Research Catalog

Title

Alexander H. Cohen papers, 1880-2003 (bulk 1938-2003)

Author

Cohen, Alexander H., 1920-2000

Supplementary Content

Finding Aid

Items in the Library & Off-site

Details

Additional Authors

• Barnum, P. T. (Phineas Taylor), 1810-1891
• Burton, Richard, 1925-1984
• Gielgud, John, 1904-2000
• Parks, Hildy, 1926-2004
• Grudeff, Marian
• Jessel, Raymond
• Holmes, Rupert
• American Express Company
• Actors' Fund of America
• Erlanger Theatre (Philadelphia, Pa.)
• G.H. Mumm et Co.
• Locust Street Theatre (Philadelphia, Pa.)
• Morris A. Mechanic Theatre (Baltimore, Md.)
• O'Keefe Centre (Toronto, Ont.)

Description

189.75 linear feet (396 boxes)

Summary

Primarily documenting the career of theater and television producer Alexander H. Cohen, the papers consist of correspondence, contracts, financial records, office files, photographs, slides, scrapbooks, programs, scripts, datebooks, publicity material, clippings, production materials, scores, writings, posters, floor plans, and costume designs. There are also a number of personal papers, as well as some materials by and about Cohen's wife and professional partner, Hildy Parks, a writer, producer, and actress. The two are perhaps best known for producing the Tony Awards telecasts from 1967 to 1986 and for presenting the Night of 100 Stars telecasts The papers are especially rich in contracts and financial papers for Cohen's theatrical and television ventures, both produced and unproduced, most especially from the 1950s through his final production, Waiting in the Wings by Noel Coward (1999). However, several of the scrapbooks and a number of photos document Cohen's earliest theater productions from the 1940s. Although his theatrical ventures in America form the bulk of the collection, London productions are also represented. Cohen's hands-on approach to producing is reflected in his correspondence with playwrights, actors, and investors, as well as in script and casting notes. His flair for marketing and promotion is evident throughout the papers, especially for productions such as Baker Street (1965) and Rupert Holmes's Accomplice (1990), and in numerous joint ventures with corporate sponsors, such as American Express and Mumm Champagne. Material relating to other projects, such as Cohen's management of the O'Keefe Centre in Toronto, and several other theaters, can also be found in the collection, as well as extensive files for unproduced theater projects maintained by Cohen. Notable among these files are research materials relating to P. T. Barnum, amassed by Cohen, which include an 1880 Barnum autograph.

Subject

• Cohen, Alexander H., 1920-2000
• Parks, Hildy, 1926-2004
• Barnum, P. T. (Phineas Taylor), 1810-1891 > Autographs
• Actors' Fund of America
• O'Keefe Centre (Toronto, Ont.)
• Television broadcasting > Awards > United States
• Television producers and directors > United States > 20th century
• Theater > Production and direction > England > London
• Theater > Production and direction > New York (State) > New York
• Musical theater > Production and direction
• Theatrical producers and directors > United States > 20th century
• Women in television broadcasting
• Theater > Ontario > Toronto
• Tony Awards

Genre/Form

• Appointment books.
• Clippings.
• Financial records.
• Posters.
• Press releases.
• Programs.
• Scores.
• Scrapbooks.
• Television scripts.
• Costume design drawings.

Access (note)

• Collection is open to the public, with the exception of Boxes 52 and 53, which require permission of the Curator to access. Library policy on photography and photocopying will apply. Advance notice may be required.

Biography (note)

• American theater and television producer Alexander H. Cohen (1920-2000), whose multifaceted producing career spanned several decades introduced many innovations in marketing and audience development techniques. Known early on as zBroadway's Millionaire Boy Angel,y Cohen began his involvement with the theater at an early age, running two summer theaters on Long Island and investing in such hit Broadway productions as Angel Street (1941). In the late 1940s, Cohen went to work for the Bulova Watch Company, where, as Director of Publicity and Advertising, he created the first licensed Academy Award merchandise. He also honed his producing skills under veteran Broadway producer Herman Levin, working on Gentlemen Prefer Blondes (1949) and My Three Angels (1954). In the mid-1950s, Cohen established his own public relations firm, Interscope, Incorporated. Having divorced his first wife, Jocelyn Newmark, Cohen married Hildy Parks, an actress, in 1956. Parks also would become his professional partner, both as producer and scriptwriter. In 1959 Cohen set up the London Company to develop productions for both Broadway and the West End, maintaining a London office for some ten years. Cohen presented several productions in London and throughout his career, many of Cohen's North American productions would have a decidedly British flavor. Cohen's theater productions numbered more than 100; among the most notable were the John Gielgud-directed Hamlet (1964), starring Richard Burton, and Harold Pinter's The Homecoming (1967), which won the 1967 Tony Award for Best Play. Cohen also produced a number of musicals, including Baker Street by Raymond Jessel and Marian Grudeff (1965), for which he employed a colorful and massive marketing campaign.
• It may have been television, however, that truly provided the opportunity, the budget, and the venue to give life to productions matching Cohen's sense of scale. In 1967, he conceived and originated the national Tony Awards telecast and both Cohen and Parks would produce the awards show until 1986 (with Parks also writing the scripts). The team also was responsible for the three Night of 100 Stars programs (1982, 1985, and 1990) to raise money for the Actors' Fund of America. The couple also produced the Emmy Awards broadcasts in 1978, 1985, and 1986, as well as numerous other television specials. In addition to his producing activities, Cohen supervised the building of the O'Keefe Centre in Toronto, which he managed for its first three years of operation. He also managed the Erlanger and Locust Street Theatres in Philadelphia, the Morris A. Mechanic Theatre in Baltimore, and the Rich Forum for the Stamford Center for the Arts at various points in his career. Cohen was the recipient of numerous awards, including the Tony Award, Emmy Award, and the Academy Award; he also was inducted into the Theater Hall of Fame.

Call Number

*T-Mss 1969-001

OCLC

NYPG06-A66

Author

Cohen, Alexander H., 1920-2000.

Title

Alexander H. Cohen papers, 1880-2003 (bulk 1938-2003)

Restricted Access

Collection is open to the public, with the exception of Boxes 52 and 53, which require permission of the Curator to access. Library policy on photography and photocopying will apply. Advance notice may be required.

Biography

American theater and television producer Alexander H. Cohen (1920-2000), whose multifaceted producing career spanned several decades introduced many innovations in marketing and audience development techniques. Known early on as zBroadway's Millionaire Boy Angel,y Cohen began his involvement with the theater at an early age, running two summer theaters on Long Island and investing in such hit Broadway productions as Angel Street (1941). In the late 1940s, Cohen went to work for the Bulova Watch Company, where, as Director of Publicity and Advertising, he created the first licensed Academy Award merchandise. He also honed his producing skills under veteran Broadway producer Herman Levin, working on Gentlemen Prefer Blondes (1949) and My Three Angels (1954). In the mid-1950s, Cohen established his own public relations firm, Interscope, Incorporated. Having divorced his first wife, Jocelyn Newmark, Cohen married Hildy Parks, an actress, in 1956. Parks also would become his professional partner, both as producer and scriptwriter. In 1959 Cohen set up the London Company to develop productions for both Broadway and the West End, maintaining a London office for some ten years. Cohen presented several productions in London and throughout his career, many of Cohen's North American productions would have a decidedly British flavor. Cohen's theater productions numbered more than 100; among the most notable were the John Gielgud-directed Hamlet (1964), starring Richard Burton, and Harold Pinter's The Homecoming (1967), which won the 1967 Tony Award for Best Play. Cohen also produced a number of musicals, including Baker Street by Raymond Jessel and Marian Grudeff (1965), for which he employed a colorful and massive marketing campaign.

It may have been television, however, that truly provided the opportunity, the budget, and the venue to give life to productions matching Cohen's sense of scale. In 1967, he conceived and originated the national Tony Awards telecast and both Cohen and Parks would produce the awards show until 1986 (with Parks also writing the scripts). The team also was responsible for the three Night of 100 Stars programs (1982, 1985, and 1990) to raise money for the Actors' Fund of America. The couple also produced the Emmy Awards broadcasts in 1978, 1985, and 1986, as well as numerous other television specials. In addition to his producing activities, Cohen supervised the building of the O'Keefe Centre in Toronto, which he managed for its first three years of operation. He also managed the Erlanger and Locust Street Theatres in Philadelphia, the Morris A. Mechanic Theatre in Baltimore, and the Rich Forum for the Stamford Center for the Arts at various points in his career. Cohen was the recipient of numerous awards, including the Tony Award, Emmy Award, and the Academy Award; he also was inducted into the Theater Hall of Fame.

Connect to:

Request Access to Theatre Division Special Collections material

Finding Aid

Occupation

Television producers and directors.

Theatrical producers and directors.

Television writers.

Added Author

Barnum, P. T. (Phineas Taylor), 1810-1891.

Burton, Richard, 1925-1984.

Gielgud, John, 1904-2000.

Parks, Hildy, 1926-2004.

Grudeff, Marian. Baker Street.

Jessel, Raymond. Baker Street.

Holmes, Rupert. Accomplice.

American Express Company.

Actors' Fund of America.

Erlanger Theatre (Philadelphia, Pa.)

G.H. Mumm et Co.

Locust Street Theatre (Philadelphia, Pa.)

Morris A. Mechanic Theatre (Baltimore, Md.)

O'Keefe Centre (Toronto, Ont.)

Research Call Number

*T-Mss 1969-001