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Adams (Mason) papers
PASC.0215
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Contributing Institution:
UCLA Library Special Collections
Title: Mason Adams papers
Creator:
Adams, Mason
Identifier/Call Number: PASC.0215
Physical Description:
7.8 Linear Feet
(11.5 boxes, 3 cartons, and 1 LP box)
Date (inclusive): 1937-2006
Date (bulk): 1977-1993
Abstract: Mason Adams was an actor whose career spanned film, radio, television, and theater. The collection consists of scripts related
to Adams' acting career, video and audio tapes, and a small amount of personal material.
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.
Open for research. All requests to access special collections materials must be made in advance using the request button located
on this page.
Conditions Governing Reproduction and Use
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.
Physical Characteristics and Technical Requirements
CONTAINS UNPROCESSED AUDIOVISUAL 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.
Provenance/Source of Acquisition
Gift of Mason Adams, 2000.
[Identification of item], Mason Adams Papers (Collection PASC 215). UCLA Library Special Collections, Charles E. Young Research
Library, University of California, Los Angeles.
Processed by UCLA Library Special Collections staff. Reprocessed by Doug Johnson in order to to describe the bulk of the non-script
material, October 2016.
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UCLA Catalog Record ID:
9944358633606533
Mason Adams was born Mason Abrams in Brooklyn on February 26, 1919. He received his master's degree from the University of
Wisconsin in the early 1940s before returning to New York, where he taught speech for several years at the Neighborhood Playhouse
on East 54th Street. It was in the 1940s that he also started his acting career.
He appeared on many major radio programs including
Inner Sanctum,
Theatre Guild of the Air, and
Superman, and he played the title role of Pepper Young in
Pepper Young's Family. He has numerous stage credits spanning from his Broadway debut as Joe Rigga in
Get Away Old Man (1943) to his last play,
The Man Who Had All the Luck (2002). Among his film credits are
9 to 5 (1980),
F/X (1986), and
Son-In-Law (1993).
Adams made appearances in dozens of television programs, including
Matlock (NBC, 1988), Family Matters (ABC, 1991), and
The West Wing (NBC 1999). He had a starring role in the short-lived series
Knight & Daye (NBC, 1989). Adams is best remembered for his Emmy-nominated role as Charlie Hume on the television series
Lou Grant (1977-1982).
He also lent his voice to documentaries and commercials. His distinctive voice became synonymous with the J.M. Smucker Company,
which featured him in its commercials for more than 30 years. Adams died on April 28, 2005, in New York City.
The collection consists largely of film, television, and stage scripts related to the career of actor Mason Adams. However,
most of the scripts are for projects that never reached fruition, or that Adams did not appear in. There is only a single
script for Adams' Emmy-nominated role on
Lou Grant (CBS, 1977-1982), but the entire run of the short-lived sitcom
Knight & Daye (NBC, 1989) is present. There is a significant amount of audiovisual material, representing demo reels and appearances by
Adams in different media. There is also a small amount of other material, such as clippings, contracts, photographs, and publicity
material. Of particular interest might be the detailed notes Adams kept for an acting class he took in 1937.
Arranged in the following series:
- Series 1. Motion Picture Projects
- Series 2. Television and Radio Projects
- Series 3. Theater Projects
- Series 4. General Files
- Series 5. Audiovisual Materials
Folders are in the order determined by the previous archivist.
Subjects and Indexing Terms
Actors -- Archives.
Television scripts.
Film scripts.
Adams, Mason--Archives.