Research Catalog

Howard Dietz papers

Title: Howard Dietz papers, 1915-1976.
Author: Dietz, Howard, 1896-1983.
Supplementary Content: Finding Aid

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Status	Vol/Date	Format	Access	Call Number	Item Location
How do I pick up this item and when will it be ready?	Box 9	Mixed material	Supervised use	JPB 06-31 Box 9	Offsite
How do I pick up this item and when will it be ready?	Box 8	Mixed material	Supervised use	JPB 06-31 Box 8	Offsite
How do I pick up this item and when will it be ready?	Box 7	Mixed material	Supervised use	JPB 06-31 Box 7	Offsite
How do I pick up this item and when will it be ready?	Box 6	Mixed material	Supervised use	JPB 06-31 Box 6	Offsite
How do I pick up this item and when will it be ready?	Box 5	Mixed material	Supervised use	JPB 06-31 Box 5	Offsite
How do I pick up this item and when will it be ready?	Box 4	Mixed material	Supervised use	JPB 06-31 Box 4	Offsite
How do I pick up this item and when will it be ready?	Box 3	Mixed material	Supervised use	JPB 06-31 Box 3	Offsite
How do I pick up this item and when will it be ready?	Box 2	Mixed material	Supervised use	JPB 06-31 Box 2	Offsite
How do I pick up this item and when will it be ready?	Box 1	Mixed material	Supervised use	JPB 06-31 Box 1	Offsite

Details

Additional Authors

Description

5 linear feet (9 boxes )

Subjects

Genre/Form

Correspondence.
Galley proofs.
Manuscripts for publication.

Biography (note)

Howard Dietz (1896-1983) was an important musical theater lyricist and motion picture publicist, who is well-known for his professional partnership with composer Arthur Schwartz, as well as for his long association with the Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer film studio.

Indexes/Finding Aids (note)

Collection guide available in repository and on internet.

Call Number

JPB 06-31

OCLC

86107908
86107908

Author

Dietz, Howard, 1896-1983.

Title

Howard Dietz papers, 1915-1976.

Summary

The Howard Dietz papers mainly consist of materials from his autobiography, Dancing in the Dark: Words by Howard Dietz, (1974). The collection includes background materials, manuscripts, publicity materials and press coverage. Another component of the collection are items pertaining to parties and concerts organized by, or dedicated to Dietz, as well as materials from two exhibitions on Dietz's career. Some of the background materials in the collection date as far back as 1915, to Dietz's early career, but the bulk of the collection is material from the late sixties and the seventies. Highlights of this collection include the many drafts of the autobiography and photocopies of correspondence between Dietz and major figures in film and theater, including Ira Gershwin, George S. Kaufman, Dorothy Parker, Cole Porter, Clifton Webb, P. G. Wodehouse, and Alexander Woollcott.

Biography

Howard Dietz (1896-1983) was an important musical theater lyricist and motion picture publicist, who is well-known for his professional partnership with composer Arthur Schwartz, as well as for his long association with the Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer film studio. Born in New York City, Dietz was educated in public schools and attended Columbia University's School of Journalism. He worked as a contributing journalist and writer for various publications while at Columbia and simultaneously was an assistant at Phillip Goodman's advertising agency. During World War I, Dietz left Columbia to enlist in the United States Navy and edited the magazine Navy Life. After the war, Dietz worked as a motion picture promoter and publicist, joining M-G-M in 1924, where he would remain for thirty years and serve in many capacities, including stints as director of advertising and publicity and as a vice-president of the company. Dietz's second career as a lyricist developed and thrived in tandem with his publicity work. His first major Broadway hit came with the revue, The Little Show (1929), which also was his first show with Arthur Schwartz, who would become his most frequent collaborator. Throughout the early 1930s, Dietz and Schwartz continued to write hit revues, including Three's A Crowd (1930), The Band Wagon (1931), Flying Colors (1932), and At Home Abroad (1935) as well as book shows, such as Revenge with Music (1934) and Between the Devil (1937). In later years, Dietz devoted more of his time to his career as a publicist, taking occasional breaks to work on book shows, including Sadie Thompson (1944) with Vernon Duke, as well as The Gay Life (1961) and Jennie (1963) with Schwartz. Dietz was married three times; to Elizabeth Bigelow Hall, Tanis Guines, and costume designer Lucinda Ballard. He also was involved with various other administrative positions throughout his career, including serving a term as director of the American Society of Composers and Publishers (ASCAP) from 1959-1961. In addition to his many other accomplishments, Dietz also was a painter, whose works received various exhibitions. In 1974, he published an autobiography, Dancing in the Dark: Words by Howard Dietz.

Indexes

Collection guide available in repository and on internet.

Connect to:

Finding Aid

Occupation

Lyricists.

Press agents.

Added Author

Ballard, Lucinda.

Gershwin, Ira, 1896-1983.

Kaufman, George S. (George Simon), 1889-1961.

Parker, Dorothy, 1893-1967.

Porter, Cole, 1891-1964.

Webb, Clifton, 1889-1966.

Wodehouse, P. G. (Pelham Grenville), 1881-1975.

Woollcott, Alexander, 1887-1943.

Schwartz, Arthur, 1900-1984.

Research Call Number

JPB 06-31

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