Finding aid for the Albert Lewis family collection 2161
Marissa Chavez for History Associates Incorporated
USC Libraries Cinematic Arts Library
2022 February
Doheny Memorial Library G4
3550 Trousdale Parkway
Los Angeles, California 90089-0185
ctlibarc@usc.edu
Contributing Institution:
USC Libraries Cinematic Arts Library
Title: Albert Lewis family collection
Creator:
Lewis, Burton, 1918-2002
Identifier/Call Number: 2161
Physical Description:
6.75 Linear Feet
6 boxes
Date (bulk): 1940s-1980s
Abstract: This collection consists of playbills from the 1940s to the 1990s, collected by Burton, Arthur, and Albert Lewis. It also
includes the autobiography of Arthur Lewis.
Language of Material:
English.
Container: 1
Container: 2
Container: 3
Container: 4
Container: 5a
Container: 5b
This collection consists of playbills from the 1940s to the 1990s, collected by Burton, Arthur, and Albert Lewis. It also
includes the autobiography of Arthur Lewis. The Lewis family was involved in theater and film. Albert Lewis and Arthur Lewis
were both producers and screenwriters of film and theater.
The Lewis family consists of father Albert Lewis (1884-1978), eldest son Arthur Lewis (1916-2006), and younger son Burton
Lewis (1918-2002). While Burton Lewis has just one Broadway acting and stage-managing credit for the play "Off to Buffalo,"
Albert and Arthur Lewis had long careers in entertainment. Albert Lewis started off as a partner of Max Gordon (1892-1978),
creating single act plays for vaudeville. In 1925, Albert Lewis produced and directed the original Broadway production of
"The Jazz Singer," which later became the talking picture "The Jazz Singer" (1927). In 1942, Albert Lewis and George Balanchine
co-produced and co-directed "Cabin in the Sky," a Broadway musical with an all-black cast, that later became a film. He produced
films like "Torch Singer" (1933), "Cabin in the Sky" (1943), and "Ready for Love" (1934). He also co-wrote films with his
son, Arthur Lewis including "Oh You Beautiful Doll" (1949) and "Golden Girl" (1951). Together they also produced the Broadway
musical "Three Wishes for Jamie" (1952). Arthur Lewis produced theater works including the plays "Guys and Dolls" (1953),
The Boy Friend" (1954), "How to Succeed in Business Without Really Trying" (1963), Little Me" (1964), "Funny Girl" (1966),
The Odd Couple" (1966), and "A Thousand Clowns" (1964). He produced films "Baxter" (1972) and "The Killer Elite" (1975). He
also produced three television series, "Brenner" (1959), "The Asphalt Jungle" (1961), and "The Nurses" (1962), and the television
film version of "The Diary of Anne Frank" (1980). Arthur Lewis is a University of Southern California alumni.
Advance notice required for access.
Rights Statement for Archival Description
Finding aid description and metadata are licensed under an Attribution 4.0 International (CC BY 4.0) license.
All requests for permission to publish or quote from manuscripts must be submitted in writing to the Cinematic Arts Library
at ctlibarc@usc.edu. Permission for publication is given on behalf of the Cinematic Arts Library 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.
Immediate Source of Acquisition
Gift of Burton Lewis, February 17, 1999.
[Box/folder no. or item name], Albert Lewis family collection, Collection no. 2161, Cinematic Arts Library, USC Libraries,
University of Southern California.
This collection is unprocessed.
Subjects and Indexing Terms
Playbills
Autobiography -- Archival resources
Manuscripts
Musical theater -- Archival resources
Theater -- United States -- History -- 20th century -- Archival resources
Theater -- Production and direction
Motion picture producers and directors -- Archival resources
Lewis, Arthur, 1916-2006 -- Archives
Lewis, Albert, 1884-1978 -- Archives