AUSTIN, Texas—Materials related to the life and career of Woody Allen have been acquired by the Harry Ransom Humanities Research Center at The University of Texas at Austin.
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Studio still (signed by Woody Allen) of Allen on the set of “Crimes and Misdemeanors,” photo by Brian Hamill.
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Woody Allen collection, Harry Ransom Center.
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The collection was compiled by Andreas Brown of the Gotham Book Mart and Gallery in New York.
The collection includes screenplays, play scripts, cast and production information, lobby cards, posters, press books, press kits, souvenir programs, publicity stills, articles by and about Allen, short stories, photographs and Allen memorabilia. The materials span from 1937 to 2004, representing most of the life and career of the filmmaker.
“About 25 years ago, I came to the conclusion that Woody Allen was emerging as a very significant person in American film, theater and literature, and I began to collect anything pertaining to his work,” says Brown. Allen was an occasional customer in Gotham Book Mart and Gallery and signed many of Brown’s items.
Allen’s work as a writer, director and producer has spanned more than 40 years. Allen has been nominated for 21 Academy Awards, and some of his best-known movies include “Annie Hall” (1977), “Hannah and Her Sisters” (1986), “Bullets Over Broadway” (1994), “Mighty Aphrodite” (1995) and, most recently, “Match Point” (2005).
“Woody Allen is one of the most creative people in America,” said Steve Wilson, associate film curator at the Ransom Center. “He’s not just funny, he’s also incredibly insightful and sensitive to the hopes, fears and passions of the modern person. The record of his ability to turn that insight and sensitivity into works of art will be of tremendous interest to students and scholars for generations to come.”
Nearly all films and plays for which Allen was the director, screenwriter, actor and/or producer are represented in some measure. Screenplay drafts, some signed, are present for “Annie Hall,” “Antz” (1971), “Bananas” (1971), “Bullets over Broadway” (1994), “Crimes and Misdemeanors” (1989), “Deconstructing Harry” (1997), “Everything You Always Wanted to Know about Sex* *But Were Afraid to Ask” (1972), “The Filmmaker,” “The Front” (1976), “Hannah and Her Sisters,” “Hollywood Ending” (2002), “Interiors” (1978), “Love and Death” (1975), “Manhattan” (1979), “A Midsummer Night’s Sex Comedy” (1982), “Play It Again, Sam” (1972), “Radio Days” (1987), “Scenes from a Mall” (1991), “Sleeper” (1973), “Stanley,” “Stardust Memories” (1980) and “Take the Money and Run” (1969).
Among the materials are the agreements, contracts, riders and correspondence related to Allen’s first major film “What’s New Pussycat?” (1965), previously titled “Lot’s Wife.”
Play scripts are included for “Don’t Drink the Water” (1966), “The Floating Light Bulb” (1981), “Play It Again, Sam” (1972) and “Sex and Death: Two Plays” (1974).
Also included are articles by Allen for magazines and materials related to his short story “The Kugelmass Episode” and his humor collection “Without Feathers.”
The personal and career-related materials contain an eclectic mix of items connected to Allen’s life and work, from a vinyl mask of Allen’s head, accompanied by his signature black framed glasses, to vintage lobby boards from his standup comedy days of the 1960s. Also present are photographs from his childhood years to the present, many of which are signed.
A list of materials from the Woody Allen collection available to the public can be found online.
High-resolution images from the collection are available.
For more information contact: Alicia Dietrich, Harry Ransom Center, 512-232-3667.
