Summary Information
Frank J. Young Papers 1889-1968
- Young, Frank J., 1911-1968
U.S. Mss 78AN; PH 3629
3.0 c.f. (2 record center cartons, 1 archives box, 1 oversize box) and 113 photographs
Wisconsin Historical Society (Map)
Fragmentary personal and professional papers of Frank J. Young, a New York publicist and journalist. Includes correspondence, resumes and press releases, drafts of public relations projects, and newspaper clippings about his career, New York social life, and Naval service. Also includes materials gathered for a book about the theater's Shubert family. Professional papers include publicity records, plans, and press kits done while with General Public Relations, Inc., for The Ann Sothern Show, December Bride, and The Loretta Young Show, promotional material for The Rifleman, a scrapbook of his Screen Gems promotional campaign for Father Knows Best, press releases for NBC, 1951-1952, and station and public relations records for WPIX-TV, 1948-1951, and WNEW radio, 1959-1962. The photographs relate to Young's professional activities and his personal life. English
http://digital.library.wisc.edu/1711.dl/wiarchives.uw-whs-us0078an ↑ Bookmark this ↑
Biography/History
Frank Young was born Francis John Young, Jr., December 8, 1911 in Manhattan to Francis J. Young (1880-1913), a stockbroker and Irish immigrant, and Agnes Fox Young (born 1882), a native of Brooklyn. Raised in New York, Young attended Adelphi Academy and Manual Training High School and graduated from Washington and Lee University in 1934 with majors in journalism and English.
Young began his journalism career as a reporter for a Washington radio news service until he joined the United Press as a copy boy. In 1935 Young was transferred to UP's New York bureau, where he worked as a reporter, rewrite man, feature writer, and assistant night editor supervising the preparation and distribution of foreign and domestic news to clients. As a feature writer, Young specialized in theater, motion picture, and nightclub personalities. In 1940, he applied for a commission in the Naval Reserve, and in 1941 he was called to active duty in the Press Section of Radio and Cable Censorship in New York. He served as Night Watch Officer in charge of a field station, and later worked in the historical office of the Third Naval District until his discharge in February 1946.
Following the war, Young joined Jerry Devine Productions, where he handled publicity for two radio shows, Orson Welles' Mercury Theatre and This Is Your FBI. From November 1947 until February 1948, Young was an editor for the New York News, supervising preparation of news copy for radio station WNEW. From 1948 to 1950, Young was public relations manager of WPIX television station, where he created a publicity department, wrote promotional brochures and advertising copy, handled audience relations, and helped produce The Gloria Swanson Show, The Truex Family, Four Star Talent, and Broadway First Nights. In 1949 WPIX won the Billboard award for the best television press department in New York.
Young joined NBC in 1951 as director of the press department and public relations representative, and in 1954 he moved to Screen Gems, Inc. as press director. At Screen Gems, Young helped publicize all company activities and programs, including Father Knows Best, Ford Theatre, Rin Tin Tin, Damon Runyon Theatre, and Circus Boy. He was credited with orchestrating the great public opposition to the 1955 cancellation of Father Knows Best that led to the show's return. For a short time in 1957 Young was publicity director of National Telefilm Associates, Inc., where he developed the press campaign launching its unsuccessful “fourth network” of television stations. Next Young worked for Benton and Bowles, Inc., as television publicity supervisor for its wholly-owned subsidiary, General Public Relations, Inc. There, Young directed publicity for such shows as The Danny Thomas Show, Zane Grey Theatre, December Bride, The Loretta Young Show, and The Ann Sothern Show.
From 1960 to 1963, Young worked for Metropolitan Broadcasting Corp., parent company of WNEW radio and television stations, as assistant director of publicity and special events. Subsequently he joined McFadden, Strauss, Eddy, Irwin, and Goodman, as head of its New York television department, which served such clients as Lucille Ball, Van Heflin, George Peppard, Joseph Cotten, and Anthony Quinn.
Frank Young succumbed to throat cancer in 1968.
Scope and Content Note
The papers of Frank Young are quite fragmentary, and thus provide only a partial view of his life and career. The collection has been arranged in three series: Personal Papers, Professional Papers, and Photographs.
Included with PERSONAL PAPERS is a folder of Young's personal documents and correspondence, including his birth and baptismal certificates and obituary, his father's receipt for steamship passage from Ireland and his naturalization certificate, his parents' marriage certificate, clippings concerning the death of Frank Young, Sr., and other papers, mainly pertaining to members of the Fox family. Two folders contain correspondence, resumes, and drafts of public relations projects Young created while seeking employment. These are supplemented by separate folders of resumes and of personal press releases, generally created to announce Young's job changes. One folder of personal newspaper clippings also illustrates Young's professional career and his New York City social life.
Young's service with the U.S. Navy and Naval Reserve is represented by correspondence and other papers, generally concerning his transfers and benefits. There are several folders of correspondence, school awards and fraternity records, journalism and other class notes, and term papers from Young's school days. Other examples of Young's writings are found in separate files of general writings and articles, television sketches created for comedians Jackie Gleason and Art Carney and Sid Caesar and Imogene Coca, and materials gathered for a book on the Shubert family that Young apparently proposed to write. Young's social life and friendship with New York City restaurateur Toots Shor are illustrated in a separate folder containing clippings, notes, dinner programs, and a humorous “annual report” from 1961.
Young's PROFESSIONAL PAPERS are arranged in alphabetical order by the name of the public relations firm or network for which he worked. Records of his short tenure with General Public Relations, Inc. consist of fragmentary correspondence and a few publicity files illustrating the shows Young publicized. Included are budgets and expenditures, cost summaries, press kits, public relations plans, and publicity reports, all for 1958-1959, for The Ann Sothern Show, December Bride, and The Loretta Young Show; and a program promotion presentation, 1958, for The Rifleman. There are two scripts, 1964-1965, of The Entertainers, apparently from Young's years with McFadden, Strauss, Eddy, Irwin, and Goodman. Representing the National Broadcasting Company are a 1951 organizational chart, a working manual for NBC's 25th anniversary, and press releases. Young's award-winning 1955 publicity campaign to save the cancelled Screen Gems show Father Knows Best is illustrated in a scrapbook.
Young's work at WNEW Radio and WPIX-TV stations is somewhat better represented in the collection. There is a small file of correspondence, press releases, and other papers from WNEW, together with broadcast license renewal applications to the Federal Communications Commission and programming support data, 1962-1963, and summaries of 1962 news and sport coverage by WNEW. For WPIX there are numerous press releases, February 1948-June 1951; breakdowns and proposals for changes in news programs, program announcements and schedules; proposals for publicity campaigns for WPIX, together with newsclippings; lists of sponsors; and a folder of station histories, staff biographies, an organizational chart, program schedule, and studio and advertising rates.
Photographs are of Frank Young and his friends.
Administrative/Restriction Information
Presented by Mrs. John Shubert, Byram, Connecticut, 1969. Accession Number: MCHC69-25
Processed by Menzi Behrnd-Klodt, October 1984.
Contents List
U.S. Mss 78AN
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Series: Personal Papers
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Box
1
Folder
1
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Personal and Family Papers and Correspondence, 1889-1968; Obituary, , 1968
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Box
1
Folder
2-3
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Job Hunting Records - Correspondence, Resumes, Draft Public Relations Papers, Notes, 1940, 1946-1964
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Box
1
Folder
4
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Miscellany
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Box
1
Folder
5
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Patent Application Papers and Correspondence, 1946-1948
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Box
4
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Oversize Personal and School Papers, Awards and Certificates, and Sketches and Artwork
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Box
1
Folder
6
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Personal Newspaper Clippings
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Box
1
Folder
7
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Personal Press Releases, 1951-1964
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Box
1
Folder
8
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Press Cards and Passes and Business Cards
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Box
1
Folder
9
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Resumes, 1946-1963
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School Papers
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Box
1
Folder
10-11
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Correspondence and School Papers, 1919-1934, 1938
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Box
1
Folder
12-13
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Journalism and Other Class Notes, 1931-1934
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Box
1
Folder
14
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Term Papers and Book Reports, 1932-1934
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Box
1
Folder
15
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Shubert Files for Proposed Book - Chapter Outlines, Critique, Clippings, and Other Papers, 1962-1965
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Box
1
Folder
16
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Toots Shor's Restaurant, New York - Clippings and Program from Closing, 1959; “Annual Report,” , 1961; Dinner Programs, , 1954, 1963-1964
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Box
1
Folder
17
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U.S. Navy and Naval Reserve - Correspondence and Service-Related Papers, 1939-1956
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Writings and Articles
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Box
1
Folder
18
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General
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Box
1
Folder
19
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Television Sketches for Jackie Gleason and Art Carney, 1956; Sid Caesar and Imogene Coca, 1958
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Series: Professional Papers
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General Public Relations, Inc., New York
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Box
1
Folder
20
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Correspondence and Other Papers, 1959
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Publicity for Television Shows
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The Ann Sothern Show
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Box
1
Folder
21
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Budget and Expenditures, 1958-1959
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Box
1
Folder
22
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Cost Summaries, June 1958-May 1959
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Box
1
Folder
23
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Press Kit
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Box
1
Folder
24
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Public Relations Plan, 1958
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Box
1
Folder
25
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Publicity Report, July-December 1958
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Box
1
Folder
26
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Publicity Reports, Monthly, September 1958-June 1959
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December Bride
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Box
1
Folder
27
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Budgets and Expenditures, November 1958-June 1959
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Box
1
Folder
28
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Cost Summaries, June 1958-June 1959
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Box
1
Folder
29
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Press Kit
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Box
1
Folder
30-31
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Press Releases, May 1958-March 1959
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Box
2
Folder
1
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Public Relations Plan, 1958
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Box
2
Folder
2
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Publicity Report, July-December 1958
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Box
2
Folder
3
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Publicity Reports, Monthly, September 1958-June 1959
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The Loretta Young Show
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Box
2
Folder
4
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Expenditures, 1959
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Box
2
Folder
5
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Press Kit
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Box
2
Folder
6
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Press Releases, 1958-1959
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Box
2
Folder
7
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Public Relations Plans, 1958
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Box
2
Folder
8
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Public Relations Report, July-December 1958
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Box
2
Folder
9
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Publicity Reports, Monthly, September 1958-June 1959
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The Rifleman
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Box
2
Folder
10
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Program Promotion Presentation, 1958
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McFadden, Strauss, Eddy, Irwin, and Goodman, New York
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The Entertainers (CBS-TV)
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Box
2
Folder
11
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Script #1, Revision #1, September 25, 1964
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Box
2
Folder
12
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Script #27, Revision #1, March 27, 1965
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NBC
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Box
2
Folder
13
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Organizational Chart, 1951; Working Manual for 25th Anniversary; Press Releases, , 1951-1952
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Screen Gems, Inc.
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Box
4
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“An Audience Promotion Campaign for Father Knows Best, January-March 1955” Scrapbook
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WNEW Radio Station, New York
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Box
2
Folder
14
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Correspondence, Press Releases, and Other Papers, 1959-1963
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Box
2
Folder
15
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FCC Applications and Programming Support Data, 1962-1963
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Box
2
Folder
16
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News Coverage, 1962
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Box
2
Folder
17
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Sports Coverage, 1962
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WPIX Television Station, New York
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Box
2
Folder
18
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News Programs - Breakdowns and Proposals for Changes, 1948-1949
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Press Releases
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Box
2
Folder
19-27
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February 1948-December 1950
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Box
3
Folder
1
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January-June 1951
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Box
3
Folder
2
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Program Announcements, January-February 1950
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Box
3
Folder
3
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Program Schedules, Weekly, undated
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Box
3
Folder
4
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Publicity and Promotional Material, 1948-1950
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Box
3
Folder
5
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Publicity Campaigns, 1948, 1950
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Box
3
Folder
6
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Sponsors Lists, November 1948-July 1950
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Box
3
Folder
7
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Station Histories, Staff Biographies, Organizational Chart, Program Schedule, and Studio and Advertising Rates
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Box
4
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Oversize Miscellaneous Public Relations Campaign Paste-ups
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PH 3629
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Series: Photographs
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