Associated Actors and Artistes of America Records
Call Number
Date
Creator
Extent
Language of Materials
Abstract
The Associated Actors and Artistes of America was founded in 1919 as an umbrella organization composed of nine autonomous performing arts unions. The main purpose of the Four A's since its founding has been to represent the affiliates' common interests and to resolve jurisdictional problems. These records include the Four A's constitutions, correspondence, financial records and meeting minutes.
Biographical Note
The Associated Actors and Artistes of America (AAAA, also known as the 4A's), chartered in 1919 by the American Federation of Labor, is a New York-based umbrella organization of several autonomous unions representing different types of performing artists, including the Actors Equity Association, the American Federation of Television and Radio Artists, the American Guild of Musical Artists, the American Guild of Variety Artists, and the Screen Actors Guild.
The Four A's was founded out of a conflict between the White Rats Actors Union of America, an old variety performers' union formed in 1909, and the Actors' Equity Association of America, an organization formed in 1913 to represent performers of the legitimate stage, over the acquisition of a charter from the American Federation of Labor. The gradual demise of the White Rats as an industry force led that union to merge with Equity and a number of smaller unions by July 1919, resulting in the formation of the Associated Actors and Artistes of America.
The main purpose of the Four A's since its founding has been to represent the affiliates' common interests, and to resolve jurisdictional problems between and among them, and in regard to individual actors working a range of entertainment sectors. When ethnic and foreign language theater still flourished, the Four A's affiliated included not only Actors Equity, Chorus Equity, and the Grand Opera Choral Alliance, but also the (German) White Rats, the Hebrew Actors Unions, the Hebrew Chorus Unions of New York and Philadelphia, the Hungarian Actors and Artists Association, the Italian Actors Union, the Polish Actors Union, and the Yiddish Playwrights League.
Technological changes in performance industries gave rise to new or growing affiliates including the American Federation of Radio Artists (AFRA), the Screen Actors Guild (SAG), the Screen Extras Guild (SEG), and the Television Authority (TVA), which later merged with AFRA to become the American Federation of Radio and Television Artists (AFTRA).
The demise of variety fields and the rise of television were the major issues to between the late 1930's and the early 1970's. Variety unions have been historically weak and controversial members of the Four A's, and there were repeated allegations of internal corruption and mismanagement, reflected in the 1960's and 1970's in an investigation of AGVA by the United States Senate, and in an internal 4A's investigation. The Four A's formed a Television Committee as early as 1938, and later the Television Authority, a temporary organization made up of five affiliates: Actor's Equity, Chorus Equity, the American Guild of Musical Artists, the American Guild of Variety Artists, and the American Federation of Radio Artists. The inability of these and other unions to decide upon an acceptable merger strategy led AFRA to extend a merger invitation to the TVA in 1952 and to form a new affiliate, AFTRA.
Sources:
Thomas Colley, "A Historical Study of the White Rats of America" (Master's Thesis, Wayne State University, 1967), copy in Box 7, Folder 20.
Arrangement
The files are arranged into 8 series:
I. Constitutions
II. Minutes
III. Correspondence
IV. Financial Records
V. Community Activities
VI. Subjects
VII. Affiliates
VIII. Unprocessed Materials
Folders are arranged alphabetically or chronologically within each series. Materials in Series VIII have not been arrangement by an archivist.
Scope and Contents
The collection reflects both the day-to-day operations of the Associated Actors and Artistes of America and the larger social concerns that affiliates engaged. The majority of the collection is comprised of the records of American Guild of Variety Artists (AGVA) affiliates and other affiliate groups, including several ethnicity-based affiliates. The collection also contains the Four A's constitutions, minutes, financial records, and correspondence of the presidents and other officers. There is a small amount of information on the Four A's community activities.
Subjects
Organizations
People
Topics
Conditions Governing Access
Materials are open without restrictions.
Conditions Governing Use
The Tamiment Library and Robert F. Wagner Archives has no information about copyright ownership for this collection and is not authorized to grant permission to publish or reproduce materials from it. Materials in this collection, which were created in 1909-2014, are expected to enter the public domain in 2135.
Preferred Citation
Published citations should take the following form:
Identification of item, date; Associated Actors and Artistes of America Records; WAG 110; box number; folder number; Tamiment Library/Robert F. Wagner Labor Archives, New York University.
Location of Materials
Immediate Source of Acquisition
Donated by the Associated Actors and Artistes of America via Harriet Barry (Executive Assistant), 1995. The accession numbers associated with this gift are 1995.023, 1995.024, and NPA 2002.006.
Additional materials were donated by Anne Fortuno, assistant to the President of the Associated Actors and Artistes of America, in 2014. The accession numbers associated with this gift are 2014.145 and 2014.162.
Physical Characteristics and Technical Requirements
Due to the fragile nature of the original materials, researchers must use the microfilmed version of Series II: Minutes, Subseries II.A: Microfilm; microfilm call number is R-7420.
Audiovisual Access Policies and Procedures
Audiovisual materials have not been preserved and may not be available to researchers. Materials not yet digitized will need to have access copies made before they can be used. To request an access copy, or if you are unsure if an item has been digitized, please contact tamiment.wagner@nyu.edu, (212) 998-2630 with the collection name, collection number, and a description of the item(s) requested. A staff member will respond to you with further information.
About this Guide
Processing Information
Photographs were separated from this collection during initial processing and were established as a separate collection, the Associated Actors and Artistes of America Photographs (PHOTOS 072). In 2013, the photograph collection was reincorporated into the Associated Actors and Artistes of America Records (WAG 110).
Accretion 2014.162 and 2014.145 were consolidated into one record carton but kept in the order in which they were received. These materials were added to Series VIII. Unprocessed Materials in accordance with previous arrangement and description decisions. Original order is unknown: a previous archivist had removed the materials from their housings and divided them into separate folders. The accession number has been written on the front of the folders for these materials to indicate their provenance.
Other decisions regarding arrangement, description, and physical interventions for this collection prior to 2019 are unknown. In 2019, materials were rehoused in new acid-free folders and boxes in preparation for offsite storage.
In October 2024, folders from one record carton box (originally box 10) were rehoused and distributed into manuscript boxes (now boxes 10, 25, and 26) for preservation purposes. Folders were renumbered to reflect this change.
Revisions to this Guide
Edition of this Guide
Repository
Series I: Constitutions, 1916-1995, inclusive
Scope and Content Note
Contains both original drafts and published copies.
Arrangement
Arranged chronologically.
Constitutions, 1916-1935, inclusive
Constitutions, 1937-1938, inclusive
Constitutions, 1939 , 1951 , 1962-1965, inclusive
Constitutions, 1970 , 1976-1978, inclusive
Constitutions, 1980-1989, inclusive
Constitutions, 1990-1995, inclusive
Series II: Minutes, 1920-1992, inclusive
Scope and Content Note
Contains minutes of international board meetings and annual conventions, but it does not reflect complete records of either one. The minutes document the developement of the variety and vaudeville unions from the American Federation of Actors into the American Guild of Variety Artists, the clashing definitions by representatives of Actors Equity and the Screen Actors Guild over television performance, the Four A's involvement in AGVA's governance in the early 1970s, and other topics. Researchers must use microfilmed versions if available.
Arrangement
Arranged chronologically.
Subseries II:A: Microfilm
Minutes, 1919-1938, inclusive
Minutes, 1939, inclusive
Existence and Location of Originals
Originals in Box 12. Researchers must use microfilm.
Minutes, 1940-1948, inclusive
Existence and Location of Originals
Originals in Box 13. Researchers must use microfilm.
Minutes, 1949, inclusive
Existence and Location of Originals
Originals in Box 14. Researchers must use microfilm.
Minutes, 1950-1954, inclusive
Existence and Location of Originals
Originals in Box 14. Researchers must use microfilm.
Minutes, 1955-1965, inclusive
Existence and Location of Originals
Originals in Box 14. Researchers must use microfilm.
Minutes, 1966-1972, inclusive
Existence and Location of Originals
Originals in Box 15. Researchers must use microfilm.
Minutes, 1973-1977, inclusive
Existence and Location of Originals
Originals in Boxes 15 and 16. Researchers must use microfilm.
Minutes, 1978-1982, inclusive
Existence and Location of Originals
Originals in Box 16. Researchers must use microfilm.
Subseries II:B: Paper
Minutes, 1920-1937, inclusive
Minutes, 1938, inclusive
Minutes, 1939-1940, inclusive
Minutes, 1941-1943, inclusive
Minutes, 1944-1948, inclusive
Minutes, 1949, inclusive
Minutes, 1950, inclusive
Minutes, 1951-1954, inclusive
Minutes, 1955-1960, inclusive
Minutes, 1961-1965, inclusive
Minutes, 1966-1973, inclusive
Minutes, 1980-1982, inclusive
Minutes, 1983-1984, inclusive
Minutes, 1985-1986, inclusive
Minutes, 1987-1990, inclusive
Minutes, 1991-1992, inclusive
Minutes, ca.1919-1971, inclusive
Minutes, ca.1992-1997, inclusive
Series III: Correspondence, 1919-1990, inclusive
Scope and Content Note
Contains the correspondence of the president and other officers, and correspondents include political figures and legal counsel, the AFL and AFL-CIO, the U.S. Department of Labor, and various exchanges re the Taft-Hartley Law.
Arrangement
Arranged chronologically within each name, title or topic.
Officers: President, 1925-1929 , 1937-Apr 1938, inclusive
Officers: President, May 1938-Dec 1938, inclusive
Officers: President, Jan-Apr 1939, inclusive
Officers: President, Apr-Aug 1939, inclusive
Officers: President, Sep-Dec 1939, inclusive
Officers: President, Jan-Apr 1940, inclusive
Officers: President, May-Dec 1940, inclusive
Officers: President, 1941, inclusive
Officers: President, 1942-1943, inclusive
Officers: President, 1944-1947, inclusive
Officers: President, 1948-1950, inclusive
Officers: President, 1951-1953, inclusive
Officers: President, 1954-1957, inclusive
Officers: President, 1958-1959, inclusive
Officers: President, 1960-1962, inclusive
Officers: President, 1963-1989, inclusive
Officers: President Frank Gillmore, Personal (mostly), 1938-1939, inclusive
Officers: President Frank Gillmore, Personal (mostly), 1940-1943, inclusive
Officers: Exec Secretary, 1919-1925, inclusive
Officers: Exec Secretary, 1926-1990, inclusive
Officers: Treasurer, 1919-1921, inclusive
Officers: Treasurer, 1922-1923 , 1950-1951, inclusive
Officers: First Vice-Pres, Misc, 1925-1960, inclusive
Legal Counsel, Misc, 1937-1947, inclusive
Legal Counsel, Misc, 1953-1963, inclusive
Legislative Committee, 1947, inclusive
Legislative Committee, 1959-1960, inclusive
Legislative/Political, 1937-1940, inclusive
Legislative/Political, 1941-1955, inclusive
Legislative/Political, 1957-1963, inclusive
Taft-Hartley Act, 1947-1950, inclusive
Taft-Hartley Act, 1951-1952, inclusive
Taft-Hartley Act, 1953-1964, inclusive
With American Federation of Labor, 1920-1925, inclusive
With American Federation of Labor, 1926-May 1927, inclusive
With American Federation of Labor, Jun 1927-1928, inclusive
With American Federation of Labor, 1929-1934, inclusive
With American Federation of Labor and CIO, 1935-1940, inclusive
With American Federation of Labor and CIO, 1941-1948, inclusive
With American Federation of Labor and CIO, 1949-1955, inclusive
With AFL-CIO, 1956-1957, inclusive
With AFL-CIO, 1958-May 1959, inclusive
With AFL-CIO, Jun-Dec 1959, inclusive
With AFL-CIO, 1960, inclusive
With AFL-CIO, 1961, inclusive
With AFL-CIO, 1962-1964, inclusive
With U.S. Departments of Labor, 1920-1930 , 1938 , 1944-1964, inclusive
Series IV: Financial Records, 1920-1984, inclusive
Scope and Content Note
Mainly of copies of annual audits from 1937 through 1984, as well as letters and memos concerning specific financial matters.
Arrangement
Arranged chronologically.
Annual Audits, 1937-1947, inclusive
Annual Audits, 1948-1958, inclusive
Annual Audits, 1959-1969, inclusive
Annual Audits, 1970-1984, inclusive
Finance Committee, 1920-1964 , 1983, inclusive
U.S. Department of the Treasury, 1938-1964, inclusive
Series V: Community Activities, 1930-1962, inclusive
Scope and Content Note
Contains files on various organizations that the Four A's allied itself with or otherwise engaged. The material on the Federal Theater Project contains one letter from Hallie Flanagan. There is substantial material on the World's Fair and the contemporaneous San Francisco Exposition.
Arrangement
Arranged chronologically within topics.
Theater Authority, 1939-1940, inclusive
Theater Authority, 1941-1942 , 1944 , 1949-1951, inclusive
Theater Authority, 1953-1957 , 1960-1962, inclusive
Actors' Fund of America, 1940-1942 , 1953 , 1955, inclusive
San Francisco Exposition, 1938-1940, inclusive
World's Fair, 1937-1940, inclusive
International Theater Convention, 1938-1939, inclusive
National Theater, 1975 , 1979-1981, inclusive
Camp Shows, Inc., 1941-1942 , 1948 , 1951-1952, inclusive
ILO/UNESCO, 1956-1959, inclusive
ILO/UNESCO, 1960-1962, inclusive
Theater Arts Committee, 1930 , 1938-1940, inclusive
National Child Labor Committee, 1939-1941, inclusive
Federal Theater Project, 1938-1940, inclusive
American Theater Council, 1937-1939, inclusive
League of New York Theaters, 1938 , 1941 , 1949-1953, inclusive
American Theater Wing, 1948-1951 , 1958, inclusive
Series VI: Subjects, 1937-1993, inclusive
Scope and Content Note
Includes files on the unsuccessful attempts to merge the various affiliates, the Committee on Integration of Negro in Theatre, and the Television Committee.
Arrangement
Arranged alphabetically by subject, and chronologically within subjects.
American Federation of Musicians, 1938-1944 , 1948 , 1954, inclusive
Committee on Greek Actors, 1938-1943, inclusive
Committee on Models Federation of America, 1952-1953, inclusive
Comm. on Integration of Negro in Theater, 1957-1958, inclusive
Comm. on Integration of Negro in Theater, 1957-1958, inclusive
Comm. on Integration of Negro in Theater, 1957-1958, inclusive
Comm. on Integration of Negro in Theater, 1957-1958, inclusive
Misc. Memos and Reports, 1939 , 1960-1961, inclusive
Merger-Petitions, 1939, inclusive
Merger, 1944-1948, inclusive
Merger, 1949, inclusive
Merger, 1950-1951, inclusive
Merger, Jan-June 1952, 1952, inclusive
Merger, Aug-Dec 1952, 1952, inclusive
Merger, 1955-1993, inclusive
Television Committee, 1938-1940, inclusive
Television Committee, 1947-July 1949, 1947-1949, inclusive
Television Committee, Aug-Nov 1949, 1949, inclusive
Television Committee Minutes, Feb-Nov 1949, 1949, inclusive
Series VII: Affiliates, 1909-1993, inclusive
Scope and Content Note
Comprises almost two-thirds of the processed materials, and is nearly equally divided between records of American Guild of Variety Artists (AGVA) affiliates, which principally concerns ongoing allegations and investigations of corrupt practices (1940s-1970s), and files pertaining to other affiliates, including smaller and/or more ephemeral groups such as the American Federation of Artists (Charter Revocation, 1939-42), the Burlesque Artists Association, Chorus Equity Association, Grand Opera Choral Alliance, Motion Picture Players/Screen Players Union, Screen Extras Guild, the Television Authority (1949-52), the White Rats Actors Union, and several ethnically-based affiliates, including the Hebrew Actors Union, Hungarian Actors and Artists Association, Italian Actors Union, Polish Actors Union, Puerto Rican Artists and Technicians Association, and the Yiddish Playwrights League.
Arrangement
Arranged alphabetically by organization name.
Subseries: VII:A: General
American Artists Federation (AAF), 1919-1923 , 1926 , 1930, inclusive
Actor's Equity Association (AEA), 1919-1929, inclusive
AEA, 1937-1938, inclusive
AEA, 1939-1940, inclusive
AEA, 1941-1949, inclusive
AEA, 1950-1953, inclusive
AEA, 1954-1964, inclusive
Actors Betterment/American Federation of Actors (AFA), 1933-1934, inclusive
AFA, 1935-1938, inclusive
AFA, 1939, inclusive
AFA: Charter Revocation, Jan-May 1939, 1939, inclusive
AFA: Charter Revocation, June 1939
AFA: Charter Revocation, July 1939, 1940, inclusive
AFA: Charter Revocation; Legal Fees, 1939-1942, inclusive
AFA: Charter Revocation; Trial Exhibits, 1939, inclusive
AFA: Charter Revocation; Clipping File, 1939, inclusive
American Federation of Radio Artists (AFRA), 1937-1939, inclusive
AFRA, 1940-1944, inclusive
AFRA, 1945-1952, inclusive
AFTRA, 1952-1957, inclusive
AFTRA, 1958-1965, inclusive
American Guild of Musical Artists (AGMA), 1937-1947, inclusive
AGMA, 1948-1964 , 1977, inclusive
Burlesque Artists Association (BAA), 1933-1939, inclusive
BAA,, 1940-1957, inclusive
Chorus Equity Association, 1919-1940, inclusive
Chorus Equity Association, 1941-1955, inclusive
Grand Opera Choral Alliance, 1919-1923, inclusive
Grand Opera. Choral Alliance, 1924-1929 , 1937-1939, inclusive
Grand Opera Artists Association, 1935-1941, inclusive
Hebrew Actors Union, 1919-1922, inclusive
Hebrew Actors Union, 1923-1929 , 1937-1938, inclusive
Hebrew Actors Union, 1939-1953 , 1958-1962, inclusive
Hebrew Chorus Union, Philadelphia, 1919-1933, inclusive
Hebrew Chorus Union, NY, 1919-1929 , 1938-1940 , 1943, inclusive
Physical Characteristics and Technical Requirements note
1945