Summary Information
Paddy Chayefsky Papers 1937-1972
U.S. Mss 26AN
6.8 c.f. (17 archives boxes)
Wisconsin Historical Society Archives / Wisconsin Center for Film and Theater Research Contact Information
Wisconsin Historical Society (Map)
Papers of a writer for stage, screen, radio, and television, whose work during the “Golden Age of TV Drama” led to a career as an Oscar-winning writer of motion pictures. Consisting of scripts, revisions, notes, clippings, and reviews, the collection includes some titles produced in more than one media. Most notable are Bachelor Party and Marty--both originally presented on NBC's Philco-Goodyear Playhouse and both subsequently made into motion pictures (UA, 1957 and 1955 respectively), which Chayefsky also produced. The Middle of the Night, another teleplay, was adapted for the stage (1956) as well as for the screen (Col., 1959). Other screenplays treated include The Americanization of Emily (MGM, 1964), The Catered Affair (MGM, 1964), The Cincinnati Kid (MGM, 1956), The Goddess (Col., 1958), and The Hospital (UA, 1971); other stage plays include Gideon (1961), The Passion of Josef D. (1964), and The Tenth Man (1959). The remainder of the collection consists of unproduced works, several radio plays, early writings, general correspondence, and biographical information.
There is a restriction on use of this material; see the Administrative/Restriction Information portion of this finding aid for details.
English
http://digital.library.wisc.edu/1711.dl/wiarchives.uw-whs-us0026an ↑ Bookmark this ↑
Biography/History
Chronology
1923, Jan 29 |
Sidney Chayefsky was born in New York City to Harry and Gussie (Stuchevsky) Chayefsky, both Russian Jewish immigrants. His father was a dairy company executive.
|
1939 |
Graduated from DeWitt Clinton High School in the Bronx.
|
1940 |
Played semi-professional football with the Knightsbridge (NY) Trojans.
|
1943 |
After graduation from City College of New York, enlisted in U.S. Army. While in the army, he adopted the nickname Paddy.
|
1944 |
Wounded by a land mine in Germany, for which he was awarded a Purple Heart. While recuperating in a hospital in England he wrote his first play, a musical entitled No T/O For Love.
|
1945 |
No T/O For Love was produced by US Army Special Services and toured military installations in England and throughout Europe; Chayefsky had a leading role in the production. He also worked on The True Glory, a documentary film about GI's in World War II.
|
1946 |
After his discharge from the army, he worked briefly in his uncle's printing shop. On the GI Bill he studied acting at the Actor's Lab in Hollywood, and used a $500 writing fellowship from Garson Kanin to pay his expenses while writing a play “Put Them All Together.”
|
1947 |
Received a junior writers contract from Universal-International.
|
1948 |
Had a minor role as an actor in the film Double Life.
|
1949 |
Married Susan Sackler; they have had one son, Dan.
|
1950 |
Wrote a play, “The Man Who Made The Mountain Shake.”
|
1952 |
Wrote radio plays for Theatre Guild of the Air and Cavalcade of America. Wrote teleplays for the series Danger, Manhunt, and Philco-Goodyear Television Playhouse. Philco-Goodyear produced Holiday Song and The Reluctant Citizen.
|
1953 |
Philco-Goodyear produced Printer's Measure, Marty, The Big Deal, The Bachelor Party, The Sixth Year, and Catch My Boy On Sunday.
|
1954 |
The Mother and Middle of the Night presented on Philco-Goodyear. Film version of Marty released.
|
1955 |
Marty won four Academy Awards including Best Screenplay and Best Picture. The Catered Affair was his last teleplay; it was shown on Philco-Goodyear.
|
1956 |
Middle of the Night opened on Broadway, and film The Catered Affair was released.
|
1957 |
Film version of The Bachelor Party was released.
|
1958 |
The Goddess was released and won the critics prize at the Brussels Film Festival.
|
1959 |
Film version of Middle of the Night was released in New York and London. The Tenth Man became Chayefsky's second Broadway hit. Under the auspices of the U.S. State Department, Chayefsky travelled to the Soviet Union to speak with Russian writers.
|
1961 |
Gideon opened on Broadway.
|
1963-64 |
Worked on the screenplay for The Cincinnati Kid (1965), for which he was not credited.
|
1964 |
The Passion of Josef D., written and directed by Chayefsky, opened on Broadway. The Americanization of Emily, with screenplay by Chayefsky, was released.
|
1968 |
The Latent Heterosexual, a play, was produced in Dallas, Los Angeles, and Bristol's Old Vic.
|
1970 |
Chayefsky wrote the screenplay for the film adaption of Paint Your Wagon.
|
1971 |
Gideon was produced on television. The Hospital was released. Chayefsky helped found an organization, Writers and Artists for Peace in the Middle East; and he was a delegate to the International Conference on Soviet Jewry.
|
1972 |
The Hospital won an Academy Award for Best Screenplay.
|
Much of the above information was supplied by John M. Clum, author of Paddy Chayefsky, soon to be published in the Twain United States Authors Series.
Scope and Content Note
The Paddy Chayefsky Papers, 1937-1972, provide excellent material for the study of most aspects of Chayefsky's diverse career as a writer. The bulk of the collection concerns his writings for four genre: theatre, radio, television, and motion pictures; and there is also a small amount of general correspondence, biographical material, and miscellaneous writings.
The Theatre material includes papers from six Chayefsky plays, 1954-1968. Chayefsky adapted his 1954 teleplay Middle of the Night for Broadway in 1956 and in 1959 adapted it for a film of the same title; scripts, clippings, and other material relating to these three productions are in boxes 10 and 11. For The Tenth Man there are several scripts in English, the script from a French-language production, clippings, and reviews. The extensive manner in which Chayefsky reworks his material is evident in the many script revisions of Gideon and in the research material, scripts, and other production material for The Passion of Josef D. Among the unproduced theatre papers are a script and lyrics for musical comedies written while Chayefsky was in the army, sketches for two plays, and scripts for two plays.
Of his writings for Radio, the collection only includes two 1952 scripts, one for Theatre Guild of the Air and another for Cavalcade of America.
The Television material, 1953-1959, provides an excellent record of Chayefsky's contribution to television's “Golden Age.” There are scripts and some clippings and correspondence from his major teleplays for Fred Coe's Philco-Goodyear Playhouse, including Holiday Song, Marty, The Bachelor Party, Printer's Measure, The Mother, and Middle of the Night. He later adapted three of these teleplays to film and theatre, and there is some material documenting these adaptations. Unproduced television papers include rejected story outlines, a pilot for a series, and material on a teleplay. A book published by Simon and Schuster in 1955 includes scripts and Chayefsky's commentary about six of his television plays; the collection includes a galley and some clippings concerning this book.
Documenting his career as a writer for Motion Pictures are scripts, clippings, and production material for eight films released from 1955 to 1972. Scripts for The Goddess, a film about a film star reminiscent of Marilyn Monroe, are supplemented by publicity material, a Legion of Decency rating, papers from the Brussels and Edinburgh Film Festivals, and reviews from around the world. In addition to the script of The Americanization of Emily written by the author of the book, there are numerous script revisions by Chayefsky and one folder of casting material. Although Chayefsky did not receive credit for The Cincinnati Kid, he prepared almost one cubic foot of scripts for that production. Unproduced material includes scripts and clippings of “The Great American Hoax,” a script, and an untitled story idea.
Miscellany includes one folder of unidentified set designs and one folder of unidentified story outlines, scripts, and script fragments. It is not clear for what genre these were intended.
Administrative/Restriction Information
Mr. Chayefsky retains literary rights to this collection.
Presented by Paddy Chayefsky, New York, N.Y., May 28, 1962 and December 15, 1969. Accession Number: MCHC62-037, MCHC69-135
Processed by Eleanor McKay, May 25, 1973.
Contents List
Box
1
Folder
1
|
Series: Correspondence, 1955-1957; n.d.
|
|
|
Series: Biographical Material
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|
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Clippings
|
|
Box
1
Folder
2
|
1953-1961
|
|
Box
1
Folder
3
|
1953-1972
|
|
Box
1
Folder
4
|
Memorabilia, 1955
|
|
|
Series: Writings
|
|
Box
1
Folder
5
|
High School articles, 1937-1939
|
|
Box
1
Folder
6
|
Articles, 1955-1959; n.d.
|
|
Box
1
Folder
7
|
Novella, “Go Fight City Hall” by Paddy Chayefsky and Alfred Gordon, 1951
|
|
Box
1
Folder
8
|
Essay in memory of Sir Tyrone Guthrie, 1971
|
|
Box
1
Folder
9
|
Book Review, n.d.
|
|
Box
1
Folder
10
|
Poetry, n.d.
|
|
Box
1
Folder
11
|
Clippings, 1969
|
|
|
Series: Theatre - Produced
|
|
|
No T/O For Love (Soldier Shows Company, 6817th Special Service, U.S. Army, 1945)
|
|
Box
1
Folder
12
|
Script
|
|
Box
1
Folder
13
|
Playbill
|
|
|
Middle of the Night (ANTA, 1956, Feb 8) : See box 10.
|
|
|
The Tenth Man (Booth, 1959, Nov 5)
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|
|
“The Dybbuk”
|
|
Box
1
Folder
14
|
Script, first rough draft
|
|
Box
1
Folder
15
|
Revised script, Acts I and II, and notes
|
|
|
“The Dybbuk from Woodhaven”
|
|
Box
1
Folder
16
|
Script
|
|
Box
2
Folder
1
|
Script
|
|
|
The Tenth Man
|
|
Box
2
Folder
2
|
Script
|
|
Box
2
Folder
3
|
Playbill
|
|
Box
2
Folder
4
|
Clippings, 1959-1960; 1967
|
|
Box
2
Folder
5
|
Reviews, 1959
|
|
Box
2
Folder
6
|
Le Dixième Homme (French production, 1961), script
|
|
|
Gideon (Plymouth, 1961, Nov 9)
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|
Box
2
Folder
7
|
Research material
|
|
Box
2
Folder
8
|
Notes, 1960, July 10
|
|
|
Script
|
|
Box
2
Folder
9
|
Act I, scene 1
|
|
Box
2
Folder
10
|
Act I, scenes 2 and 3
|
|
Box
2
Folder
11
|
Act I, scene 4
|
|
Box
2
Folder
11
|
Act II
|
|
Box
3
Folder
1-2
|
Script fragments, “Foul Papers”
|
|
Box
3
Folder
3
|
Script
|
|
Box
3
Folder
4
|
Script
|
|
Box
3
Folder
5
|
Script
|
|
Box
3
Folder
6
|
Script, 1960, Sept
|
|
Box
3
Folder
7
|
Script, before 1961, March 3
|
|
Box
3
Folder
8
|
Notebook re revisions, 1961, Jan 18
|
|
Box
3
Folder
9
|
Script
|
|
Box
4
Folder
1
|
Script
|
|
Box
4
Folder
2
|
Script fragments
|
|
Box
4
Folder
3
|
Script
|
|
Box
4
Folder
4
|
Script
|
|
Box
4
Folder
5
|
Script
|
|
Box
4
Folder
6
|
Script
|
|
Box
4
Folder
7
|
Blocking sketches and floor plans
|
|
Box
4
Folder
8
|
Writer's rehearsal notes
|
|
Box
4
Folder
9
|
Clippings, 1960; 1971
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|
|
The Passion of Josef D. (Ethel Barrymore, 1964, Feb 11)
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|
|
Research Material:
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|
|
Notes, 1962
|
|
Box
4
Folder
10
|
pp. 1-199
|
|
Box
4
Folder
11
|
pp. 200-349
|
|
Box
5
Folder
1
|
pp. 350-432
|
|
|
Notes on Lenin, n.d.
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|
Box
5
Folder
2
|
pp. 1-90
|
|
Box
5
Folder
3
|
pp. 91-221
|
|
Box
5
Folder
4
|
pp. 222-300
|
|
Box
5
Folder
5
|
pp. 301-383, 1a-c
|
|
Box
5
Folder
6
|
Notebook #1, on Lenin, 1962
|
|
Box
5
Folder
7
|
Notebook #2, on Lenin, 1962
|
|
Box
5
Folder
8
|
Notebook #3, on Lenin, 1962
|
|
Box
6
Folder
1
|
Notebook #4, on Lenin and Stalin, 1962
|
|
Box
6
Folder
2
|
Notebook #5, on Lenin and Stalin, 1962-1963
|
|
Box
6
Folder
3
|
Notes on Lenin, 1963, Jan 17
|
|
Box
6
Folder
4
|
Notes, 1963, Oct
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Box
6
Folder
5
|
Historical outline, n.d.
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|
|
Scripts:
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|
Box
6
Folder
6
|
Script summary, 1962, Feb-March
|
|
Box
6
Folder
7
|
“Hallelujah,” script
|
|
Box
6
Folder
8
|
The Passion of Josef D., early draft with set designs
|
|
Box
6
Folder
9
|
“Revolt,” script
|
|
|
The Passion of Josef D.
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|
Box
6
Folder
10
|
Script
|
|
Box
6
Folder
11
|
Script, 1963, Nov 11
|
|
Box
6
Folder
12
|
Script, 1963, Nov 11
|
|
Box
7
Folder
1
|
Script, 1963, Nov 11
|
|
Box
7
Folder
2
|
Script and set design
|
|
Box
7
Folder
3
|
Music
|
|
Box
7
Folder
4
|
Casting sheets, 1963
|
|
Box
7
Folder
5
|
Rehearsal notes, 1963-1964
|
|
Box
7
Folder
6
|
Director's notes, 1964
|
|
Box
7
Folder
7
|
Program
|
|
Box
7
Folder
8
|
Reviews: Drafts of letter to critic Harold Taubman, 1964, Feb 24
|
|
Box
7
Folder
9
|
Clippings, 1964
|
|
|
The Latent Heterosexual (Dallas Theatre Center, 1968, March 19)
|
|
Box
7
Folder
10
|
Clippings, 1968
|
|
|
Series: Theatre - Unproduced
|
|
Box
7
Folder
11
|
Untitled musical comedy, 1944-1945
|
|
Box
7
Folder
12
|
Unidentified lyrics, 1944-1945
|
|
|
“Put Them All Together”
|
|
Box
7
Folder
13
|
Script, 1947
|
|
Box
7
Folder
14
|
Script, 1947
|
|
|
“The Man Who Made the Mountain Shake”
|
|
Box
8
Folder
1
|
Untitled script, 1951, March 9
|
|
Box
8
Folder
2
|
Revised script, 1951, May 25
|
|
Box
8
Folder
3
|
Second revision, “Don Mario,” 1951, May 25
|
|
Box
8
Folder
4
|
Third revision, 1951, Aug 14
|
|
Box
8
Folder
5
|
Script, “Fifth From Garibaldi,” 1952
|
|
Box
8
Folder
6
|
Clippings, 1951-1954
|
|
|
“The Rabbit Trap”
|
|
Box
8
Folder
7
|
Script, by J. P. Miller, and critique by Chayefsky, 1956?.
|
|
Box
8
Folder
8
|
Sketches of two unpublished plays, 1964, Feb-March
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|
|
Series: Radio
|
|
|
The Meanest Man in the World (Theatre Guild of the Air, 1952, Jan 8)
|
|
Box
8
Folder
9
|
First draft
|
|
|
The Spectacle Lady (Cavalcade of America, 1952, May 5)
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Box
8
Folder
10
|
Correspondence, drafts, and production information
|
|
|
Series: Television - Produced Material
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|
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The Reluctant Citizen (Philco-Goodyear Television Playhouse, 1953, Feb 8)
|
|
Box
8
Folder
11
|
Script
|
|
|
Marty (Philco-Goodyear Playhouse, 1953, May 24)
|
|
Box
8
Folder
12
|
Script
|
|
|
Marty (UA, 1955)
|
|
Box
8
Folder
13
|
Correspondence, 1955, Dec 19
|
|
Box
8
Folder
14
|
Final screenplay, 1954, Oct 15
|
|
Box
9
Folder
1
|
Clippings re film's awards, 1954-1957
|
|
Box
9
Folder
2
|
Clippings re film and tv play, 1954-69
|
|
Box
9
Folder
3
|
“Marty” (galley of unidentified book), script, n.d.
|
|
|
The Bachelor Party (Goodyear Playhuse, 1953, Oct 11)
|
|
Box
9
Folder
4
|
Script and notes
|
|
Box
9
Folder
5
|
Script
|
|
Box
9
Folder
6
|
Script
|
|
Box
9
Folder
7
|
Script
|
|
|
The Bachelor Party (UA, 1957)
|
|
Box
9
Folder
8
|
Screenplay, first draft
|
|
Box
9
Folder
9
|
Screenplay, second draft
|
|
Box
9
Folder
10
|
Clippings, 1954-1957
|
|
Box
9
Folder
10
|
Legion of Decency ratings, n.d.
|
|
|
Printer's Measure (Goodyear Playhuse, 1953, April 26)
|
|
Box
9
Folder
11
|
Story idea, ca. 1953
|
|
Box
9
Folder
11
|
Published script (Literary Cavalcade, 1957, March)
|
|
|
The Mother (Philco Television Playhouse, 1954, April 4)
|
|
Box
9
Folder
12
|
Script
|
|
Box
9
Folder
13
|
Clippings, 1954, April
|
|
Box
9
Folder
14
|
Mati (Yugoslav TV production, 1958, Dec 17)
|
|
Box
10
Folder
1
|
“The Mother” (galley from Best TV Plays)
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|
|
Middle of the Night (Philco Television Playhouse, 1954, Sept 19)
|
|
Box
10
Folder
2
|
Script entitled “December Wedding”
|
|
Box
10
Folder
3
|
Final script with commercial
|
|
|
Middle of the Night (ANTA, 1956, Feb 8)
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|
Box
10
Folder
4
|
Script
|
|
Box
10
Folder
5
|
Clippings
|
|
|
Middle of the Night (Columbia, 1959)
|
|
Box
10
Folder
6
|
Script
|
|
Box
10
Folder
7
|
Script
|
|
Box
10
Folder
8
|
Script
|
|
Box
10
Folder
9
|
Script
|
|
Box
10
Folder
10
|
Script, second draft
|
|
Box
10
Folder
11
|
Script
|
|
Box
11
Folder
1
|
Revised script, 1958, Dec 9
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Box
11
Folder
2
|
Publicity
|
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Box
11
Folder
3
|
Reviews, U.S. and England, 1959
|
|
Box
11
Folder
4
|
Clippings, 1959
|
|
Box
11
Folder
5
|
Chayefsky memorabilia, 1959
|
|
|
Catch My Boy On Sunday (Philco Television Playhouse, 1954, Dec 12)
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Box
11
Folder
6
|
Script
|
|
Box
11
Folder
7
|
Script
|
|
Box
11
Folder
8
|
Clippings, 1954, Aug-Dec
|
|
|
First Person
|
|
Box
11
Folder
9
|
Clipping, 1954
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The Triangle Shirt Waist Company Fire (You Are There, n.d.)
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Box
11
Folder
10
|
Script
|
|
|
Series: Television - Unproduced Material
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Box
11
Folder
11
|
Rejected story outlines, 1952; n.d.
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“There's No Business”
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Box
11
Folder
12
|
Story ideas, n.d.
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Box
11
Folder
13
|
Script fragment, “The Five Day Clause,” 1955
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Box
11
Folder
14
|
Script, 1955
|
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Box
11
Folder
15
|
Script, 1955
|
|
Box
11
Folder
16
|
Clippings, 1955
|
|
Box
11
Folder
17
|
“The Senator and the Lady,” unproduced pilot for a series, story ideas, n.d.
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|
|
Series: Television - Published Plays
|
|
|
The Bachelor Party and Other TV Plays (New York: Simon and Schuster, 1955)
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|
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Galley
|
|
Box
12
Folder
1
|
Forward and Holiday Song
|
|
Box
12
Folder
2
|
Printer's Measure
|
|
Box
12
Folder
3
|
The Big Deal
|
|
Box
12
Folder
4
|
Marty
|
|
Box
12
Folder
5
|
The Mother
|
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Box
12
Folder
6
|
The Bachelor Party
|
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Box
12
Folder
7
|
Clippings, 1955
|
|
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Series: Motion Pictures - Produced
|
|
|
Marty (UA, 1955) : See boxes 8 and 9.
|
|
|
The Catered Affair (MGM, 1956)
|
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Box
12
Folder
8
|
Story outline
|
|
Box
12
Folder
8
|
Clippings
|
|
|
The Bachelor Party (UA, 1957) : See Box 9.
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|
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The Goddess (Columbia, 1958)
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Box
12
Folder
9
|
Script, first carbon copy
|
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Box
12
Folder
10
|
Script
|
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Box
13
Folder
1
|
Script, 1957, April 1
|
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Box
13
Folder
2
|
Scenario published in Esquire, 1958, March
|
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Box
13
Folder
3
|
Publicity
|
|
Box
13
Folder
4
|
Legion of Decency rating
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|
Box
13
Folder
5
|
Brussels Film Festival, 1958
|
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Box
13
Folder
6
|
Edinburgh Film Festival, 1958, Aug-Sept
|
|
Box
13
Folder
7
|
Reviews, England, 1958
|
|
Box
13
Folder
8
|
Reviews, United States and international, 1958
|
|
|
Middle of the Night (Columbia, 1959) : See Boxes 10-11.
|
|
|
The Americanization of Emily (MGM, 1964)
|
|
Box
13
Folder
9
|
Script, rough draft by Huie, 1963, March 18
|
|
Box
13
Folder
10
|
Notes
|
|
|
Scripts
|
|
Box
13
Folder
11
|
Chayefsky's first draft, 1963, June 10
|
|
Box
13
Folder
12
|
Mimeographed first draft, 1963, June 11
|
|
Box
13
Folder
13
|
Rough draft, 1963, June 20
|
|
Box
14
Folder
1
|
First revision and research reports, 1963, June 20
|
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Box
14
Folder
2
|
Second revision, 1963, July 1
|
|
Box
14
Folder
3
|
Final draft, 1963, Aug 15
|
|
Box
14
Folder
4
|
Script, 1963, Aug 15-Oct 11
|
|
Box
14
Folder
5
|
Script, 1963, Oct 11
|
|
Box
14
Folder
6
|
Script, 1963, Oct 11
|
|
Box
15
Folder
1
|
Script, 1963, Oct 11
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Box
15
Folder
2
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Script and draft fragments, 1963, Oct 11
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Box
15
Folder
3
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Casting
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The Cincinnati Kid (MGM, 1965)
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Box
15
Folder
4
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Notes, 1964
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Box
15
Folder
5
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Notes, n.d.
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Box
15
Folder
6
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Story, n.d.
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Box
15
Folder
7
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Notes and draft, 1963, March 25-1964, April 2
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Box
15
Folder
8
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Draft, 1964, March
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Box
15
Folder
9
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Notes and draft, 1964, March-July
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Notes and draft, 1964, March-July
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Box
15
Folder
10
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Part I
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Box
16
Folder
1
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Part II
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Box
16
Folder
2
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Part III
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Box
16
Folder
3
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Notes and draft, 1964, April
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Box
16
Folder
4
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Draft, 1964, May
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Box
16
Folder
5
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Notes and draft, 1964, May
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Box
16
Folder
6
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Draft, 1964, July
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Box
16
Folder
7
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Notes and draft, n.d.
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Box
16
Folder
8
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Notes and draft, n.d.
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Box
16
Folder
9
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Draft, n.d.
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Box
16
Folder
10
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Notes and draft, n.d.
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Box
16
Folder
11
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Draft, n.d.
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The Hospital (1972)
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Box
17
Folder
1
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Clippings, 1970-1972
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Series: Motion Pictures - Unproduced
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“The Great American Hoax”
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Box
17
Folder
2
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Script, ca. 1955
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Box
17
Folder
3
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Script entitled “A Few Kind Words From Newark,” ca. 1955
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Box
17
Folder
4
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Clippings, 1957
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Box
17
Folder
5
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“Three Master Scenes for a Screenplay,” n.d.
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Box
17
Folder
6
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Untitled story idea, n.d.
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Series: Miscellany
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Box
17
Folder
7
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Unidentified story outlines, scripts, and script fragments, n.d.
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Box
17
Folder
8
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Unidentified set designs, n.d.
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