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Glenn Jordan papers

 Collection
Identifier: 2682

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Scope and Contents

This collection consists of material collected by Glenn Jordan (born 1936) throughout his career in theater, film, and television. Included are film files (produced and unproduced), playscripts, teleplays, screenplays, legal documents, cast and crew lists, correspondence and letters, ephemera, clippings, and photographs documenting Jordan's career as a director and producer.

The collection is organized into four series. The first series is "Theater Files," which include production files from 1957-1983, playscripts including adaptations of Gore Vidal texts, playscripts written by Neil Simon, and personal notes from Jordan's time at the Yale Drama School. The second series is Film and Television Production Files from 1981-2003, which include cast and crew lists, correspondence with William Soroyen and teleplays. The third series is Photographs from 1959-2003, including documentation of Jordan's theater, film, and television productions, photographs of Jordan, and a scrapbook from a trip to the Shanghai Film Festival. The last series is Press and Promotion Files from 1954-2003, which include newspaper clippings and promotion material for films.

The Glenn Jordan papers contains files reflecting a varied and consistent career in the theater, film, and television industries. Documentation of Jordan's time with the New York Television Theatre, which he founded and was the director of is present in the collection. Production files, promotional materials, and photographs of Jordan's Emmy-winning productions, "Barbarians at the Gate," "Promise," and "The Lives of Benjamin Franklin" are also included in the collection.

Dates

  • Creation: 1954 - 2014

Creator

Conditions Governing Access

Advance notice required for access.

Conditions Governing Use

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.

Rights Statement for Archival Description

Finding aid description and metadata are licensed under an Attribution 4.0 International (CC BY 4.0) license.

Biographical / Historical

Glenn Jordan is a director and producer of television, film, and theater who was born in San Antonio, Texas, on April 5, 1936. Jordan received a BA from Harvard University in 1957 and attended the Yale Drama School from 1957-1958. He began his career as a stage director (1961-1983) in New York. His theatrical works included "Another Evening with Harry Stoones" (1961), "A Taste of Honey" (1968), Rosencrantz and Guildenstern Are Dead" (1969). While still in New York, for "New York Television Theatre," Jordan directed a number of adaptations for public television including "Paradise Lost" (PBS, 1974), "Hogan's Goat" (1971), and "Eccentricities of a Nightingale" (1976). Throughout his career, Jordan has been nominated for fourteen Emmys and won Emmys for three of his made-for-television productions: "The Lives of Benjamin Franklin" (1974), "Promise" (1986), and "Barbarians at the Gate" (1993). Jordan's first feature film, "Only When I Laugh" (Columbia), which was written by Neil Simon, received three Academy Award nominations for best performance. His second feature, "The Buddy System" (20th Century Fox) starred Richard Dreyfuss and Susan Sarandon. His third, "Mass Appeal" (Universal) starred Jack Lemmon, Zeljko Ianek, and Charles Durning.

Extent

8.56 Linear Feet (11 boxes)

Language of Materials

English

Abstract

This collection contains the papers of Glenn Jordan (born 1936), an American film, television, and theater director and producer. The papers include theater, film, and television production and legal materials, press clippings, promotional materials, and photographs. From 1961-1983 Jordan worked as a stage director and as a director of television movies, specials, and series from 1970-2001. His three feature films were released between 1981 and 1984.

Immediate Source of Acquisition

Gift of Glenn Jordan, 2019.

Title
Finding aid for the Glenn Jordan papers
Status
Minimally Processed
Author
Diann Benti
Date
2022 November
Description rules
Describing Archives: A Content Standard
Language of description
English
Script of description
Latin

Repository Details

Part of the USC Libraries Cinematic Arts Library Repository

Contact:
Doheny Memorial Library G4
3550 Trousdale Parkway
Los Angeles California 90089-0185 United States