Series consists of personal material, including documentation on Frank Shuster's education and early career, on awards and honours, and on speeches he gave at public and private events.
Included is a Hutchins Intermediate School yearbook 1930; an anniversary yearbook from Assumption Street School 1963; Harbord Collegiate Institute programmes; a programme from the Red Barn Theatre; course notes, programmes, a report and a notice from the Theatre of Action 1936-1941; University College programmes and revue skits 1936-1940; "Y" Drama Group publicity material 1941; and notes by [Shuster's mother] on his childhood, evidently for a public talk.
Awards and certificates include the Beaver Award 1945-1946, Canadian Radio Awards 1951; Arbor Award, University of Toronto n.d., and ACTRA nominations 1977-1986. There is also correspondence, publicity material and drafts of speeches relating to awards and honours. Among the speeches documented are ones given by Shuster on the occasion of his receiving an honorary degree from the University of Toronto, the opening of CBC's Wayne and Shuster Wall of Fame, his Order of Canada, and his inauguration into Canada's Walk of Fame. Also included is the script used by Shuster and comedian Dave Foley when acting as presenters for the Gemini Awards (Shuster revised Foley's lines) and other material relating to the Geminis, including his own acceptance speech on receiving an award. Other speeches include ones delivered by Shuster at Harbord Collegiate and at Joe Shuster's memorial.
Additional personal material consists of an address book, autobiographical notes and memorabilia. The autobiographical notes include notes on comedy in general and Wayne and Shuster's comedy in particular, with references to their influences; a manuscript by Shuster recounting his childhood and the early days of Wayne and Shuster and recalling Johnny Wayne, evidently prepared for an interview by June Callwood; and recollections of the Army Show.
The memorabilia includes a Wayne and Shuster trading card 1956 and Frank Shuster's 1970 Canadian Open Pro-Am (London Hunt and Country Club) souvenir medallion.
The series also includes programmes for the U.C. Follies of 1936, the Charlie Conacher Hockey Awards Dinner 1984, Peter Gzowski's PGIs Play the Red Barn 1994 and a Tribute to Robert Lepage 1997, all recording Shuster's participation; a programme for An Evening with Pierre Elliott Trudeau 1983; and a souvenir programme for a National Arts Centre concert 1991 in honour of the Prince and Princess of Wales attended by Shuster. Also included is Shuster's appointment book for 1995 (with some entries from 1994). Other material includes Shuster's record of photos taken on a trip to Israel (5 pp of ms. notes on King David Hotel, Jerusalem, letterhead); lists of addresses; certificates in recognition of charitable work; and memorabilia about Shuster's cousin, comic strip artist Joe Shuster.
