Edmond Samuels papers, 1919-1964

MLMSS 9116/Box 1
MLMSS 9116/Box 2X
GR 330

fonds

1919-1964

Textual Records, Graphic Materials, Moving Images, Clippings, Ephemera, Manuscript Notated Music, Notated Music, Photographs, Posters, Musical Sound Recordings

455737

0.64 metres of textual material, photographs and sound recording (1 box, 1 outsize box)
2 posters
8 film reels

Edmond Samuels (1895-1973), pharmacist, composer and author was born in Walcha, New South Wales. He received his secondary education at Fort Street High School and later graduated from the University of Sydney. From the early 1920s he ran a pharmacy and headache bar in Castlereagh Street, Sydney. Samuels' Famous Cough Linctus and theatrical Melody Cold Cream were used by many theatre professionals, and his headache bar enjoyed an international reputation. Samuels composed many popular songs and a number of musicals, including At the Silver Swan (the first musical with an Australian setting to be produced in London, at the Palace Theatre, in 1936), and The Highwayman, which opened at the Kings Theatre, Melbourne in 1951 and subsequently toured to other States. Samuels was the author of a number of books, including an illustrated diary of Australian Internment camps (1919), Queer crossroads (1931) described in the press reviews as 'a symposium of prose and verse', the novel Why not tell? (1934) and a book of reminiscences If the cap fits.

References:
Compiled from the collection

Includes correspondence, legal documents, literary manuscripts, music manuscripts and printed music, scrapbooks, printed material, newscuttings, posters, photographs and audio visual material.

BOX 1
Correspondence mainly relating to Samuels’ plays and published books, 1927-1950. Correspondents include the Commonwealth Copyright Office, Garnet Carroll and Norman Lindsay
Legal documents including a contract between Samuels and Francis Thring, 1933-1950
Literary manuscripts including a scrapbook of illustrated poetry and song lyrics composed by Linda Knees, typescript and photocopied copies of ‘The highwayman’ script and drafts of a book entitled ‘The ghost still walks on Friday’, no date
Black & white photographs including the interior of Samuels’ pharmacy, stage settings and stills from ‘The highwayman’ and a signed photograph of Bob Dyer, no date
Newscuttings relating to ‘The highwayman’, 1950-1964
Scrapbook of newscuttings, programmes and correspondence mainly relating to ‘At the Silver Swan’, 1935-1945
Printed material including ‘An illustrated diary of Australian internment camps / by an Australian officer of the guard, Edmond Samuels’, 1919; ‘At the Silver Swan’, 1936; ‘First nights’, first issue of periodical, no date

BOX 2X
Engagement book containing newscuttings, 1925-1927
Scrapbook relating to ‘The highwayman’ including newscuttings, photographs, poster, programmes, set designs, 1950-1961
Copy of US war correspondent’s article which refers to Samuels’ Headache Bar, 1944
Folder of manuscript and printed sheet music including song lyrics composed by Samuels, no date
Manuscript piano scores for ‘The highwayman’ (2 volumes), no date
Gramophone record of Lionel Long performing ‘My country’ (Call No.: GR 330)

POSTERS
2 posters: At the Silver Swan, performed at King’s Theatre Glasgow, 1936; The highwayman, performed at His Majesty’s Theatre Perth, 1957 (Call No.: POSTERS 2478/1-2)

MOTION PICTURES
1 x 35 mm reel of Edmond Samuel's pharmacy in Sydney CBD and other shots (VT 2863)
1 x 16 mm reels of ‘Lola and the Highwayman' (VT 2864)
6 x 16 mm reels of ‘Song of the Snowy' and This is my home’ (VT 2864-VT 2867, VT 4169-VT 4171)
The motion pictures are housed separately from the records at MLMSS 9116. For enquiries about this material please contact the Manuscripts Section

Copyright status:: In copyright - This collection has multiple rights holders
Please acknowledge:: Mitchell Library, State Library of New South Wales

Information upgraded as part of the Manuscripts Unprocessed eRecords Project 2013-2014