Scope and Content Note
The Ira Gershwin Files from the Law Office of Leonard Saxe spans the period 1935-1967. The collection includes contracts, correspondence, handwritten notes, financial documents, memos, pamphlets, programs, clippings, and other materials related to Saxe’s legal representation of Ira Gershwin and his involvement with the Rose Gershwin Testamentary Trust.
Saxe’s efforts on behalf of Ira, Leonore, and Arthur Gershwin are recorded in extraordinary detail in a series of typescript logs entitled “Record of work done for the Gershwins.” These entries contextualize the hundreds of handwritten notes that accompany many of the subject files and provide a thorough account of Ira’s business affairs throughout the 1950’s and 1960’s. It is an invaluable tool, if not an ideal starting point, for navigating the contents of this collection.
Saxe arranged his office files principally by subject. His original folder headings have been used to organize the materials thematically by show title, organization, and other general categories. The subjects of these documents range from motion picture production contracts and copyright deposits to estate taxes and personal correspondence.
“Royalties and copyrights” contains documents pertaining to the licensing and revenues of compositions by George and/or Ira Gershwin. Porgy and Bess accounts for much of this material, primarily because its acclaimed international productions generated additional licensing agreements. “Litigation” includes materials specifically related to courtroom settlements, the most notable being Breen vs. Goldwyn, Lazar. The voluminous series entitled “Estate of Rose Gershwin” documents Saxe’s actions as liaison to the Rose Gershwin Testamentary Trust, many of which are presented chronologically in his nineteen volume ‘general file.’ The remaining series,’ “Estate of Ira and Leonore Gershwin” and “Arthur Gershwin” describe personal affairs and litigation largely unrelated to musical compositions or royalties.