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Finding Aid for the Jack Albertson Papers ca. 1959-ca. 1980
291
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Title: Jack Albertson Papers,
Date (inclusive): ca. 1959-ca. 1980
Collection number: 291
Creator: Albertson, Jack 1910-1981
Extent:
18 boxes (9 linear ft);
7 shoe boxes (3 linear ft)
Repository:
University of California, Los Angeles. Library. Performing Arts Special Collections
Los Angeles, California 90095-1490
Abstract: Jack Albertson had a successful career on the stage, television and motion pictures. The collection consists of scripts, joke
files, and printed ephemera related mostly to his work on television and in motion pictures.
COLLECTION STORED OFF-SITE AT SRLF: Open for research. Advance notice required for access. Contact the UCLA Library, Performing
Arts Special Collections Reference Desk for paging information.
Restrictions on Use and Reproductions
Property rights to the physical object belong to the UCLA Library, Performing Arts Special Collections. Literary rights, including
copyright, are retained by the creators and their heirs. It is the responsibility of the researcher to determine who holds
the copyright and pursue the copyright owner or his or her heir for permission to publish where The UC Regents do not hold
the copyright.
Jack Albertson Papers (Collection 291). Performing Arts Special Collections, University of California, Los Angeles.
Gift of Mrs. Wallace Albertson, 2004
Jack Albertson was born in Malden, MA, in 1910. He started his show business career as a vaudeville dancer and became straight
man to such comics as Milton Berle, Bert Lahr and Bert Wheeler. Early in his career Albertson formed a partnership with Phil
Silvers, and convinced that he would never become a great dancer, he concentrated on comedy. He found notoriety when he stepped
in for Eddie Foy in a Broadway revival of The Red Mill (1946).
Albertson was known for his radio work on Just Plain Bill and The Jack Albertson Comedy Show. He appeared in Broadway plays
such as
Top Banana,
The Cradle Will Rock,
Show Boat,
Boy Meets Girl,
The Sunshine Boys (for which he received a Tony Award nomination for Best Actor), and
The Subject was Roses (for which he won a Tony for Best Supporting Actor). Albertson's film credits include
Man of a Thousand Faces (1957),
Lover Come Back (1962),
The Flim-Flam Man (1967), and
The Poseidon Adventure (1972).
He has a long list of television credits that include
Chico and the Man, probably Albertson's most known television role, and one for which he received an Emmy for his performance as Ed Brown,
"the Man"--Chico's boss. Other television credits includes a recurring role on
Ensign O'Toole and
Grandpa Goes to Washington and guest appearances on
Bachelor Father,
Hollywood Television Theatre,
Ironside,
Marcus Welby, M.D,
Margie, and
Name of the Game, among others. Albertson is one a few entertainers to win the triple crown of entertainment: a Tony, an Oscar, and an Emmy.
Albertson died of cancer in Hollywood Hills, CA, Nov. 25, 1981.
Collection consists of scripts, joke files, printed ephemera, and other memorabilia related to the career of actor and entertainer
Jack Albertson. The bulk of the collection is comprised of script files including material from a number of various projects
including Jack Albertson or submitted to him for consideration, such as Ensign O'Toole, Flim Flam Man, Grandpa Goes to Washington,
The Name of the Game, and Pete and Gladys, among others. There two only scripts from Chico and the Man, probably Albertson's
most known television role. Also of note is the absence of materials for the Days of Wine and Roses, The Posiden Adventure,
and Willie Wonka and the Chocolate Factory.
Also included in the collection is a small amount of awards and honors presented to Albertson as well as clippings, drawings,
and printed ephemera collected by him. Additionally, there are manuscript pages for what appears to be a book about Bob Hope
that may have been submitted to Albertson. Also included in the collection is small group of caricature like drawings and
photographs related Paul and Grace Hartman, close friends and colleagues of Albertson.
The collection is organized into the following series:
- Series 1. Awards, Honors, and Certificates
- Series 2. Drawings
- Series 3. Joke Files and Sketches
- Series 4. Photographic materials
- Series 5. Printed Material
- Series 6. Series 6. Publications
- Series 7. Script Files
- Series 8. Paul and Grace Hartman Collection
The following terms have been used to index the description of this collection in the library's online public access catalog.
Actors --United States --Archival resources
Albertson, Jack, 1910-1981 -- Archives
Entertainers--United States--Archival resources