Rose Marie papers

Collection

Identifier: M242

Staff Only

Scope and Contents of the Papers

This collection consists mainly of unpublished materials produced over the course of Rose Marie’s music career, namely manuscript (or draft) sheet music and noncommercial audio recordings. Of the sheet music, there are 77 separate compositions represented, most with a complete score. There are 103 audio recordings, most on 10” or 12” transcription discs, though there are some smaller discs and audio reels as well.

The collection also contains 80 photographs from the production of Top Banana and a handful of printed materials related to Rose Marie’s career such as programs and signed phonodisc sleeves. There are also a few items related to Rose Marie’s husband Bobby Guy and his work.

Dates

1938-2008
Majority of material found within 1938 - 1975

Creator

Rose Marie, 1923-2017 (Person)

Restrictions on Access

Collection is open for research use.

Terms Governing Use and Reproduction

Georgia State University is the owner of the physical collection and makes reproductions available for research, subject to the copyright law of the United States and item condition. Georgia State University may or may not own the rights to materials in the collection. It is the researcher's responsibility to verify copyright ownership and obtain permission from the copyright holder before publication, reproduction, or display of the materials beyond what is reasonable under copyright law. Researchers may quote selections from the collection under the fair use provision of copyright law.

Biography of Rose Marie

Rose Marie Mazzetta (August 15, 1923 – December 28, 2017), known early in her career as Baby Rose Marie and later as simply Rose Marie, was an actress, singer, and comedienne whose career transitioned successfully from music and radio to theater to television and film.

She made her first vocal recording at the age of five and went on to issue several records and have her own radio show before the age of 10. Rose Marie was also featured in several Paramount films as a child actress. Her entertainment career grew with her into adulthood and while she continued to record successful songs, she also expanded into theater and television. In 1951, she starred as the female lead in the hit Broadway musical Top Banana and reprised her role for the 1954 film adaption. Rose Marie is arguably most known for her five-season run playing Sally Rogers on The Dick Van Dyke Show from 1961-1966, before co-starring as Myrna Gibbons on The Doris Day Show from 1969-1971 and then appearing as a long-time regular panelist on The Hollywood Squares. From 1977 to 1985, she also toured with Rosemary Clooney, Margaret Whiting, and Helen O’Connell in the musical revue 4 Girls 4.

Rose Marie married notable trumpeter Bobby Guy in 1946 and they remained together until his death in 1964. The two occasionally recorded music together and Bobby was also a comedian on The Dick Van Dyke Show. The couple had one daughter together, Georgiana, born in 1947.

Extent

15.7 Linear Feet (in 13 boxes)

Language of Materials

English

Additional Description

Abstract

Rose Marie (1923-2017) was a successful singer, actress, and comedienne whose career spanned more than seven decades of evolving popular entertainment, from radio to theater to film to television. The materials in this collection document the unpublished artifacts of such a career, consisting mainly of manuscript (or draft) sheet music and noncommercial audio recordings.

System of Arrangement

This collection is arranged into four series: I. Manuscript sheet music, II. Noncommercial audio recordings, III. Photographs, and IV. Printed materials. The manuscript sheet music has been alphabetized by composition title.

Acquisition Information

Donated by Georgiana Guy-Rodrigues (Rose Marie’s daughter) on June 20, 2018.

Related Materials

Related Materials In Other Repositories

Rose Marie Collection, Archive of the National Comedy Center, Jamestown, NY
Recordings from Rose Marie's television career, Paley Archive at The Paley Center For Media, Los Angeles, CA

Separated Materials

Published, commercially available materials, including 12 pieces of sheet music and 43 phonodisc audio recordings, were separated out and made available in the Sheet Music and Sound Recordings Collections respectively. Please see GSU Library's GIL-Find Catalog or contact Special Collections for access.

Processing Information

Processed by Michelle Leasure, 2021. Materials arrived loose with no discernable organization. Staff arranged the photographs and printed materials into folders and created folder titles. Manuscript sheet music was alphabetized by composition title. Noncommercial audio recordings were generally arranged to group multi-part selections or different versions of the same song together. Dates recorded where known. Published audio recordings and sheet music were separated out into the Sound Recordings and Sheet Music Collections respectively.