Finding aid of the Daniel Turner Papers

Series 1. Correspondence 1962-1990

Physical Description: 12 Folders

Series Description

This series is comprised of letters from friends, agents, and publishers and is chronologically arranged at the folder level. Besides personal information, theater-related topics dominate the collection concerning various productions, troupes and actors in several cities including New York, Los Angeles, Dallas and San Francisco. Included here are of some of Turner's outgoing correspondence, including early letters sent primarily to his family. Also found here are numerous letters of a sexual nature from correspondents sharing Turners interest in S/M. Additional correspondence is found throughout the - collection, especially in Series II. Creative Works that also relates to literary, performance, or publication matters. There is also one folder of AIDS-related correspondence found in the Personal Papers series that includes a letter from Michael Callen. Significant correspondents include: James Ashley Bellamy, Robert Chesley, James Thomas Dowell, Arthur Evans, William Hoffman, Arnie Kantrowitz, Robert Patrick, Efren Ramirez, Rink, Rosalie Turner (his mother and Tim Turner (his brother).

Box: Folder 1: 1

1962-1969

Box: Folder 1: 2

1977

Box: Folder 1: 3

1978

Box: Folder 1: 4

1979

Box: Folder 1: 5

1980

Box: Folder 1: 6

1981-1987

Box: Folder 1: 7

1985-1987

Box: Folder 1: 8

1988

Box: Folder 1: 9

1989-1990

Box: Folder 1: 10

Undated Undated

Box: Folder 2: 1

Outgoing correspondence 1968-1987

Box: Folder 2: 2

Theater and career-related correspondence 1980-1981

Creative Works 1960-1990

Physical Description: 83 folders

Series Description

The bulk of this series consists of notebooks, manuscripts (often including multiple annotated and corrected drafts) of poems, novels, short stories, an autobiography, plays, musicals as well as television or film scripts and newspaper reviews and interviews. Also found in this series is correspondence, notices and flyers of public performances.

This series is divided into three sub-series: Plays and Musical, 1974-1988, Fiction, Poetry and Prose, 1960-1990, and Notebooks, 1971- 1989. While drafts of plays/musical, short prose dominate the Creative Works series, also present are numerous creative notes and outlines, including "four page treatments" for film. Nonfiction prose works include several drafts of chapters for Turner's autobiography written in collaboration with Stuart Rawlings. Notes for and partial drafts of works are often interfiled with manuscripts.

The folders often contain numerous manuscripts and/or related notes, proposals, and correspondence. Many of the drafts of poems are written verso (reverse side) of other incomplete manuscripts by Turner. This series contains both published and unpublished material, which are identified whenever possible.

Box: Folder 2:3 - 6:11

Plays and Musicals 1974-1988

Sub-Series Description

The sub-series Plays and Musicals consists of drafts, annotated and corrected typescripts, notebooks, notes for musicals, plays or dramatic treatments. Also found here are drafts of works and proposals for future work in various formats (holograph, typescript, photocopy) and stages of preparation (whole pages and page fragments). This sub-series also includes clippings of newspaper reviews for performances. Manuscripts found here include "A" and a second manuscripts entitled 'The Scarlet Letter" based on the same material derived from Hawthorne's novel. Also found here is the musical 'Born in Hollywood" whose central character is either a drag queen or a transsexual person and two non-musical plays, 'Getting to Know the Natives" and 'Renovations.' Together with Daniel Curzon and other collaborators, Turner co-authored or contributed musical scores and directorial expertise to numerous works represented in the series. His collaborations with Curzon were numerous and include: "Cinderella II," "Comeback," and "No Minced Pies." Also found in this sub-series are miscellaneous photocopies of songs in score form.

Box: Folder 2: 3

Typescript of musical play "A" 1975

Box: Folder 2: 4

Aunt Adelle and Uncle Aloysin Undated

Box: Folder 2: 5 - 3:1

Born in Hollywood 1986

Box: Folder 3: 2

Cinderella II 1984

Box: Folder 3:3 - 4:2

Comeback, written with Daniel Curzon 1979

Box: Folder 4: 3

The Cop, The Nun, and the Fag 1980

Box: Folder 4: 4

A Dialogue for Six: A Dance Poem 1986

Box: Folder 4: 5

"Getting to Know the Natives" (M. F. A. Thesis) 1974

Box: Folder 4: 6

Giraffes are Dreaming Undated

Box: Folder 4: 7

In Search of a New Moon, type script of a one act play 1975

Box: Folder 4: 8

Last Resort Undated

Box: Folder 4: 9

Loophole Undated

Box: Folder 4: 10

The Mummy 1988

Box: Folder 5:1 - 5:4

No Minced Pies 1981-1982

Box: Folder 5: 6

Pearls of Wisdom Undated

Box: Folder 5: 7

"Playwriting" Undated

Box: Folder 5: 8

The Queen is Dean Undated

Box: Folder 5:9 - 5:10

Renovations 1978

Box: Folder 6: 1

The Scarlet Letter 1976

Box: Folder 6: 2

Shakespeare Rap 1987

Box: Folder 6: 3

The Silent Pharaoh 1988-1989

Box: Folder 6: 4

The Statue of Love: A Fairy Tale in Two Acts

Box: Folder 6:5 - 6:6

Sunny Day 1974

Box: Folder 6: 7

Time Order and Time Cues Undated

Box: Folder 6: 8

The Workout Undated

Box: Folder 6: 9

Untitled Dialogue for Four Actors Undated

Box: Folder 6: 10

Untitled play Undated

Box: Folder 6: 11

Music scores of various musicals Undated

Box: Folder 6:12 - 8:15

Fiction, Poetry, and Prose 1960-1990

Sub-Series Description

The sub-series Fiction, Poetry, and Prose, includes drafts of Turner's creative prose which is often, but not exclusively, focused on gay male and erotic, themes. Unpublished Manuscripts of Turner's novels found here include: "The Curve of Clancy's Bubble," and "Roach." Manuscripts of short prose found in this sub-series include drafts of four short stories tentatively entitled "Quickies: A Collection of Gay Short Stories." and another story entitled "Nice Men Do Not Go Out Alone." Autobiographical works include "A Tennessee Waltz," which concerns Turner's time with Tennessee Williams and several differently titled chapters from his unfinished autobiography. Also present here is the autobiographical manuscript entitled "Vista-Peace Corps." One folder of Turner's journalistic piece, that includes and interview with and photographs of Armistead Maupin is also found in this sub-series. Many of the manuscripts found here are accompanied by numerous holographic fragments, revisions, critical notes, publicity, and related correspondence.

Box: Folder 6: 12

Alien Undated

Box: Folder 7: 1-4

Autobiography 1976-1988

Box: Folder 7: 5

Berlin Birthday Revue 1988

Box: Folder 7: 6

The Boy in the White Suit Undated

Box: Folder 7: 7

Caddie in the Rough Undated

Box: Folder 7:8 - 8:2

The Curve of Clancy's Bubble Undated

Box: Folder 8: 3

Fill 'er Up Undated

Box: Folder 8: 4

Four Poems Undated

Box: Folder 8: 5

The Girl Who Had Bumps on Her Head Undated

Box: Folder 8: 6

Hotel Poems 1960

Box: Folder 8: 7

Interview with Armistead Maupin 1977

Box: Folder 8: 8

Life on Grove Street Undated

Box: Folder 8: 9

Nice Men Do Not Go Out Alone Undated

Box: Folder 8: 10

Poems/Pensees Undated

Box: Folder 8: 11

Quickies: A collection of Gay Short Stories Undated

Box: Folder 8: 12

Rags to Riches Undated

Box: Folder 8: 13

Roach Undated

Box: Folder 8: 14

The Sensual Body Undated

Box: Folder 8: 15

Son of Sally Bowles/Chapter One 1976

Box: Folder 9: 1-2

A Tennessee Waltz 1990

Box: Folder 9: 3

Three Stories: "Taught to Obey", "Fill 'er Up", and "The 24 Hour" Undated

Box: Folder 9: 4

Vista-Peace Corp Undated

Box: Folder 9: 5

Why Trees Lose Their Leaves 1977

Box: Folder 9:6 - 10:9

Notebooks 1977-1989

Sub-Series Description

The sub-series Notebooks includes creative and personal spiral-bound type holograph notebooks as well as travel journals that consist of lists of names and addresses, brochures, maps, and other travel documents. Turner's titles for these notebooks have been preserved throughout this sub-series. Some early notebooks, such as 'Nature Object/Theater Philosophy, includes notes from academic course work and related projects. Several notebooks include related notes and correspondence inserted between pages. Several notebooks actually serve as drafts for dramatic ideas such as 'Plays, 1976-1977', 'Vista' and 'A Dialogue for Six.' There are several untitled notebooks, especially a series of five representing the decade of the 1980s. Other daybooks, including a typescript of daily entries kept during his last days, is found in Series IV, Personal Papers, 1971-1993. Turner's work, found in these notebooks, while focused in gay male themes, also reflects a general interested in American theater traditions as well as politics and popular culture.

Box: Folder 9: 6

Columns 1977

Box: Folder 9: 7

Companions Undated

Box: Folder 9: 8

Ideas Undated

Box: Folder 9: 9

Nature Object/theater Philosophy 1971-1972

Box: Folder 9: 10

Plays 1976-1977

Box: Folder 9: 11

Poetry Notebook 1976-1977

Box: Folder 10: 1

Vista and A Dialogue for Six Undated

Box: Folder 10: 2

Zit Mania Undated

Box: Folder 10: 3

Three Untitled Notebooks 1989

Box: Folder 10: 4

Two Untitled Notebooks Undated

Box: Folder 10: 5

Untitled Notebook 1981

Box: Folder 10: 6

Untitled Notebook 1984

Box: Folder 10: 7

Untitled Notebook 1985-1988

Box: Folder 10: 8

Untitled Notebook 1987-1988

Box: Folder 10: 9

Untitled Notebook 1987-1989

Series 3. Theater/Acting Career 1961-1986

Physical Description: 4 folders

Series Description

This series includes scrapbooks and collections of various memorabilia and ephemera of not only Turners performances, but artifacts from other gay theatrical productions of the 1970s and 1980s. This includes performances by groups of which he was a member (e.g. Earnest Players), but also other now legendry groups including the Angels of Light and the Gay Mens Theater Collective. Much of the ephemera and correspondence found here are also evidence of Turners journalist career as a drama critic for the Bay Area Reporter and other local newspapers and 'bar rags.'

Box: Folder 11: 1

"Publicity Info" for Miss Stanwyck is Still in Hiding 1979-1980

Box: Folder 11: 2

Scrapbook 1978-1981

Box: Folder 11: 3-4

Theater memorabilia 1971-1986

Series 4. Personal Papers 1971-1993

Physical Description: 10 Folders

Series Description

This series consists primarily of daybooks and scrapbooks dating from his college career and study abroad (1967-1968) to AIDS-related materials and correspondence from the late 1980s. One holograph daybook found here details the last two years of his life. This daybook is written verso of other manuscripts, particularly chapters from his autobiography and "A Tennessee Waltz," the latter of which chronicles his travels as secretary to Tennessee Williams. Only a few items relating to his travels with Williams - airline and theater tickets - are found in this collection. Some medical records, including correspondence from doctors, are present. Also found here are financial records, including various bank accounts and a few records concerning his estate. These latter papers concern the disbursement of funds from "The Dan Turner Memorial Fund" and agreements/contracts concerning his autobiography project. Several legal and educational papers such as his diplomas, Last Will and Testament, and eulogies given by friends at his memorial service are also found here.

Box: Folder 12: 1

AIDS-related Material 1986-1989

Box: Folder 12: 2

AIDS-related Correspondence 1986-1989

Box: Folder 12: 3

Clippings and media research 1986-1988

Box: Folder 12: 4

Daybooks 1965-1967

Box: Folder 12: 5

Daybook of European Vacation 1967-1968

Box: Folder 12: 6

Loose-leaf Daybook 1989-1990

Box: Folder 12: 7

Scrapbook, European Vacation 1967-1968

Box: Folder 12: 8

Financial, and Medical Records 1969-1989

Box: Folder 12: 9

Legal and Educational Papers 1969-1990

Box: Folder 12: 10

Tennessee Williams 1976

Series 5. Works by Others 1958-1988

Physical Description: 4 folders

Series Description

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Series 6. Audiovisual 1988

Physical Description: 6 audio cassettes, 1 record

Series Description

The series is comprised of sound cassette tapes and one sound recording, the latter titled What Love Can Do, by Will Williams (1988). Also included are three cassette tapes labeled "Music to Score" and another tape (possibly by the Angels of Light) for 'Cinderella II'. Also found here are AIDS and healing related voice tapes by Louise Hays, a popular New Age health teacher of the late 1980s. Also found in this series are numerous photographs.

Box: Folder 13: 1

"Create Your Health" and "Louise Hays"

Box: Folder 13: 2

"Brigadoon" and "House of Flowers" Undated

Box: Folder 13: 3

Music to Score Undated

Box: Folder 13: 4-6

Scoring Undated

Box: Folder 13: 7

Scoring for Cinderella II Undated

Box: Folder 13: 8

"What Love Can Do", by Will Williams, 45 RPM sound recording, Stereo 1988

Box: Folder 14: 1

AIDS Activism Undated

Box: Folder 14: 2

Gay Day Parade (City Unidentified) Undated

Box: Folder 14: 3

From Correspondence and Theater Files Undated

Box: Folder 14: 4

Negatives Undated

Box: Folder 14: 5

Extras Undated

Box: Folder 14: 6

Family Wedding Undated

Box: Folder 14: 7

Polaroids Undated

Box: Folder 14: 8

Childhood Undated

Box: Folder 14: 9

Photo Set From Goddess (by and for Tides Foundation) Undated

Box: Folder 14: 10

Camping with Friends Undated

Box: Folder 14: 11

Family (probably) Undated

Box: Folder 14: 12

Visit to Taos Undated

Box: Folder 14: 13

Portraits by Rink Undated

Box: Folder 14: 14

Castro Street Fair Undated

Box: Folder 14: 15

Gay Games II 1986

Box: Folder 14: 16

Europe Undated

Box: Folder 14: 17

Young Adulthood circa 1966-1970

Box: Folder 14: 18

Traveling with Friends Undated

Box: Folder 14: 19

Slides Undated

Collection Contents