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Bob Smith Stand-up Comedy and Writings

 Collection — Box: 1
Identifier: Coll2012-004

Scope and Contents

The collection primarily consists of material relating to Smith’s career as a writer and comedian, including scripts of sketches, manuscripts of his published works, newspaper clippings of reviews of his performances or books, writing and performance contracts, calendars, research files, and correspondence. Also included are DVDs, videotapes, and audiocassettes that document his performances throughout his career. A small amount of personal material includes correspondence from friends and relatives. Materials range from 1972-2006, but the bulk of the collection dates from 1991-2004. The collection is separated into three series: (1) Professional files, which consists of material relating to Smith’s professional life, (2) Personal files, which consists primarily of personal correspondence, and (3) Audiovisual material, which includes recordings of Smith's performances.

Dates

  • Creation: 1972-2006
  • Creation: Majority of material found within 1991 - 2004

Creator

Access

The collection is open to researchers. There are no access restrictions.

Publication Rights

Researchers wishing to publish material must obtain permission in writing from ONE National Gay & Lesbian Archives as the physical owner of the material. Note that permission to publish does not constitute copyright clearance. ONE National Gay & Lesbian Archives can grant copyright clearance only for those materials for which we hold copyright. It is the responsibility of the researcher to obtain copyright clearance for all other materials from the copyright holder(s).

Biography

Bob Smith is an American writer and comedian based in New York City. Born in Buffalo, New York, in 1958, he began writing and performing stand-up comedy in 1977, and in 1998, he formed the comedy troupe "Funny Gay Males" with comedians Jaffe Cohen and Danny McWilliams. Smith was the first openly gay comedian to appear on the Tonight Show and to have his own HBO Comedy Half-Hour special. He has written comedy for Amblin Films, the MTV Video Music Awards, Dennis Miller, Roseanne, and MAD-TV. In addition to his autobiographies Openly Bob (1997), which received a Lambda Literary Award, and Way to Go, Smith! (1999), he has published two novels, Selfish and Perverse (2007) and Remembrance of Things I Forgot (2011), and numerous essays. Smith was diagnosed with Lou Gehrig’s disease in 2007.

Extent

4 Linear Feet (4 records boxes + 1 flat archive box.)

Language of Materials

English

Abstract

This collection primarily consists of material relating to Bob Smith’s professional career as a writer and comedian, and includes scripts, manuscripts, newspaper clippings, writing and performance contracts, calendars, research files, correspondence, and recordings of his performances. (1972-2006, bulk: 1991-2004).

Arrangement

Arranged into three series: Professional files, Personal files, and Audiovisual material.

Acquisition Information

Received from Bob Smith, February, 19, 2008.

Separated Materials

The following materials have been separated from the collection:

Cohen, Jaffe and McWilliams, Danny and Smith, Bob. Growing Up Gay: From Left Out to Coming Out. Hyperion: New York, 1995.

Karvoski, Ed Jr. (editor). A Funny Time to be Gay. Simon & Schuster: New York, 1997.

Out magazine, March 1997.

Out magazine, April 1998.

Rosen, Michael J. (editor). 101 Damnations: The Humorists' Tour of Personal Hells. St. Martin's Press: New York, 2002.

Rosen, Michael J. (editor). Mirth of a Nation: The Best of Contemporary Humor. Perennial: New York, 2000.

Smith, Bob. Openly Bob. Rob Weisbach Books: New York, 1997.

Smith, Bob. Way to Go, Smith! Rob Weisbach Books: New York, 1999.

"Out There" Comedy Central T-shirt, circa 1993.

Juneau, Alaska Pride Parade T-shirt, circa 1999.

Processing Information

Collection processed by Kate Dundon, January 2012.

  • <title render="italic">Alaska Geographic: The Alaska Peninsula</title>, 10, no. 3. Alaska Geographic Society: Anchorage, 1983. <title render="italic">Alaska Geographic: The Alaska Peninsula</title>, 21, no. 1. Alaska Geographic Society: Anchorage, 1994. <title render="italic">Alaska Geographic: The Alaska Peninsula</title>a, 21, no. 4. Alaska Geographic Society: Anchorage, 1994. <title render="italic">Anthropological Papers of the University of Alaska</title>, 4, no. 2. University of Alaska: Fairbanks, 1956. <title render="italic">Anthropological Papers of the University of Alaska</title>, 12, no. 1. University of Alaska: Fairbanks, 1964. <title render="italic">Anthropological Papers of the University of Alaska</title>, 17, no. 2. University of Alaska: Fairbanks, 1975. <title render="italic">Arctic: Journal of the Arctic Institute of North America</title>, 32, no. 3. McAra Printing: Calgary, 1978. Burgess, Robert D. <title render="italic">Community Health Aid/Practitioner Manual</title>. U.S. Government Printing Office: Washington, DC, 1987. Crowell, Aron L., et al. (editors). <title render="italic">Looking Both Ways: Heritage and Identity of the Aluntiiq People</title>. University of Alaska Press: Fairbanks, 2001. De Laguna, Frederica, et al. <title render="italic">Archaeology of the Yakutat Bay Area, Alaska</title>. Smithsonian Institution Bureau of American ethnology: Washington, DC, 1964. Klein, Janet R. <title render="italic">Archaeology of Kachemak Bay, Alaska</title>. Kachemak Country Publications, Homer, Alaska, 1996. Langdon, Steve J. <title render="italic">The Native People of Alaska</title>. Greatland Graphics: Anchorage, 2002. <title render="italic">Los Angeles Times Magazine</title>, November 9, 1997. <title render="italic">Los Angeles Times Magazine</title>, July 26, 1998. Pratt, Verna E. <title render="italic">Alaskan Wildflowers</title>. Alaskakrafts: Anchorage, 1989. <title render="italic">Spy</title> magazine, September 1989. Stewart, Hillary. <title render="italic">Stone, Bone, Antler and Shell: Artifacts of the Northwest Coast</title>. University of Washington Press: Seattle, 1973. Clinton-Gore Inaugural Celebration T-shirt, 1993.
Title
Finding Aid to the Bob Smith Stand-up Comedy and Writings
Status
Completed
Author
Kate Dundon
Date
© January 2012
Description rules
Describing Archives: A Content Standard
Language of description
English
Script of description
Latin
Language of description note
Description is inEnglish.

Repository Details

Part of the ONE Archives at the USC Libraries, University of Southern California Repository

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