Born Isaiah Edwin Leopold, Ed Wynn (1886-1966) was a successful New York vaudeville comic headliner by the age of 17. He appeared in Ziegfeld follies, wrote and produced his own shows on Broadway (1920s and 1930s), and appeared in television and films (1950s and 1960s). The collection consists of Wynn's scrapbooks, clippings and ephemera, and sheet music documenting his career in Broadway theater and radio productions.

Born Isaiah Edwin Leopold, November 9, 1886 of European immigrants in Philadelphia; entered show business at 15; became successful New York vaudeville comic headliner by 17; appeared in Ziegfeld follies; wrote and produced his own shows on Broadway in 1920s and 1930s, featuring songs by Rodgers and Hart, Sammy Fain, and other well-known composers, and billing himself as The perfect fool, featuring his lisp, giggle, fluttering hands, outlandish costumes and inventions, and outrageous puns; starred on radio as Texaco fire chief in 1930s; suffered nervous breakdown late 1930s; returned to Broadway in 1940s; appeared in television and films through 1950s and 1960s in both comic and dramatic roles; father of Keenan Wynn; died of cancer in Beverly Hills on June 19, 1966.

1 box (0.5 linear ft.) 24 oversize boxes

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