Howard Atlee Heinlen Collection

Collection

Identifier: MSS 024

Staff Only

Scope and Contents

This collection contains materials collected by Howard Atlee Heinlen during his career as a press representative for New York theater productions from the 1950s to the 1980s. It also extends to his later return to acting in the 1990s and his continued correspondences though the 2000s. Materials consist mainly of photographs of productions and actors used for publicity, the press releases written by Heinlen, Playbills, and newspaper clippings. There are also press questionnaires and correspondence from various performs that Heinlen worked with, either through specific productions or as personal clients. The 1960s were a vibrant time for the New York theater scene as off-Broadway theaters producing more avant-garde plays gained popularity. Heinlen's collection contains materials related to the playwright, Edward Albee who rose to fame during this period. Heinlen represented many of Albee's early off-Broadway plays, such as Zoo Story (1960), and eventually his critically acclaimed successes on Broadway, such as Who's Afraid of Virginia Woolf? (1963). There are a number of photographs of Albee and the producers Richard Barr and Clinton Wilder, owners of the Cherry Lane Theater where many of Albee's plays were first performed.Also of note are the materials related to the NEC, founded in 1967. Heinlen collected photographs, press releases and Playbills for the company from their first production, Song of the Lusitanian Boogie, their first public television broadcast productions, and other productions through the 1980s. Many items were lost or damaged, first by fire in 1997 when the Heinlen's home in New Jersey burned down, and again by flooding during Hurricane Floyd in 1999

Dates

1951 - 2013

Creator

Heinlen, Howard Atlee (Person)

Language of Materials

Records in English.

Conditions Governing Access

The collection is open to researchers.

Conditions Governing Use

Some materials may be subject to copyright. No part of the materials protected by copyright may be reproduced or utilized in any form or by any means, electronic or mechanical, without written permission from the copyright holder. Researchers are required to seek permission from the copyright holder to reproduce and/or publish materials under copyright.

Biographical / Historical

Howard Atlee Heinlen, known professionally as Howard Atlee, was born on May 14, 1926 in Bucyrus, Ohio. He joined the U.S. Navy in 1944 and while on duty on the USS Perry it stopped in Boston where he saw his first professionally staged play at the Colonial Theatre. It was at this play that he met persons from Emerson College. When he left the navy in 1946 he enrolled in the Emerson theater department.

He graduated in the class of 1950 and after a brief stint in acting he became a public relations representative. He made his name in the theater world representing both off-Broadway and Broadways productions from his New York office. He worked very closely with the playwright and director Edward Albee from his early days at the Cherry Lane Theater to his later Broadway Productions. Heinlen was also involved with the founding of the Negro Ensemble Company (NEC) in 1967, for which he acted as a press agent for until the 1990's.

Outside of the Public Relations business, Heinlen began breeding and showing dachshunds in the 1960s, his kennel was called Penthouse, and he eventually became a licensed show judge. He married Barbara Anne Schumacher on November 25, 1977 after meeting her at a dog show where she was showing her Salukis. Heinlen went back to acting, both on stage and in film, in the 1990s. Most notably he played recurring roles in Deadline and Law& Order Criminal Intent as well as staring in plays like Dancing at Lughnasa.

Extent

2.25 linear feet

Additional Description

Arrangement

This collection is organized into six series

Series 1: Off-Broadway Productions

Series 2: Broadway Productions

Series 3: The Negro Ensemble Company

Series 4: Correspondence

Series 5: Personal Mementos

Series 6: Biographical Materials

Box List

Box 1: Off-Broadway Productions, 1959-1962

Folder titles

F1 Donald Davis (1959-1961)

F2 Theater 1960 Krapp's Last Tape/The Zoo Story

F3 Theater 1960 Zoo Story, 2nd Company (1961)

F4 Theater 1961 The American Dream/Bartleby

F5 Theater 1961 The American Dream/ The Death of Bessie Smith

F6 Theater 1961 The American Dream Original Company

F7 Theater 1961 The Death of Bessie Smith, Original Company

F8 Theater 1961 Way Out at the York (April, 1961)

F9 Theater 1961 Gallows Humor (April, 1961)

F10 Theater 1962 Happy Days (1961) [1 oversized photo in box 10]

F11 Theater 1962 Theater of the Absurd (Feb., 1962)

Box 2: Off-Broadway Productions, 1962-1985

Folder titles

F1 Brecht on Brecht, ANTA 1962

F2 Brecht on Brecht, Cast Photos (1962)

F3 Brecht on Brecht, Production Photos (1962)

F4 Anything Goes (1962)

F5 Zoo Story, Other Companies (1962)

F6 Theater 1963 Zoo Story/The American Dream; Who's Afraid of Virginia Woolf

F7 Theater 1964 Playwrights Unit

F8 Theater 1964 Dutchman

F9 Theater 1965 Playwrights Unit

F10 Theater 1965 Zoo Story/Krapp's Last Tape

F11 Theater 1966 Playwrights Unit

F12 Theater 1967 Butter and Egg Man

F13 Viet Rock (1966)

F14 The Indian Wants the Bronx (1968)

F15 Arvel Shaw (1982)

F16 Raindance (1984)

F17 The Lisbon Traviata (1985)

Box 3: Broadway Productions, 1957- 1963

Folder titles

F1 The Legend of Lizzie Anne Meacham (1957-1959)

F2 The Legend of Lizzie correspondence and press releases (1958-1964)

F3 The Legend of Lizzie Fall River, MA correspondence and photographs (1958)

F4 The Legend of Lizzie Newspaper Clippings (1958-1959)

F5 The Legend of Lizzie Photographs – Cast (1959)

F6 The Legend of Lizzie Photographs – Production (1959)

F7 The Actors Studio Theater Strange Interlude (1963)

F8 Andorra (1963)

F9 Who's Afraid of Virginia Woolf Playbills (1962,1963)

F10 Who's Afraid of Virginia Woolf Press releases and news articles

F11 Who's Afraid of Virginia Woolf Souvenir Program Materials

F12 Who's Afraid of Virginia Woolf Photographs – Cast

F13 Who's Afraid of Virginia Woolf Production Photos: Evening Company (1962-1963)

[1 oversized photo in box 10]

Box 4: Broadway Productions, 1963-1964

F1 Who's Afraid of Virginia Woolf Production Photos: Evening Company negatives

F2 Who's Afraid of Virginia Woolf Production Photos: Evening Company (1963)

F3 Who's Afraid of Virginia Woolf Production Photos: Matinee Company (1962,1963)

F4 Who's Afraid of Virginia Woolf Production Photos: Matinee Company (Sept. 1963)

F5 Who's Afraid of Virginia Woolf Production Photos: Evening Company (Apr. 1964)

F6 Who's Afraid of Virginia Woolf Production Photos: Matinee Company (1964)

F7 Who's Afraid of Virginia Woolf Production Photos: National Evening Company

(1964)

F8 Who's Afraid of Virginia Woolf Production Contacts [1]

F9 Who's Afraid of Virginia Woolf Production Contacts [2]

F10 Who's Afraid of Virginia Woolf Production Contacts [3]

F11 Who's Afraid of Virginia Woolf Production Contacts [4]

F12 Who's Afraid of Virginia Woolf Pre-Production Photographs, Contacts (1963)

F13 Who's Afraid of Virginia Woolf Tony Awards (1963)

Box 5: Broadway Productions, 1963-1965

F1 Who's Afraid of Virginia Woolf Financial Materials and Correspondence

(Nov. 1962-1965)

F2 Ballad of the Sad Café Financial Materials and Correspondence (Nov. 1963-1964)

F3 Ballad of the Sad Café Playbills (1963)

F4 Ballad of the Sad Café Photographs – cast and Company (1963)

F5 Ballad of the Sad Café Photographs – Opening Night (1963)

F6 Ballad of the Sad Café Photographs – Production (1963)

F7 Ballad of the Sad Café Production Photos and Negative

F8 Theater 1965 Tiny Alice Photographs – Casual Rehearsal and Meeting (1965)

F9 Theater 1965 Tiny Alice Photographs – Cast

F10 Theater 1965 Tiny Alice Photographs – Opening Night ( 1965)

F11 Theater 1965 Tiny Alice Photographs – Production

F12 Theater 1965 Tiny Alice Playbills (1965, 1969)

F13 Theater 1965 Tiny Alice Press Conference and Financial Materials (1965)

Box 6: Broadway Production, 1966-1978

F1 Theater 1966 Malcolm Playbills (1966)

F2 Theater 1966 Malcolm Press releases and news articles (1966)

F3 Theater 1966 Malcolm Photographs – Cast

F4 Theater 1966 Malcolm Photographs – Production

F5 Theater 1966 Malcolm Photographs – Rehearsal and Cast

F6 Theater 1966 Malcolm Rehearsal and Production Contact Sheets

F7 Theater 1967 A Delicate Balance Playbills and credits (1966)

F8 Theater 1967 A Delicate Balance Photographs – Cast [1 oversized photo in box 10]

F9 Theater 1967 A Delicate Balance Photographs – Opening Night (1966)

F10 Theater 1967 A Delicate Balance Photographs – Production

F11 Ain't Misbehavin' (1978)

F12 DA (1978)

F13 The Mighty Gents (1978)

F14 Maurice Harrison

F15 Michael O'Sullivan (1964-1965)

Box 7: Negro Ensemble Company Series, 1967-1988

F1 Photographs Company Members (1967-1988)

F2 Photographs Productions (1967-1988) [1 oversized photograph in box 10]

F3 Photographs Unknown Productions

F4 Productions (1967-1980)

F5 "We" (1988)

F6 Samm-Art Williams (1980-1987)

F7 Samm-Art Williams Home (1980)

F8 Samm-Art Williams Productions (1980-1986)

F9 Tony Award 1969

Correspondence, 1961-2013

F10 Edward Albee (1961-62, 2004-2005)

F11 Alec Baldwin (2001-2004)

F12 Michael Brandman (2009-2012)

F13 Zoe Caldwell (1998)

F14 John Chatterton (2005)

F15 William Daniels (1999)

F16 Gene Frankel (1999-2002) [oversized poster copy in box 10]

F17 Carl Franklin (1998-2002)

F18 Jane Friedman (Sept. 2008)

F19 James Gandolfini (1999)

F20 Lou Grant (2003-2007)

F21 Tony Mosante (1999-2006)

F22 Harold Prince (1997-2013)

F23 Frank Rich (2000-2003)

F24 Steve Rothman (2001-2002)

F25 Don Scardino (2002)

F26 Elaine Shitch (2001)

F27 Liz Smith [N.D.]

F28 Jean-Claude Van Itallie (1967-1999)

F29 Harry Carl Weber (2001)

Box 8: Personal Mementos

F1 American Place Barr

F2 Edward Albee [1] [1 oversized photograph in box 10]

F3 Edward Albee [2]

F4 Edward Albee and Richard Barr

F5 "The Balcony"

F6 Richard Barr

F7 Tallulah Bankshead

F8 Benny at the Tappan Zee

F9 "Booth" (1986)

F10 Carol Bruce

F11 Kitty Carlisle

F12 George Champion

F13 Bette Davis

F14 Marlene Dietrich

F15 Alfred Drake

F16 Jane Fonda 1955, Wesport

F17 Morgan Freeman

F18 "Front Page"

F19 John Gieland

F20 Golden Globe Inspriation (1961)

F21 James Greene

F22 Uta Hagen

F23 Elizabeth Hodes "A Little Weil" (2000)

F24 Barnard Hughes

F25 William Hutt

F26 Judith Jameson

F27 Buster Keaton (1957)

F28 "The King and I"

F29 Sally Kirkland Drawing (1961)

F30 Kevin Kirkland

F31 "Leaf and Bough"

F32 Graciela Lecube

F33 "Life with Father" (1944)

F34 Richard Mauman

F35 Barbara Montgomery

F36 Diana Mulder

F37 Ursule Molinaro

Box 9: Personal Mementos

F1 The National Ballet of Senegal

F2 Bebe Neuwirth

F3 News Paper Clippings (1963, 2005-2006)

F4 "No Concern of Mine"

F5 Eric Porter and Gloria Vanderbilt

F6 Leona Powers

F7 Production Posters Photographs

F8 "Revelations"

F9 Pilar Roja

F10 Eva Marie Saint

F11 Paul Taylor

F12 Sada Thompson

F13 Iggie Walsh "Music Man"

F14 Ethel Walters

F15 Denzel Washington

F16 Mae West

F17 Franco Zeffirelli

Biographical Materials

F18 Biographies

F19 Call sheets (2000)

F20 "Miranda" (1950)

F21 "Mr. Sandman" (1993)

Oversize (on shelf)

Folder title

F1 Theater 1962 Happy Days (1961)

F2 Who's Afraid of Virginia Woolf Production Photograph

F3 Photographs Song of the Lusitanian Boogie (1967)

F2 Gene Frankel Brecht on Brecht Poster (1962)

F3 Edward Albee

Immediate Source of Acquisition

The collection was acquired from Howard Atlee Heinlen on July 2013.

Related Materials

Howard Atlee Papers (*T-Mss 1997-019), held by the Billy Rose Theatre Division, New York Public Library for the Performing Arts, Dorothy and Lewis B. Cullman Center

http://archives.nypl.org/the/18824#descriptive_identity