A feature in the most recent issue of Wired magazine proclaims that we are in the "platinum age of television", a progression over the past decade or so in the rise of quality television programming across all mediums (broadcast tv, cable tv, and online) and the availability to access those shows whenever and wherever we choose (DVDs, DVR, downloads, and on-demand streaming). Shows like Breaking Bad, The Wire, Arrested Development, Justified, 30 Rock, Louis, and Game of Thrones are just a handful of television shows that could all be included in this echelon, and perhaps none more so than one of the best of the dramatic bunch, Mad Men.

Mad Men, a period drama set around the advertising world on Madison Avenue in NYC in the 1960's, premiered on AMC in 2007. It quickly garnered critical acclaim, being a window into the social, cultural, political and economic changes that happened in the 60's, as well as for its visual style, costume design, acting, writing, and directing. The show has won many awards, including fifteen Emmys and four Golden Globes. Just this year, TV Guide ranked it #6 in its list of "The 60 Greatest Dramas of All Time". The show includes an ensemble cast, but revolves around its main protagonist, secretive and deeply flawed self-made man Don Draper (played by Jon Hamm).

While there's plenty of fun associated with the nostalgia of the 60s on the show (see this Mad Men cocktail guide, give yourself a Mad Men makeover, or check out some swingin' tunes from the series), the show does not just sell its story though rose-colored glasses; there are also definitely some dark underlying currents of sexism, racism, domestic violence and secrets galore. At times you are rooting for Don to come out on top, and others times hating yourself for doing so because of the awful things he does and way he treats others and destroys himself. It's that duality of dramatic highs and lows that lures the viewer in--you want to see what these people will do next and what will happen in their lives. Whether the outcome is good or bad for the characters, it is compeling storytelling at its finest.

Season 6 of the series starts this Sunday on AMC with a two-hour premeire.
If you've never seen the series, need to catch up or just refresh your memory on what has happened over the previous 5 seasons, you can go "mad" borrowing all the episodes from us here at Free Library before the new season starts.

Season 1

Season 2

Season 3

Season 4

Season 5

Tags: television

In a previous post, I wrote about researching the personal and professional life of Philadelphia writer, actor, and comedian, Ed Wynn (1886-1966). A versatile and adaptable performer with vaudeville beginnings, Wynn wrote and starred in Broadway shows, radio programs, and a television variety show. He went on to appear in feature films, including several Walt Disney productions, and later took on dramatic roles, a difficult transition for the giggling jokester who adapted the moniker, “The Perfect Fool.”

Now that I was familiar with Wynn’s biography, I was eager to examine the collection. The acquisitions history of the Ed Wynn Papers was difficult to determine. The Theatre Collection (THC) catalog held one undated card, listing a few of the items found in the boxes. After sifting through hundreds of yellowed newspaper clippings, I discovered an article from the May 2, 1965 issue of the Philadelphia Evening Bulletin in which reporter James Smart writes about a local event honoring a 78-year-old Ed Wynn. He refers to “two big boxes” of Wynn memorabilia that a local public relations professional, “Scoop” Lieberman, had purchased from Minnie Leopold’s estate. Many of the items listed mirrored the contents of the FLP’s collection; this was a triumphant day for me and for Karin. A week later, she uncovered a copy of a letter from Edward “Scoop” Lieberman, probably from 1968, to the then head of the FLP Literature Department, offering to show him the “Ed Wynn Memories.” Therefore, we were able to solve the mystery of the acquisition and confirm that these materials were from the estate of Wynn’s mother.  This link also suggests that the prayer book, from a synagogue in Atlantic City, belonged to Minnie after she moved from Philadelphia to New Jersey. (Coincidentally, a quick online search of the rabbi’s name printed on the title page was the same who performed the midnight funeral of the subject of another THC collection, Philadelphia filmmaker Siegmund Lubin, in 1923.)

These revelations were exciting, but we are still unsure of the function of the heavy, weighted gloves. The catalog card cited them as “stage props,” but with Wynn’s extensive gag repertoire, it is difficult to determine for which stunt(s) they were used. I’ve posted a photo—if you have any idea, please let us know!

Recently, while walking on North Second Street between Callowhill and Spring Garden, I realized I was close to the site of the Leopolds’ home at the time of Wynn’s birth. I stopped and imagined a giggling Wynn, riding his invented “piano bicycle” while donning his “Fire Chief” hat and wearing his trademark oversized shoes. Although he has been awarded three stars on the Hollywood Walk of Fame, one each for radio, television, and motion pictures, his name and accomplishments ought to be printed in gold letters on a navy blue square sign right here in Philadelphia. Perhaps one day the Pennsylvania Historical and Museum Commission will unveil a marker honoring “The Perfect Fool,” who left an indelible mark on the history of stage and screen.  For now, I am happy that researchers can view the new online finding aid and access the Ed Wynn Papers in the library of his hometown.

In addition to Karin Suni, I would like to thank Janine Pollock, Head of the Rare Book Department, and the Special Collections staff for supporting this project

--Jennifer Schnabel

To schedule an appointment to view the Ed Wynn Papers, please contact Karin Suni at 215-686-5427 or SuniK@freelibrary.org.

Tags: Disney, comedians, film, radio, television, theatre, vaudeville

This past year, I had the privilege of processing and creating a finding aid for the papers of Ed Wynn (1886-1966), an actor, writer, and comedian from Philadelphia, as part of an internship requirement for Temple University’s graduate archives management program. I had not heard of the name Ed Wynn before I was assigned this project by Karin Suni, librarian and curator of the Free Library of Philadelphia’s Theatre Collection. Yet, after watching several YouTube clips of the comedian in film roles such Uncle Albert in Mary Poppins (floating in the air and shrieking, “I love to laugh!”) and the Mad Hatter in Alice in Wonderland (the character for which Wynn provided the vocals as well as the physical model for the cartoonists), I instantly recognized his wobbly voice, exaggerated lisp, and high-pitched giggle. It’s hard to forget.

Although I could have watched video clips of the wacky Wynn for days, I needed to learn more about his life before I could create a processing plan. The six boxes contained publicity photographs, newspaper clippings, postcards, letters, telegrams, notes, artwork, and other items such as a tiny Hebrew prayer book and a pair of worn suede, weighted gloves.  I consulted the FLP’s extensive Theatre Collection, the Internet Movie Database (IMDb), and the Internet Broadway Database (IBDb) for biographical information.  I discovered Wynn contributed far more to the history of Philadelphia and American theatre than just portraying whimsical characters in beloved Disney films.

Ed Wynn was born Isaiah Edwin Leopold on November 9, 1886, to Jewish immigrants, Joseph and Minnie Leopold. He attended Central High School before dropping out to pursue a vaudeville career in New England. He toured the country and eventually appeared on Broadway. Despite his rising success, he actively participated in the Actors’ Equity Strike in 1919 and was blacklisted by the prominent theater managers and producers in New York, including the powerful Schubert family. However, the resilient Wynn promptly wrote and staged his own Broadway productions, including  Ed Wynn’s Carnival (1920); The Perfect Fool (1921), the title of which gave him his subsequent nickname; The Grab Bag (1924); Manhattan Mary (1927); Simple Simon (1930; 1931);  and The Laugh Parade (1931).  

Wynn invented and embodied zany characters such as “The Fire Chief,” and his performances blended slapstick comedy, props, and puns to entertain his audiences. For instance, he constructed an eleven-foot pole (for people he wouldn’t touch with a ten-foot pole).

As technology changed and newer mediums for entertainers emerged, he bravely tried his acts on radio and television and accepted comedic as well as dramatic roles in feature films. From 1949 to 1950 he hosted the variety program, The Ed Wynn Show, on CBS. This was the first network television show broadcasted via kinescope from Hollywood to the East Coast, one week after each episode aired. Wynn died of cancer on June 19, 1966 in Beverly Hills, California; the epitaph on his tombstone simply reads, “Dear God, Thank you.” (For more on Wynn’s personal and professional life, including his television and film credits, please see the biographical note in the finding aid.)

--Jennifer Schnabel

Tags: Disney, comedians, film, radio, television, theatre, vaudeville