Research Catalog

Details

Additional authors

1. Beaumont, Hugh, 1908-1976
2. Belasco, David, 1853-1931
3. Brent, Romney, 1902-1976
4. Coward, Noël, 1899-1973
5. Farrar, Geraldine, 1882-1967
6. Friml, Rudolf, 1879-1972
7. Gershwin, George, 1898-1937
8. Hammerstein, Oscar, II, 1895-1960
9. Harbach, Otto, 1873-1963
10. Lang, Fritz, 1890-1976
11. Rattigan, Terence
12. Morris, Mary, 1915-1988
13. Puccini, Giacomo, 1858-1924
14. Stothart, Herbert, 1885-1949
15. Wolff, Albert, 1884-1970
16. Wragg, Arthur, 1903-1976

Description

1. 13.625 lin. ft. (19 boxes)

Summary

1. The Mary Ellis papers span the years 1897 to 2003, from a newspaper published on the date of her birth to the obituaries following her death. The collection, consisting of correspondence and personal papers, production files, photographs, scrapbooks, clippings, and a few items of ephemera, documents the singer-actress' life and career in opera, theatre, film, and television, both in her native United States and in her adopted home of England. The correspondence series includes numerous letters, notes, cards, and telegrams from Ivor Novello, opera singer Geraldine Farrar, actor Romney Brent, actress Mary Morris, director Fritz Lang, theatre manager Hugh "Binkie" Beaumont, and illustrator Arthur Wragg. In addition, there is some professional correspondence from various stages of Ms. Ellis' career, including her time at the Metropolitan Opera. Highlights of her personal papers include a copy of the "Rhapsody in Blue" score personally inscribed by George Gershwin, a signed portrait of Ivor Novello, and a number of items relating to Novello's death. Production files include scripts and programs, along with a few pieces of sheet music.
2. In the photographs series, portraits and snapshots cover Ms. Ellis' lifespan with few gaps, and also encompass a number of friends and family members. The actress' theatre and Hollywood film credits are well represented by hundreds of black and white production stills. Scrapbooks provide excellent coverage of Ms. Ellis' time at the Metropolitan Opera, and of her largely American-based acting career through 1932. The bulk of the actress' career in England is not represented in the scrapbooks, although it is well documented in the clippings series. Finally, two printed photocollages among the collection's oversized materials demonstrate at a glance the breadth of the subject's life and career.

Subject

1. Ellis, Mary, 1900-2003
2. Novello, Ivor, 1893-1951
3. Sydney, Basil, 1894-1968
4. Metropolitan Opera (New York, N.Y.)
5. Musical theater -- 20th century
6. Opera
7. Operetta -- 20th century
8. Theater -- United States
9. Theater -- Great Britain

Genre/Form

1. Photocollages.
2. Scrapbooks.
3. Scripts.
4. Sheet music.

Call number

1. *T-Mss 2003-017

Language

1. English

Access (note)

1. Collection is open to the public. Library policy on photography and photocopying will apply. Advance notice may be required.

Biography (note)

1. Singer and actress Mary Ellis was born May Belle Elsas, June 15, 1897 (some sources say 1900) in New York, NY. She changed her name to Mary Ellis in 1918, when the Metropolitan Opera signed the soprano to a four-year contract. She made her Metropolitan debut December 14, 1918, in the world premiere of Giacomo Puccini's SUOR ANGELICA, and in 1919, she appeared in the premiere of Albert Wolff's operatic rendering of Maeterlinck's THE BLUE BIRD (L'OISEAU BLEU). In 1922, she left the Metropolitan for a David Belasco production of THE MERCHANT OF VENICE, and in 1924 she originated the title role in Otto Harbach, Oscar Hammerstein, Rudolf Friml, and Herbert Stothart's operetta ROSE MARIE. Through the 1920s and into the 1930s, she performed in a number of plays with her third husband, Basil Sydney.
2. In 1933, Mary Ellis settled in London, where she began an association with actor-composer-writer-director Ivor Novello, eventually starring in three of his musical plays: GLAMOROUS NIGHT (1935), THE DANCING YEARS (1939), and ARC DE TRIOMPHE (1943). She also appeared in several films for Paramount Pictures, including PARIS IN SPRING (1935). A later theatrical highlight came with Terence Rattigan's PLAYBILL (1948), composed of the one-acts THE BROWNING VERSION and HARLEQUINADE, although she had a professional disappointment as Mrs. Erlynne in Noel Coward's AFTER THE BALL (1954), a poorly received version of LADY WINDERMERE'S FAN. It was Mary Ellis' last singing role. But she continued to appear in plays, giving her final stage performance in a 1970 production of MRS. WARREN' PROFESSION. A non-ghost-written autobiography, THOSE DANCING YEARS, appeared in 1982. Approaching her centenary in the 1990s, she took on a recurring role in the SHERLOCK HOLMES television series. Mary Ellis died January 30, 2003 in London, at the age of 105.

Indexes/finding aids (note)

1. Finding aid available in repository and on internet.

Author

1. Ellis, Mary, 1900-2003.

Title

1. Mary Ellis papers, 1897-2003.

Restricted access

1. Collection is open to the public. Library policy on photography and photocopying will apply. Advance notice may be required.

Biography

1. Singer and actress Mary Ellis was born May Belle Elsas, June 15, 1897 (some sources say 1900) in New York, NY. She changed her name to Mary Ellis in 1918, when the Metropolitan Opera signed the soprano to a four-year contract. She made her Metropolitan debut December 14, 1918, in the world premiere of Giacomo Puccini's SUOR ANGELICA, and in 1919, she appeared in the premiere of Albert Wolff's operatic rendering of Maeterlinck's THE BLUE BIRD (L'OISEAU BLEU). In 1922, she left the Metropolitan for a David Belasco production of THE MERCHANT OF VENICE, and in 1924 she originated the title role in Otto Harbach, Oscar Hammerstein, Rudolf Friml, and Herbert Stothart's operetta ROSE MARIE. Through the 1920s and into the 1930s, she performed in a number of plays with her third husband, Basil Sydney.
2. In 1933, Mary Ellis settled in London, where she began an association with actor-composer-writer-director Ivor Novello, eventually starring in three of his musical plays: GLAMOROUS NIGHT (1935), THE DANCING YEARS (1939), and ARC DE TRIOMPHE (1943). She also appeared in several films for Paramount Pictures, including PARIS IN SPRING (1935). A later theatrical highlight came with Terence Rattigan's PLAYBILL (1948), composed of the one-acts THE BROWNING VERSION and HARLEQUINADE, although she had a professional disappointment as Mrs. Erlynne in Noel Coward's AFTER THE BALL (1954), a poorly received version of LADY WINDERMERE'S FAN. It was Mary Ellis' last singing role. But she continued to appear in plays, giving her final stage performance in a 1970 production of MRS. WARREN' PROFESSION. A non-ghost-written autobiography, THOSE DANCING YEARS, appeared in 1982. Approaching her centenary in the 1990s, she took on a recurring role in the SHERLOCK HOLMES television series. Mary Ellis died January 30, 2003 in London, at the age of 105.

Indexes

1. Finding aid available in repository and on internet.

Connect to:

1. Request Access to Theatre Division Special Collections material
2. Selections available in NYPL Digital Collections
3. Finding Aid

Occupation

1. Actors.
2. Singers.

Added author

1. Beaumont, Hugh, 1908-1976.
2. Belasco, David, 1853-1931.
3. Brent, Romney, 1902-1976.
4. Coward, Noël, 1899-1973.
5. Farrar, Geraldine, 1882-1967.
6. Friml, Rudolf, 1879-1972.
7. Gershwin, George, 1898-1937.
8. Hammerstein, Oscar, II, 1895-1960.
9. Harbach, Otto, 1873-1963.
10. Lang, Fritz, 1890-1976.
11. Rattigan, Terence.
12. Morris, Mary, 1915-1988.
13. Puccini, Giacomo, 1858-1924.
14. Stothart, Herbert, 1885-1949.
15. Wolff, Albert, 1884-1970.
16. Wragg, Arthur, 1903-1976.

Research call number

1. *T-Mss 2003-017