diff --git a/PhysicsTools/NanoAODTools/python/postprocessing/framework/eventloop.py b/PhysicsTools/NanoAODTools/python/postprocessing/framework/eventloop.py
index 98689bf5ceab5..46566fef5d1a1 100644
--- a/PhysicsTools/NanoAODTools/python/postprocessing/framework/eventloop.py
+++ b/PhysicsTools/NanoAODTools/python/postprocessing/framework/eventloop.py
@@ -15,7 +15,7 @@ def beginJob(self, histFile=None, histDirName=None):
             prevdir = ROOT.gDirectory
             self.histFile = histFile
             self.histFile.cd()
-            self.dir = self.histFile.mkdir(histDirName)
+            self.dir = self.histFile.mkdir(histDirName, "", True)
             prevdir.cd()
             self.objs = []
 
@@ -26,8 +26,6 @@ def endJob(self):
             for obj in self.objs:
                 obj.Write()
             prevdir.cd()
-            if hasattr(self, 'histFile') and self.histFile != None:
-                self.histFile.Close()
 
     def beginFile(self, inputFile, outputFile, inputTree, wrappedOutputTree):
         pass
diff --git a/PhysicsTools/NanoAODTools/python/postprocessing/framework/output.py b/PhysicsTools/NanoAODTools/python/postprocessing/framework/output.py
index d81a724016dd0..ce2281c6e6ea3 100644
--- a/PhysicsTools/NanoAODTools/python/postprocessing/framework/output.py
+++ b/PhysicsTools/NanoAODTools/python/postprocessing/framework/output.py
@@ -7,6 +7,8 @@
 _rootBranchType2PythonArray = {
     'b': 'B',
     'B': 'b',
+    's': 'H',
+    'S': 'h',
     'i': 'I',
     'I': 'i',
     'F': 'f',
diff --git a/PhysicsTools/NanoAODTools/python/postprocessing/framework/postprocessor.py b/PhysicsTools/NanoAODTools/python/postprocessing/framework/postprocessor.py
index 80a0d7940c5b5..3fd0c0a55bd43 100755
--- a/PhysicsTools/NanoAODTools/python/postprocessing/framework/postprocessor.py
+++ b/PhysicsTools/NanoAODTools/python/postprocessing/framework/postprocessor.py
@@ -159,6 +159,7 @@ def run(self):
                 fname = subprocess.check_output(['edmFileUtil', '-d', '-f '+fname]).decode("utf-8").strip()
 
             # open input file
+            print(time.strftime("%d-%b-%Y %H:%M:%S %Z", time.localtime()), " Initiating request to open file %s" %(fname), flush=True) # CMSSW-syle message, required by eos caching scripts
             if self.prefetch:
                 ftoread, toBeDeleted = self.prefetchFile(fname)
                 inFile = ROOT.TFile.Open(ftoread)
@@ -262,6 +263,10 @@ def run(self):
         for m in self.modules:
             m.endJob()
 
+        # close histogram file
+        if self.histFile != None:
+            self.histFile.Close()
+
         print("Total time %.1f sec. to process %i events. Rate = %.1f Hz." % ((time.time() - t0), totEntriesRead, totEntriesRead / (time.time() - t0)))
 
         if self.haddFileName: