized by his peers through Emmy, Golden Globe and Peabody awards. Fine, too, received recognition for her professional endeavors, albeit on a smaller scale. A number of her honors, including an Emmy and Peabody award, are likewise in the collection. Correspondence and logistical materials related to Kaye's honors is located in the Danny Kaye Performance Files, with images in the Photographs series. Similar materials for Fine are located in the Sylvia Fine Files.
Realia items given to or saved by Danny Kaye include batons, an engraved walking stick from Harry Lauder (1949), Rossini scores from members of the London and New York Philharmonic orchestras, and UNICEF and USO mementos.
Audiovisual materials received as part of the collection are housed in the Library of Congress Motion Picture, Broadcasting, and Recorded Sound Division. Included are recordings of radio appearances, commercial LPs and 78 rpm discs, acetate discs, audio tapes of Kaye's stage shows and other events, audio portions of television broadcasts in which Kaye appeared, and recordings of original works by Fine. Many of these items have been digitized. All 124 episode of
The collection is arranged in eleven series:
Printed parts, scores, orchestral arrangements, and sheet music.
Arranged in ten subseries: The Danny Kaye Show, The Danny Kaye Tour Library, An Evening with Danny Kaye, The John Gary Show, Film and Recording Arrangements, Musical Comedy Tonight, Musical Comedy Tonight II, Musical Comedy Tonight III, Sylvia Fine, and Music by Other Composers.
Parts (boxes 1-283) and oversized manuscript scores (boxes 695-760, 762) for music performed in The Danny Kaye Show. If only parts or score arrangements are available, just the respective boxes are listed.
Arranged numerically by episode number and alphabetically by song title therein. Library of Congress record numbers provide links to the full catalog record for each episode, including production information. Multiple record numbers indicate episodes for which there are excerpts and/or outakes.
Parts (boxes 283-358) and score arrangements (boxes 760-763) for music used by Kaye in his stage performances. Some titles are composed by Fine. If only parts or score arrangements are available, just the respective boxes are listed.
Arranged alphabetically by song title.
Conducting scores (box 301) and orchestral parts (boxes 302-309) for music used by Danny Kaye in his conducting performances.
Conducting scores are arranged alphabetically by composer last name; orchestral parts are arranged in folders by instrument.
Contents:
Parts (boxes 310-357) and scores (boxes 641-672) for music performed in the John Gary Show. If only parts or full score arrangements exist, just the respective boxes are listed.
Arranged alphabetically by song title.
Parts (boxes 358-412) and scores (boxes 673-694, 762) for Danny Kaye's performances in films, radio shows, Decca and Columbia recordings, and other occasions. Some material is composed by Fine. If only parts or full score arrangements are available, just the respective boxes are listed.
Arranged alphabetically by song title.
Contents:
Contents:
Sheet music for songs performed in Musical Comedy Tonight.
Arranged alphabetically by song title.
Sheet music for songs performed in Musical Comedy Tonight II.
Arranged alphabetically by song title.
Sheet music for songs performed in Musical Comedy Tonight III.
Arranged alphabetically by song title.
Manuscript and printed scores, sketches, and lyric sheets (boxes 536-537).
Arranged alphabetically by song title.
Chiefly manuscript scores and lead sheets.
Arranged alphabetically by song title.
Scripts from the The Danny Kaye Radio Show, The Danny Kaye Show, The John Gary
Show, films, stand-alone television programs, and theatrical productions. Scripts
for Musical Comedy Tonight are found
Arranged by production series.
Radio scripts.
Arranged chronologically by episode date.
Television scripts.
Arranged chronologically by episode date.
Television scripts.
Arranged numerically by episode number. Library of Congress record numbers provide links to the full catalog record for each episode, including production information. Multiple record numbers indicate episodes for which there are excerpts and/or outakes.
Television scripts.
Arranged numerically by episode number.
Film scripts for all Kaye films except A Song is Born; many are housed in their
original embossed leather binders and include production stills. Additional
production stills are found in the
Arranged alphabetically by title. LCCNs provide links to the full catalog record for each title.
Scripts for various stand-alone television programs in which Danny Kaye appeared.
Arranged alphabetically by program title.
Typed and handwritten letters, greeting cards, and telegrams to both Danny Kaye and/or Sylvia Fine. Enclosures include photographs, clippings, and other items. Birthday, Christmas, condolence, and get-well messages comprise the bulk of this material. Congratulatory notes found here supplement those interspersed throughout the collection.
Arranged alphabetically by surname of sender or topic.
Materials of a personal and biographical nature related to both Danny Kaye and Sylvia Fine. Includes correspondence, financial ledgers and accounts, published writings by and about Danny Kaye and Sylvia Fine, calendars, address books, telephone lists, and Christmas lists.
Arranged in five subseries: Subject Files, Personal Financial Documents, Writings, Danny Kaye Hobby Files, and Personal Administrative Materials.
Correspondence, biographies, award lists, medical files, memoranda, Danny Kaye obituary press release and UN tribute material, and Sylvia Fine oral history transcripts.
Arranged alphabetically by folder title.
Ledgers, account books, and correspondence.
Arranged alphabetically by record title and chronologically therein.
Drafts and printed versions of articles written by or ghost written on behalf of Danny Kaye and Sylvia Fine, correspondence, speeches, and eulogies.
Arranged in two file units, "Writings About" and "Writings By." Within each unit, writings pertaining to Kaye precede those for Fine. Articles are arranged alphabetically by author and alphabetically by title, respectively.
Correspondence, clippings, photographs, and ephemera.
Arranged alphabetically in file units by hobby, then alphabetically therein.
Christmas lists, telephone lists and telephone call sheets, calendars and schedules, and address books.
Arranged in file units by material type. Christmas lists, telephone lists, and calendars are arranged chronologically.
Materials documenting Danny Kaye and Sylvia Fine's professional activities as performer (Kaye) and teacher, composer, and producer (Fine), as well as their humanitarian and charitable activities.
Correspondence, including invitations and fan mail; business papers, including accounts and distribution reports, box office statements, budgets, contracts, financial reports, invoices, and paid bills; music management materials, including contracts, copyright assignments and registrations and recording licenses; performance and production materials, including cast information, license agreements, music clearance sheets, scripts, programs, set lists and timing, schedules, show rundowns, rehearsal schedules, shooting schedules, staff lists, theater seating charts and layouts, and travel arrangements; and publicity materials, including clippings, photographs, and posters. Also included are lecture notes and transcripts; notes and research material, including slides, program treatments, and proposals; and student files and papers.
Arranged in four subseries: Danny Kaye Performance Files, Kaye/Fine Productions, Danny Kaye Productions, and Sylvia Fine Files.
Materials documenting Kaye's public activities as a performer on screen and television and his humanitarian activities on behalf of children, members of the military, and performing arts organizations. Includes correspondence, programs, schedules, photographs, clippings, set lists, theater seating charts and layouts, cast information, publicity material, posters, contracts, and scripts.
Arranged in six sub-subseries: Stage Appearances, Conducting Appearances, Films, Public Service, Television Appearances, and Theatrical Productions.
Correspondence, box office statements, contracts, clippings, notes, invitations, programs, set lists and timing, cast information, schedules, theater seating charts and layouts, travel arrangements, and photographs documenting Kaye's stage appearances.
Arranged chronologically by event date.
Correspondence, clippings, notes, invitations, programs, schedules, travel arrangements, photographs, and fan mail, especially from friends and colleagues.
Arranged chronologically by event date.
Correspondence, children's artwork, clippings, notes, schedules, travel
arrangements, and photographs. Additional materials are found in the
Arranged alphabetically by organization name, then chronologically therein.
Correspondence, contracts, fan mail, publicity materials including posters, some production stills, and business papers such as accounts and distribution reports.
Film scripts are found in the
Arranged alphabetically by title.
Correspondence, contracts, shooting schedules, and hosting scripts. Program
scripts are found in the
Arranged alphabetically by program name.
Programs, photographs, clippings, and correspondence. Play scripts are found
in the
Arranged alphabetically by production name.
Correspondence, agreements, clippings, contracts, fan club materials, music submissions, program treatments and reports, and public relations reports.
Arranged alphabetically by folder title.
Materials documenting the activity of Kaye's production company, Dena Pictures. Correspondence; agreements and contracts; clippings; financial materials, including invoices and paid bills, reports, and royalty statements; music management papers, including contracts, copyright registrations, recording licenses, and copyright assignments; production materials, including music clearance sheets, show rundowns, rehearsal schedules, and staff lists; program treatments; publicity materials, and travel itineraries.
Arranged in two sub-subseries: Dena Music Files and Dena Pictures Files.
Correspondence, music clearance sheets, music contracts, copyright registrations, recording licenses, and copyright assignments.
Arranged alphabetically by folder title.
Ciu Ciu Bella, Danny at the Palace, the Five Pennies, the Magic Toy Shop, and Pure Danny.
Correspondence, contracts, clippings, music clearance sheets, program treatments, royalty statements, and travel itineraries.
Arranged in four subseries: Administrative Materials, Danny Kaye Specials, Danny Kaye Show, and John Gary Show.
Materials concerning the operation and management of the Kaye/Fine production company. These files are essentially the office files of Herb Bonis, Kaye's manager and head of the production company. Development files containing correspondence and script treatments either submitted to Dena Pictures or generated by it make up nearly half of the files.
Arranged alphabetically by folder title.
Correspondence, production, and publicity materials.
Arranged chronologically by show date and alphabetically therein.
Contracts; financial reports; production materials including music
clearance sheets, show rundowns, rehearsal schedules, and staff lists;
and invoices and paid bills. Production stills can be found in the
Arranged in four file units: Contracts, Financial Materials, Production Material, and Paid Bills.
Contracts; financial reports; production materials, including music clearance sheets, show rundowns, rehearsal schedules, and staff lists; and invoices and paid bills.
Arranged in four file units: Contracts, Financial Materials, Production Material, Invoices, and Correespondence.
Materials documenting Sylvia Fines' activities as a teacher, composer, and producer. These include correspondence, budgets, clippings, contracts, invoices, lecture notes and transcripts, license agreements, notes and research material, photographs and slides, program treatments, proposals, scripts, student files, and papers.
Arranged in two sub-subseries: Miscellaneous Files and Musical Comedy Tonight.
Correspondence, program treatments, lecture notes and transcripts, student files and papers, and contracts.
Alphabetically by folder title.
Correspondence, proposals, budgets, invoices, scripts, notes and research material, license agreements, clippings, photographs, and slides.
Arranged by file unit, with general Musical Comedy Tonight material first, followed by material related to each of the three programs. Materials are arranged alphabetically by folder title within each file unit.
Images (albums, photographic prints, negatives, transparencies, and slides) documenting Danny Kaye and Sylvia Fine's careers and personal lives. Material on Kaye comprises the bulk of the series. Additional images are located throughout the collection and indicated in the container list wherever possible.
Organized as two subseries. Loose photographs cover all aspects of Kaye's career and include portraits, publicity shots, and production stills from The Danny Kaye Show and his films. Also included are Kaye, Kaminsky, and Fine family photographs and images relating to Kaye's hobbies. Albums document Kaye's USO tours, stage appearances, especially in England, Scotland, and South Africa, and his interest in Israel. One album is devoted to 1940s-1950s publicity photos of Kaye and Fine.
Color and black and white prints, negatives, and transparencies.
Organized as four sub-subseries: Danny Kaye, Sylvia Fine, and Family and Friends; Appearances; Production Stills; and Kaye Hobbies.
Images of Kaye and Fine, their daughter, Dena Kaye, and the Kaminsky and Fine families, with the Fine family extensively represented. Many of these are studio portraits of Kaye. There are also numerous images of Kaye with friends and colleagues from all aspects of his career and personal life, as well as photographs inscribed to Kaye and Fine.
Arranged by subject. Undated portraits of Kaye are arranged in three rough groups: early-, mid-, and late-career.
Includes Sid Field, Jerry Lewis, and Laurence Olivier.
Images of Kaye's stage performances, conducting activities, public appearances on behalf of charitable causes (especially UNICEF and the USO), and various other events.
Arranged by appearance type (Stage, Concert, Public Service, Events). Stage and Concert images are arranged chronologically; Public Service and Events images are arranged alphabetically.
Includes Sylvia Fine and Marsha and Norman Panama
Images from many of Kaye's films, promotional pictures for The Danny Kaye
Show radio series, recording sessions, the Danny Kaye specials, and most
episodes from all four seasons of The Danny Kaye Show. Additional production
stills are bound with the film scripts in the
Arranged alphabetically by type of production, then alphabetically by title therein.
Includes Irving Berlin
Includes Sharman Douglas.
Includes Little Child session with Sylvia Fine and Dena Kaye.
Includes Harry Belefonte, Vikki Carr, and Larry Tucker; various candids, and the CBS bungalow.
Images of people and events related to Kaye's interests in aviation, cooking, baseball, golf, and medicine.
Arranged alphabetically by subject.
Arranged alphabetically by title.
Bound volumes created by Kaye/Fine staff or given to Kaye documenting his travels and performances. Includes clippings, photographs, and memorabilia.
Arranged chronologically.
Clippings files maintained by Kaye/Fine staff. Additional clippings are found throughout the collection.
Arranged alphabetically by subject, then chronologically or alphabetically therein as appropriate.
Original artwork depicting Danny Kaye performing or in portrait. Includes caricatures, cartoons, drawings, and paintings. There is also a small group of drawings by children.
Arranged alphabetically by type of depicition and alphabetically by artist.
Awards, certificates and honorary degrees, medals, plaques, and trophies presented to Danny Kaye and Sylvia Fine. The bulk of the materials were presented to Kaye.
Arranged alphabetically by file unit: Awards, Certificates, Honorary Degrees, Medals, Plaques, and Trophies. Each file unit is also arranged alphabetically by presenting entity or honor title.
Memorabilia and presentation items given to or saved by Danny Kaye.
Arranged alphabetically by item type or presenting organization.