Restrictions on Access
Physical Characteristics and Technical Requirements
Restrictions on Use and Reproduction
Preferred Citation
Processing Information
UCLA Catalog Record ID
Biography
Scope and Content
Organization and Arrangement
Contributing Institution:
UCLA Library Special Collections
Title: Allyn Joslyn papers
Creator:
Joslyn, Allyn
Identifier/Call Number: PASC.0293
Physical Description:
9.9 Linear Feet
(19 boxes and 3 flat boxes)
Date (inclusive): circa 1920s-1970s
Abstract: Versatile character actor Allyn Joslyn's acting career spanned from the 1920's to the 1970's. The collection documents Joslyn's
professional accomplishments as an actor and entertainer, and includes scripts for motion pictures, television, radio, and
stage; press clippings focused on Joslyn's career; photographs (mainly stills) from various film, television, and stage productions;
and a small amount of correspondence and ephemera.
Physical Location: Stored off-site. All requests to access special collections material must be made in advance using the request button located
on this page.
Language of Material: Materials are in English.
Restrictions on Access
Open for research. All requests to access special collections materials must be made in advance using the request button located
on this page.
Audio materials in this collection are restricted and require advance notice for use.
Physical Characteristics and Technical Requirements
CONTAINS UNPROCESSED AUDIO MATERIALS: Materials are not currently available for access and will require further processing
and assessment. If you have questions about this material please email spec-coll@library.ucla.edu.
Restrictions on Use and Reproduction
Property rights to the physical objects belong to UCLA Library Special Collections. All other rights, including copyright,
are retained by the creators and their heirs. It is the responsibility of the researcher to determine who holds the copyright
and pursue the copyright owner or his or her heir for permission to publish where The UC Regents do not hold the copyright.
Preferred Citation
[Identification of item], Allyn Joslyn Papers (Collection PASC 293). UCLA Library Special Collections, Charles E. Young Research
Library, University of California, Los Angeles.
Processing Information
Processed by Amanda Neal and Julie Graham.
Collections are processed to a variety of levels depending on the work necessary to make them usable, their perceived user
interest and research value, availability of staff and resources, and competing priorities. Library Special Collections provides
a standard level of preservation and access for all collections and, when time and resources permit, conducts more intensive
processing. These materials have been arranged and described according to national and local standards and best practices.
We are committed to providing ethical, inclusive, and anti-racist description of the materials we steward, and to remediating
existing description of our materials that contains language that may be offensive or cause harm. We invite you to submit
feedback about how our collections are described, and how they could be described more accurately, by filling out the form
located on our website:
Report Potentially Offensive Description in Library Special Collections.
UCLA Catalog Record ID
Biography
Allyn Morgan Joslyn was born in Milford, PA. There is conflicting information about the date of his birth; it has been reported
as July 21, 1901 and July 21, 1905. As a teenager, he began his career on the live stage and acted in many plays throughout
the 1920s and '30s. In 1935, he starred on Broadway in George Abbott's production of Boy Meets Girl. His role as Robert Law
brought accolades and led him to Hollywood.
Joslyn made his motion picture debut in They Won't Forget (1937). (The film also marked the first film appearance of Lana
Turner.) Over the next several decades, Joslyn acted in numerous motion pictures for all of the major studios, often in comedic
roles. Notable motion pictures in which Joslyn appeared include Only Angels Have Wings (1939), My Sister Eileen (1942), Heaven
Can Wait (1943), and Titanic (1953), among others. Joslyn played the role of Mortimer Brewster in the original Broadway production
of Arsenic and Old Lace (1941); however, the role was played by Cary Grant in the film version (1944). While working in both
theater and motion pictures, he was actively writing and acting in radio shows.
Joslyn's television career included lead roles in the series, The Eve Arden Show, where he had an ongoing role as George Howell
(1957-58), and McKeever and the Colonel where Joslyn starred as Colonel Harvey Blackwell (1962-63). He was a regular on The
Ray Bolger Show (1953-54) and also made many guest appearances in a variety of television productions throughout the 1950s
and '60s. These include The Addams Family, Rawhide, The Untouchables, and several programs for Ford Theatre. Joslyn made his
final film appearance in The Brothers O'Toole (1973). He died of cardiac failure on January 21, 1981 at the Motion Picture
and Television Country House in Woodland Hills, CA.
Scope and Content
The collection consists of scripts, press clippings, photographs, correspondence, and memorabilia documenting the career of
actor and entertainer Allyn Joslyn. The bulk of the collection is comprised of scripts for motion picture, television, radio
and stage projects featuring/including Joslyn and/or items which may have been submitted to Joslyn for his consideration.
Included are scripts for My Sister Eileen (1942), Heaven Can Wait (1943), The Eve Arden Show (1957-58), and McKeever and the
Colonel (1962-63), among others. There is also a small collection of stills from selected motion picture, stage and television
productions, including Boy Meets Girl, No Time for Comedy, and McKeever and the Colonel, among others.
The press clippings include a mixture of reviews, publicity, and promotional write-ups about Joslyn and/or the various projects
or events in which he was involved during his career. There is also a small amount of correspondence that includes letters,
telegrams, and/or cards related to both personal matters and professional activities. The memorabilia is from events or performances
that Joslyn was either involved with or attended. Additionally, there is a small number of entertainment-related magazine
publications that do not appear related to Joslyn's personal or professional life.
Organization and Arrangement
Arranged in the following series:
- Motion Picture Projects
- Radio Projects
- Stage Productions
- Television Projects
- Correspondence
- Memorabilia
- Publicity Stills and Photographs
- Press Reviews and Publicity
- Publications
Subjects and Indexing Terms
Clippings.
Television scripts.
Film scripts.
Actors -- United States -- Archives
Film stills.
Joslyn, Allyn, -1981--Archives.