The University of Chicago Library > The Hanna Holborn Gray Special Collections Research Center > Finding Aids > Guide to the Robert Ardrey Papers 1928-1974
© 2008 University of Chicago Library
| Title: | Ardrey, Robert. Papers |
|---|---|
| Dates: | 1928-1974 |
| Size: | 10.5 linear feet (17 boxes) |
| Repository: |
Hanna Holborn Gray Special Collections Research Center |
| Abstract: | Robert Ardrey (1908-1980) Anthropologist and screenwriter. Contains personal and business correspondence; typescripts of papers Ardrey wrote as a student at the University of Chicago; manuscripts of plays, screenplays, novels, and short stories; writings and personal papers of his sons; the correspondence of Helen Johnson/Ardrey; newspaper clippings and reviews; and photographs. Correspondents include Thornton Wilder, Sinclair Lewis, and Clifford Odets |
Series IX contains records that are restricted until 2054. The remainder of the collection is open for research.
When quoting material from this collection, the preferred citation is: Robert Ardrey. Papers, [Box #, Folder #], Hanna Holborn Gray Special Collections Research Center, University of Chicago Library
Robert Ardrey was born in Chicago Illinois on the 16 October 1908, to Robert Leslie Ardrey and Marie Haswell. He attended the University of Chicago between 1927 and 1930, where he studied in the Natural and Social Science department, and graduated Phi Beta Kappa. Thornton Wilder became a mentor to Ardrey at the university, and encouraged him to pursue writing.
Robert Ardrey began his professional writing career as a playwright, writing such plays as Star-Spangled (1936), Casey Jones (1938), Thunder Rock (1939) and Jeb (1946). In 1940 he wrote his first screenplay, They Knew What They Wanted, and subsequently wrote a number of films including: The Green Years (1946); The Three Musketeers (1948); Madame Bovary (1949) and Four Horsemen of the Apocalypse (1962). In 1966 he was nominated for an Academy Award for his screenplay for Khartoum. He also wrote two novels: World’s Beginning (1944); and Brotherhood of Fear (1952).
From the beginning of the 1960s, Ardrey wrote a series of nonfiction books in the field of paleoanthropology in which he argued that aggression was a key feature of man’s evolution. His books, which were both popular and controversial, included: African Genesis (1961); The Territorial Imperative (1966); The Social Contract (1970); and The Hunting Hypothesis (1976).
Throughout his life, Ardrey received a number of awards including: the Sergel Drama Prize in 1935; a Guggenheim Fellowship in 1937; The Sidney Howard Memorial Prize in 1940; and a Wilkie Brothers grant for anthropology in 1963.
Robert Ardrey was married to Helen Johnson between 1938 and 1960, and they had two sons, Ross and Daniel. In 1960 he married the South African stage actress Berdine Grunewald, who later illustrated his books.
The Ardrey Papers contain personal and business correspondence; typescripts of papers Ardrey wrote as a student at the University of Chicago; manuscripts of plays, screenplays, novels, and short stories; writings and personal papers of his sons; the correspondence of Helen Johnson/Ardrey; newspaper clippings and reviews; and photographs. Correspondents include Thornton Wilder, Sinclair Lewis, and Clifford Odets. It contains material from the period 1928-1974.
The Ardrey papers have been organized into eight series: Series I, Correspondence; Series II, Typescripts of Work; Series III, Published Work; Series IV, Publicity and Reviews; Series V, Records Relating to Robert Ardrey’s Family; Series VI, Photographs; Series VII, Oversized and Audiovisual Material; Series VIII, Restricted Material.
Series I: Correspondence |
This series contains correspondence from the period 1928-1975. It has been divided into three subseries: Subseries 1, Correspondence from Robert Ardrey to Helen Johnson/Ardrey; Subseries 2, Personal Correspondence; and Subseries 3, Business Correspondence. Within each subseries the material has been arranged, when possible, in chronological order.
Subseries 1: Correspondence from Robert Ardrey to Helen Johnson/Ardrey |
| Box 1 Folder 1 | Undated and June, 1930. see also Oversized Series, Box 16. |
| Box 1 Folder 2 | July 1930 |
| Box 1 Folder 3 | August 1930, See also Oversized Series Box 16. |
| Box 1 Folder 4 | September 1930 |
| Box 1 Folder 5 | November 28, 1930-December 31, 1930 |
| Box 1 Folder 6 | January 1931 |
| Box 1 Folder 7 | February 1931 |
| Box 1 Folder 8 | March-April 1931. See also Oversized Series Box 16. |
| Box 1 Folder 9 | May-June, 1931 |
| Box 1 Folder 10 | July-August 1931 |
| Box 1 Folder 11 | September-October 1931 |
| Box 1 Folder 12 | November-December 1931 |
| Box 1 Folder 13 | January-February 1932 |
| Box 1 Folder 14 | March 1932 |
| Box 1 Folder 15 | April 1932 |
| Box 2 Folder 1 | May-June 1932. See also Oversized Series Box 16. |
| Box 2 Folder 2 | July-September 1932 |
| Box 2 Folder 3 | October-December 1932 |
| Box 2 Folder 4 | January-March 1933 |
| Box 2 Folder 5 | April-June 1933 |
| Box 2 Folder 6 | July-September 1933 |
| Box 2 Folder 7 | October-November 1933 |
| Box 2 Folder 8 | December 1933 |
| Box 2 Folder 9 | January 1934 |
| Box 2 Folder 10 | February 1934 |
| Box 2 Folder 11 | March-April 1934 |
| Box 2 Folder 12 | May-June 1934 |
| Box 2 Folder 13 | July 1934. See also Oversized Series Box 16 |
| Box 2 Folder 14 | August-September 1934 |
| Box 2 Folder 15 | October-November 1934 |
| Box 2 Folder 16 | December 1934 |
| Box 2 Folder 17 | January-February 1935 |
| Box 2 Folder 18 | March 1935 |
| Box 2 Folder 19 | April-June 1935 |
| Box 3 Folder 1 | July 1935 |
| Box 3 Folder 2 | August 1935 |
| Box 3 Folder 3 | September 1935 |
| Box 3 Folder 4 | October 1935 |
| Box 3 Folder 5 | November 1935 |
| Box 3 Folder 6 | December 1935 |
| Box 3 Folder 7 | January 1936 |
| Box 3 Folder 8 | February 1936 |
| Box 3 Folder 9 | March 1936 |
| Box 3 Folder 10 | April 1936 |
| Box 3 Folder 11 | May 1936 |
| Box 3 Folder 12 | June-July 1936 |
| Box 3 Folder 13 | August-September 1936 |
| Box 3 Folder 14 | October-November 1936 |
| Box 3 Folder 15 | December 1936 |
| Box 4 Folder 1 | January-February 1937 |
| Box 4 Folder 2 | March-April 1937 |
| Box 4 Folder 3 | May-June 1937 |
| Box 4 Folder 4 | July 1937 |
| Box 4 Folder 5 | August 1937 |
| Box 4 Folder 6 | September 1937 |
| Box 4 Folder 7 | October 1937 |
| Box 4 Folder 8 | November-December 1937 |
| Box 4 Folder 9 | January 1938. See also Oversized Series Box 16. |
| Box 4 Folder 10 | February 1938 |
| Box 4 Folder 11 | March 1938 |
| Box 4 Folder 12 | April 1938 |
| Box 4 Folder 13 | May 1938 |
| Box 4 Folder 14 | June 1938 |
| Box 5 Folder 1 | July - December 1938. |
| Box 5 Folder 2 | 1939-1941. |
| Box 5 Folder 3 | 1942. |
| Box 5 Folder 4 | 1944. |
| Box 5 Folder 5 | 1945. |
| Box 5 Folder 6 | 1947-1955 (includes first African trip). |
| Box 5 Folder 7 | 1956 (includes Argentina trip). |
| Box 5 Folder 8 | 1957 (Austria, Africa). |
| Box 5 Folder 9 | 1958. plus one photo of Robert in Hollywood. |
| Box 5 Folder 10 | 1958-1959. Includes some correspondence from Helen Johnson to Robert Ardrey. |
| Box 5 Folder 11 | 1974-1975 |
| Box 5 Folder 12 | Correspondence between Robert and Helen Ardrey and their lawyers, 1967-1972. |
Subseries 2: Personal Correspondence |
| Box 5 Folder 13 | Ardrey Correspondence with Isabel and Thornton Wilder, 1934-1969. See also Oversized Series, Box 16. |
| Box 5 Folder 14 | Family Correspondence, 1952-53. |
| Box 5 Folder 15 | Family Correspondence, 1954, 1956 |
| Box 5 Folder 16 | Family Correspondence, 1957. |
| Box 5 Folder 17 | Family Correspondence, 1958 - 1959. |
| Box 5 Folder 18 | Family Correspondence, 1960 |
| Box 5 Folder 19 | Family Correspondence, 1961 |
| Box 5 Folder 20 | Family Correspondence, 1962, 1966, 1967 |
| Box 5 Folder 21 | Undated Family Correspondence |
| Box 6 Folder 1 | General Correspondence, includes some photos and clippings, n.d. |
| Box 6 Folder 2 | General Correspondence, 1942-1972. |
| Box 6 Folder 3 | General Correspondence, 1930-1944. |
| Box 6 Folder 4 | General Correspondence, n.d. |
Subseries 3: Business Correspondence |
| Box 6 Folder 5 | 1930-1949 |
| Box 6 Folder 6 | 1943-1946 (World’s Beginning and "Thunder Rock") |
| Box 6 Folder 7 | 1948-1953 |
| Box 6 Folder 8 | 1954 |
| Box 6 Folder 9 | 1955-1956 |
| Box 6 Folder 10 | Notes, receipts and letters from Argentina Trip 1956. See also Oversized Series, Box 16. |
Series II: Typescripts of Work |
This series contains material from the period 1934 to 1944. It includes coursework from the University of Chicago, radio scripts, short stories, screenplays, plays and novels. It also includes some general notes, plot sketches and clippings.
| Box 6 Folder 11 | Work for 1934 course in Radio Script Writing.
|
| Box 6 Folder 12 | "Casey Jones", c.1936, 150p. |
| Box 6 Folder 13 | Play "How to Get Tough About It'' 1937, 155 p. |
| Box 6 Folder 14 | Play "Thunder Rock'' (also Tower of Light) 1939, 118 p. |
| Box 6 Folder 15 | Play "Sing Me No Lullaby'' 1941, 118 p. |
| Box 6 Folder 16 | Play "House on Fire'' (Star Spangled) n.d., 121 p. |
| Box 6 Folder 17 | Play "Strangerman's Bay'' n.d., 86 p. |
| Box 7 Folder 1 | Novel "Swans by Moonlight'' n.d. 300 p. |
| Box 7 Folder 2 | Short Works
|
| Box 7 Folder 3 | Untitled Manuscripts, n.d. |
| Box 7 Folder 4 | Student Themes, University of Chicago
|
| Box 7 Folder 5 | Student Themes, University of Chicago
|
| Box 7 Folder 6 | Short Stories
|
| Box 7 Folder 7 | Short Stories
|
| Box 7 Folder 8 | Short Stories
|
| Box 7 Folder 9 | Play "House on Fire" ("Star Spangled"), George Abbott version. |
| Box 7 Folder 10 | "House on Fire" ("Star Spangled"), second version. |
| Box 7 Folder 11 | Play "Death of an Indian" 1938, Act I, first version. |
| Box 7 Folder 12 | "Death of an Indian", Act I second version. |
| Box 8 Folder 1 | "Death of an Indian", Act II, second version. |
| Box 8 Folder 2 | "Death of an Indian, Act III, second version. |
| Box 8 Folder 3 | Play "Thunder Rock", 1939, Act I |
| Box 8 Folder 4 | "Thunder Rock", Act II |
| Box 8 Folder 5 | "Thunder Rock", Act III |
| Box 8 Folder 6 | Play [A Political Satire] |
| Box 8 Folder 7 | Play "Dutchman Station". |
| Box 8 Folder 8 | Plays and Excerpts
|
| Box 8 Folder 9 | Screenplay, "The First Coed" 1944 with Elick Moll. |
| Box 8 Folder 10 | Screenplay, "The Great Fog". |
| Box 8 Folder 11 | Musical Comedy, "The Umpire’s Daughter", 1943 with William Roos |
| Box 8 Folder 12 | The Umpires Daughter. |
| Box 8 Folder 13 | Novel, The Commonwealth (Worlds Beginning), 1943, pp.1-60. |
| Box 8 Folder 14 | The Commonwealth (Worlds Beginning), pp. 61-120 |
| Box 9 Folder 1 | The Commonwealth (Worlds Beginning), pp. 121-180 |
| Box 9 Folder 2 | The Commonwealth (Worlds Beginning), pp. 181-240 |
| Box 9 Folder 3 | The Commonwealth (Worlds Beginning), pp. 241-300 |
| Box 9 Folder 4 | The Commonwealth (Worlds Beginning), pp. 301-365 |
| Box 9 Folder 5 | The Commonwealth (Worlds Beginning), Revisions, pp. 7-165 |
| Box 9 Folder 6 | The Commonwealth (Worlds Beginning), Revisions, pp. 168-351 |
| Box 9 Folder 7 | Novel, The Castaways (Brotherhood of Fear), pp. 1-60 |
| Box 9 Folder 8 | The Castaways (Brotherhood of Fear), pp. 61-120 |
| Box 9 Folder 9 | The Castaways (Brotherhood of Fear), pp. 121-180 |
| Box 9 Folder 10 | The Castaways (Brotherhood of Fear), pp. 181-240 |
| Box 9 Folder 11 | The Castaways (Brotherhood of Fear), pp. 241-300 |
| Box 9 Folder 12 | The Castaways (Brotherhood of Fear), pp. 301-360 |
| Box 9 Folder 13 | The Castaways (Brotherhood of Fear), pp. 361-420 |
| Box 9 Folder 14 | The Castaways (Brotherhood of Fear), pp. 421-498 |
| Box 9 Folder 15 | Novel. Swans by Moonlight, pp. 1-60 |
| Box 10 Folder 1 | Swans by Moonlight, pp. 61-120 |
| Box 10 Folder 2 | Swans by Moonlight, pp. 121-180 |
| Box 10 Folder 3 | Swans by Moonlight, pp. 181-240 |
| Box 10 Folder 4 | Swans by Moonlight, pp. 241-300 |
| Box 10 Folder 5 | Screenplay, They Knew What They Wanted, May 15 1940, pp.1-29. |
| Box 10 Folder 6 | Screenplay, They Knew What They Wanted, May 15 1940, pp.30-59. |
| Box 10 Folder 7 | Screenplay, They Knew What They Wanted, May 15 1940, pp.60-89. |
| Box 10 Folder 8 | Screenplay, They Knew What They Wanted, May 15 1940, pp.90-119. |
| Box 10 Folder 9 | Screenplay, They Knew What They Wanted, May 15 1940, pp.120-145. |
| Box 10 Folder 10 | Fragments and general writings, 1943 and undated |
| Box 10 Folder 11 | Plot Sketches:
|
| Box 10 Folder 12 | General notes, 1937 and n.d. |
| Box 10 Folder 13 | General notes, 1966-1973. |
| Box 10 Folder 14 | General Notes and clippings, 1943-1968. |
| Box 10 Folder 15 | Clippings, 1968-1972. |
| Box 10 Folder 16 | Materials from DoAll company, 1959-1962, |
Series III: Published Work |
| Box 10 Folder 17 | Articles by Robert Ardrey, 1930-1972. See also Oversized Series, Box 16. |
Series IV: Publicity and Reviews |
This series includes publicity for and reviews of Ardrey’s work. It includes clippings of reviews, articles referring to Ardrey and his work, some photographs and some correspondence from the period 1936-1976. It is arranged according to subject matter.
| Box 10 Folder 18 | Star Spangled. |
| Box 10 Folder 19 | Casey Jones. |
| Box 10 Folder 20 | How to Get Tough About It. |
| Box 11 Folder 1 | Thunder Rock, American Perfomances. |
| Box 11 Folder 2 | Thunder Rock, British Performances. |
| Box 11 Folder 3 | Thunder Rock, Berlin Performances. |
| Box 11 Folder 4 | Thunder Rock, Czech Performances. |
| Box 11 Folder 5 | They Knew What They Wanted. |
| Box 11 Folder 6 | World’s Beginning, American and British Reviews. |
| Box 11 Folder 7 | Brotherhood of Fear, American Reviews. |
| Box 11 Folder 8 | Brotherhood of Fear, British Reviews. |
| Box 11 Folder 9 | Sing Me No Lullaby. |
| Box 11 Folder 10 | General Clippings |
| Box 11 Folder 11 | Reviews of Robert Ardrey, The Social Contract. |
| Box 11 Folder 12 | Reviews of Robert Ardrey, The Territorial Imperative |
| Box 11 Folder 13 | Reviews of The Hunting Hypothesis |
| Box 11 Folder 14 | Reviews of Robert Ardrey’s work, general. |
| Box 11 Folder 15 | Articles referencing Robert Ardrey. |
| Box 11 Folder 16 | in Oversized series Box 16, Publicity Book for Khartoum. |
| Box 12 Folder 1 | General Articles and clippings referring to Robert Ardrey. See also Oversized Series, Box 16. |
Series V: Records Relating to Robert Ardrey’s Family |
This series contains material relating to Robert Ardrey’s immediate family. It is divded into two subseries: Subseries 1: records relating to Helen Johnson/Ardrey; and Subseries 2: records relating to Ross and Daniel Ardrey. The first subseries consists primarily of Helen Johnson/Ardrey’s correspondence, from the period 1928-1978. The second subseries consists of correspondence, published and unpublished work by Ross and Daniel Ardrey, from the period 1953-1973.
Subseries 1: Records Relating to Helen Johnson/Ardrey |
| Box 12 Folder 2 | Correspondence between Helen Johnson and her parents, June 1928 |
| Box 12 Folder 3 | Correspondence between Helen Johnson and her parents, July 1928. |
| Box 12 Folder 4 | Correspondence between Helen Johnson and her parents, August 1928 |
| Box 12 Folder 5 | Correspondence between Helen Johnson and her parents, September-October 1928. Includes some travel mementos. |
| Box 12 Folder 6 | Helen Johnson, Correspondence, 1930-1938. |
| Box 12 Folder 7 | Helen Johnson Ardrey, Correspondence, 1957-1969. |
| Box 12 Folder 8 | Helen Johnson, Correspondence with Grace and Harold Yotter, and Joan Yotter Ardrey, 1966-1967. |
| Box 12 Folder 9 | Helen Johnson Ardrey Correspondence-re deposit of Papers at UCLA, 1964 |
| Box 12 Folder 10 | Helen Johnson Ardrey Correspondence-re works of art on loan, 1961-1970 |
| Box 12 Folder 11 | Helen Johnson Ardrey Correspondence, General, 1964-1970 and undated. |
| Box 12 Folder 12 | Helen Johnson Ardrey Correspondence with Isabel Wilder, 1960-1970. |
| Box 12 Folder 13 | Helen Johnson Ardrey Correspondence with Daniel Ardrey, 1964-1966. |
| Box 12 Folder 14 | Isabel Wilder to Helen Ardrey, 1972-1973. |
| Box 12 Folder 15 | Helen Johnson, Correspondence with Emmet Lavery, Elia Kazan and Ossie Davis, 1965-1968. |
| Box 12 Folder 16 | Helen Johnson, General Correspondence, 1964 and undated. |
| Box 12 Folder 17 | Helen Johnson Ardrey Correspondence with Daniel and Linda Ardrey and Ross and Kathleen Ardrey, 1974-1976. |
| Box 13 Folder 1 | Helen Johnson Ardrey, Correspondence with lawyers, 1974-1975. |
| Box 13 Folder 2 | Helen Johnson Ardrey, Correspondence with Esther Collins, 1975-1976. |
| Box 13 Folder 3 | Helen Johnson Correspondence with Isabel Wilder, 1971-1976. |
| Box 13 Folder 4 | Helen Johnson Ardrey correspondence with Isabel Wilder, Linda Ardrey, Esther Collins and Alexa Payan, 1970-1978. |
| Box 13 Folder 5 | Helen Johnson Ardrey, General Correspondence, 1958-1972, and undated. |
Subseries 2: Records Relating to Ross and Daniel Ardrey |
| Box 13 Folder 6 | Articles by Daniel Ardrey |
| Box 13 Folder 7 | Letters and school work by Ross and Dan Ardrey, 1953-1955 and undated. |
| Box 13 Folder 8 | Dan Ardrey, correspondence 1959. |
| Box 13 Folder 9 | Dan Ardrey, correspondence, 1960-1962. |
| Box 13 Folder 10 | Dan Ardrey, correspondence, 1963-1964. |
| Box 13 Folder 11 | Dan Ardrey, correspondence, 1965. |
| Box 13 Folder 12 | Dan Ardrey, correspondence, 1966-1967. |
| Box 13 Folder 13 | Dan Ardrey, clipping. |
| Box 13 Folder 14 | Dan Ardrey, correspondence, 1968-1972. |
| Box 13 Folder 15 | Dan Ardrey, correspondence, 1972-1974. |
| Box 13 Folder 16 | Ross Ardrey, correspondence, 1958-1959. |
| Box 13 Folder 17 | Ross Ardrey, correspondence, 1960-1961. |
| Box 13 Folder 18 | Ross Ardrey, correspondence, 1962-1965. |
| Box 13 Folder 19 | Ross Ardrey, correspondence, 1966-1968. |
| Box 13 Folder 20 | Ross Ardrey, correspondence, 1969-1973. |
| Box 13 Folder 21 | Daniel Ardrey, English 1b workbook, September 1959-April 1960. |
| Box 13 Folder 22 | Daniel Ardrey, I Am Around Me, collected poems, July-October 1967. |
| Box 14 Folder 1 | Daniel Ardrey, Before and After, typescript, 1970. |
| Box 14 Folder 2 | International School of Geneva, Ecolint 1924-1964, with prizewinning poetry by Dan Ardrey. |
| Box 14 Folder 3 | Dan Ardrey, ‘New Light on the Bushmen’, News/Check, Vol.4, no.22, May 6 1966. |
| Box 14 Folder 4 | Ross J. Ardrey, "Salary and Benefit Survey", Municipality of Metropolitan Seattle, Seattle, Washington, October 1973. |
Series VI: Photographs |
| Box 14 Folder 5 | Photos of Robert Ardrey. |
| Box 14 Folder 6 | Photos from the Hurricane. |
| Box 14 Folder 7 | General Photos. |
| Box 14 Folder 8 | General Photos. |
| Box 14 Folder 9 | Transparencies. |
Series VII: Oversized and Audiovisual Material |
| Box 15 | "The Stevenson Story", film, 16mm |
| Box 16 Folder 1 | Correspondence from Robert Ardrey to Helen Johnson. From Box 1, Folder 1. |
| Box 16 Folder 2 | Correspondence from Robert Ardrey to Helen Johnson. From Box 1, Folder 3. |
| Box 16 Folder 3 | Correspondence from Robert Ardrey to Helen Johnson. From Box 1, Folder 8. |
| Box 16 Folder 4 | Correspondence from Robert Ardrey to Helen Johnson. From Box 2, Folder 1. |
| Box 16 Folder 5 | Correspondence from Robert Ardrey to Helen Johnson. From Box 2, Folder 13 |
| Box 16 Folder 6 | Correspondence from Robert Ardrey to Helen Johnson. From Box 4, Folder 9. |
| Box 16 Folder 7 | Ardrey Correspondence with Isabel and Thornton Wilder. From Box 5, Folder 13. |
| Box 16 Folder 8 | Map of Buenos Aires. From Box 6, Folder 10. |
| Box 16 Folder 9 | Map of Venice. From Box 10, Folder 11. |
| Box 16 Folder 10 | Articles by Robert Ardrey. From Box 10, Folder 16. |
| Box 16 Folder 11 | Publicity Book for Khartoum. From Box 11. |
| Box 16 Folder 12 | Posters for 4th annual USA film festival. From Box 12, Folder 1. |
Series VIII: Financial Material |
| Box 17 Folder 1 | Brokerage Accounts |
| Box 17 Folder 2 | Account Book, 1938-1944 |
| Box 17 Folder 3 | Account Book, 1945-1947. |
| Box 17 Folder 4 | Royalty Statements. |
| Box 17 Folder 5 | Royalty Statements, 1947-1958. |
| Box 17 Folder 6 | Accounts, Returns, Tax Return. |
Series IX: Restricted Material |
| Box 17 Folder 7 | Children's medical records |
| Box 17 Folder 8-11 | Children's educational records |