Fearnley (John) collection on John and Elaine Steinbeck, 1959-1994

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Summary

Title:
John Fearnley collection on John and Elaine Steinbeck
Dates:
1959-1994
Abstract:
Letters between John Steinbeck, his wife Elaine, and John Fearnley, a casting director for Rodgers & Hammerstein; as well as books inscribed by Steinbeck to Fearnley. The correspondence discusses the Rodgers & Hammerstein musical Pipe Dream, which was based on Steinbeck's novel Sweet Thursday, ideas for a new production, and Steinbeck's enjoyment of living in England while writing his last novel.
Extent:
0.21 Linear Feet (1 box)
Language:
Materials are in English.
Preferred citation:

[Identification of item]. John Fearnley collection on John and Elaine Steinbeck, The Huntington Library, San Marino, California.

Background

Scope and content:

Letters between John Steinbeck, his wife Elaine, and John Fearnley, a director and casting director working for the Rodgers & Hammerstein Organization at the time. Correspondence discusses the Rodgers & Hammerstein musical Pipe Dream, which was based on Steinbeck's novel Sweet Thursday (1954); ideas for a new production; and Steinbeck's enjoyment of living in England while writing his last novel. A 1967 letter from Elaine Steinbeck describes the couple's life in Vietnam while John Steinbeck was working as a war correspondent there. Many letters incorporate nicknames the three devised on a trip during the Pipe Dream run: Inside Straight (John Steinbeck), Queen Radio (Elaine Steinbeck), and Small Change (John Fearnley). Some letters also include a Pigasus stamp, a flying pig motif Steinbeck used throughout his life as a symbol of himself. There is also one letter to Elaine Steinbeck from Richard Lewine, former managing director of the Rodgers & Hammerstein Organization, advising her about John Fearnley's eulogy; and a fragment likely written by John Fearnley.

Biographical / historical:

John Fearnley (1914-1994) was a stage manager, writer, and director. He served as casting director from 1945 to 1955 for the Rodgers & Hammerstein Organization, where he worked on the original Broadway productions of Carousel, Allegro, South Pacific, The King and I, Me and Juliet, Pipe Dream, and Annie Get Your Gun. He also cast the movie version of Oklahoma!, and directed several musicals for the New York City Civic Light Opera as well as the 1981 London revival of The Sound of Music.

John Steinbeck (1902-1968) was born in Salinas, California on February 27, 1902. With much of his work set in his native central California, particularly in the Salinas Valley region, he was known for writing about marginalized workers and ordinary people. During his career he authored 33 books, including the novels Tortilla Flat (1935) Cannery Row (1945), and East of Eden (1952); and the novellas The Red Pony (1933) and Of Mice and Men (1937). For The Grapes of Wrath (1939), Steinbeck received the 1940 Pulitzer Prize for Fiction, and he also won the 1962 Nobel Prize in Literature. Steinbeck was married three times: first to Carol Henning from 1930 to 1941; then to Gwyndolyn "Gwyn" Conger from 1942 to 1948, with whom he had two sons. Steinbeck married his third wife, stage manager Elaine Scott, in 1950. He died in New York City on December 20, 1968.

Elaine Anderson Steinbeck (1914-2003) was born in Austin, Texas on August 14, 1914. She married actor Zachary Scott in 1934 and worked with him at the Austin Little Theater before the couple relocated together to New York City. The couple had one daughter. Steinbeck worked for the Theatre Guild in New York before moving with Scott to Los Angeles in 1944. She met John Steinbeck in California in 1949, and was married to him until his death in 1968. Elaine Steinbeck died in New York City on April 27, 2003.

Acquisition information:
Purchased for The Huntington from Funke Literary, LLC by the Library Collectors' Council, March 2025.
Processing information:

Processed at the time of accessioning by Kelly Kress in April 2025.

Arrangement:

Arranged chronologically.

Rules or conventions:
Describing Archives: A Content Standard

About this collection guide

Collection Guide Author:
Kelly Kress
Date Encoded:
This finding aid was produced using ArchivesSpace on 2025-04-29 11:37:09 -0700 .

Access and use

Restrictions:

Open for use by qualified researchers and by appointment. Please contact Reader Services at the Huntington Library for more information.

Terms of access:

The Huntington Library does not require that researchers request permission to quote from or publish images of this material, nor does it charge fees for such activities. The responsibility for identifying the copyright holder, if there is one, and obtaining necessary permissions rests with the researcher.

Preferred citation:

[Identification of item]. John Fearnley collection on John and Elaine Steinbeck, The Huntington Library, San Marino, California.

Location of this collection:
1151 Oxford Road
San Marino, CA 91108, US
Contact:
(626) 405-2191
reference@huntington.org
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