Marlon Brando dropped this battered address book on the stage of New York's Barrymore Theatre while appearing in "A Streetcar Named Desire" in 1949.
The loss of the book must have been significant to the young actor. Brando scrawled on the flyleaf: "On bended knee I beg you to return this. I lost eight others already and if I lose this I'll just drop dead!" Underneath this plea, he wrote an address - "47 W. 47th N.Y.C." - which he then crossed out and updated with "37 W. 52."
Sadly for latter-day snoops, Brando mostly stuck to first names in recording his contacts ("Janice," "Sandra," "Kay"). Notables listed by both first and last name include Ellen Adler (famed acting teacher Stella's daughter and Brando's sometime girlfriend) and "Jimmy Baldwin" (the writer James Baldwin, who was Brando's longtime friend).
The play's production manager, Robert Downing, picked the book up off the stage and - for reasons lost to history - kept it, despite Brando's desperate note. The book ended up at the University of Texas at Austin's Harry Ransom Center with the rest of Downing's papers.
Thanks to Helen Baer and Jennifer Tisdale of the Harry Ransom Center.
Online Only
When Marlon Brando lost his little black book
- Online Only
-
-
VIDEO: Tumblr sold to Yahoo! for $1.1 billion
Yahoo! has purchased Tumblr for $1.1 billion, hoping to compete more effectively with sites like Google and Facebook.
-
LIVE BLOG: Massive tornado hits south of OKC
A massive tornado touched down Monday afternoon in Moore, Okla., just south of Oklahoma City. Follow live coverage of the aftermath of the storm.
-
What you need to know about preparing for tornadoes
Tornado survivors and seasoned observers suggest people do two simple things to prepare for tornadoes: Know where to take shelter, and move quickly when the time comes.
-
VIDEO: Man hands out Abercrombie clothes on Skid Row in bid to shame brand
Anger has mounted online against clothing retailer Abercrombie & Fitch due to comments made by its chief executive and its strategy of not making women's clothing in any size above large.
-
VIDEO: Deer gets on, off city bus
A CamTran bus picked up an unscheduled passenger on Tuesday evening – a white-tailed deer.
-
Millersville players help couple resuscitate ailing child
The Millersville University baseball team came up with a great save this week, but it had nothing to do with the Pennsylvania State Athletic Conference tournament being played at Point Stadium.
-
VIDEO: One by one, homes in Calif. subdivision sinking
Scott and Robin Spivey had a sinking feeling that something was wrong with their home when cracks began snaking across their walls in March. Within two weeks their property dropped 10 feet below the street.
-
How to get the most out of your air conditioner this summer
Experts say preventative maintenance on your air conditioner can save you hundreds of dollars.
-
Feces contaminates 58 percent of public swimming pools
Human feces taints more than half of public swimming pools, a finding U.S. health officials are using to urge better personal hygiene as the summer months approach.
-
VIDEO: Bombing suspect allegedly wrote confession in boat
Boston bombing suspect Dzhokhar Tsarnaev allegedly penned a note inside the boat where he was found hiding from authorities, explaining his rationale for his part in the deadly explosion.
- More Online Only Headlines
-



