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Diller (Phyllis) papers
LSC.1893
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Contributing Institution:
UCLA Library Special Collections
Title: Phyllis Diller papers
Creator:
Diller, Phyllis
Identifier/Call Number: LSC.1893
Physical Description:
51.5 Linear Feet
(75 boxes)
Date (inclusive): 1934-2011
Abstract: This collection includes business papers, correspondence, sheet music, media, and memorabilia from the private collection
of comedian and actress Phyllis Diller. Diller broke ground as one of the first and most prominent woman comedians through
her stand-up act, films, television appearances, books, and records. Post-retirement in 2002, Diller wrote an autobiography
titled
Like a Lampshade in a Whorehouse: My Life in Comedy (2005), turned her hobby of drawing and painting into another career, and has continued to make appearances on television
and in film.
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.
Physical Location: Boxes 72, 73 & 76 shelved in Range 22, B-level stacks. Advance notice is required for access to the collection. Please contact
the UCLA Library Special Collections Reference Desk for paging information.
Language of Material:
English
.
Open for research. All requests to access special collections materials must be made in advance using the request button located
on this page.
Physical Characteristics and Technical Requirements
CONTAINS UNPROCESSED DIGITAL MATERIALS: Digital 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 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.
[Identification of item], Phyllis Diller papers (Collection Number 1893). UCLA Library Special Collections, Charles E. Young
Research Library, University of California, Los Angeles.
Provenance/Source of Acquisition
Gift of Phyllis Diller, November 2007.
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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.
Processed by Ben Sher in the Center for Primary Research and Training (CFPRT), with assistance from Megan Hahn Fraser, August
2011.
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UCLA Catalog Record ID:
9967767243606533
Phyllis Ada Driver was born on July 17, 1917 in Lima, OH. She studied at the Sherwood Music Conservatory in Chicago, IL for
three years, beginning in fall 1934. She married Sherwood Anderson Diller, and the couple and their children moved from Ypsilanti,
MI to Alameda, CA in 1945. Diller began her career as writer and women's editor for the
San Leandro News-Observer. From June 1951 to 1954, Diller's jobs included: head of newspaper and radio ad copy in the advertising office of Kahn's,
a department store in Oakland, CA; copywriter, publicist, and continuity girl at the radio station KROW in Oakland, CA; and,
finally, director of promotion and merchandising at KSFO radio in San Francisco, CA. Her copywriting was distinguished by
its comedic flair.
Diller performed in several small and semi-professional venues before getting a lengthy gig at The Purple Onion, a nightclub
in San Francisco, CA in March 1955. Following this successful run, she gave opening performances at The Purple Onion in Los
Angeles, CA in summer 1956. In Los Angeles, Diller made her first national television appearance as a contestant on the NBC
game show
You Bet Your Life, hosted by Groucho Marx. Thereafter, she toured the country, performing in major nightclubs such as Mister Kelley's in Chicago,
IL, The Blue Angel and The Bon Soir in New York, NY (where she worked with a young Barbra Streisand), The Crescendo in Los
Angeles, CA, and The Fontainebleau in Miami Beach, FL. Diller's stand-up act pushed the envelope by lampooning women's roles
in the 1950s and 1960s. In particular, she broke from the tradition set by male comedians who complained about their wives
by creating a fictional husband, the ne'er-do-well Fang.
Around 1958, Diller made the first of many appearances on
The Tonight Show and
The Jack Paar Show, the latter for which she eventually became a writer. These appearances brought her heightened success, and led to her discovery
by Bob Hope. Diller worked with Hope for decades, performing with him on 23 television specials, in the feature films
Boy, Did I Get a Wrong Number! (1960),
Eight on the Lam (1967), and
The Private Navy of Sgt. O'Farrell (1968), and as part of his USO troupe in Vietnam in 1966. Diller's film work from this period also includes
Splendor in the Grass (1962) and voice work in the Rankin/Bass animated film
Mad Monster Party (1967). Beginning in the 1960s, Diller became a household name through many TV appearances featuring her stand-up act. She
also starred in two short-lived TV series, the half-hour sitcom
The Pruitts of Southhampton (later titled
The Phyllis Diller Show, 1966-67) and the musical variety show
The Beautiful Phyllis Diller Show (1968). From 1961-1970, Diller recorded five albums and published four books. She concluded the 1960s with her Broadway debut
in
Hello Dolly!
Recent film roles include voice work in Disney's
A Bug's Life (1998) and the documentary
The Aristocrats (2005). Recent television work includes recurring roles on the series
Titus (2001-02),
7th Heaven (1999-2003),
The Bold and the Beautiful (1999-2004), and
The Adventures of Jimmy Neutron: Boy Genius (2002-2004).
In May 1971, Diller drew upon her training as a pianist and made her debut in a concert with Pittsburgh Pops, initiating 10
years of work as a concert pianist. In the 1970s, 1980s, and 1990s, Diller continued frequent appearances on the stage and
screen, and became known as one of the first celebrities to proudly admit to having had plastic surgery.
In 2002, Diller retired from stand-up comedy work. Her final performance, at the Suncoast Hotel in Las Vegas, NV, is captured
in the documentary
Good Night, We Love You (2006). Post-retirement, Diller wrote an autobiography titled
Like a Lampshade in a Whorehouse: My Life in Comedy (2005), turned her hobby of drawing and painting into another career, and has continued to make appearances on television
and in film.
The collection includes correspondence (1969-2010, bulk 2005-2010); contracts and itineraries related to various stand-up,
film, and television appearances; books of jokes and gags by Diller and other writers (dated 1964-1988); sheet music from
Diller's time at Sherwood Music Conservatory, from her TV series
The Beautiful Phyllis Diller Show (1968), and from other performances; extensive clippings from magazines and periodicals (dated 1957-2011, bulk 1992-2007);
a representative wig and costume; filmed performances and television appearances (mostly on 16mm and 35mm); Diller's published
books and record albums; playbills, programs and pamphlets for shows that Diller starred in or attended; and ephemera and
souvenirs from Diller's career.
Arranged in the following series:
- Correspondence
- Job Folders and Other Activities
- Jokes and Gags
- Photographs
- Sheet Music
- Clippings
- Publications
- Playbills and programs
- Ephemera and souvenirs
- Media
- Costumes
Items Removed from the Collection
The following films have been transferred to the UCLA Film and Television Archive:
- Phyllis Diller on "The Jack Paar Show," November 12, 1969. 16mm.
- Outtakes of local news feature story filmed when Diller appeared at The Century Room, 1960. 16mm.
- "The Charlotte Peters Show" episode, March 7, 1963.
- "The Tonight Show" segment, November 11, 1963. 16mm.
- "Something to Say," September 12, 1964. 35mm.
- "Girl Talk" episode, September 13, 1964. 35mm. 2 copies.
- Phyllis Diller in "Showtime," July 1968. 16mm.
- Unlabeled film reel, possibly copy of or content related to "Showtime."
- "Work print: Dallas, Texas, Various Performances," March 1974. 16mm.
- "Sound-Mag Trans. Dallas, Texas," July 18, 1974 (1 of 2). 16mm.
- "Sound-Mag Trans. Dallas, Texas," July 18, 1974 (2 of 2). 16mm.
- "Marriage Counselor," August 20, 1974. 35mm.
- "Marriage Counselor" trims and cuts, August 20, 1974. 16mm.
- "Phyllis Diller 'Kitchen Kween,'" undated. 16mm.
- "The Hollywood Palace" episode, undated. 16mm.
- "From Soup to Nuts," undated. 16mm.
- "Teddy at the Throttle," undated. 16mm.
- "The Adventurer," undated. 16mm.
- "Celebration for Julie," undated. 16mm.
- "Dubs of Phyllis Diller," undated. 35mm.
- Unlabeled, undated film reel. 16mm.
Subjects and Indexing Terms
Women comedians -- Archives.
Diller, Phyllis--Archives.