- Repository
-
ULS Archives & Special Collections
- Title
- G. Norman Reis Papers
- Collection Number
- CTC.1985.01
- Date [inclusive]
- 1909-1946
- Extent
-
3.5 linear feet
-
- Abstract
- The Papers of G. Norman Reis primarily include materials from the Cap and Gown Club, a male musical comedy group of the University of Pittsburgh. The collection includes: programs, scripts, music, news clippings, financial records, correspondence, films, photographs, scrapbooks, personal papers and phonograph records from the period of 1909-1946. Digital reproductions of the collection are available electronically.
Preferred Citation
G. Norman Reis Papers, 1909-1946, CTC.1985.01, Curtis Theatre Collection, Archives & Special Collections, University of Pittsburgh Library System
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Biography
G. Norman Reis was born on February 23, 1893 in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. He was a member of the class of 1916 at the University of Pittsburgh and served as a veteran contributor to the University's Cap and Gown Club - an all male organization devoted to the production of annual musical comedy shows. Beginning with the 1913 show,
Prince of Sham, Reis collaborated with men, such as Gus Schnabel and Louis Fushan, on the book of lyrics used in many of the club's productions. In addition, he served on many committees and held offices in the club from the time of his earliest association until his death in 1958. These productions always used original books, lyrics, and music contributed by students at the University or by alumni members of the Cap and Gown Club. Many important figures had their earliest training and experience with the Cap and Gown including Regis Toomey, motion picture and musical comedy star, Woodman Thompson, a scenic designer, and Gene Kelly, dancer, instructor and director.
Reis was employed as a bacteriologist at U.S. Steel. He was an avid photographer, and, for a brief period, served as the official photographer for the
Pitt Alumni Review as well as chairman and member of the editorial board. He died at the age of 65, three months after his retirement.
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Scope and Content Notes
The personal papers of G. Norman Reis pertain predominantly to the University of Pittsburgh's Cap and Gown Club, including souvenir and leaf programs, scripts, music, news clippings, financial records, correspondence, films, photographs, scrapbooks, and phonograph records. These categories are not complete in any of the cases. Besides individual music scores, music can also be found in some souvenir programs.
Items not associated with the Cap and Gown Club include Reis' script,
Harmony Island, the Pittsburgh Athletic Association's 1917 drama club presentation, and unidentified scripts. There are also materials on other all-male musical comedy groups such as Mask and Wig (University of Pennsylvania) and Triangle Club (Princeton University) programs and/or sheet music, University of Pittsburgh fight songs, including a victory song with words by Reis, miscellaneous music, as well as several issues of the
Pitt Alumni Review for which Reis served as chairman and member of the editorial board.
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Arrangement
Series I. Personal Memorabilia
Series II. Dramatic Productions Other than Cap and Gown
Series III. Sheet Music
Series IV. Cap and Gown Productions
Series V. Cap and Gown Productions: Oversized Materials
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Administrative Information
Publication Information
ULS Archives & Special Collections, 2004
University of Pittsburgh Library System
Archives & Special Collections
Website: library.pitt.edu/archives-special-collections
412-648-3232 (ASC) | 412-648-8190 (Hillman)
Contact Us: www.library.pitt.edu/ask-archivist
Revision Description
Converted from EAD Version 1.0 to EAD Version 2002 July 1, 2006
Access Restrictions
No restrictions.
Copyright
Permission for publication is given on behalf of the University of Pittsburgh as the owner of the physical items and is not intended to include or imply permission of the copyright holder, which must also be obtained.
Acquisition Information
Gift of Helen Whitlinger in 1985.
Processing Information
This collection was processed by Special Collections Staff and by William Daw and Ellen Whitham in summer 2004.
Revision and rearrangement for the encoded version of the finding aid provided by Charles Stanford in March 2006. Information about the collection title and the controlled access terms was extracted from the MARC record in the University of Pittsburgh catalog Voyager ID number: 1470176.
Existence and Location of Copies
Digital reproductions of the collection are available electronically.
Selected photographs were scanned and added to the University of Pittsburgh Historic Photographs collection.Digital reproductions of the collection are available electronically at [URL].
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Related Materials
Related Material
Cap and Gown Club Records, 1908-1978, CTC.1980.01, Curtis Theatre Collection, Archives & Special Collections Department, University of Pittsburgh Library System
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Controlled Access Headings
Corporate Name(s)
- Cap and Gown Club (Pittsburgh, Pa.).
- Pittsburgh Athletic Association.
- Princeton University. Triangle Club.
- University of Pennsylvania. Mask and Wig Club.
Genre(s)
Personal Name(s)
- Kelly, Gene, 1912-1996
- Reis, G. Norman, 1893-1958
- Thompson, Woodman
- Toomey, Regis, 1902-
Subject(s)
- Bacteriologists -- Pennsylvania -- Pittsburgh
- College and school drama, American -- Pennsylvania -- Pittsburgh
- College theater -- Pennsylvania -- Pittsburgh
- College theater -- United States
- Student activities -- Pennsylvania -- Pittsburgh
- Theater
- Theater -- United States
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Previous Citation
G. Norman Reis Papers, 1909-1946, CTC.1985.01, Curtis Theatre Collection, Special Collections Department, University of Pittsburgh
G. Norman Reis Papers, 1909-1946, CTC.17, Curtis Theatre Collection, Special Collections Department, University of Pittsburgh
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Collection Inventory
Series I. Personal Memorabilia
Scope and Contents note
There are three folders of Personal Memorabilia consisting of news clippings from 1941 through 1946, several copies of the
Alumni Review and
Pitt Panther.
|
|
| Box | Folder | | News Clippings | 1 | 1 |
|
|
| Folder | |
Alumni Review, 1941-44, 1946 | 2 |
|
|
| Folder | |
Pitt Panther, March 1930 | 3 |
|
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|
Series II. Dramatic Productions Other than Cap and Gown
Scope and Contents note
Series II contains items concerning dramatic productions other than the Cap and Gown Club.
|
|
| Folder | |
Harmony Island Script and Publicity | 4 |
|
|
| Folder | | Unidentified Scripts | 5 |
|
|
| Folder | | Mask and Wig (U. of Penna.) Program | 6 |
|
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|
Series III. Sheet Music
Scope and Contents note
This series contains miscellaneous music that was not used for Cap and Gown productions. The four folders of material include a booklet of
Songs of the University of Pittsburgh,
Pitt Victory Song with words by G. Norman Reis and Louis M. Fushan and music by Benjamin Levant, and music from the Mask and Wig (Folder 8) and Triangle Clubs at the University of Pittsburgh and Princeton (Folder 9).
|
|
| Folder | |
Songs of the University of Pittsburgh,
Pitt Victory Song | 7 |
|
|
| Folder | |
There's No Place like Your Arms from
All Around the Town | 8 |
|
|
| Folder | |
Happy the Day from
Take It Away,
Can it Be True? from
Fol-De-Rol. 1936; | 9 |
|
|
| Folder | | Miscellaneous Sheet Music | 10 |
|
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|
Series IV. Cap and Gown Productions
Scope and Contents note
This series includes materials related to the Cap and Gown Club listed chronologically by production. It contains souvenir and/or leaf programs, scripts, phonograph records, musical scores, news clippings, other miscellaneous promotional material, and 16-millimeter films. Each of the productions contains some or all of the materials previously mentioned. The 16-millimeter films are shelved independently from their corresponding productions at the end of the series. It also includes financial records and correspondence pertaining to the Club's productions. Items marked with an asterisk (*) have the music for the production in the program.
|
|
| Folder | |
When Pitt Was Young - Programs and Scripts | 11-12 |
|
|
| Folder | |
Little Suffragettes - Scripts | 13 |
|
|
| Folder | |
The Maxixe Girl - Programs and News Clippings | 14 |
|
|
| Box | Folder | |
Suite 16 - Programs and Musical Scores | 2 | 1-2 |
|
|
| Folder | |
The Diamond Girl - Musical Scores:
The Diamond Girl lyrics only. | 3 |
|
|
| Folder | |
Mary Grow Round* - Programs | 4 |
|
|
| Folder | |
Yip-Yip* - Programs and Scripts | 5-6 |
|
|
| Folder | |
Manhattan Preferred* - Programs | 7 |
|
|
| Folder | |
What's Up* - Programs and Scripts | 8-9 |
|
|
| Folder | |
The Silver Domino* - Programs, News Clippings, and Scripts | 10-11 |
("The Silver Domino* - Programs, News Clippings, and Scripts" online pending) |
|
| Folder | |
All to the Point* - Programs, News Clippings and Nixon Theatre Program with Advertisement | 12 |
("All to the Point* - Programs, News Clippings and Nixon Theatre Program with Advertisement" online pending) |
|
| Folder | |
Hello Again* - Programs | 13 |
|
|
| Folder | |
In the Soup* - Programs and Scripts | 14-15 |
|
|
| Box | Folder | |
Out for the Count* - Programs and Scripts | 3 | 1-2 |
|
|
| Folder | |
Trailor Ho!* - Programs and Scripts | 3-4 |
|
|
| Folder | |
Pickets, Please* - Programs and
Alumni Review | 5 |
|
|
| Folder | |
At Your Service - Programs, News Clippings,
Alumni Review, and Scripts | 6-7 |
|
|
| Folder | |
At Your Service - Musical Scores | 8-9 |
|
|
| Folder | |
At Your Service - Phonograph Record:
Nothing is too Perfect for You (side 1)
Diary of Dreams (side 2) - 2 copies | 10-11 |
|
|
| Box | Folder | |
Snap Your Fingers - Programs and Musical Scores | 4 | 1-2 |
|
|
| Folder | |
Head Over Heels* - Programs, Scripts, and Musical Scores | 3-5 |
|
|
| Folder | |
Kilroy Is Here - Programs and Scripts | 6-7 |
|
|
| Folder | |
Cap and Gown Music 1940 - Phonograph Record | 8 |
|
|
| Folder | | Financial Reports - Receipts and expenditures for 1931-1941 | 9 |
|
|
| Folder | | Correspondence: from Louis M. Fushan to G. Norman Reis | 10 |
|
|
| Folder | | Films --
All to the Point, (contains shots of Gene Kelly) and
Silver Domino, 1932-1933 | 11 |
|
|
| Folder | | Films --
Hello Again, 1934 | 12 |
|
|
| Folder | | Films --
In the Soup, 1935 | 13 |
|
|
| Folder | | Films --
Out for the Count, 1936 | 14 |
|
|
| Folder | | Films --
Trailer Ho!, 1937 | 15 |
|
|
| Folder | | Films -- Unidentified Cap and Gown Production | 16 |
|
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Series V. Cap and Gown Productions: Oversized Materials
Scope and Contents note
This series includes oversized materials related to the Cap and Gown Club listed chronologically by production. It contains musical scores, photographs, and scrapbooks. Each of the productions contains some or all of the materials previously mentioned.
|
|
| Box | Folder | |
Little Suffragettes Music:
You're the Girl For Me;
At the Movies | 1 | 1 |
|
|
| Folder | |
The Maxixe Girl Music:
The Lad in the Uniform | 2 |
|
|
| Folder | |
The Maxixe Girl Photographs | 3 |
|
|
| Folder | |
At Your Service Photographs | 4 |
|
|
| Folder | |
The Red Moon and
Miss Mannequin Scrapbook | 5 |
|
|
| Folder | |
Yip-Yip Scrapbook: compiled by Ted Savage | 6 |
|
|
| Folder | |
Manhattan Preferred Scrapbook: compiled by Ted Savage | 7 |
|
|
| Folder | |
Hello Again Scrapbook | 8 |
|
|
| Box | Folder | |
Pickets, Please! Photographs | 2 | 1 |
|
|
| Folder | |
Snap Your Fingers Photographs | 2 |
|
|
| Folder | | Miscellaneous Photographs | 3 |
|
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