Mixed Materials

Albert Johnson papers, 1910-1967

Author / Creator
Johnson, Albert, 1910-1967
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Summary

Papers of a Broadway set designer. The majority of the shows for which Johnson designed the stage sets and lighting during the 1920s-1940s are represented only by programs and clippings but for lat...

Papers of a Broadway set designer. The majority of the shows for which Johnson designed the stage sets and lighting during the 1920s-1940s are represented only by programs and clippings but for later projects such as "Night Life" (1962) and several summer stock productions of "Showboat" during the 1950s there are technical notes, blueprints, light plots, photographs, and finished and preliminary sketches. There are similar materials for designs done for Radio City Music Hall during the 1950s, the New York World's fairs of 1939 and 1964, nightclubs and productions of Billy Rose, and numerous automobile trade shows.

For productions unsuccessfully promoted by Johnson during the 1950s such as plays based on Fernand Crommelynck's "Le Cocu Magnifique," the history of the Lambs Club, and the stories of Helen Green there are scripts, lyrics, production notes, and research materials. Additional notes and correspondence with governmental leaders such as Frank Farley and James H.J. Tate relate to the American Flotilla, a floating extravaganza about American history, that Johnson attempted to promote during the 1960s. Personal papers contain family correspondence; detailed medical information; and papers about travel, inventions (especially a toy theatre), and the career of his wife Dianne Valvo, a hairdresser and wig expert. Additional documentation pertains to his research and collecting in the areas of theatrical history.

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