Script for Purlie: Museum Object and Cultural History

The object in the museum catalogue

A script for the television adaptation of Purlie. The script consists of roughly 107 facsimile copies of typewritten pages bound in a black plastic cover with two metal screws. At center of the front cover in gold text is [Purlie]. The title page has been autographed by Clarice Taylor by hand in blue ink. The printed text on the title page reads, in part: [PURLIE / A Musical Based on the Play PURLIE VICTORIOUS / by / OSSIE DAVIS]. At the bottom right corner is [PROPERTY OF: / PHILIP ROSE / 157 West 57th Street / N.Y., N.Y. 10019 / CI 5-2255]. The title page is followed by a page with quotes from the “Purlie’s I.O.U.” and then a page listing the cast members. The script text pages are numbered by section in the top right corner, beginning with the prologue and ending with the epilogue.

Materials, dates and provenance

• Date: 1981
• Written by: Ossie Davis, American, 1917 - 2005
• Written by: Philip Rose, 1921 - 2011
• Written by: Peter Udell, American, born 1929
• Signed by: Clarice Taylor, American, 1917 - 2011
• Owned by: Clarice Taylor, American, 1917 - 2011
• Type: scripts by form
• Medium: ink on paper with plastic and metal
• Dimensions: H x W x D: 11 7/16 × 9 1/16 × 3/8 in. (29 × 23 × 1 cm)
• Place printed: New York City, New York, United States, North and Central America
• Topic: African American
• Topic: Actors
• Topic: Hollywood (Film)
• Topic: Musical Theatre
• Topic: Segregation
• Topic: Television
• Topic: Theatre
• Object number: 2013.188.9
• Credit Line: Collection of the Smithsonian National Museum of African American History and Culture, Gift of William and James Thomas and family in memory of Clarice Taylor
• Data Source: National Museum of African American History and Culture

Sources and reuse

Catalogue descriptions and facts adapted from National Museum of African American History and Culture through the Smithsonian's official Open Access dataset. This record explicitly marks its metadata CC0 1.0; formatting and selection have been changed. The underlying object's rights statement is: © Ossie Davis, Philip Rose, and Peter Udell Permission required for use. Proper usage is the responsibility of the user.