Lee Blessing:
A Preliminary Inventory of His Papers at the Harry Ransom Humanities Research Center
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Descriptive Summary |
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| Repository | Harry Ransom Humanities Research Center, University of Texas at Austin | |
| Creator | Blessing, Lee, 1949- | |
| Title | Lee Blessing Papers | |
| Dates: | 1960s-1999 | |
| Extent | 17 boxes, oversize flat file (7.14 linear feet) | |
| Abstract: | The papers consist primarily of typescripts of plays, teleplays, and screenplays spanning the career of this American playwright. | |
| Language | English. | |
Administrative Information
Acquisition
Gift, 1999 (Gift no. 11507)
Processed by
Liz Murray, 1999
Restrictions
Access
Open for research
Scope and Contents
The papers of American playwright Lee Blessing consist primarily of typescripts of plays, teleplays, and screenplays covering his entire career from his college years in the early 1970s to date. Blessing organized his materials by title, with corresponding publicity, reviews, and associated material, prior to delivery to the Ransom Center. The small amount of correspondence in the collection pertains mostly to collaboration and performance issues.
The collection is organized into two series: Works and Personal. Blessing's scripts, usually a series of dated drafts, are arranged alphabetically, followed by programs and reviews. His critically acclaimed play "A Walk in the Woods" is particularly well-represented. Numerous screenplays, often in collaboration with his wife Jeanne Blake and others, are also present as are teleplays and episodes for television series such as "Picket Fences," "Homicide," and "Nothing Sacred." Posters of performances of Blessing's plays, as well as other's works, are included in the collection, as are slides from performances of several of his plays.
Series II contains material from his high school and college years in the 1960s and 1970s, mostly programs of plays with which we was associated. Blessing's participation in National Playwrights Conferences for nearly twenty years, as well as articles and interviews by him are also present.
Awards, books, serials, and videotapes of performances received with the collection have been transferred to the appropriate custodial units within the Ransom Center.
Container List
Series I. Works |
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| box | folder | ||||||||||||
| 1 | 1 | "Alive and Kicking," screenplay, with Phyllis Paullette and Jeanne Blake, draft; includes synopsis and revisions, 1 July 1993 | |||||||||||
| "Animals," play | |||||||||||||
| box | folder | ||||||||||||
| 1 | 2-3 | 1978 | |||||||||||
| 4-5 | 1980 | ||||||||||||
| 6 | "At the Post Office," photocopy of script, nd | ||||||||||||
| "The Authentic Life of Billy the Kid," play | |||||||||||||
| box | folder | ||||||||||||
| 1 | 7 | 1977 | |||||||||||
| 2 | 1 | Revisions, with research notes, 1981 and 1983 | |||||||||||
| 2-3 | Programs and reviews | ||||||||||||
| 4 | Baseball series proposal, 1993 | ||||||||||||
| "Chesapeake," play | |||||||||||||
| box | folder | ||||||||||||
| 2 | 5 | 1 July 1998 | |||||||||||
| 6 | 2 Aug. 1998 | ||||||||||||
| 7 | 23 Aug. 1998 | ||||||||||||
| 8 | Undated version | ||||||||||||
| 3 | 1 | Programs and reviews | |||||||||||
| "Cobb," play | |||||||||||||
| box | folder | ||||||||||||
| 3 | 2 | 1987 | |||||||||||
| 3 | 8 Feb 1989 | ||||||||||||
| 4 | July 1990 | ||||||||||||
| 5-6 | Programs and reviews | ||||||||||||
| 4 | 1 | "Cooperstown," screenplay, typescript, undated | |||||||||||
| 2 | Shooting script, March-May, 1992 | ||||||||||||
| 3 | Programs and reviews | ||||||||||||
| 4 | "Creative Writing," screenplay with J. Blake, first draft, includes related piece "Magic Time" [incomplete drafts], 15 April 1996 | ||||||||||||
| 5 | "Down the Road," play, revision, April 1991 | ||||||||||||
| 6 | French version | ||||||||||||
| 7-8 | Programs and reviews | ||||||||||||
| 5 | 1 | "Eleemosynary," play, revision, May 1986 | |||||||||||
| 2-4 | Programs and reviews | ||||||||||||
| 5 | "Fortinbras," play, revision, July 1991 | ||||||||||||
| 6 | Programs and reviews | ||||||||||||
| 6 | 1 | Programs and reviews (cont'd) | |||||||||||
| 2 | "Going to St. Ives," play, draft, 30 July 1995 | ||||||||||||
| 3 | Programs and reviews | ||||||||||||
| 4 | "Homicide: Life on the Street" television series, "Double Blind" episode, 1996 | ||||||||||||
| "Independence," play | |||||||||||||
| box | folder | ||||||||||||
| 6 | 5 | One act, 1981 | |||||||||||
| 6 | Two acts, 1983 and 1985 | ||||||||||||
| 7 | French text, "Independence, Iowa, " 1985 | ||||||||||||
| 7 | 1-2 | Programs and reviews | |||||||||||
| 3 | Screenplay, with J. Blake, first draft, 7 Jan. 1996 | ||||||||||||
| 4 | Interscope project, with J. Blake | ||||||||||||
| 5 | "Lake Street Extension," play, revision, Nov. 1992 | ||||||||||||
| 6 | Programs and reviews | ||||||||||||
| 7 | "Live Soap--Minneapolis," with Sherry Kramer and John Richardson, play, programs and reviews, 1983 | ||||||||||||
| 8 | "Majorie," play, programs and reviews, 1984 | ||||||||||||
| 9 | "Milo's Arms," screenplay, with J. Blake, draft, Oct. 15 | ||||||||||||
| 8 | 1 | Oct. 31st draft | |||||||||||
| 2 | "A Nearly Perfect Weekend," play, 1986 | ||||||||||||
| 3 | "Nice People Dancing to Good Country Music," play, with "Toys for Men," play, 1983 | ||||||||||||
| 4 | Programs and reviews | ||||||||||||
| 5 | "Nothing Sacred" television series, "Signs and Words" episode, shooting script, Nov.-Dec., 1997 | ||||||||||||
| 6 | "Oldtimers Game," play, nd | ||||||||||||
| 7-8 | Programs and reviews | ||||||||||||
| 9 | 1 | "Patient A," play, revision, Feb. 1993 | |||||||||||
| 2 | Programs and reviews | ||||||||||||
| 3 | "Picket Fences" television series, "Jupiter Himself" and "Upbringings" episodes, 1995 | ||||||||||||
| 4 | "Push-ups," play, with Michael Robins and Alfred Harrison, script, programs and reviews, 1982 | ||||||||||||
| 5 | "The Rights," play, programs and reviews, ca. 1994 | ||||||||||||
| "Steal Big, Steal Little," screenplay in collaboration with others | |||||||||||||
| box | folder | ||||||||||||
| 9 | 6 | 20 Jan. 1994 | |||||||||||
| 7 | 22 Feb. 1994 | ||||||||||||
| 10 | 1 | 12 May 1994 | |||||||||||
| 2 | 1 Nov. 1994 | ||||||||||||
| 3 | 2 May 1995 | ||||||||||||
| 4 | "Summer in Clinton," play, 1981 | ||||||||||||
| 5 | "The Trial of Standing Bear," teleplay, revisions, 1984 and 1986 | ||||||||||||
| 6 | "Two of Hearts," screenplay with J. Blake, draft, 6 Oct. 1993 | ||||||||||||
| 7 | "Two Rooms," play, revision, Sept. 1989 | ||||||||||||
| 11 | 1-2 | Programs and reviews | |||||||||||
| 3 | Adaptation for television, first draft, Dec. 1990 | ||||||||||||
| "A Walk in the Woods," play | |||||||||||||
| box | folder | ||||||||||||
| 11 | 4 | Script, ca. 1986 | |||||||||||
| 5 | June 1986 revision | ||||||||||||
| 6 | 20 Dec. 1987 | ||||||||||||
| 7 | Yale Repertory Theatre copy, 20 Dec. 1987 | ||||||||||||
| 12 | 1 | 28 Feb. 1988 | |||||||||||
| 2 | German version | ||||||||||||
| 3-4 | Russian/English version,
2 copies |
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| Programs and reviews | |||||||||||||
| box | folder | ||||||||||||
| 12 | 5-6 | Broadway, 1988 | |||||||||||
| 13 | 1-2 | Foreign, 1990-92 | |||||||||||
| 3 | La Jolla, 1987-89 | ||||||||||||
| 4 | London, 1988-89 | ||||||||||||
| 5 | PBS, 1989 | ||||||||||||
| 6-7 | Regional, 1987-91 | ||||||||||||
| 14 | 1 | Yale, 1987 | |||||||||||
| 2 | "War of the Roses," play, 1984 and 1985 | ||||||||||||
| 3 | German version | ||||||||||||
| 4 | Programs and reviews | ||||||||||||
| "The Winning Streak," play | |||||||||||||
| box | folder | ||||||||||||
| 14 | 5 | 1 Dec. 1998 | |||||||||||
| 6 | 1999 | ||||||||||||
| 7-8 | 1 Feb. 1999 | ||||||||||||
| 15 | 1 | 1 Feb. 1999 | |||||||||||
| 2 | 7 May 1999 | ||||||||||||
| 3-4 | 8 May 1999 | ||||||||||||
| 5 | Rewrites | ||||||||||||
| 6 | Programs and reviews | ||||||||||||
| Posters [removed to oversize flat file] | |||||||||||||
| 7 | Slides of performances including "Independence," "Oldtimers Game," and "Two Rooms" | ||||||||||||
Series II. Personal |
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| box | folder | ||||||||||||
| 16 | 1-2 | Minnetonka High School and Reed College, 1960s-70s | |||||||||||
| 3-4 | University of Iowa, Minnesota, and Illinois, 1970s | ||||||||||||
| 5 | National Playwrights Conference, The Eugene O'Neill Theater Center, 1983-1999 | ||||||||||||
| 17 | 1-2 | Conference, cont'd | |||||||||||
| 3-4 | Articles and interviews | ||||||||||||
| 5 | Bourke, Dana. "Lee Blessing: An Analysis of Three Plays," M. A. Thesis, 1995 | ||||||||||||
