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Elliot Lawrence papers, 1934-2019

Overview of the Collection

Creator
Lawrence, Elliot, 1925-2021
Title
Elliot Lawrence papers
Dates
1934-2019 (inclusive)
Quantity
909.22 cubic ft. (1082 boxes)
Collection Number
09101
Summary
Papers and sound recordings of Elliot Lawrence, who was a musician, a composer, and a musical arranger and director for Broadway and television shows.
Repository
American Heritage Center, University of Wyoming
American Heritage Center
University of Wyoming
1000 E. University Ave.
Dept. 3924
Laramie, WY
82071
Telephone: 3077663756
ahcref@uwyo.edu
Access Restrictions

There are no access restrictions on the materials for research purposes, and the collection is open to the public.

Languages
English
Sponsor
The creation of the EAD-version of this finding aid was made possible through a grant from the National Historic Publications and Records Commission.
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Historical Note

Elliot Lawrence (b. 1925) was a musician and composer. He had a BM from the University of Pennsylvania. Once out of college he became the musical director for station WCAU in Philadelphia. He had a popular jazz band in the 1940s and early 1950s. He later founded Elliot Lawrence Productions. He arranged and directed music for Broadway and television shows. Some of the Broadway shows were How to Succeed in Business Without Really Trying, Bye Bye Birdie, Golden Boy, and 1776. He won a Tony Award in 1962. Best Conductor and Musical Director, for the musical How to Succeed in Business Without Really Trying. His last Broadway show was Sugar in the 1970s.

His production company did the music for many soap operas and other shows such as The Berenstain Bears, Placido Domingo, Spotlight, The Tony Awards, beauty pageants, and commercials for major brands such as AT&T, Breyers, Dupont, Goodyear, and RCA. Some of the songs he composed are Heart to Heart, Sugartown Town, Five O'Clock Shadow, and Once Upon a Moon.

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Content Description

The Elliot Lawrence papers, 1934-2019, consists primarily of manuscript music scores composed and/or arranged by Elliot Lawrence for Broadway and television shows. There are many scores for the soap operas As The World Turns, The Edge of Night, and Search for Tomorrow, commercials for major brands such as, AT &T, Goodyear, Dupont, and RCA. The specials include Berenstain Bears, Charlie Brown, Placido Domingo, Night of 100 Stars, NBC 60th Anniversary, Parade of Stars, and awards such as the Emmys, Grammys, Miss Universe, Miss U.S.A., Songwriters, Kennedy Center, and the Tonys. There are a few show production files for television shows, 1950-1990, which include scripts, musician contracts, and cue sheets. There are also television award show scripts for the Tonys and Kenndy Center from 1987-2005.

The Elliot Lawrence sound recordings, 1940-1987, consists primarily of 2 and 4 track reel to reel tapes and 2 inch tapes produced by Elliot Lawrence for television and Broadway shows from 1957-1987. The majority of the tapes are soap operas. They include As the World Turns, Edge of Night, Guiding Light, One Life to Live, and Search for Tomorrow. There are many Berenstain Bears shows , Tony Awards, and Miss Universe and Miss U.S.A. Pageants. There are television specials , such as Cole Porter in Paris, George M. (Cohen), NBC 60th Anniversary Show, Mr. T. and E. Lewis - A Christmas Dream, Night of 100 Stars, Parade of Stars, Liberty Weekend , and Placido Domingo. Mr. Elliot also made commercials for AT&T, Breyers, General Motors, Goodyear, other major brands, and the United States of America Army. There are twenty three player piano rolls, circa 1940s, three 45 rpm phonograph records: one of Elliot Lawrence's band, and two by E. Freeman and B. Levine, 1950s.

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Use of the Collection

Restrictions on Use

Copyright Information

The researcher assumes full responsibility for observing all copyright, property, and libel laws as they apply.

Restrictions on Use

Statement on Potentially Harmful Language and Images Found in Collections

The American Heritage Center aspires to approach all areas of our work in ways that are respectful to those who create, use, and are represented in our collections. For a variety of reasons, however, users may encounter offensive or harmful language or images in some of our finding aids, catalogs, and collection materials.

Note that the AHC does not censor or alter contents of the collections as they provide context and evidence of a time, people, place, or event. Therefore, we encourage users to bring questions and concerns about descriptions in our finding aids to our attention via email or anonymous web-form. For more information, read our full statement.

Preferred Citation

Item Description, Box Number, Folder Number, Elliot Lawrence papers, 1934-2019, Collection Number 09101, American Heritage Center, University of Wyoming.

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Administrative Information

Related Materials

There are no known other archival collections created by Elliot Lawrence at the date of processing.

Acquisition Information

Jamie Lawrence, Estate of Elliot Lawrence donated the Elliot Lawrence papers from 1986-2022.

Elliot Lawrence donated additional materials to the Elliot Lawrence papers in 2007.

Processing Note

The collection was processed by Loreley Moore in December 2003 and updated by Jamie J. Greene in April 2024.

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Detailed Description of the Collection

Names and SubjectsReturn to Top

Subject Terms

Corporate Names

Form or Genre Terms

Occupations

Titles within the Collection

  • 1776 (Musical).
  • As the world turns (Television program).
  • Guiding light (Television program).
  • NBC 60th anniversary show (Television program).
  • Night of 100 stars (Television program).
  • Parade of stars (Television program).
  • Search for tommorow (Television program).

Processed by Loreley Moore
2006

CC Attribution
This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International License.

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