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Goodman Ace PapersA Finding Aid to the Collection in the Library of CongressPrepared by Laura J. Kells2001
Biographical Note
Return to the Table of Contents Scope and Content NoteThe papers of Goodman Ace (1899-1982) span the years 1931-1972, with the bulk of the material dating from 1931 to 1967. They consist primarily of bound volumes containing approximately two thousand scripts for radio and television programs. Goodman Ace was a comic writer who wrote for radio in the 1930s and 1940s and for television in the 1950s and 1960s. Ace and his wife Jane starred in a long-running network radio program, “Easy Aces,” which Goodman Ace wrote, produced, and directed. He later wrote for radio and television programs featuring such performers as Tallulah Bankhead, Milton Berle, Perry Como, and Danny Kaye. At one point, Ace was the highest paid writer in television. The Goodman Ace Papers contain scripts for most of the programs for which he wrote. Some scripts contain hand-written annotations. The papers are organized in three series: Radio Scripts, Television Scripts, and Miscellany. The Radio Scripts series consists primarily of those for “Easy Aces.” The program, a situation comedy featuring Goodman and Jane Ace as a married couple, was noted for its verbal humor, including malapropisms spoken by Jane. The earliest scripts, from 1931 until early 1933, are for network shows produced in Chicago. Later shows were produced in New York. Episode dates are missing from most scripts from October 1931 through January 1936. This series also contains a volume of scripts from “The Danny Kaye Show.” The Television Scripts series focuses on Ace's work as head writer for television programs featuring Milton Berle and Perry Como. “The Milton Berle Show” was one of the most popular television programs in the early years of television. Scripts for this series, a mixture of comedy and variety featuring the man known as “Mr. Television,” cover the years 1952 to 1955 and are compiled in bound volumes. During this period the program changed sponsorship. It was first called “Texaco Star Theater” and later changed to the “Buick-Berle Show.” In late 1955, Goodman Ace became head writer for “The Perry Como Show,” a weekly musical variety series. In the 1960s, the program was renamed “Perry Como's Kraft Music Hall” and changed from a weekly series to television specials. Scripts from 1961 to 1963 are compiled in bound volumes. Scripts from 1964 to 1967 are unbound. The Miscellany includes three letters from Ace regarding a lecture he was to give in 1972. Return to the Table of Contents Selected Search TermsPeople
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Return to the Table of Contents Organization of the PapersThe collection is arranged in three series: Return to the Table of Contents Container ListRadio Scripts, 1931-1946Bound volumes. Arranged alphabetically by title of program and therein chronologically. “The Danny Kaye Show,” 1945, Sept. 28-1946, Mar. 8“Easy Aces”1931-1932Nos. 1-40 Available on microfilm. Shelf no. 20,020Nos. 41-75Nos. 76-1161932-1933Nos. 1-104 (2 vols.)1933-1934Nos. 1-72Nos. 73-1441934-1935Nos. 145-194Nos. 1-511935, nos. 52-1021936, Jan., nos. 103-1551936, Feb. 4-Apr. 30, nos. 156-1941936, May 5-Oct. 29, nos. 195-272 (2 vols.)1936, Nov. 1-1937, Apr. 29, nos. 273-350 (2 vols.)“Easy Aces”1937, May 4-Oct. 28, nos. 351-428 (2 vols.)1937, Nov. 2-1938, Apr. 28, nos. 429-506 (2 vols.)1938, May 3-Oct. 27, nos. 507-584 (2 vols.)1938, Nov. 1-1939, Apr. 27, nos. 585-662 (2 vols.)1939, May 2-Oct. 26, nos. 663-740 (2 vols.)1939, Oct. 31-1940, Apr. 25, nos. 741-818 (2 vols.)1940, Apr. 30-Oct. 24, nos. 819-896 (2 vols.)1940, Oct.29-1941, Apr. 24, nos. 897-974 (2 vols.)1941, Apr. 29-Oct. 23, nos. 975-1052 (2 vols.)1941, Oct. 28-1942, Apr. 23, nos. 1053-1130 (2 vols.)1942, Apr. 28-Oct. 22, nos. 1131-1208 (2 vols.)1942, Oct. 28-1943, Apr. 23, nos. 1209-1286 (2 vols.)1943, Apr. 28-Nov. 26, nos. 1287-1379 (2 vols.)1943, Dec. 8-1944, July 19, nos. 1-32 (2 vols.)1944, July 26-1945, Jan. 17, nos. 33-58 (2 vols.)Television Scripts, 1952-1967Bound volumes and a few unbound scripts. Arranged alphabetically by title of program and therein chronologically. “The Milton Berle Show”1952, Nov. 11-1953, Feb. 17, nos. 7-18 (2 vols.)1953, Mar. 3-June 9, nos. 19-30 (2 vols.)1953, Sept. 29-1954, Jan. 19, nos. 31-42 (2 vols.)1954, Feb. 2-May 25, nos. 43-55 (2 vols.)1954, Sept. 21-1955, Mar. 8, nos. 56-68 (2 vols.)“The Perry Como Show”1955, Sept. 17-Dec. 10, nos. 1-131955, Dec. 17-1956, Mar. 10, nos. 14-261956, Mar. 17-June 9, nos. 27-391956, Sept. 15-Dec. 8, nos. 40-521956, Dec. 15-1957, Mar. 9, nos. 53-651957, Mar. 16-June 8, nos. 66-781957, Sept. 14-Dec. 7, nos. 79-901957, Dec. 14-1958, Mar. 8, nos. 91-1031958, Mar. 15-June 7, nos. 104-1161958, Sept. 13-Dec. 6, nos. 117-1291958, Dec. 13-1959, Mar. 7, nos. 130-1421959, Mar. 14-June 6, nos. 143-155, includes “Pontiac Presents Perry,” Mar. 24“Perry Como's Kraft Music Hall”1960, Oct. 5-Nov. 30, nos. 189-1961960, Dec. 7-1961, Feb. 1, nos. 195 [misnumbered]-2041961, Feb. 8-Mar. 29, nos. 205-2121961, Apr. 5-June 7, nos. 213-2211961, Oct. 4-Nov. 15, nos. 222-2281961, Nov. 22-1962, Jan. 10, nos. 229-234, includes “The Jimmy Durante Show,” Dec. 131962, Jan. 17-Mar. 7, nos. 235-239, includes “The Rex Allen Show,” Feb. 281962, Mar. 14-June 6, nos. 240-250, includes “The American Landscape,” Apr. 11 (2 vols.)1962, Oct. 3-1963, Jan. 9, nos. 251-264 (2 vols.)1963, Jan. 23-Apr. 24, nos. [265]-277 (2 vols.)1963, May 1-June 12, nos. 278-2831964, Oct. 29-1965, May 27, nos. 291-297 (7 folders)1965, Oct. 18-1967, May 22, nos. 298-311 (11 folders)Miscellany, 1965-1972Correspondence. Arranged chronologically. Correspondence, 1965, 1972Return to the Table of Contents |
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