Research Catalog

Alexander Scourby papers

Title
Alexander Scourby papers, 1940-1989.
Author
Scourby, Alexander, 1913-1985.
Supplementary Content
Finding Aid

Items in the Library & Off-site

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15 Items

StatusContainerFormatAccessCall NumberItem Location
Box 1Moving imageSupervised use *T-Mss 1986-002 Box 1Offsite
Box 2Moving imageSupervised use *T-Mss 1986-002 Box 2Offsite
Box 3Moving imageSupervised use *T-Mss 1986-002 Box 3Offsite
Box 4Moving imageSupervised use *T-Mss 1986-002 Box 4Offsite
Box 5Moving imageSupervised use *T-Mss 1986-002 Box 5Offsite
Box 6Moving imageSupervised use *T-Mss 1986-002 Box 6Offsite
Box 7Moving imageSupervised use *T-Mss 1986-002 Box 7Offsite
Box 8Moving imageSupervised use *T-Mss 1986-002 Box 8Offsite
Box 9Moving imageSupervised use *T-Mss 1986-002 Box 9Offsite
Box 10Moving imageSupervised use *T-Mss 1986-002 Box 10Offsite
Box 11Moving imageSupervised use *T-Mss 1986-002 Box 11Offsite
Box 12Moving imageSupervised use *T-Mss 1986-002 Box 12Offsite
Box 13Moving imageSupervised use *T-Mss 1986-002 Box 13Offsite
Box 14Moving imageSupervised use *T-Mss 1986-002 Box 14Offsite
Box 15Moving imageSupervised use *T-Mss 1986-002 Box 15Offsite

Details

Additional Authors
  • March, Lori.
  • American Foundation for the Blind.
Description
6.05 linear feet (15 boxes)
Summary
The Alexander Scourby papers document the professional career of the prolific actor and narrator through contracts, correspondence, photographs, scripts, and other material.
Subjects
Genre/Form
  • Clippings.
  • Contracts.
  • Correspondence.
  • Financial records.
  • Photographs.
  • Scripts (documents)
Note
  • The collection originally was processed and cataloged in 1991; additional material was incorporated into the collection in 2007. Sound recordings and films were separated from the collection and catalogued individually. The Rodgers and Hammerstein Archives of Recorded Sound holds the sound recordings and films are stored in the Donnell Library Media Center.
Access (note)
  • Collection is open to the public. Library policy on photography and photocopying will apply. Advance notice may be required.
Source (note)
  • Mrs. Alexander Scourby
Biography (note)
  • Although he had a long and varied career as an actor and narrator, Alexander Scourby (1913-1985), considered his most important work to be the performances he gave as a voice actor in the Talking Books recordings he made for the American Foundation for the Blind.
Indexes/Finding Aids (note)
  • Collection guide available in repository and internet.
Processing Action (note)
  • Received
  • Described and Cataloged
  • Reprocessed and cataloging record edited
Call Number
*T-Mss 1986-002
OCLC
NYPW91-A26
Author
Scourby, Alexander, 1913-1985.
Title
Alexander Scourby papers, 1940-1989.
Restricted Access
Collection is open to the public. Library policy on photography and photocopying will apply. Advance notice may be required.
Biography
Although he had a long and varied career as an actor and narrator, Alexander Scourby (1913-1985), considered his most important work to be the performances he gave as a voice actor in the Talking Books recordings he made for the American Foundation for the Blind. In 1933, Scourby became an apprentice with the Civic Repertory Theatre. He made his Broadway debut in 1936 as the Player King in the Leslie Howard production of Hamlet. Scourby auditioned for the American Foundation for the Blind in 1937, and, after playing a few small parts in recordings of plays, he soon found a niche in which he could utilize his impressive speaking voice by reading novels and other works of literature for the Talking Books service. Over the next forty years, he would provide the narration for over 500 books. His best known recording became the full set of the King James version of the Bible (1966). Scourby also worked extensively in radio during the 1940s and did broadcasts in Greek and English for the Office of War Information during the Second World War. In 1943, he married Lori von Eltz, an actress who went by the professional name of Lori March. The two occasionally worked together on theater, film, and television projects. Scourby remained active in summer stock and New York theater throughout the 1940s and early 1950s. During the 1950s, he began to work more often as an actor in films, frequently playing villains. Among his films were Affair in Trinidad (1952), The Big Heat (1953), Ransom (1956), and Giant (1956). He also worked increasingly in television as both an actor and narrator. His television credits as an actor include Playhouse 90, Circle Theater, and Studio One. As a narrator, he was associated with the NBC television series, Project 20, for many years.
Indexes
Collection guide available in repository and internet.
Connect to:
Request Access to Theatre Division Special Collections material
Finding Aid
Occupation
Actors.
Motion picture actors and actresses.
Radio actors and actresses.
Television actors and actresses.
Voice actors and actresses.
Added Author
March, Lori.
American Foundation for the Blind.
Research Call Number
*T-Mss 1986-002
View in Legacy Catalog