Rauner Special Collections Finding Aids

BIOGRAPHICAL INFORMATION

INTRODUCTION

The Dartmouth College Library received the Papers of Alan Hewitt `34 as a gift of Hewitt's estate after his death in 1986. This large and diverse collection, consisting of books as well as personal papers, has enriched the Library's holdings in several areas. An actor for over 50 years, Alan Hewitt was also a theatre historian, a statistician for the Actor's Equity Association, a writer, a member of Actors' Equity Council, chairman of the Executive Committee of the Actors' Fund of America, and a member of the Friends of the Dartmouth Library.

Born in New York City on January 21, 1915, Alan Hewitt entered Dartmouth College in 1930 at the age of 15. A member of the Dartmouth Players, he appeared in 14 plays during his 4 years at the College. After his graduation in 1934, he immediately began his career, performing in summer stock at Cohasset, Massachusetts. The following year he made his Broadway debut with Alfred Lunt and Lynn Fontanne in The Taming of the Shrew. Hewitt appeared in several other Lunt-Fontanne productions, thereby cementing a lifelong friendship with the Lunts.

Hewitt joined Actors' Equity Association, the stage performer's union, in 1934, and was elected to its Council in 1940. Despite union politics, which at one time included accusations of Communism, Hewitt's devotion to Equity remained unshaken. He remained on its Council until 1951, served on several committees over the years and in 1948, he devised a system of analyzing employment figures for Equity members that remains useful today. The materials entitled Actors' Equity Association comprise one of the largest and most interesting parts of the collection.

The section of papers that is devoted to Hewitt's acting career is by far the largest body of materials within the collection. Programs, scripts, clippings, sides, reviews, correspondence, playbills, photographs and tapes document each production he performed in, from his 1934 appearances in summer stock to his last major role in Outrage! in 1983. Primarily a character, or supporting, actor, Alan Hewitt appeared in such stage hits as The Taming of the Shrew, the original production of Death of a Salesman, Call Me Madam, Ondine, and Inherit the Wind. His films include A Private's Affair (1959), That Touch of Mink (1962), Days of Wine and Roses (1962), How To Murder Your Wife (1964), Sweet Charity (1968) and The Barefoot Executive (1970). He performed in made-for-TV movies and such “specials” as The Pueblo Affair (ABC, 1974) and The Adams Chronicles (PBS, 1976), and had a continuing role on My Favorite Martian from 1964-1966. Other materials in this section relate to Hewitt's work in radio and voice-over commercials.

Alan Hewitt never married, but he had a large “family” of devoted friends, many of whom are revealed as voluminous letter writers, in the section entitled Special Correspondents. Such well-known personalities as John Houseman, Tony Randall, Carroll O'Connor, Howard Duff and Arthur Miller are represented, as are many who are less well-known. Nor were all Hewitt's friends actors; many were critics, playwrights, authors, historians, and other non-show business figures. Other friendships are documented in the sections on Actors and Others (notably Helen Hayes), and the Lunts, as well as in that on Dartmouth College, whose own Henry Williams was a friend of Hewitt's for over fifty years.

The Papers of Alan Hewitt occupy 22 boxes, or approximately 27.5 linear shelf feet. Materials consist of correspondence, clippings, articles, memoranda, books, photographs, playbills, programs, scripts and sides, reviews, cassettes and reel-to-reel tapes. No restrictions have been placed on the use of any of the materials in the collection; however, due to the fragility of certain materials such as clippings and scripts, photocopying will be done at the discretion of Special Collections staff.

Further information concerning Alan Hewitt may be found in Special Collections in the Dartmouth College Library.