Guide to the Clay M. Greene Collection MSS.2016.01.11
Archives & Special Collections, Santa Clara University Library
© 2016 Santa Clara University. All rights reserved.
Santa Clara University Library
500 El Camino Real
Santa Clara, California 95053-0500
Email: specialcollections@scu.edu
Language of Material:
English
Contributing Institution:
Archives & Special Collections, Santa Clara University Library
Title: Clay M. Greene Collection
creator:
Greene, Clay Meredith, 1850-1933
Identifier/Call Number: MSS.2016.01.11
Physical Description:
8.0 linear feet
, 11 boxes, 3 items, 2 oversize items
Date (inclusive): 1867-1934 (bulk 1880-1925)
Abstract: The Clay M. Greene Collection,
1867-1934 (bulk 1880-1925) documents Greene's life from his early years as a newspaperman to
his later success as an American playwright. Greene is perhaps best known for writing and
producing
Nazareth: The Passion Play of Santa Clara. The play
was performed at Santa Clara College's Golden Jubilee in 1901 and enjoyed continued success
for many years. The collection includes play scripts, screenplays and scenarios; a few
musical scores and librettos; newspaper clippings pertaining to theatrical productions;
personal and professional correspondence with David Belasco, William H. Crane, Erlanger
Productions, the New York Lambs Club, Jacob Litt and others; ephemera and other printed
materials related to his participation in various social clubs, most notably the Bohemian
Club and the New York Lambs; and newspaper articles, poems, prose and other writings by
Greene including drafts of his memoir entitled
My Seventy-Five Years,
Off and On
. This collection is arranged into four series: Series I: Personalia,
1868-1934; Series II: Poetry, Prose & Other Writings, 1867-1933; Series III: The
Bohemians, the New York Lambs & Other Social Clubs, 1876-1933; and Series IV: Theatrical
Works, 1871-1933.
Physical Location: This collection is located in Santa
Clara University Library's Archives & Special Collections.
Language of Material: English
Access
The collection is open for research. There are no restrictions.
Publication Rights
Materials in Archives & Special Collections may be subject to copyright. All requests
for permission to publish from manuscripts must be submitted in writing to the University
Archivist. Permission for publication is given on behalf of Archives & Special
Collections as the owner of the physical materials, and is not intended to include or imply
permission of the copyright holder, which must also be obtained. Copyright restrictions also
apply to digital reproductions of the original materials.
Preferred Citation
Clay M. Greene Collection, MSS.2016.01.11. Santa Clara University Library, Archives &
Special Collections.
Processing Information
Collection processed and encoded by Shannon Hartman in 2016. Reviewed by Erin Louthen.
Finding aid updated by Andrea Hoff in 2018.
Biographical History
Clay M. Greene was an American playwright, director and alumnus of Santa Clara College.
Born on March 12, 1850 in San Francisco, California, Greene was exposed to the burgeoning
theater trade of the Gold Rush Era as an adolescent. Greene immersed himself in the world of
theater, observing, acting and eventually writing burlesques and plays. In 1867, Greene's
parents sent him to Santa Clara College, where they hoped he would pursue studies in law or
medicine. Instead, his college experience further solidified his interest in the theater.
Upon his return to San Francisco in 1870, Greene worked as a newspaperman, writing for
The Golden Era and its competitor
The
Argonaut.
In 1878, Greene relocated to New York, where he believed his work would
flourish, and eventually, it did. Over his career, seventeen of Greene's thirty-three full
length plays became Broadway productions. As a gift to his alma mater, Greene wrote and
produced
Nazareth: The Passion Play of Santa Clara. Greene's
Passion Play was performed for the first time at Santa Clara
College's Golden Jubilee in 1901 and enjoyed continued success for many years.
Active in numerous social clubs across the country, Greene was Shepherd of the New York
Lambs; Commodore of Manhasset Bay Yacht Club; an early member of the San Francisco Bohemian
Club; an active member of the Huckleberry Indians (comprised of New York Athletic Club
members) and an honorary member of the Olympic Club. Greene often created or adapted short
plays and sketches for social club events such as the New York Lambs' Gambol, the Bohemian
Club's Grove Play and the Huckleberry Indian's Annual Pow Wow.
In 1873, Greene married Alice R. Wheeler, and their marriage lasted until her death in
1910. In the early 1900s, Greene once again found himself writing a regular column, this
time for
The Philadelphia Inquirer Magazine, under the pen name
"Uncle Clay." In 1911, he married playwright Laura Hewett Robinson, whose daughter by a
previous marriage was actress Helen Greene. In 1933, Greene broke his hip and remained
bedridden until his death on September 5, 1933 in San Francisco, California. He was still at
work on his memoirs. In his honor, Santa Clara University's dramatic society, active until
the 1960s, became known as the Clay M. Green Society.
Bibliography:
"Clay Greene Back on Earth: Former Champion California Playwright in Town."
Los Angeles Times Nov. 30, 1911: 115.
ProQuest Historical Newspapers. Web. Jan. 8, 2016.
"Clay M. Greene, Actor, Dies in West: Was First American Born in San
Francisco—Shepherd of the Lambs Here 11 Times."
New York
Times
Sep. 6, 1933:
ProQuest Historical Newspapers.
Web. Jan. 8, 2016.
James, William R.
Clay Meredith Greene (1850-1933): A Case Study of
an American Journeyman Playwright.
Iowa City: University of Iowa, 1969. Print.
Organizational History
Santa Clara University was founded in 1851 by the Society of Jesus as Santa Clara College
and is California's oldest operating institution of higher learning. It was established on
the grounds of Mission Santa Clara de Asìs, the eighth of the original 21 California
missions. The college originally operated as a preparatory school and did not offer courses
of collegiate rank until 1853. The institution became known as the University of Santa Clara
in 1912, when the schools of engineering and law were added. For 110 years, Santa Clara
University was an all-male school. In 1961, women were accepted as undergraduates and Santa
Clara University became the first coeducational Catholic university in California. The
number of students and faculty tripled over the next decade and the university began the
largest building program in school history with eight residence halls, a student union, and
an athletic stadium. In the early 1970s, the Board of Trustees voted to limit the size of
the undergraduate population, an action that was intended to preserve the character and
ensure the quality of the university for generations to come. In 1985, the university
adopted Santa Clara University as its official name.
Bibliography:
Santa Clara University. "About SCU – History." www.scu.edu/about/history.cfm
(Accessed Nov. 23, 2010)
McKevitt, Gerald, S.J.
The University of Santa Clara: A History,
1851-1977.
Stanford, California: Stanford University Press, 1979.
Arrangement
This collection is arranged into four series: Series I: Personalia, 1868-1934; Series II:
Poetry, Prose & Other Writings, 1867-1933; Series III: The Bohemians, the New York Lambs
& Other Social Clubs, 1876-1933; and Series IV: Theatrical Works, 1871-1933.
Scope and Content of the Collection
The Clay M. Greene Collection, 1867-1934 (bulk 1880-1925) documents Greene's life from his
early years as a newspaperman to his later success as an American playwright. Greene is
perhaps best known for writing and producing
Nazareth: The Passion
Play of Santa Clara.
The play was performed at Santa Clara College's Golden Jubilee
in 1901 and enjoyed continued success for many years. The collection includes play scripts,
screenplays and scenarios; a few musical scores and librettos; newspaper clippings
pertaining to theatrical productions; personal and professional correspondence with David
Belasco, William H. Crane, Erlanger Productions, the New York Lambs Club, Jacob Litt and
others; ephemera and other printed materials related to his participation in various social
clubs, most notably the Bohemian Club and the New York Lambs; and newspaper articles, poems,
prose and other writings by Greene including drafts of his memoir entitled
My Seventy-Five Years, Off and On.
Related Materials
Santa Clara University Scrapbook Collection. Series II. Book 56: Passion Play, 1922-1923:
Link
James, William R.
Clay Meredith Greene (1850-1933): A Case Study of an American
Journeyman Playwright.
Iowa City: University of Iowa, 1969. Print:
http://sculib.scu.edu/record=b1343487">http://sculib.scu.edu/record=b1343487
Subjects and Indexing Terms
Bohemian Club (San Francisco, Calif.)
Dramatists, American
Lambs (New York, N.Y.)
Passion-plays
San Francisco (Calif.) -- History
Santa Clara University -- History
Series I. Personalia,
1868-1934, & undated
Scope and Content
This series documents the personal life of Clay M. Greene. Included are invitations and
programs for various social events; printed materials collected by Greene; photographs;
a journal; scrapbook pages; personal correspondence; a photograph album that may have
belonged to Laura H. Greene; professional photograph albums from Japan and India; poems
sent to friends for Christmas; and newspaper clippings about Greene.
Arrangement
This series is arranged by format.
box 1
Box 1: Personalia,
1868-1934
box 2
Box 2: Photograph Album,
1896
box 3
Box 3: Photographs,
undated
box 4
Box 4: Travel Books,
undated
Enclosure 1
Enclosure 1: Memorabilia,
1905-1931
map-case 2
Oversize Item 1: Clay M. Greene Diploma,
1901
Oversize Item 2: Portrait of Clay M. Greene,
undated
Series II. Poetry, Prose & Other Writings,
1867-1933, & undated
Scope and Content
This series documents Greene's writings not intended for the stage or screen. Included
are newspaper articles written by Greene; a variety of poems, speeches and tributes; a
book of sayings entitled
Rodomontades; a 120-page
typescript reflecting on the life of Adolph B. Spreckels; and drafts of Greene's memoir,
left unfinished at the time of his death.
Arrangement
This series is arranged by format.
Note:
Additional writings can be found in Series III. The Bohemians, the New York Lambs &
Other Social Clubs, 1867-1933.
box 5
Box 5: Prose, Poetry & Other Writings,
1867-1933
box 6
Box 6: Memoirs, Written by Greene,
undated
Item 1
Item 1: Scrapbook, Articles Written by Greene
circa 1905-1910
Series III. The Bohemians, the New York Lambs & Other Social
Clubs,
1876-1933, & undated
Scope and Content
This series documents Clay M. Greene's membership in various social clubs, primarily
the Bohemian Club of San Francisco and the New York Lambs. Included are correspondence,
ephemera, poems, verses and other printed materials related to his participation in
these clubs. Bohemian Club materials include correspondence; a printed booklet entitled
The Owl Takes Flight; invitations, programs and
newsletters; and invocations, speeches, poetry and verses written about the Bohemian
Club and its membership. New York Lambs materials include
A
Round-Robin Sent to Clay M. Greene on his Forty-Ninth Birthday by the Lambs
with telegrams and letters wishing him well, and a small sampling of programs,
invocations and speeches. Printed materials pertaining to his participation in other
social clubs, including an honorary membership to the Olympic Club, are also included in
this series.
Arrangement
This series is arranged topically.
Note:
Typescripts and manuscripts of plays and sketches written for these clubs can be found
in Series IV. Theatrical Works, 1871-1933.
box 7
Box 7: Social Clubs,
1876-1933
Item 2
Item 2: Writing Journal,
undated
Series IV. Theatrical Works,
1871-1933, & undated
Scope and Content
This series documents the theatrical works of Clay M. Greene. The bulk of this series
consists of play scripts, screenplays and scenarios, with a small sampling of musical
scores and librettos. The majority of the works were written, adapted or acted in by
Clay M. Greene. Some were created for social club events such as the New York Lambs'
Gambol, the Bohemian Club's Grove Play or the Annual Pow-Wow of the Huckleberry Indians
(comprised of New York Athletic Club members). The majority of the manuscripts and
typescripts are working drafts with edits. There are a few playbills, printed booklets
and musical scores. Also included are correspondence, legal documents, newspaper
articles and other printed materials related to the creation, collaboration, adaptation,
rights, and reviews related to Greene's theatrical works.
Arrangement
This series is arranged by format. Scripts are organized alphabetically by title, with
unidentified works and musical scores at the end of the series.
box 8
Box 8: Theatrical Works,
1871-1933
box 9
Box 9: Play Scripts, Screenplays, Scenarios, Scores,
1881-1923
box 10
Box 10: Play Scripts, Screenplays, Scenarios, Scores,
1887-1923
box 11
Box 11: Play Scripts, Screenplays, Scenarios, Scores,
1881-1926
