Finding Aid to the Sidney Morris Papers, circa 1910-2004
Coll2013.070
Finding aid prepared by Kyle Morgan
Processing this collection has been funded by a generous grant from the National Historical Publications and Records Commission.
ONE National Gay & Lesbian Archives, USC Libraries, University of Southern California
909 West Adams Boulevard
Los Angeles, California, 90007
(213) 821-2771
askone@usc.edu
(c) 2014
Title: Sidney Morris papers
Identifier/Call Number: Coll2013.070
Contributing Institution:
ONE National Gay & Lesbian Archives, USC Libraries, University of Southern California
Language of Material:
English
Physical Description:
7.6 linear feet.
2 archive boxes + 2 archive cartons + 3 archive binders + 1 archive flat box
Date (inclusive): circa 1910-2004
Abstract: Essays, poetry, prose, scripts, playbills, posters, fliers, reviews, clippings, contracts, photographs, audio recordings,
video recordings, correspondence, biographical information, and personal papers documenting Sidney Morris and his lovers,
friends, family, theater productions, and work with the intellectually disabled, 1910-2004. Morris was a playright of roughly
50 plays, including
If This Isn't Love in 1982. Morris also wrote poetry and essays, and published articles on HIV/AIDS.
creator:
Morris, Sidney, (Sidney Morris Fineberg), 1929-2002
Separated Materials note
Separated to the ONE periodical collection
Cruise, v.8, no.36.
The James White Review, Spring/Summer 2002.
Michael's Thing, v.12, no.15, April 12, 1992.
PWA Coalition Newsline, February 1990.
Summer at SAGE, July-August 1993.
Topman, v.3, no.8, June 7, 1982.
Separated to the ONE poster collection
Danny Grossman Dance Company featuring a new work by Danny Grossman. Premiere Dance Theatre, Toronto. March 19-23, 1996.
Danny Grossman Dance Company photographic exhibition, 20th anniversary party. Premiere Dance Theatre, Toronto. March 25 -
April 5, 1997.
A Queer Stand-Up Comedy Extravaganza featuring Mimi Gonzalez. Women in Music Productions. Best Western Primrose Hotel, Toronto.
October 18, 1997.
Separated to the ONE audiovisual collection
April interview with Sydney Morris. (6 audiocassettes)
Daniel H. Conner poetry reading regarding living with AIDS and being a gay man. (VHS)
"The Effects of the Aging Process on the Treatment of 60+ Year Old Persons with HIV/AIDS." James Lomax moderator. SAGE's Second
National Conference on Aging, New York City, May 5-6, 2000. (audiocassette)
Sydney Morris interview, time 1:29:31. (VHS)
Separated to the ONE pin collection
"sage" printed in gold on a black round pin.
Biography
Sidney Morris Fineberg, known as Sidney Morris, was born in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, in 1929. He first garnered notice in
the theater world in 1963 with his New York production of
A Gallery of Characters. Morris would write roughly 50 plays, over half of which were produced, including
If This Isn't Love in 1982, his most popular work. Morris wrote poetry and essays, and published articles on HIV/AIDS. He helped support himself
by teaching special education classes and drama therapy workshops. He volunteered his time to Senior Action in a Gay Environment
(SAGE) and Cabrini Hospital, and was a member of the Dramatist's Guild, Poetry Society, Holocaust Generation After, and Eulenspiegel
Society. Morris died after a years-long battle with AIDS in 2002. He was survived by his longtime partner, Bert Coffman.
Acquisition
Date and method of acquisition unknown.
Conditions Governing Use
All requests for permission to publish or quote from manuscripts must be submitted in writing to the ONE Archivist. Permission
for publication is given on behalf of ONE National Gay and Lesbian Archives at USC Libraries as the owner of the physical
items and is not intended to include or imply permission of the copyright holder, which must also be obtained.
Conditions Governing Access
The collection is open to researchers. There are no access restrictions.
Arrangement
This collection is arranged in the following series:
Series 1. Literature, 1982-2002, undated
Series 2. Personal and professional papers, 1934-2004
Series 3. Photographs and audiovisual materials, circa 1910-2004
Scope and Contents
Essays, poetry, prose, and scripts written or collected by Sidney Morris; playbills, posters, fliers, reviews, clippings,
contracts, photographs, audio recordings, and video recordings from Morris' theater productions; and correspondence, photographs,
awards, medical records, biographical information, and personal papers documenting Morris and his lovers, friends, family,
and work with the intellectually disabled, circa 1910-2004.
Preferred Citation
[Box/folder #, or item name] Sidney Morris Papers, Coll2013-070, ONE National Gay & Lesbian Archives, USC Libraries, University
of Southern California.
Processing Information
Collection processed by Katrina Sire and Kyle Morgan, 2014.
Subjects and Indexing Terms
Gay dramatists--United States
Gay men's writings, American
Gay theater
Literature
1982-2002, undated
Physical Description:
1.6 linear feet.
Arrangement
This collection is arranged in alphabetical order.
Scope and Contents
Essays, poetry, prose, and scripts written or collected by Sidney Morris, 1982-2002, undated. Note: Although no distinction
has been made regarding the type of literature, the bulk of the listed titles are scripts.
Box 1, Folder 4
Death of a Gay Boy
undated
Box 1, Folder 5
Diary of a Depressed Person
undated
Box 1, Folder 6
The Gallery of Characters
undated
Box 1, Folder 13
Holding onto Lorraine
1984
Box 2, Folder 29
If this Isn't Love
1982
Scope and Contents
Published book with the cover torn off. Includes an inscription and minor edits.
Box 1, Folder 16
I'm the Boy's Mother
2002
Box 1, Folder 17-18
The Journal and Writings of Daniel J.H. Conner
1989-1993
Box 1, Folder 19
Life without Sex (by Ted Williams)
undated
Box 1, Folder 20-21
Mad about the Boy!
undated
Box 1, Folder 22
Mad about the Boy/So in Love
1995
Box 1, Folder 24
Marijuana Twilight
undated
Box 1, Folder 25
Milton's Way (by Ted Williams)
undated
Box 1, Folder 28-30
Old Queen's Echo
circa 1993-1994
Box 1, Folder 33
Singer under Siege (by Carter and Sorenson)
undated
Box 1, Folder 34-35
Small Victories: A Journal of Courage
undated
Box 1, Folder 37
Stiffs (by Daniel Haben Clark)
1997
Box 1, Folder 41-43
Uncle Yossil
1979-1980, 1990
Box 2, Folder 1
We've Got Today (music)
undated
Box 2, Folder 2
Wind Beneath my Wings
1990
Personal and professional papers
1934-2004
Physical Description:
2.6 linear feet.
Arrangement
This collection is arranged in alphabetical order.
Scope and Contents
Playbills, posters, fliers, contracts, lawsuits, and reviews from Sidney Morris' theater productions, as well as correspondence,
clippings, awards, medical records, biographical information, and personal papers from Morris' personal life, 1934-2002. Includes
the files of Morris' partner, Bert Coffman, 1997-2004.
Box 2, Folder 16-19
Articles and reviews
1975-2001
Scope and Contents note
Clippings of articles written by or about Morris and reviews of Morris' theater productions.
Box 8, Folder 1
Artwork
undated
Physical Description:
[oversized]
Scope and Contents
Primarily copies of artworks on standard paper.
Box 2, Folder 20
Awards, certificates, and a commemorative binder
1968-1994, undated
Box 2, Folder 22
Cass, Robert, files
1994, undated
Box 2, Folder 23
Coffman, Bert, files
1997-2004
Scope and Contents note
Includes Morris' memorial service materials.
Box 3, Folder 1
Contracts and lawsuits, professional
1982-2002
Box 3, Folder 2-4
Dagron, Rene, correspondence and personal papers
1934-1988
Box 2, Folder 27
Ephemera
1947-1999
Scope and Contents note
Advertisements, clippings of articles and images, fliers, information on the intellectually disabled, maps, notes, theater
programs, and war department materials.
Box 2, Folder 28
Fliers, programs, and reviews
1968-2001
Box 3, Folder 5
Medical care records
1994-2002
Box 2, Folder 30
Menorah and a Cabrini volunteer pin
undated
Box 3, Folder 6
Personal papers
1940-2002
Scope and Contents note
Biographical information, financial records, identity cards, a birth certificate, housing leases, a handwritten will, applications
for social services, notes, receipts, a high school yearbook, and other personal materials.
Box 2, Folder 31
Photograph album (blank)
1948-1982
Scope and Contents note
The album pages have been photocopied, the photographs removed, and the contents listed in the Photographs and audiovisual
materials series. The blank album provides a backup of the detailed descriptions that accompanied the photographs.
Box 2, Folder 32
Playbills from Morris' productions
1994-2000, undated
Box 8, Folder 2
Posters from Morris' productions
1992-1996, undated
Physical Description:
[oversized]
Box 8, Folder 3
Radiology negatives and reports
1998
Physical Description:
[oversized]
Box 3, Folder 7
Resumes and obituary
1983-2003
Box 2, Folder 33
Royalty letters
1977-1995
Box 2, Folder 34
Talks
1998-2000, undated
Scope and Contents note
Includes transcripts from talks Morris has given as well as fliers for the events where he gave those talks.
Box 2, Folder 35
Theater letterhead and contact information
undated
Box 3, Folder 8-10
Topping, David, correspondence
1936-1963
Photographs and audiovisual materials
circa 1910-2004
Physical Description:
3.4 linear feet.
Scope and Contents
Photographs of Sidney Morris and his lovers, friends, family, theater productions, and work with the intellectually disabled,
circa 1910-2004. Includes audio and video recordings taken of or used in his theater productions.
Arrangement
This collection is arranged into two sections: Personal and Theater.
Box 6, Folder 3
Animals, landscapes, and gravestones
undated
General Physical Description note: 47 black-and-white and 2 color photographic prints.
Box 6, Folder 4
Erotic
undated
General Physical Description note: 36 black-and-white and 10 color photographic prints.
Box 7, Folder 2
Family, friends, and lovers
circa 1910-2000
General Physical Description note: 135 black-and-white and 59 color photographic prints.
Scope and Contents
Includes photocopies of the Rene Dagron photograph album and the David Topping photograph album in their original layout.
The photographs from those albums have been integrated with related photographs in approximate chronological order. Includes
two drawings and one poem.
Box 6, Folder 2
Intellectually disabled
1968, undated
General Physical Description note: 61 black-and-white and 39 color photographic prints.
Scope and Contents
Includes photocopies from a photograph album in its original layout and a pay stub.
Box 7, Folder 1
Negatives and 35mm slides
circa 1948-2000
General Physical Description note: 36 35mm slides, 14 negatives, and 5 negative strips.
Scope and Contents note
Photographs of Morris and his friends, family, travel, theater productions, and work with the intellectually disabled.
Box 6, Folder 1
Actors
undated
General Physical Description note: 19 black-and-white photographic prints.
Box 5, Folder 1
"The Beginning of Sidney Morris" theater album
1945-2000
General Physical Description note: 51 black-and-white and 22 color photographic prints.
Scope and Contents note
Includes programs, fliers, tickets, and clippings documenting Sidney Morris' theater productions.
Box 4
Sound recordings
1993-1994, undated
General Physical Description note: 6 audiocassettes.
Scope and Contents
Audiocassette titles are as follows:
- Open Act II
- Bobby, August 20, 1994
- Intermission Music, Twilight Ladies
- We've Got Today, part 1 / end
- Margie Barbershop Quartet / All my Life, Benny Goodman, April 24, 1936 / Boulevard of Broken Dreams, Dean Janis, Hal Kemp's
Orchestra, October 31, 1933 / Too Late, Bing Crosby, 1930-1931 / Nevertheless, Ruth Etting
- Old Times Nite, September 14, 1993
- [Unintelligible title]
Box 4
Sound recordings
undated
General Physical Description note: 2 7-inch open-reel and 2 5-inch open-reel audiotapes.
Scope and Contents
2 audiotapes are unlabeled and 2 audiotapes have the following titles:
- "...Love" pre-show and show
- Richard's music
Box 5, Folder 2
Theater productions
undated
General Physical Description note: 16 black-and-white and 9 color photographic prints.
Box 4
Video recordings
1968-1970
General Physical Description note: 6 open-reel videotapes (1/2-inch width).
Scope and Contents
3 3-inch open-reel videotapes with the following titles:
- Cats, part 1, June 25, 1970
- Trail walk
- Third
1 5-inch open-reel videotapes with the title: Summer 1968.
2 7-inch open-reel videotapes with the following titles:
- QPS Summer Program, MY FIRST, August 1968
- SUPER-8