Garry Marshall (1934-2016) papers, 1930-2024
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No requestable containers
Scope and Contents
The Garry Marshall papers consists of the professional and personal papers of screenwriter, film director, producer, and actor Garry Marshall (1934-2016). The collection is arranged into 12 series, spans 88 boxes, and dates from 1931 to 2021.
Series 1. Biographical Materials, 1931-2018 and undated, contains personal artifacts and documents from Marshall’s educational years, resumes from different stages of his career, information on Marshall’s contributions to Northwestern University, and personal financial and medical records.
Series 2. Correspondence, 1951-2020 and undated, covers the span of Marshall’s life and contains two sub-series. Sub-series 2.1. Personal Correspondence, 1965-2017 and undated, contains personal letters from prominent actors, such as Julia Roberts and Tom Hanks, as well as letters from Marshall’s family. The sub-series consists largely of thank you notes, congratulatory letters, and other personal exchanges. Sub-series 2.2. Business Correspondence, 1951-2020 and undated, includes correspondence with entertainment industry professionals, such as Henry Winkler and Leonard Cohen. Also included are communications relating to several of Marshall’s films, the content of which is more business-focused, such as correspondence discussing business arrangements, contracts, and the substance or details of Marshall’s productions.
Series 3. Photographs, 1930-2015 and undated, includes personal photographs of Marshall and his family, as well as stills and cast and crew photos from several films. There are also casting photographs of actors under consideration for roles in Marshall’s productions, including for projects still in the planning stage immediately before Marshall’s death.
Series 4. Written Work by Garry Marshall and Various Authors, 1947-2016 and undated, is divided into three sub-series. Sub-series 4.1. Jokes/Sketches Written for Others, 1960-1970 and undated, contains original content Marshall created, or co-created with Jerry Belson, for specific comedians primarily during the 1960s. Sub-series 4.2. Miscellaneous Jokes/Sketches,1960-2005 and undated, includes material by Marshall and other authors that was not written for a specific comedian or performer. Sub-series 4.3. Miscellaneous Written Work, 1947-2016 and undated, contains other types of written work by Marshall or other authors, such as short stories written by Marshall for college classes.
Series 5. Scripts, 1959-2016 and undated, is organized into five sub-series. Sub-series 5.1. Radio Scripts, undated, contains written scripts for radio shows. Sub-series 5.2. Television Scripts, 1959-2016 and undated, holds scripts written by Marshall and other authors for various television series, including his early career writing for The Tonight Show Starring Jack Paar, as well as scripts from later television shows, Happy Days, Laverne & Shirley, Mork & Mindy, and The Odd Couple. Sub-series 5.3. Screenplay Scripts, 1970-2016 and undated, contains draft and final screenplays written by Marshall and other authors, including early script versions of Marshall’s most famous productions, such as Pretty Woman and The Princess Diaries, as well as notes and drafts from select screenplays. Sub-series 5.4. Play and Musical Scripts, 1965-2016 and undated, contains scripts for plays and musicals by Marshall and other authors, and includes script revisions for stage adaptations of Marshall’s films, such as Pretty Woman: The Musical, Happy Days: A New Musical, and Wrong Turn at Lungfish. Sub-series 5.5.The Roast Play and Screenplay Scripts, 1976-2005 and undated, contains the original play scripts for The Roast, co-written by Marshall and Jerry Belson, as well as screenplays for a proposed movie adaptation of The Roast that was never produced.
Series 6. Production and Press Documents, 1967-2018, is divided into three sub-series. Sub-series 6.1. Movie Production and Press Documents, 1967-2011 and undated, includes documents relating to Marshall’s many feature films, such as budgets, audience surveys, press kits, and more. Additionally, the original storyboards for his feature film, Pretty Woman, are included in this sub-series. Sub-series 6.2. Television Production and Press Documents, 1967-2015 and undated, holds production documents from several of Marshall’s television shows, including Happy Days, Laverne & Shirley, and The Odd Couple, including concept testing results, contracts, and show bibles (a document for screenwriters that outlines the characters, plots, settings, and themes of a television series). Sub-series 6.3. Play and Musical Production and Press Documents, 1975-2018 and undated, contains materials pertaining to Marshall’s plays and musicals, and includes playbills, budgets, press releases, and contracts from both the Happy Days and Pretty Woman stage adaptations.
Series 7. Scrapbooks, 1934-2016, includes scrapbooks which document much of Marshall’s personal life and professional career. Marshall titled many of the scrapbooks Hollywood, and they include correspondence, photographs, newspaper clippings, or other artifacts from his professional and personal life during the covered year(s). Certain scrapbooks are dedicated to a specific film, such as Pretty Woman, The Princess Diaries, or Runaway Bride. Until about 1985, Marshall personally made all of his scrapbooks.
Series 8. Publicity, 1960-2019, includes articles, magazines, and newspaper clippings pertaining to Marshall’s personal life and his productions. This series is organized into six sub-series. Sub-series 8.1. Autobiographical Publicity, 1967-2017 and undated, contains numerous written interviews with Marshall detailing his personal life, an interview with his wife, Barbara Marshall, and several of his obituaries. Sub-series 8.2. Book Publicity, 1995, consists of a summary of Marshall’s book, Wake Me When It’s Funny. Sub-series 8.3. Comedy Career Publicity, 1960-2015 and undated, includes magazine articles featuring interviews of Marshall discussing his career and stature in the comedy industry, and also includes his interview for a Korean magazine about his role and experience in the Korean War. Sub-series 8.4. Movie Production Publicity, 1969-2019, contains articles and reviews of various Marshall films, such as Beaches, The Twilight of the Golds, and Princess Diaries. Notations on several movie reviews reflect Marshall’s interest in critical reactions to his productions and his efforts to track their degree of success. Movie Production Publicity also includes articles about actors that Marshall worked with, such as Bette Midler and Julia Roberts. Sub-series 8.5. Play/Musical Production Publicity, 1980-2019, holds reviews, articles, advertisements, and other publicity material relating to Marshall’s plays and musicals, such as The Grand Duchess, Happy Days: A New Musical, and Pretty Woman: The Musical, and includes publicity regarding the Garry Marshall Theatre, formally known as the Falcon Theatre. Sub-series 8.6. TV Production Publicity, 2000-2012, contains publicity material regarding Marshall’s television productions, such as Happy Days and The Odd Couple.
Series 9. Books, 1960-2020 and undated, holds various books that Marshall owned, including educational tools for his career, such as The Art of Dramatic Writing by Lajos Egri, Get a Reel Job by Philip Nemy, and Make ‘Em Laugh by Laurence Maslon and Michael Kantor, as well copies of his biographies.
Series 10. Artifacts, 1950-2019, includes several prominent three-dimensional items owned by Marshall and is organized into three sub-series. Sub-series 10.1. Awards, 1950-2019, contains both industry and personal awards given to Marshall, including awards for his productions, for his impact on the entertainment industry (including his American Cinema Editors Inc. Eddie Award), and his awards for baseball team championships. Sub-series 10.2. Clothing, 1956-2013 and undated, holds notable items of Marshall’s clothing, including his director’s bathrobe for Wrong Turn at Lungfish (Marshall had a bathrobe made for each of his productions and would wear it on set). Sub-series 10.3. General, 1952-2018 and undated, holds a wide range of items from Marshall’s personal and professional life, such as an Alpha Tau Omega fraternity paddle from Northwestern University, Marshall’s baseball glove, and a statue of Marshall and Hector Elizondo. Professional items within General include a Mork & Mindy card game, a Happy Days lunch box, Marshall’s directors chair, and a Princess Diaries II clapperboard.
Series 11. Oversized Materials, 1976-2018 and undated, contains awards, books, posters, magazines, and other materials that do not fit into a traditionally sized filing box. The folders in this series titled, “Large movie posters” are stored in a file drawer separate from the traditional box storage.
Series 12. Miscellaneous Files, 1955-2021 and undated, includes material from Marshall’s personal and professional life not otherwise clearly falling into the specific categories above. Personal items include Marshall’s address book, financial documents, and personal recommendations written by Marshall. Professional items include casting notes, call sheets, press documents, and story outlines unrelated to any of his feature films that are organized in Production and Press Documents.
Dates
- 1930-2024
Creator
- Marshall, Garry (Person)
Conditions Governing Access
Collection is open for research.
This collection is stored off-site and requires two business days’ advance notice for retrieval. Please contact the McCormick Library at specialcollections@northwestern.edu or 847-491-3635 for more information or to schedule an appointment to view the collection.
Biographical / Historical
Garry Kent Marshall was an American screenwriter, film director, producer, and actor. Born in the Bronx, New York, on November 13, 1924, he was the oldest of three children. His father, Anthony Marshall (formerly Masciarelli), was an industrial film maker, and his mother, Marjorie Irene (formerly Ward), a tap dancing instructor. He had two sisters, Penny Marshall and Ronny Marshall Hallin. Marshall attended De Witt Clinton High School in the Bronx and went on to attend Northwestern University.
At Northwestern, Marshall wrote about sports for The Daily Northwestern, performed in the Waa-Mu show and was a member of the Alpha Tau Omega fraternity. He demonstrated a talent for playing the drums and telling jokes. He graduated from Northwestern in 1956 with a bachelor’s degree from Medill School of Journalism. He then served two years in the U.S. Army, stationed in Korea, writing for Seoul News and Stars and Stripes and serving as production chief for the Armed Forces Radio Network.
Following his military service, Marshall worked briefly for the New York Daily News while also moonlighting as a stand-up comic and writing jokes for comedians such as Joey Bishop and Phil Foster. In 1960, he was hired by Jack Paar to write jokes for The Tonight Show. He partnered with writer Fred Freeman (whom he met while at Northwestern), and, in 1961, he and Freeman moved to Hollywood to write for the newly launched The Joey Bishop Show. Freeman, however, decided to move back to New York. Marshall stayed in California and partnered with writer Jerry Belson. Throughout the 1960s, the pair wrote scripts for several notable television comedy favorites, including The Dick Van Dyke Show, The Danny Thomas Show, and The Lucy Show.
On March 9, 1963, Marshall married Barbara Sue Wells. Together they had three children, Scott, Lori, and Kathleen.
In the mid 1960s, Marshall and Belson moved beyond script writing into writing and producing original television content. In 1966, they created Hey, Landlord. In 1970, the pair adapted Neil Simon’s play, The Odd Couple, into a successful, multi-season television show starring Tony Randall and Jack Klugman.
After the triumph of The Odd Couple, Marshall began to create shows on his own and with partners other than Belson. The 1970s were a period of remarkable success for Marshall, including the launch of his most well-known situation comedy series, Happy Days (1974-1984). Roughly based on Marshall’s boyhood experiences growing up in the Bronx, Happy Days was an immediate success and generated several successful spinoff productions, including Laverne & Shirley (1976-1983), and Mork & Mindy (1978-1982). These shows were notable both for their popularity, as well as serving as career launchpads for notable actors, such as Robin Williams and Henry “Fonzie” Winkler.
During the 1980s, Marshall focused on directing, producing, and writing full length feature films. His directorial debut was Young Doctors in Love (1982), a comedy that parodied hospital soap operas. He went on to direct a number of well received comedy films in the 1980s. These included The Flamingo Kid (1984), starring Matthew Dillon in a lighthearted coming of age comedy, Nothing in Common (1986), starring Tom Hanks, Jackie Gleason and Eva Marie Saint, and Overboard (1987), starring Goldie Hawn and Kurt Russell. In a departure from his usual comedic focus, Marshall directed Beaches (1988), a terminal illness drama starring Bette Midler and Barbara Hershey.
In 1990, Marshall directed the blockbuster film Pretty Woman, starring Julia Roberts and Richard Gere. The film was immensely popular, becoming the fourth highest-grossing film of 1990 in the United States and Canada, and the third highest-grossing movie worldwide according to BoxOffice Mojo. Respected film critic Roger Ebert heralded Pretty Woman as a refreshing take on romantic comedy. The film is commonly credited with making Roberts a major Hollywood star. Roberts received a Best Actress Oscar nomination and won a Golden Globe in the Best Actress category for her role as Vivian Ward in Pretty Woman. Marshall continued to direct throughout the 1990s, with films such as Frankie & Johnny (1991), starring Al Pacino and Michelle Pfeiffer, and Exit to Eden (1994), starring Dana Delany, Dan Aykroyd and Rosie O’Donnell. Marshall then reunited his stars from Pretty Woman, Gere and Roberts, in another romantic comedy, Runaway Bride (1999). In 2001, Marshall directed the family comedy, The Princess Diaries, starring Julie Andrews and Anne Hathaway. Like Pretty Woman did with Julia Roberts, The Princess Diaries is viewed as introducing the relatively unknown actress, Anne Hathaway, who subsequently went on to much Hollywood success. Marshall later directed a sequel to The Princess Diaries, The Princess Diaries 2: Royal Engagement (2004), as well as the comedic drama Raising Helen (2004), starring Kate Hudson. Marshall’s later films include Georgia Rule (2007), Valentine’s Day (2010), New Year’s Eve (2011), and Mother’s Day (2016).
In addition to his work behind the camera, Marshall worked in front of the camera, excelling in comedic minor character roles, guest voice appearances, and often uncredited cameo appearances in over eighty different film, television and animated productions, including many of his own films. He appeared in twenty-five episodes of the TV sitcom Murphy Brown between 1994 and 1997. He did guest voice appearances in two episodes of season 11 of The Simpsons (episodes 7 and 22). He had a comedic role as an indifferent casino operator in Albert Brooks’s Lost In America (1985), and he appeared in his sister Penny Marshall’s hit movie, A League of Their Own (1992). Both he and Penny had cameo roles as a married couple in Hocus Pocus (1993) where Marshall appeared costumed for Halloween as the Devil. Reflecting his own affinity for playing the drums, he appeared in the role of a drummer on multiple occasions, including in two episodes of Happy Days, and in Overboard (1987) and The Princess Diaries 2: Royal Engagement (2004) films.
Marshall made it a point to cast family and friends into his productions, and to insert objects that reflected his favorite pastimes and life experiences into his sets. His sister, Penny Marshall, had a recurring role in The Odd Couple and starred in Laverne & Shirley as Laverne DeFazio. Marshall’s sister Ronny was the casting director for Mork & Mindy, credited with bringing Robin Williams to that classic role. Marshall insisted that his good friend Hector Elizondo have a role in every film he directed. His strong sense of loyalty to his alma mater, Northwestern University, showed up in many of his shows and films, where a minor character would be donning a Northwestern tee shirt or sweatshirt in the background, or, as in Happy Days, where a Northwestern pennant was always featured on the set.
Throughout his career, Marshall maintained an interest in live theater. From 1976 to 2005, he wrote for his play, The Roast, with partner Jerry Belson. The Roast ran at the Winter Garden Theater in New York City in 1980. Marshall co-wrote Wrong Turn at Lungfish with Lowell Ganz, and he directed productions of the play in Chicago (Steppenwolf Theatre, 1990) and New York (Promenade Theatre, 1993). In 2005, Marshall made his comedic opera directing debut with his adaption of The Grand Duchess at the Los Angeles Opera. In 2007, he directed his adaption of Donizetti’s 1832 Elixir of Love at the San Antonio Opera.Reflecting his commitment to the preservation of live theater, Marshall founded the Falcon Theatre in Burbank, California, which opened in 1997. Named after his neighborhood “Falcon gang” group of friends while growing up in the Bronx, he sought to feature and promote emerging talent and live productions. After Marshall’s death in 2016, the Marshall family elected to keep the theatre open and, to honor his legacy, renamed it the Garry Marshall Theatre.
Marshall co-wrote two memoirs. His first, Wake Me When It’s Funny (1995), recounted Marshall’s debut in Hollywood and his observations on getting a start in show business. The second, My Happy Days in Hollywood (2012), was a more traditional memoir in which Marshall reflected on his life and career, from his stick-ball playing days in the Bronx, to working on set with actors such as Julia Roberts and Robin Williams (among many others). Marshall’s take away message, as relayed in My Happy Days in Hollywood, was that life and family held greater significance than success in show business.
During his life, Marshall remained very loyal to Northwestern University. He returned often to the school as a speaker and served as a life trustee and was a member of the Northwestern University Leadership Circle. He was instrumental in creating and supporting several campus spaces as well — including the Barbara and Garry Marshall Studio Wing in John J. Louis Hall, and the Marjorie Ward Marshall Dance Center (named for Marshall’s mother, a tap dance instructor). Marshall also made major contributions toward the Patrick G. and Shirley W. Ryan Center for the Musical Arts.
Marshall died in Burbank, California on July 16, 2016.
Extent
88 Boxes
2 folders (2 oversize folders)
Language of Materials
English
Abstract
The Garry Marshall papers consists of the professional and personal papers of screenwriter, film director, producer, and actor, Garry Marshall (1934-2016). Marshall is known best known for creating hit sitcoms such as Happy Days and Laverne & Shirley, as well as directing major films, including Pretty Woman, Runaway Bride, and The Princess Diaries. This collection contains Marshall’s correspondence, photographs, original writings, scripts, theater and movie ephemera, news clippings, books, awards, and production-related clothing.
Arrangement
Series 1. Biographical Materials, 1931-2018 and undated, is arranged chronologically.
Series 2. Correspondence, 1951-2020 and undated, contains two sub-series. Sub-series 2.1. Personal Correspondence, 1965-2017 and undated, is arranged alphabetically by surname of correspondent. After individuals, correspondence are arranged topically, then chronologically. Sub-series 2.2. Business Correspondence, 1951-2020 and undated, is first arranged alphabetically by surname of correspondent. After individuals, correspondence are arranged topically, then chronologically.
Series 3. Photographs, circa 1930s-2015 and undated, are arranged chronologically.
Series 4. Written Work by Garry Marshall and Various Authors, 1947-2016 and undated, contains three sub-series. Sub-series 4.1. Jokes/Sketches Written for Others, 1960-1970 and undated, is arranged alphabetically by the name of who the material was written for. Sub-series 4.2. Miscellaneous Jokes/Sketches, 1960-2005 and undated, is arranged chronologically. Sub-series 4.3. Miscellaneous Written Work, 1947-2016 and undated, is arranged chronologically.
Series 5. Scripts, 1959-2016 and undated, contains five sub-series. Sub-series 5.1. Radio Scripts, undated, Sub-series 5.2. Television Scripts, 1959-2016 and undated, Sub-series 5.3. Screenplay Scripts, 1970-2016 and undated, Sub-series 5.4. Play and Musical Scripts, 1965-2016 and undated, and Sub-series 5.5. The Roast Play and Screenplay scripts, 1976-2005 and undated. Each sub-series is arranged alphabetically by title of script.
Series 6. Production and Press Documents, 1967-2018 and undated, contains four sub-series, Sub-series 6.1. Movie Production and Press Documents, 1970-2011 and undated, Sub-series 6.2. Television Production and Press Documents, 1967-2015 and undated, and Sub-series 6.3. Play and Musical Production and Press Documents, 1979-2018 and undated. Each sub-series is arranged alphabetically by title of production and the title of their contents.
Series 7. Scrapbooks, 1949-2016, is arranged chronologically and grouped by topic.
Series 8. Publicity, 1960-2019 and undated, contains six sub-series. Sub-series 8.1. Autobiographical Publicity, 1967-2017 and undated, Sub-series 8.2. Book Publicity, 1995, Sub-series 8.3. Comedy Career Publicity, 1960-2015 and undated, Sub-series 8.4. Movie Production Publicity, 1969-2016, Sub-series 8.5. Play/Musical Production Publicity, 1980-2019, and Sub-series 8.6. TV Production Publicity, 2000-2012. Each sub-series is arranged chronologically.
Series 9. Books, 1960-2020 and undated, are arranged alphabetically by the titles.
Series 10. Artifacts, 1950-2019, are separated into three sub-series. Sub-series 10.1. Awards, 1950-2019, Sub-series 10.2. Clothing, 1956-2013 and undated, and Sub-series 10.3. General, 1952-2018 and undated. Each sub-series is arranged chronologically.
Series 11. Oversized Materials is arranged chronologically.
Series 12. Miscellaneous Files are arranged chronologically.
Immediate Source of Acquisition
The Garry Marshall papers were recieved from Garry Marshall on March 10, 2015 (accession # 15-31) and from Barbara Marshall on November 11, 2022 (accession # 2022-131).
- Title
- Guide to the Garry Marshall (1934-2016) papers, 1930-2024
- Author
- Nina Hoek, Darby Martinez Stapleton
- Date
- 2023-2024
- Description rules
- Describing Archives: A Content Standard
- Language of description
- English
- Script of description
- Latin
Library Details
Part of the Northwestern University Archives Repository
Deering Library, Level 3
1970 Campus Dr.
Evanston IL 60208-2300 US
847-491-3635
specialcollections@northwestern.edu