Bernard "Barney" Sabath (1923-2014) Papers
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No requestable containers
Scope and Contents
The Bernard Sabath papers are arranged in seven boxes and span the period between 1940 and 2010, with the bulk of the collection dating from the 1970s through the 1990s. The collection is organized into four series: general materials and correspondence, photographs, Sabath’s play scripts, and examples of his other written formats.
Series 1. General materials and correspondence, 1940-2010 and undated, includes biographical items, a small run of general correspondence, letters to Sabath from prominent actors, and playbills and other documents associated with some of Sabath’s staged productions as well as with the work of other playwrights.
Series 2. Photographs, 1953-2010 and undated, includes portraits and other views of Sabath. Some of the portraits are inscribed by well-known performers, and publicity stills from productions of a few of Sabath’s plays, particularly The Boys in Autumn.
Series 3. Play Scripts, 1966-1997 and undated, includes greatest volume of the collection and consists of dozens of Sabath’s play scripts, some in multiple drafts.
Series 4. Other Writings, 1956 and undated, includes a few other formats of Sabath’s creative writing: a short story and a screenplay.
Dates
- 1940-2010
Creator
- Sabath, Bernard (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
Bernard "Barney" Sabath was born on January 9, 1923, the son of Aria Sabath (formerly Schabashkewicz) and Rose Fox Sabath. He grew up in Rock Island, Illinois, along the Mississippi River, and was an active and engaged student at Rock Island High School. Sabath attended college, taking a bachelor of arts degree, and also served in the United States Army Air Forces during World War II, stationed at St. Petersburg, Florida. He spent much of his life in Chicago, working in advertising and teaching professional fiction techniques in the Evening Divisions of Northwestern University. Sabath had success in publishing fiction and staging plays by the early 1960s. While his plays covered a number of themes, many took inspiration from the works of Mark Twain and from the lives of Twain (Samuel Clemens) and his family. Best known of Sabath’s plays is The Boys in Autumn, an imagined reunion, after a separation of fifty years, of Twain’s best known characters, Tom Sawyer and Huckleberry Finn. Sabath relocated to Sarasota, Florida, to concentrate on his work as a playwright. He died there on November 20, 2014.
Extent
7 Boxes
Language of Materials
English
Abstract
The papers of playwright Bernard "Barney" Sabath, also a longtime lecturer in professional fiction techniques in Northwestern University's Evening Divisions. The collection is organized into four series: general materials and correspondence, photographs, Sabath’s play scripts, and examples of his other written formats.
Arrangement
The collection is organized by item type.
Immediate Source of Acquisition
The Bernard "Barney" Sabath collection was donated to Northwestern University Archives by Scott Needham on March 29, 2024 (Accession 2024-28).
- Title
- Guide to the Bernard "Barney" Sabath Papers
- Author
- Kevin B. Leonard
- Date
- March 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