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Gypsy Rose Lee Papers (1910 - 1970)
Collection IDTheatre Div. *T-Mss 1990-014
Size28.22 linear feet (80 boxes)
Collection Description
Gypsy Rose Lee (1914-1970) burlesque star, actress, author and television personality was born Rose Louise Hovick, January 9, 1914 in Seattle, Washington. Her mother Rose Thompson and her father, John Hovick, a reporter, divorced shortly after the birth of their second child June. Rose Thompson was determined to make a stage career for her children. Rose Louise made her stage debut at the age of four in Just Kids, a "kiddy act" with her sister, "Baby June," who later became the actress June Havoc. The act, which changed over the years as the girls aged, toured the vaudeville circuit successfully for several years, but with the decline of vaudeville Rose Louise turned to burlesque. By the 1930s she had transformed herself into Gypsy Rose Lee and was one of the biggest stars in burlesque, known as much for her sophisticated sense of humor as for her artful stripping.
Gypsy Rose Lee went to Hollywood in the late 1930s and appeared in several films including Stage Door Canteen and Belle of the Yukon. However, it was her work as a writer that achieved more universal acclaim. She contributed articles to American Mercury, Cosmopolitan, Harper's, and New Yorker. Her mystery, The G-String Murders, published in 1941 was a bestseller. In 1942 she published Mother Finds a Body. Her play The Naked Genius, starring Joan Blondell and directed by George S. Kaufman, was beset by problems, but survived a short run on Broadway in 1943. In 1957 Gypsy Rose Lee recounted the story of her early life in her memoir, entitled "Gypsy." The musical version of her book was a hit on Broadway in 1959 and as a film in 1962.
In the 1950s and 1960s Gypsy Rose Lee continued to work on the stage in theater and club performances. From 1965 to 1968 she hosted a television program, The Gypsy Rose Lee Show. She was also a frequent guest on talk and game shows.
Gypsy Rose Lee also contributed her time and talents to a variety of causes. She performed for the troops during both World War II and the Vietnam War and participated in the War Bond Drive. She raised money for many charities and animal welfare groups.
Gypsy Rose Lee died of lung cancer, April 26, 1970 at the age of 56.
Gypsy Rose Lee went to Hollywood in the late 1930s and appeared in several films including Stage Door Canteen and Belle of the Yukon. However, it was her work as a writer that achieved more universal acclaim. She contributed articles to American Mercury, Cosmopolitan, Harper's, and New Yorker. Her mystery, The G-String Murders, published in 1941 was a bestseller. In 1942 she published Mother Finds a Body. Her play The Naked Genius, starring Joan Blondell and directed by George S. Kaufman, was beset by problems, but survived a short run on Broadway in 1943. In 1957 Gypsy Rose Lee recounted the story of her early life in her memoir, entitled "Gypsy." The musical version of her book was a hit on Broadway in 1959 and as a film in 1962.
In the 1950s and 1960s Gypsy Rose Lee continued to work on the stage in theater and club performances. From 1965 to 1968 she hosted a television program, The Gypsy Rose Lee Show. She was also a frequent guest on talk and game shows.
Gypsy Rose Lee also contributed her time and talents to a variety of causes. She performed for the troops during both World War II and the Vietnam War and participated in the War Bond Drive. She raised money for many charities and animal welfare groups.
Gypsy Rose Lee died of lung cancer, April 26, 1970 at the age of 56.
Collection Contents
The collection includes correspondence, manuscripts, scripts, contracts, financial records, personal papers, photographs, scrapbooks, clippings, and ephemera. The largest part of the collection consists of photographs. There are approximately 1,100 personal photos, mostly black and white snapshots, spanning the years ca. 1910-1969. Gypsy Rose Lee was an avid amateur photographer and in addition to her personal photographs, the collection contains approximately 900 color slides. The other portion of the photographic series includes images by professional photographers, with many vaudeville and burlesque photos.
The bulk of collection deals with Lee's late 1960s talk show, her writings, and scripts. There are also approximately 300 burlesque scripts dating from the 1930s and 1940s and programs from her vaudeville and burlesque performances. NOTE: The scrapbooks are available o microfilm; researcher must use film.
Newark-related material can be found in two folders:
Box 78, Folder 6: The Empire Theatre, Newark ( on Washington Street near Market St.) program: "Fred Clark Presents 'Wine, Women and Song' with Gypsy Rose Lee, the dashing personality girl, and Joe Freed, the inimitable Dutch comedian" (week of Mar 21, 1931); theater staff included: J. C. Sutherland, manager; Charles Lyon, box office; James Fitzgerald, site carpenter; Howard Monk, doorman; and Larry Davis, advertising agent
Box 78, Folder 20: two programs for "Melody," a musical presented at the Shubert Theatre on Broad Street: "George White presents 'Melody'"; book by Edward Childs Carpenter; lyrics by Irving Caesar; and music by Sigmund Romberg (weeks of December 26, 1932 and Jan 23, 1933)
The bulk of collection deals with Lee's late 1960s talk show, her writings, and scripts. There are also approximately 300 burlesque scripts dating from the 1930s and 1940s and programs from her vaudeville and burlesque performances. NOTE: The scrapbooks are available o microfilm; researcher must use film.
Newark-related material can be found in two folders:
Box 78, Folder 6: The Empire Theatre, Newark ( on Washington Street near Market St.) program: "Fred Clark Presents 'Wine, Women and Song' with Gypsy Rose Lee, the dashing personality girl, and Joe Freed, the inimitable Dutch comedian" (week of Mar 21, 1931); theater staff included: J. C. Sutherland, manager; Charles Lyon, box office; James Fitzgerald, site carpenter; Howard Monk, doorman; and Larry Davis, advertising agent
Box 78, Folder 20: two programs for "Melody," a musical presented at the Shubert Theatre on Broad Street: "George White presents 'Melody'"; book by Edward Childs Carpenter; lyrics by Irving Caesar; and music by Sigmund Romberg (weeks of December 26, 1932 and Jan 23, 1933)
FormatsPhotographic materials; Textual materials
SubjectTheater / Performing Arts
Time Period20th Century
LanguageEnglish
Access policyOpen for research
ProcessedYes
Finding AidYes
Finding Aid URLhttp://archives.nypl.org/the/21402