Summary Information
Tom Donovan Papers 1943-1974
U.S. Mss 153AN
6.0 c.f. (15 archives boxes)
Wisconsin Historical Society Archives / Wisconsin Center for Film and Theater Research Contact Information
Wisconsin Historical Society (Map)
Papers of Tom Donavan, a television producer-director known for his work on dramatic anthologies and daytime serials. Of the many programs on which Donovan worked, the collection is best for CBS Daytime 90, Hallmark Hall of Fame (NBC), Love Is a Many Splendored Thing (CBS), Love of Life (CBS), Studio One (CBS), United States Steel Hour (CBS), Where the Heart Is (CBS), and A World Apart (ABC). Types of documentation include correspondence, scripts, notes, budgets, set designs, photographs, and reviews. Other sections contain minutes and correspondence pertaining to his activities in the Directors Guild of America and miscellaneous correspondence with other professional organizations. English
http://digital.library.wisc.edu/1711.dl/wiarchives.uw-whs-us0153an ↑ Bookmark this ↑
Biography/History
Tom Donovan was born on August 1, 1922, in Boston, Massachusetts to John J. and Florence R. (Hackett) Donovan. He has one brother, John J., Jr., a commercial artist. As a child, Donovan attended Boston public schools and later Cornell University and Boston's Curry College, where he majored in drama. He served in the U.S. Army Signal Corps from 1942 to 1946.
After leaving the Army he worked as a projectionist traveling out of Boston showing film classics throughout New England, and also spent a year as stage manager, lighting director, and actor with the Barter Theater of Abingdon, Virginia.
Moving to New York, Donovan worked as stage manager on Broadway in The Vigil (Royale, 1948, May 21). He then became involved with Goodbye, My Fancy (Morosco, 1948, Nov) also on Broadway and with the touring company, where he met his wife-to-be, actress Marie Phillips. They were married in 1951 and at this writing have two children, Kathleen and Kevin.
From 1950 to 1959 Donovan was with CBS-TV as stage manager, progressing rapidly to assistant director then director assigned to the Adventure series with Charles Collingwood. Donovan followed this with The Morning Show with Walter Cronkite. Thereafter, he became known as a director of dramas on such series as Danger!, Suspense, Studio One, Du Pont Show of the Month, Playhouse 90, and The U.S. Steel Hour.
Individual shows for which Donovan is especially noted include “The Time of Your Life” (10/9/58) with Jackie Gleason on Playhouse 90; “Hasty Heart” (12/18/58) on the Du Pont Show of the Month; “The Three Musketeers” (12/4-5/60) and “Vanity Fair” (1/12-13/61) on Family Classics; The Roots of Freedom series (1963-64), a segment of which was filmed in Greece with Alfred Lunt and Lynn Fontanne; and “The Old Lady Shows Her Medals,” the final U.S. Steel Hour show (6/12/63), also with Lunt and Fontanne.
From 1964 through 1965 Donovan directed the soap opera Another World on NBC, to which he returned after time out in 1965 for a brief stint with Our Private World. He remained with Another World until launching production of Love Is A Many Splendored Thing in 1967.
In 1968 Donovan began freelancing and did so until 1970 when he took the reins of A World Apart, another daytime drama series, on ABC. One year later, Donovan moved back to CBS to direct Where the Heart Is until 1973. In late 1973 he became executive producer of the short-lived CBS Daytime 90.
Donovan has been nominated for two Emmy Awards, has been awarded one for his contributions to Playhouse 90, and has been given the George Foster Peabody Award for the Adventure series.
Various professional organizations Donovan has been associated with include the Directors Guild of America, as a member of the National Board and the Eastern Council; the defunct Radio and Television Directors Guild, as president; The Players, a fellowship of people in the fine arts world; and the National Academy of Television Arts and Sciences.
Scope and Content Note
The Tom Donovan Papers, 1943-1974, consist primarily of scripts, correspondence, and production materials for television productions Donovan has been involved in; and of material on the Directors Guild of America. There is also a small file of correspondence arranged by topic, six folders of ABC and CBS television network policy and standards documents, and two folders re his work in the theater. The final arrangement of the collection generally reflects the condition in which Donovan maintained it.
Donovan has been quite active in the professional and collective bargaining organizations in theater and television, which is well illustrated by his correspondence, as well as by his files of ABC and CBS policy and operations documents in Box 14 and by the Directors Guild of America files. The correspondence in Boxes 1 and 2 is arranged by topic, and other correspondence is scattered throughout the collection.
The ABC and CBS network documents include a 1966 ABC standards and policies booklet, a 1965 CBS introduction to color booklet, a 1972 “Daytime Drama on the CBS Television Network,” a folder of CBS correspondence re standards and policies, 1956-1973, and a folder of CBS time records for Donovan and his secretary, 1973.
The Directors Guild of America files include minutes of many meetings from its inception in 1960 to early 1974, and correspondence in the same time period between members and the national office re the purpose and direction of the Guild, its publications, and its responsibilities to the television and motion picture industries. Arrangement is generally chronological.
Two folders in Box 5 concern Donovan's early theater experiences, 1946-1950, and his part in the production of Harvey (Ivoryton Theatre, Ivoryton, Connecticut, 1957, week of September 10).
The television production materials contain items covering many aspects of production, including correspondence, scripts, notes, budgets, set designs, reviews, and other documents. Produced and unproduced materials are arranged together in a chronological file organized by individual episode; occasionally episodes prepared for one series are scattered throughout the file, but there is an index for these series that precedes the container list. The material spans the years 1950 to 1974. The earlier files concern programs for such series as Studio One, the U.S. Steel Hour, Playhouse 90, Family Classics, and The Roots of Freedom. After 1964 there are files on soap operas and daytime shows like Love Is a Many Splendored Thing, CBS Daytime 90, and A World Apart in addition to material for nighttime programs like the Hallmark Hall of Fame, NYPD, and The Story of John Peter Zenger. Box 15 contains set designs for some of these productions, and thirteen oversize set designs have been transferred to the Visual Material section. Photographs found in the collection were transferred to the General Stills Archive of the Wisconsin Center for Film and Theater Research, but copies were left with the papers.
Administrative/Restriction Information
Placed on deposit by Tom Donovan, New York, NY, August 21, 1974. Accession Number: MCHC74-81
Processed by Eleanor McKay and G. Siordia.
Contents List
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Series: Correspondence
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Box
1
Folder
1
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Personal, 1943-1974
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Box
1
Folder
2
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Casting agency, correspondence and lists, 1957-1973
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Box
1
Folder
3
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Re novel Emes Morris by Milt Weiner, 1963
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Box
1
Folder
4
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American National Theatre and Television Academy, re proposed series of television specials, 1963, Dec. 6
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Box
1
Folder
5
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Conference of Motion Picture and Television Unions: correspondence, minutes, constitution, 1973, Mar.
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Box
1
Folder
6
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New York City's Office of Collective Bargaining: directory, summary of decisions, 1973
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Box
1
Folder
7
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Neilsen Ratings, 1st and 2nd reports, April 1974
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Box
1
Folder
8-9
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Legal correspondence, 1960, 1964-1972
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Box
2
Folder
1
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Directors Service, Inc., correspondence re pensions and profit sharing, 1966-1967
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Box
2
Folder
2
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National Academy of Television Arts and Sciences, 1956-1974
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Box
2
Folder
3
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William McCaffrey Agency, 1958-1971
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Box
2
Folder
4
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Phil Gersh Agency, 1968-1972
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Box
2
Folder
5
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The Players (Fellowship), 1955-1971
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Series: Directors Guild of America Records
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Box
2
Folder
6
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Radio and Television Directors Guild, policy documents and correspondence, 1955-1960
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Correspondence
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Box
2
Folder
7
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1960-1962
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Box
2
Folder
8
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1963
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Box
2
Folder
9
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1964
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Box
2
Folder
10
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1965
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Box
2
Folder
11
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1966
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Box
2
Folder
12
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Basic agreement and correspondence, 1968
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Box
2
Folder
13
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Contract negotiations with television networks, 1968-1969
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Box
2
Folder
14
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Minutes, Correspondence, DGA agreement with Director's Service, 1969
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Box
3
Folder
1
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Minutes, correspondence, by-laws, 1970
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Box
3
Folder
2
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Minutes, Awards dinner, Annual meeting, 1971
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Box
3
Folder
3
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Education and Benevolent Foundation, National board meetings, correspondence, 1971
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Box
3
Folder
4
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Soviet directors' U.S. visit, 1971, Feb.
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Box
3
Folder
5
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Minutes, 1972
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Box
3
Folder
6
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Elia Kazan dispute, Proprietary rights, task force on International Brotherhood of Electrical Workers Strike, Independent Live and Tape Supplement
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Box
3
Folder
7
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Negotiations with American Motion Picture and Television Producers, (AMPTP) correspondence of publications committee, awards dinner, general correspondence, 1972
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Box
4
Folder
1
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DGA-CBS television staff, stage managers, agreement for 1972
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Box
4
Folder
2
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Minutes, annual meeting, 1973
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Box
4
Folder
3
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Action magazine, negotiations with AMPTP, disciplinary action, national conventions and elections
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Box
4
Folder
4
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DGA-CBS agreement for television staff associate directors, 1973
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Box
4
Folder
5
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General correspondence, 1973
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Box
4
Folder
6
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(DGA) President's Special Committee on Internal Affairs, Elia Kazan speech, 1973
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Box
4
Folder
7
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Obscenity and the Supreme Court, 1973-1974
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Box
4
Folder
8
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Minutes, Action magazine and general correspondence, 1974
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Series: Theater - produced
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Box
5
Folder
1
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Early theater experience as actor, stage manager, lighting director, 1946-1950
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Box
5
Folder
17
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Harvey (Ivoryton Theatre, Ivoryton, Conn., 1957, week of Sept. 10), correspondence
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Series: Television - produced and unproduced
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Big Town
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Box
5
Folder
2
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Two scripts, 1950-1951
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Medallion Theatre
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Box
5
Folder
3
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Article, 1953, August
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Mama
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Box
5
Folder
4
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Telegram, 1953
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Morning Show
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Box
5
Folder
5
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Correspondence, articles
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Danger!
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Box
5
Folder
6
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Correspondence, title cards, 1954-1955
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Adventure
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Box
5
Folder
7
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Correspondence, 1954-1955
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Project proposals - script outlines, 1955
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Box
5
Folder
8
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“Troubled Night”
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Box
5
Folder
8
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“People Downstairs”
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Box
5
Folder
8
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“Will Shakespeare - A Program for Television”
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Robert Q. Lewis Show
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Box
5
Folder
9
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Production materials, 1956
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Hawk
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Box
8
Folder
4
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“The Longleat Chronicles” ( 1956, Sept. 15), script, production material, correspondence
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Climax
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Box
5
Folder
10
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Production materials, 1956-1958
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Studio One
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Box
5
Folder
11
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“Star-spangled Soldier” ( 1956, April 21), script, director's notes, production material, correspondence
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Box
5
Folder
12
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“Snap Your Fingers” ( 1956, June 18). correspondence and reviews
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Box
5
Folder
13
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“Emmaline” ( 1956, July 16), correspondence
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President's (Eisenhower) Birthday Party ( 1956, Oct. 13)
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Box
5
Folder
14
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Script
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Studio One
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Box
5
Folder
15
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“Babe in the Woods” ( 1957, May 13), script, production material
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Box
5
Folder
16
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“The Weston Strain” ( 1957, May 27), script, production material
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Box
5
Folder
18
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“The Night America Trembled” ( 1957, Sept. 10), reviews
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Box
5
Folder
19
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“Mutiny on the Shark,” Parts I and II ( 1957, Sept. 30), script, production material
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Box
6
Folder
1
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“Act of Mercy” ( 1957, Oct. 14), reviews
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Box
6
Folder
2
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“Brotherhood of the Bell” ( 1958, Jan. 6), correspondence, reviews : See Box 15 for set designs.
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Box
6
Folder
3
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“Trial By Slander” ( 1958, Jan. 20), casting material, script, correspondence, reviews : See box 15 for set designs.
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Box
6
Folder
4
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“The Laughing Willow” ( 1958, Feb. 3), script, rehearsal schedule, reviews
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Box
6
Folder
5
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“The Lonely Stage” ( 1958, Feb. 24), script, correspondence, reviews
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Box
6
Folder
6
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“The Kurishiki Incident” ( 1958, May 12), script, production material, correspondence, reviews
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Box
6
Folder
7
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“The Man Who Asked for a Funeral” ( 1958, June 23), review
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U.S. Steel Hour
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Box
6
Folder
8
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“Climate of Marriage” ( 1958, July 30), correspondence, reviews
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|
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Playhouse 90
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Box
6
Folder
9
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“Time of Your Life” ( 1958, Oct. 9), script, production material, reviews
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|
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U.S. Steel Hour
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Box
6
Folder
10
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“One Red Rose for Christmas” ( 1958, Dec. 17), correspondence, reviews
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|
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Du Pont Show of the Month
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Box
6
Folder
11
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“Hasty Heart” ( 1958, Dec. 18), script, production material, reviews
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U.S. Steel Hour
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Box
6
Folder
12
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“Dangerous Interlude” ( 1959, Jan. 24), correspondence, reviews
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|
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Suspense
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Box
6
Folder
13
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Staff list, Jan. 1959
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Baker's Wife
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Box
6
Folder
14
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Script, March 1959
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U.S. Steel Hour
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Box
6
Folder
15
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“Little Tin God” ( 1959, April 22), scripts, production material, reviews
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Box
7
Folder
1
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“Seed of Guilt” ( 1959, Aug. 12), scripts, production material
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The Bells of St. Mary's ( 1959, Oct. 27)
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Box
7
Folder
2
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Script, production material, reviews
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Buick Electra Playhouse
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Box
7
Folder
3
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“The Killers” ( 1959, Nov. 19), script, production material, reviews
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Art Carney Show
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Box
7
Folder
4
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“Call Me Back” ( 1960, Jan. 16), reviews
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The Devil and Daniel Webster
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Box
7
Folder
5
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Reviews
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Valley of Decision ( 1960, March 20)
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Box
7
Folder
6
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Correspondence, reviews
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Ninotchka ( 1960, April 20)
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Box
7
Folder
7
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Correspondence, reviews
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U.S. Steel Hour
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Box
7
Folder
8
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“Game of Hearts” ( 1960, June), correspondence, reviews
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Family Classics
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Box
7
Folder
9
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“The Three Musketeers” ( 1960, Dec. 4-5), correspondence, reviews
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Box
7
Folder
10
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“Vanity Fair” ( 1961, Jan. 12-13), script, cast recommendations, reviews
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U.S. Steel Hour
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Box
7
Folder
11
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“Devil Makes Sunday” ( 1961, Jan. 25), correspondence
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Box
7
Folder
12
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“Special Kind of Summer” ( 1961, Feb. 11), script
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Way Out
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Box
7
Folder
13
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Staff, director's contract, 1961, March-April
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Greatest Man in the World ( 1961, April 1)
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Box
7
Folder
14
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Script, correspondence
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U.S. Steel Hour
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Box
7
Folder
15
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“Doubled Edged Sword” ( 1961, July), script reviews
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The Dispossessed
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Box
7
Folder
16
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Revised script, 1961, Sept. 18
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U.S. Steel Hour
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Box
8
Folder
1
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“Man on a Mountaintop” ( 1961, Nov. 15), script, reviews
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Breck Golden Showcase
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Box
8
Folder
2
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“Saturday's Children” ( 1962, Feb. 25), script, production material
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U.S. Steel Hour
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Box
8
Folder
3
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“A Man for Oona” ( 1962, May 12), script
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The First Day
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Box
8
Folder
4
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Production material, script, 1962, June 5
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East of the City
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Box
8
Folder
5
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Pilot episode #1, script, second draft, 1963, Jan. 14
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Roots of Freedom
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Box
8
Folder
6
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“The Golden Age” ( 1963, May), script, production material, correspondence
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U.S. Steel Hour
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Box
8
Folder
7
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“The Old Lady Shows Her Medals” ( 1963, June 12), script, production material, reviews
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Roots of Freedom
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Box
8
Folder
8
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“Athens, Where the Theatre Began” ( 1963, Sept. 11), script, production material
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Box
8
Folder
9
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“In Defense of Rome” ( 1963, Nov.), script, production material, correspondence
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Pieta Special
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Box
8
Folder
10
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Correspondence, photographs, 1963-1964
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Du Pont Show of the Week
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Box
8
Folder
11
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“A Day Like Today” ( 1964, Feb. 15), correspondence, script
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Another World
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Box
9
Folder
1
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Format, production material, correspondence, 1964-1965 : See box 15 for set designs.
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As the World Turns (night-time) ( 1965, May 5)
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Box
9
Folder
2
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Production material
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Our Private World
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Box
9
Folder
3
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Article, 1965
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Love Is a Many Splendored Thing, 1967-1969
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Box
9
Folder
5
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Budget, press releases, correspondence
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Box
9
Folder
6
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Talent lists, music
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Box
9
Folder
7
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Production materials, personnel applications, script # 152
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Hallmark Hall of Fame
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Box
9
Folder
8-9
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“A Punt, a Pass, and a Prayer” ( 1968, Nov. 20), script, production material, correspondence
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NYPD
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Box
9
Folder
10
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“Who's Got the Bundle?,” 1968, Nov.-Dec., scenic design, script, production material
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Hallmark Hall of Fame
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Box
10
Folder
1
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“Teacher! Teacher!, ” revised script, 1968
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By Appointment Only - a series of television episodes
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Box
10
Folder
2
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Copyright, 1968
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The Choice ( 1969, March 30)
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Box
10
Folder
3
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Scripts re heart transplant, production material, correspondence, reviews
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The Prodigal ( 1969, May 1)
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Box
10
Folder
4
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Script, production material, correspondence, reviews
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The Protectors
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Box
10
Folder
5
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Series projection; guide for writers, 1969
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Box
10
Folder
5
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“Draw a Straight Man,” production material, script, 1969, July-Aug.
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All My Worlds - proposed series
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Box
10
Folder
6
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Copyright, 1969
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Once Upon a World (1970 March 8)
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Box
10
Folder
7
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Script, director's contract, production material, audience response, correspondence : See box 15 for set designs.
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A World Apart
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Box
10
Folder
8
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Scripts #1, 314, 322, 1970
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Box
10
Folder
9
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Budget and contracts, 1970-1971
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Box
10
Folder
10
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Production material, 1970-1971
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Box
11
Folder
1
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Correspondence, 1970-1971
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Box
11
Folder
2
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Storyline and character sketches, 1970-1971
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Another Spring
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Box
11
Folder
3
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Production materials, correspondence, 1970
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The Sweetest Sounds: A Salute to Richard Rodgers
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Box
11
Folder
4
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Proposed format, 1970
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Reap the Harvest - proposed series
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Box
11
Folder
5
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Storyline, script #1, 1970
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The Guiding Light
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Box
11
Folder
6
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Production materials, correspondence, 1971
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The Story of John Peter Zenger
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Box
11
Folder
7
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Story outline, 1971, June
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Written in the Stars
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Box
11
Folder
8
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Proposed format, 1971, Sept. 17
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Where the Heart Is
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Box
11
Folder
9
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Series projection, 1971-1973
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Box
11
Folder
10
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Production material, correspondence
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Harriet ( 1972, Feb. 3)
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Box
11
Folder
11-12
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Script, production material : See box 15 for set designs.
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Matinee Today
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Box
11
Folder
13
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“Report the Melody,” script, production materials, correspondence, 1973
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Love of Life
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Box
12
Folder
1-2
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Budget, writing, director, and other production position applications, 1973
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CBS Daytime 90
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|
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Writing, director, and other production positions applications, 1973
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Box
11
Folder
14
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Part 1
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Box
12
Folder
1-2
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Part 2
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Box
12
Folder
3-4
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Status reports, budget, properties, 1973
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Box
12
Folder
5
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Other production material, 1973
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Box
12
Folder
6
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“Legacy of Fear” ( 1974, Feb. 11), script, production material
|
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Box
12
Folder
7
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“My Little Love” ( 1974, Feb. 15), script, production material
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Box
13
Folder
1
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“Trio for Lovers” ( 1974, Feb.), scripts, production material
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Box
13
Folder
2
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“Run, Valerie, Run” ( 1974, Feb.), script, production material
|
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Box
13
Folder
3
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“The Four of Us,” script, notes, 1973, April-1974, Feb.
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Box
13
Folder
4
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“The Drifter,” correspondence, script, notes, 1973, Nov.-Dec.
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Box
13
Folder
5
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“The Guest Room,” correspondence, script, production material, 1973, Nov.-1974, Feb.
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Box
13
Folder
6
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“For Love of Laurie,” correspondence, script, notes, 1973, Dec : See box 15 for set designs.
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Box
13
Folder
7
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“Once in Her Life,” correspondence, script, production material, 1973, Nov.-Dec.
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Afternoon Playbreak
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Box
14
Folder
1
|
“The Last Bride of Salem” ( 1974, May 8), script, production material
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The Norming of Jack 243
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Box
14
Folder
2
|
First draft script, 1974, May 24
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Box
14
Folder
3
|
Untitled, anonymous script, undated
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Box
15
|
Set designs for Harriet, Daytime 90 episodes, Once Upon a World, a Salem Village program, Another World, Studio One's “Trial By Slander” and “Brotherhood of the Bell,” and several other unidentified productions
|
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Box
15
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Oversize certificates, 1971, 1973
|
|
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Series: Network Documents
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Box
14
Folder
4-5
|
“ABC Standards and Policies, I-II,” issued 1966, June 30
|
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Box
14
Folder
6
|
CBS-“An Introduction to Color,” 1965, June
|
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Box
14
Folder
7
|
“Daytime Drama on the CBS Television Network,” 1972, May
|
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Box
14
Folder
8
|
CBS Correspondence, 1956-1973
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|
Box
14
Folder
9
|
CBS-Time records for Donovan and his secretary, 1973, Oct.-1974, Feb.
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