Encoded in EAD3 : Encoded Archival Description (EAD), Version 3 : Release: 1.1.1 :Release Date: 2019-12-16. Validating against latest version of schema.
Contact information: https://hdl.loc.gov/loc.music/perform.contact
Catalog Record: https://lccn.loc.gov/2020570130
DACS was used as the primary description standard.
Collection material chiefly in English
Gift, Elaine Joyce, 2021
No further accruals are expected.
Anthony Edwards, Mark Eden Horowitz, and Morgen Stevens-Garmon processed the Neil Simon Papers in 2022. Morgen Stevens-Garmon coded the finding aid in October 2022.
Sound and video recordings from the Neil Simon Papers have been transferred to the Library of Congress Motion Picture, Broadcasting and Recorded Sound Division where it is identified as the Neil Simon Collection (MAVIS no. 17716). An inventory of this material is available in the Music Division's collection file.
Two collections of Neil Simon plays, screenplays, and additional writings are at Harvard University's Houghton Library. The Richard Hoffman-Neil Simon collection at the University of Delaware also includes scripts by Simon.
Evidence of Neil Simon's early career as a television staff writer for
Materials from the Neil Simon papers are governed by the Copyright Law of the United States (Title 17, U.S.C.) and other applicable international copyright laws.
The Neil Simon Papers are open to research. 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.
Certain restrictions on using or copying materials may apply.
Researchers wishing to cite this collection should include the following information:[item, date, container number], Neil Simon Papers, Music Division, Library of Congress, Washington, D.C.
The Neil Simon Papers span from 1927 to 2018, the life of its namesake playwright, screenwriter, and author. The bulk of the collection dates from 1968 to 2003 and consists primarily of writings by Simon. Other materials include clippings, correspondence, and ephemera related to Simon's productions; drawings and sketches by Simon; and, a small amount of personal papers and memorabilia.
By far the largest series, Writings encompasses Simon's written creative output and mostly consists of complete and partial drafts of musical librettos, screenplays, teleplays, and scripts for stage. More than 210 different titles are identified and many works consist of multiple drafts showing the evolution of a particular work. The collection contains almost no scripts from the early decade of Simon's career in television, and the majority of work dates after 1961, the year of his first full-length Broadway production,
Production Files contains material related to specific productions of Simon's work. Clippings, correspondence, notes, photographs, programs, and other ephemera document productions between 1961 and 2018 across the United States and include international productions performed in Australia, Israel, Japan, and countries throughout Europe.
Letters, notes, and business communications sent to and from Simon are organized under Correspondence. Though the series identifies folders for 48 individuals, the majority of these contain only one or two short pieces of correspondence.
Personal Papers holds materials related to Simon's career, personal life, and public persona. Clippings document the breadth of Simon's career, and interviews provide insight into his creative process. Personal materials include address books, a birth certificate, a passport, and the marriage certificate to his first wife, Joan Baim. Simon's collection of signed baseballs and other personal memorabilia is also present in this series.
In addition to being a prolific writer, Simon created visual art in sketchbooks and on notebook pages. His cartoons, drawings, sketches, and watercolors are collected in Artwork.
Window cards, posters, and large format advertisements for Simon's productions are discoverable in Posters. For the most part, posters document productions on Broadway, but the series does include performances elsewhere in the United States, Australia, and nine European countries.
Numerous awards, certificates, citations, plaques, and trophies given to Simon throughout his career are collected in Awards and Honors including his first Tony Award for
The collection is arranged in seven series:
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.
Catalog Record: https://lccn.loc.gov/2020570130
This series consists of works written by Neil Simon. These include articles, essays, memoirs, musical librettos, notes, screenplays, speeches, teleplays, and scripts.
Organized as three subseries.
The largest subseries, the scripts contain handwritten and typescript drafts for more than 210 differently titled motion pictures, musicals, plays, and television movies and programs written by Neil Simon. In addition to full-length drafts, this subseries also holds synopses, character descriptions, and incomplete or partial drafts. Scripts are organized according to the title on the work, and sometimes multiple titles referring to different drafts of the same work. Notes on a work's earlier, alternate, or later title are included when known. The majority of the material focuses on Simon's work as sole author, and there is no material connected to his early work as a television staff writer. Information on draft number or edition is taken from the work, and not all works include consecutive drafts. When known, a parenthetical descriptor follows each title identifying if the script is for a motion picture, musical, play, television movie, or television program. For clippings, correspondence, programs, and other material related to specific performances, see Production Files.
Organized as two subseries.
This sub-subseries organizes complete and partial drafts of single performed works written by Neil Simon. Simon drafted plays, musicals, screenplays, and teleplays in spiral bound notebooks and typescript pages. Drafts are typescripts unless otherwise noted.
Arranged alphabetically by production title and chronologically therein.
This sub-subseries consists of 127 individual notebooks created by Neil Simon. Each notebook contains multiple handwritten drafts, rehearsal notes, or rewrites for Simon's film, stage, and television projects. They also include drafts of articles, speeches, and other miscellaneous writings by Simon. Drafts for a single motion picture, musical, or play may occur within the same notebook and also across several different notebooks that are not arranged in consecutive order. Works are listed in the order they appear within each notebook.
Arranged alphabetically by notebook title. Untitled notebooks arranged alphabetically by first identified work.
Neil Simon wrote two memoirs:
Arranged chronologically.
Articles, speeches, and any other writings by Neil Simon are collected in this subseries. Simon's introductory essays to several of his collected works are also found here. Articles created for specific publications are noted when known. A volume of drawing prompts, "642 Things to Draw," is filled with Simon's written responses. Partial or complete drafts of several works listed here are also found in the Multiple Works sub-subseries under Scripts. For speeches and remarks made at award events, see Awards and Honors.
Arranged alphabetically by title.
This series contains clippings, correspondence, photographs, programs, reviews, and opening night notes connected to Neil Simon's productions. An original caricature by Al Hirschfeld is filed under
Arranged alphabetically by production title.
This series contains personal and business correspondence sent to or from Neil Simon. Most folders contain only one or two short letters or notes, but the correspondence from Danny Simon contains extensive feedback on ongoing projects. Folders of miscellaneous correspondence primarily document business dealings but also includes early letters possibly sent while Simon was in the Air Force Reserves Corps in 1946. For opening night notes and telegrams, see Production Files.
Arranged alphabetically by correspondent name. Folders of miscellaneous correspondence are arranged chronologically.
Materials documenting Neil Simon's life and personal activities are organized in this series. They include address books, biographical material, clippings, interviews, photographs, and unpublished writings on Simon. Folders on family members contain information on the final resting place of parents Irving and Mamie Simon as well as obituaries for brother Danny Simon. Folders of clippings and interviews document various aspects of Simon's career and public life. For clippings related to a specific production, see Production Files. This series holds several pieces of memorabilia, including Simon's collection of signed baseballs, a ball cap, and a pair of glasses. Photographs include formal portraits and informal snapshots. Two folders of condolence correspondence collect letters sent to Elaine Joyce after Simon's death in 2018.
Arranged according to material type or subject.
This series contains one folder and 19 notebooks featuring artwork created by Neil Simon in ink, pencil, or watercolor. Simon's subject matter includes realistic depictions of landscapes, room interiors, portraits, and geometric designs. Several notebooks contain cartoons drawn in a looser style often with captions. Only one of the works is dated.
Arranged chronologically and then by subject or medium.
This series consists primarily of window cards advertising the Broadway productions of Neil Simon's plays and musicals. Also found in this series is one poster for the television movie version of
Arranged alphabetically by production title.
This series consists of certificates, citations, medals, plaques, and other three-dimensional awards given to Neil Simon in recognition of his contributions as a writer for stage, screen, and television. Included are the 1965 Tony Award for
Arranged alphabetically by granting organization.