Sonya Levien papers

The collection consists of screenplays, literary manuscripts, correspondence, photographs, awards and ephemera of Hollywood screenwriter Sonya Levien.

The papers consist of the following series:

Screenplays (Boxes 1-16), while not consisting of Sonya Levien's total output of seventy films, does cover the entire span of her career, from A Girl of the Circus (1925) to Jeanne Eagels (1956). The screenplays also include a draft written by William Faulkner, Drums Along the Mohawk, Sonya's Oscar award-winning screenplay Interrupted Melody written with William Ludwig, and a final draft of Joseph and His Brethren written by Clifford Odets. Another script, A Woman of My Own, was a collaboration between Sonya Levien and Zoë Akins. Besides screenplays the series includes a novella written by Sonya entitled The Man Who Lived Alone, as well as, four engagement books for the years 1916, 1917, 1921 and 1924. The materials are filed alphabetically except for the oversized screenplays which are stored in Box 16.

Correspondence and literary manuscripts (other than screenplays) (Boxes 17-30), are arranged alphabetically by author. They include some personal letters but are mainly business related. There are also business letters relating to the Metropolitan magazine and Carl Hovey as editor and correspondent. This series also includes original essays and articles written by Sonya Levien and others.

Photographs (Box 31), are arranged by subject and date. Included are photos of Sonya Levien, covering the years c.1900-pre1961. This series also includes a large photo collection of American and British Suffrage Activists.

Ephemera (Box 32) is arranged by folder number. It holds lists, clippings, concert programs, signed playbills, notes on the Suffrage movement and a guestbook.

Awards (Box 33). The awards are the Christopher Award for Quo Vadis (1952), The Screen Directors Guild of America Award (1958), and, the first ever presented, Screen Writers Guild, Laurel for Achievement (1953).

Awards Oversize (Box 34) are arranged alphabetically and by size. They include twelve "Box Office Blue Ribbon Awards" covering the years 1933 to 1956 for various films; the Interracial Unity Award for Cass Timberlane (1948); the Photoplay Magazine Award for Top Ten Box Office for The Green Years (1946); the mounted certificate of Nomination from the Academy of Motion Pictures Arts & Sciences for Interrupted Melody (1955); from Books & Authors for The Great Caruso (1951), and various awards from the Screen Writers of America (1951-1962).

Ephemera & Photograph Oversize (Box 35) are arranged alphabetically and by size. It includes one oversize photograph (HM 74388), copies of the suffrage activist paper The Woman's Dreadnought, clippings about Sonya Levien's life and work, and various articles written by Sonya Levien or by Carl Hovey. 13.

Artifacts (Box 36, not boxed) include the Academy of Motion Picture Arts & Sciences Award (the "Oscar" statuette) for William Ludwig and Sonya Levien for writing the story and screenplay of Interrupted Melody (1955). Another artifact is a motion picture film of Sonya Levien and friends, ca. 1935-pre1961 (unedited master, edited copy and a VHS videotape copy).

This collection has several strong subject points for the purpose of research. In the screenplay series there are instances of 2-3 drafts of a screenplay, enabling a researcher to trace the creative process of writing a movie script. The collection is also strong in the area of women's suffrage, with such materials as letters, photos, essays, articles and the suffrage newspaper the Woman's Dreadnought. The collection also contains the correspondence of Harold Marsh Harwood and Fryniwyd Tennyson Jesse which recounts life in England and surviving the Blitz during World War II.

The collection does have some areas of weakness. There is a definite lack of Sonya Levien's personal correspondence as there is little mention of Sonya's children or her husband, Carl Hovey. There is also a lack of material dealing with Sonya's early life or her work as a lawyer. The collection does have several photos of Sonya as a child and photos of her Law School class but no manuscript material.