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Archives Center, National Museum of American History
Guide to the Donald J. Stubblebine Collection of Theater and Motion Picture Music and Ephemera
Summary
- Collection ID:
- NMAH.AC.1211
- Creators:
-
Hauber, Joseph R.Stubblebine, Donald J., 1925-2010
- Dates:
-
1866-2009, undated
- Languages:
-
English.
- Physical Description:
-
285 Cubic feet600 boxes
- Repository:
Scope and Contents
Scope and Contents
One of the most comprehensive collections of material relating to musical stage and film productions, the collection consists of an assortment of material including sheet music written specifically for or included in stage and screen musicals, television programs, Big Band performances, and radio. Some productions may have been produced under more than one title, especially if the production was presented internationally.
The collection is arranged alphabetically by title of production or personality using proper name. Folders for each entry may include sheet music, ephemeral items related to that specific production or personality such as theater programs, reviews, and posters. There are a number of costume design drawings. Folders will rarely include full printed scores. Published scores were separated from this collection before donation.
Arrangement
Arrangement
The collection is divided into six series.
Series 1, Stage Musicals and Vaudeville, 1866-2007, undated
Subseries 1.1, United States Stage Musicals, 1866-2007, undated
Subseries 1.2, Ziegfeld Productions, 1911-1958, undated
Subseries 1.3, British Stage Musicals, 1890-1943, undated
Subseries 1.4, Assorted Countries Stage Musicals, 1896-1935, undated
Series 2, Motion Pictures, 1912-2007, undated
Subseries 2.1, United States Motion Pictures, 1919-2007, undated
Subseries 2.2, British Motion Pictures, 1912-1988, undated
Subseries 2.3, Foreign Motion Pictures, Assorted Countries, 1921-1985, undated
Subseries 2.4, Silent Motion Picture Cue Sheets, 1915-1930, undated
Series 3, Television, 1933-2003, undated
Series 4, Big Bands and Radio, 1925-1998,undated
Subseries 4.1, Big Bands, 1929-1998, undated
Subseries 4.2, Radio, 1925-1948, undated
Series 5, Personalities, 1875-2009, undated
Series 6, Ephemera and Single Sheet Music, 1908-2005, undated
Biographical / Historical
Biographical / Historical
Donald J. Stubblebine was born on February 4, 1925 in Reading, Pennsylvania, to Edgar W. and Emma Stubblebine. He had an older brother Edgar W. Stubblebine, Jr. His father was a sheet metal worker employed by the railroad in Reading. Stubblebine was first exposed to musicals through motion pictures. His mother attended "dish night" with her son twice a week. During the Great Depression, in order to draw an audience, theaters would give out dishes with each admission. He credited this with beginning his love of musicals. By the 1940 United States Census his mother is listed as a widow. Stubblebine attended the Wharton School of Business of the University of Pennsylvania. After graduation he was employed for forty years as controller by the Chilton Publishing Company. He retired in 1994.
As a lifelong film and theater fan, Stubblebine began collecting sheet music, programs, and ephemera from stage and film musicals in the early 1970s. As his collection grew, so did his expertise in the history of musical theatre and film. He eventually authored four reference books dealing with United States and British stage and film musicals as well as films from Canada and Australia. He became an often sought-after expert in stage and film music. His obsession with collecting eventually filled his Philadelphia apartment with one of the largest collections of material centered on music in the United States. He collected not only the sheet music and scores from musicals but often collected copies of reviews, programs, photographs, and costume sketches.
Stubblebine died on May 1, 2010 in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania.
Administration
Author
Franklin A. Robinson, Jr.
Immediate Source of Acquisition
Donated to the Archives Center, National Museum of American History, Smitsonian Institution by Joseph Regis Hauber in memory of Donald J. Stubblebine, in 2010.
Processing Information
Collection processed by Andrea Bishop, Michele Holewa, Catarina Hurtado, Eric Ross, Sarah Rung, Isaac Simon, Jack Barral, Caroline Kleiner, Erin Wiebe, and Abigail Phelps, interns, and Nelse Greenway, volunteer, 2018-2019, supervised by Franklin A. Robinson, Jr., archives specialist and Vanessa Broussard Simmons, archivist.
Digital Content
More …Using the Collection
Preferred Citation
Donald J. Stubblebine Collection of Musical Theater and Motion Picture Music and Ephemera, 1866-2009, Archives Center, National Museum of American History, Smithsonian Institution.
Conditions Governing Access
The collection is open for research but is stored offsite. Arrangements must be made with the Archives Center staff two weeks prior to a scheduled research visit.
Conditions Governing Use
Collection items available for reproduction, but the Archives Center makes no guarantees concerning copyright restrictions. Other intellectual property rights may apply. Archives Center cost-recovery and use fees may apply when requesting reproductions.
Reproduction restricted due to copyright or trademark.
Keywords
Archives Center, National Museum of American History
P.O. Box 37012
Suite 1100, MRC 601
Washington, D.C. 20013-7012
Business Number: Phone: 202-633-3270
Fax Number: Fax: 202-786-2453
archivescenter@si.edu
