Content Description
This collection consists of papers documenting the life and work or American actor Jason Robards. Scripts, many of which are annotated, document many of Robard's roles on stage, film, and television. Playscripts contain several by Eugene O'Neill, including Hughie, Ah, Wilderness!, and A Moon for the Misbegotten. Correspondence consists of letters and other papers relating to a variety of theatrical, film, and television productions starring Robards; personal correspondence including correspondence with Robards's parents, Hope Maxine Milburn and Jason Robards Sr., letters received during Robards's naval service during the Second World War, condolence letters following his father's death, and fan correspondence; and business correspondence documenting potential roles and various projects, including Robards's charitable work. Other papers in the collecton include scrapbooks, press materials, clippings, a costume, props, realia, photographs, posters, lobby cards, artwork, annotated and inscribed books, awards, and audiovisual materials documenting Robards's acting career, as well as that of his father, Jason Robards, Sr. The collection also includes personal papers, which consist of calendars, planners, biographical materials, and memorials to Robards following his death in 2000.
Dates
- 1856 - 2002
- Majority of material found within 1908 - 2002
Creator
Conditions Governing Access
This collection is open for research.
Boxes 143-152 (audiovisual materials): Restricted fragile. Reference copies may be requested. Consult Access Services for further information.
Box 153 (health records): Restricted until 2071.
Conditions Governing Use
The Jason Robards Papers is the physical property of the Beinecke Rare Book and Manuscript Library, Yale University. Literary rights, including copyright, belong to the auhors or their legal heirs and assigns. For further information, consult the appropriate curator.
Immediate Source of Acquisition
Purchased from Shannon O'Connor Robards and Jake O'Neill Robards on the Sinclair Lewis Fund, 2020 and gift of Shannon O'Connor Robards and Jake O'Neill Robards, 2020.
Arrangement
The collection is organized into ten series: I. Scripts, 1951-1999. II. Correspondence, 1908-2002. III. Scrapbooks, press, and clippings, circa 1920s-2000. IV. Personal papers, 1914-2002. V. Costume, props, and realia, 1964-1966, undated. VI. Photographs, 1920-2000. VII. Posters, lobby cards, and artwork, 1856-1995. VIII. Annotated and inscribed books, 1866-1995. IX. Awards, 1955-2002. X. Audiovisual materials, 1965-2001.
Extent
104.01 Linear Feet ((147 boxes) + 6 broadside)
Language of Materials
English
Catalog Record
A record for this collection is available in Orbis, the Yale University Library catalog
Persistent URL
Abstract
This collection consists of papers documenting the life and work or American actor Jason Robards. Scripts, many of which are annotated, document many of Robard's roles on stage, film, and television. Playscripts contain several by Eugene O'Neill, including Hughie, Ah, Wilderness!, and A Moon for the Misbegotten. Correspondence consists of letters and other papers relating to a variety of theatrical, film, and television productions starring Robards; personal correspondence including correspondence with Robards's parents, Hope Maxine Milburn and Jason Robards Sr., letters received during Robards's naval service during the Second World War, condolence letters following his father's death, and fan correspondence; and business correspondence documenting potential roles and various projects, including Robards's charitable work. Other papers in the collecton include scrapbooks, press materials, clippings, a costume, props, realia, photographs, posters, lobby cards, artwork, annotated and inscribed books, awards, and audiovisual materials documenting Robards's acting career, as well as that of his father, Jason Robards, Sr. The collection also includes personal papers, which consist of calendars, planners, biographical materials, and memorials to Robards following his death in 2000.
Jason Robards
Jason Robards, Jr. (1922-2000) was a prolific American stage and film actor whose career stretched from the late 1940s, following his service in the United State Navy during the Second World War, until his death from lung cancer in 2000. On the stage, Robards repeatedly performed in plays by Eugene O’Neill, often in collaboration with director José Quintero, and originated the role of Jamie Tyrone, Jr. in Long Day’s Journey into Night in 1956. He was nominated for eight Tony Awards, winning Best Performance by a Leading Actor in a Play for his work in The Disenchanted (1959). On screen, Robards appeared in over sixty films, including All the President’s Men and Julia, for which he won the Academy Award for Best Supporting Actor in consecutive years, in 1976 and 1977, respectively. Robards was married four times, and had six children.
Processing Information
Collections are processed to a variety of levels, depending on the work necessary to make them usable, their perceived research value, the availability of staff, competing priorities, and whether or not further accruals are expected. The library attempts to provide a basic level of preservation and access for all collections as they are acquired, and does more extensive processing of higher priority collections as time and resources permit.
This collection received a basic level of processing, including rehousing and minimal organization.
Information included in the Description of Papers note and Collection Contents section is drawn from information supplied with the collection and from an initial survey of the contents. Folder titles appearing in the contents list below are often based on those provided by the creator or previous custodian. Titles have not been verified against the contents of the folders in all cases. Otherwise, folder titles are supplied by staff during initial processing.
This finding aid may be updated periodically to account for new acquisitions to the collection or revisions in arrangement and description.
- Actors -- United States
- Actors -- United States -- 20th Century
- Audiovisual materials
- Costumes (character dress)
- Lobby cards
- Milburn, Hope Maxine, 1895-1992
- Motion picture actors and actresses -- United States
- Motion pictures -- Production and direction -- United States
- O'Neill, Eugene, 1888-1953
- Photographs
- Posters
- Robards, Jason
- Robards, Jason, 1892-1963
- Scripts (documents)
- Television -- Production and direction -- United States
- Television actors and actresses -- United States
- Theater -- United States
- Title
- Guide to the Jason Robards Papers
- Author
- by Janet Lopes and Michael Rush
- Date
- December 2021
- Description rules
- Describing Archives: A Content Standard
Part of the Beinecke Rare Book and Manuscript Library Repository
Location
121 Wall Street
New Haven, CT 06511
Opening Hours
Access Information
The Beinecke Library is open to all Yale University students and faculty, and visiting researchers whose work requires use of its special collections. You will need to bring appropriate photo ID the first time you register. Beinecke is a non-circulating, closed stack library. Paging is done by library staff during business hours. You can request collection material online at least two business days in advance of your visit, using the request links in Archives at Yale. For more information, please see Planning Your Research Visit and consult the Reading Room Policies prior to visiting the library.