Series 8 - Peter Murphy/Frank Conlan memoir

132pp

Ralph A. Pugh, Assistant Curator, Archives and Manuscripts Department, Chicago Historical Society, provided reproductions of the Conlan papers to Kerby A. Miller on 24 June 1989. The original manuscripts are held in the Frank Conlan papers, Chicago History Museum [catalogued as MSS Alpha Conlan, Frank, 1874-].

Materials pertaining to the memoirs of Peter Murphy, later known as Frank Conlan. Murphy was born in 1874 in Dún Laoghaire, County Dublin and emigrated to Chicago, Illinois in 1883 . Murphy's 'memoirs' were written as a series of letters to fellow actor, Philip Loeb, and of them Kerby A. Miller writes that they are 'very good on the socioeconomic and geographic transience of working-class life, which, in the Murphy family's case, can be employed to trace the contemporary physical development and socioeconomic characteristics of Chicago's neighborhoods. In retrospect, at least, Murphy is very conscious of class and status differences. In part that's likely a result of mature perspective, especially by a professional actor who's played a great variety of social roles. But I suspect that young Murphy was indeed very sensitive to such issues, because of his awareness of how his father and family had changed status and his mother's constant reminders of that.' Also discussed in Murphy's materials are: early family life in Ireland; his family's departure, arrival, and emigration voyage; his relationship with the Catholic Church and having gone to Catholic school; his entrance into acting and show business, and changing his name; and life in Chicago in the period. The series consists of: typed copies of Murphy's letters/'memoirs' as compiled and arranged by Miller; photocopies of Murphy's original letters; Miller's research and notes on Murphy and his acting career; photocopied entries from Who's Who on Screen (1983); and Miller's correspondence with archivists.