Title: Melvyn Douglas Papers
Inclusive Dates: 1892-1983

Creator:

• Douglas, Melvyn, 1901-1981

Call Number: U.S. Mss 100AN; Micro 1181; Disc 102A; Disc 192A

Quantity: 8.0 c.f. (15 archives boxes and 2 flat boxes), 3 reels of microfilm (35mm), 19 disc recordings, memorabilia, and photographs

Repository:

Wisconsin Historical Society Archives / Wisconsin Center for Film and Theater Research
Contact Information

Archival Locations:

COLLECTION MAY BE STORED OFF-SITE: see catalog entry to request materials and for additional information.

Wisconsin Historical Society (Map)

Abstract:

Papers, mainly 1938-1981, of an award-winning actor pertaining to his stage, screen, and television career and to his many political and humanitarian concerns. Theatrical files range in completeness with the most extensive relating to his performances in The Best Man (1960), First Monday in October (1975), Inherit the Wind (1955), Juno (1959) and Time Out for Ginger (1952), and to his production of Call Me Mister with Herman Levin in 1946. Documentation on these includes correspondence, contracts, clippings and scrapbooks (available only on microfilm), and miscellaneous production information. Material on his early motion picture work is scarce, but there are scripts and related materials for Being There (1979), I Never Sang For My Father (1970), and Tell Me a Riddle (1980), as well as for his television work on “Do Not Go Gentle Into That Good Night” (1967). The collection also includes stills and photographs for many productions in which Douglas appeared. General correspondence, mainly 1938-1950, pertains to Douglas' political activities especially as a member of the Motion Picture Democratic Committee, Americans for Democratic Action, and the American Veterans Committee; work for the White House Conference on Children in a Democracy; and his controversial appointment to the Office of Civil Defense in 1942. There is also material on his military service during World War II. Among the prominent correspondents are Robert W. Anderson, Brooks Atkinson, Ralph Bellamy, Kermit Bloomgarden, Hume Cronyn, Paul H. Douglas, William O. Douglas, Abba Eban, Clark Eichelberger, James T. Farrell, Elmer Gertz, Donald Hyatt, Harold Ickes, Lady Bird Johnson, Loring Mandel, Burgess Meredith, Worthington Miner, Louis Nizer, George Norris, Paul O'Dwyer, Joseph L. Rauh, Robert Redford, Walter Reuther, Eleanor Roosevelt, James Roosevelt, Benjamin Spock, Barrie Stavis, Daniel J. Tobin, Dan Totheroh, and Walter Wanger. Also part of the papers are scripts and recordings for radio broadcasts, speeches and writings, financial records, memorabilia and biographical miscellany, photographs, and research material (some available only on microfilm) compiled by Douglas biographer Tom Arthur.

Language: English

URL to cite for this finding aid: http://digital.library.wisc.edu/1711.dl/wiarchives.uw-whs-us0100an

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Melvyn Douglas, one of the few individuals ever to receive the top award in three acting genres, was born in Macon, Georgia on April 5, 1901 to Edouard and Lena Douglas Hesselberg. Douglas began his theatrical career after service in World War I. During the early 1920's he toured in the Midwest with the William Owen, John E. Kellerd, and Dorothy La Verne companies. In 1922 he acted in the productions of The Playmongers in Chicago, and he later managed the Majestic Players in Madison, Wisconsin. Later he performed with the repertory company of Jesse Bonstelle in Detroit. It was Bonstelle who suggested the necessity of the stage name Douglas, which was a maternal family name. Douglas then moved to New York where he made his Broadway debut in 1928 in A Free Soul under contract with the Broadway producer William A. Brady.

Two years later he played opposite Helen Gahagan in Tonight or Never, David Belasco's last production. Douglas and Gahagan were married during the play's run in 1931. The production was such a hit that Douglas was hired to play in the motion picture version. His second film, As You Desire Me (1932), in which he appeared with Greta Garbo established Douglas as a romantic leading man. This was followed by a succession of similar light comedy roles in which he appeared opposite such stars as Claudette Colbert, Joan Crawford, Loretta Young, and Myrna Loy. Despite his success, Douglas disliked the studio contract system and the genre in which he was typecast, and he turned to Broadway for more challenging work. During the 1930's he also directed Moor Born by Dan Totheroh and Sean O'Casey's Within the Gates.

Because of dissatisfaction with his motion picture work, after 1936 Douglas and Helen Gahagan became increasingly involved with politics. Their first activities centered on migrant labor problems; the 1938 campaign of Culbert Olsen, the Democratic candidate for governor; and support for U.S. entry into World War II. Eventually Douglas became one of President Roosevelt's strongest supporters in California, and in 1940 he was the first motion picture actor to be selected as a state delegate to the National Democratic Convention. As a result of his political activity Douglas was much criticized by conservatives. After U.S. entry into the war Douglas conceived of the idea of a council of writers and performers within the Office of Civilian Defense. His appointment to head the Arts Division, which he managed from Hollywood while still under studio contract, prompted renewed personal criticism. In 1942 Douglas volunteered for active duty and was assigned to a Special Services unit in India. In this capacity Douglas developed an Entertainment Production Unit in which touring companies comprised of soldiers presented productions throughout the China-Burma-India theater. Call Me Mister, a Broadway review featuring performances by former soldiers, which Douglas co-produced in 1946 with Herman Levin, was an outgrowth of this assignment.

After his war service Douglas returned to Hollywood, but in 1951 he turned his back on motion pictures and returned to Broadway. During the following years he appeared in several unsuccessful plays by well-known playwrights (The Bird Cage by Arthur Laurents and Let Me Hear the Melody by S.N. Behrman) and the popular comedy hit, Time Out for Ginger. He also directed and played in Glad Tidings. In 1955 he was cast as a substitute for the ailing Paul Muni in Inherit the Wind. His much-acclaimed performance as Clarence Darrow marked the end of Douglas' stereotyped casting as a light comedy player. In subsequent years he appeared in The Gang's All Here, Spofford, Juno, and The Best Man, for which he received the Tony Award for best actor, and he extended his range by appearing in several important television productions including a re-creation of his stage role in Inherit the Wind, which earned an Emmy nomination, and Do Not Go Gentle Into That Good Night, which won the 1968 Emmy for best actor.

In Spain on vacation in 1961 Douglas was hired by Peter Ustinov who was there on location filming Billy Budd. This role marked Douglas' return to the screen; thereafter Douglas would gain a reputation as an increasingly successful character actor. In 1963 he was cast as Paul Newman's father in Hud, a performance which won him the Academy Award for supporting actor. In 1970 he was nominated for best actor for his work in I Never Sang for My Father, and in 1980 he again won top honors in the supporting actor category for Being There. Other films in which he appeared included The Americanization of Emily (1964), The Candidate (1972), Grandpa Doc (1977), The Seduction of Joe Tynan (1979), The Changling (1980), and Tell Me a Riddle (1980).

Helen Gahagan died of cancer on June 28, 1980. Melvyn Douglas died on August 4, 1981. His autobiography, See You At the Movies, which was co-authored with Tom Arthur, appeared in 1986.

The Melvyn Douglas Papers consist of material relating to both his private life and his professional career. The papers are best on his post-1951 acting career and on his political and humanitarian concerns dating from 1938 through the 1940's. (This aspect of his activities is also the focus of an additional collection of Melvyn Douglas Papers at the University of Oklahoma.) There are only scattered references to the career and activities of Helen Gahagan Douglas in the papers.

The papers are arranged as Acting Files, Speeches and Writings, Correspondence, Subject Files, and Biographical Material.

The ACTING FILES are divided by genre and then arranged chronologically by production. The theatre files, which are the most extensive, date from a program for a high school production of Quality Street to files on First Monday in October in which he appeared in 1975. Also relating to his early stage career is a combined file which relates to his experience with several theatrical troupes during the 1920's. These files, portions of which are available only on microfilm, include programs, clippings, and photographs. Also notable among the early theatrical documentation is the correspondence and production files on Call Me Mister, the review Douglas produced with Herman Levin in 1946, which featured returning GIs.

Files on Douglas' post-1951 stage career are more complete, variously including correspondence, contracts, scripts (some annotated in the actor's own hand), playbills, clippings, and musical scores. Photographs received with the papers which pertain to these productions have been separated to the WCFTR Theatre Title File. Most extensive of the stage files are holdings on Time Out for Ginger (1952), Inherit the Wind (1955), Juno (1959), The Gang's All Here (1959), The Best Man (1961), Spofford (1967), and First Monday in October. For none of these, however, except Inherit the Wind is the correspondence extensive, and even for this production the correspondence is primarily made up of letters of congratulation rather than information about the production. Single items of note elsewhere in the section include letters from Lawrence and Lee (in First Monday in October), a letter from a biographer of Jack MacGowran (Douglas' costar in Juno) containing information about the staging of the musical, and correspondence with Hume Cronyn about character interpretation for The Man in the Dog Suit.

Except for clippings and a script for Tonight or Never the collection contains no documentation on Douglas' motion picture work during the 1930's and 1940's, the period when he earned his reputation as one of Hollywood's most prominent leading men in light comedies. The material presented by Douglas did include, however, a large quantity of photographs from his films of this period, which are now available by production title in the WCFTR Stills File. Douglas' work after 1962 as a motion picture character actor is more fully represented in the papers, but even here documentation on some of his most acclaimed roles is disappointing. Hud, for example, is represented only by contracts and clippings, although there are variant scripts, box office statements, and correspondence (some from Barrie Stavis) for I Never Sang for My Father and Being There. Also notable among the motion picture files is a letter from Robert Redford and chapters from The Genuine Article, both of which concern the making of The Candidate.

Documentation on Douglas' television work is similarly incomplete, although the collection includes scripts for Do Not Go Gentle Into That Good Night, for which he received an Emmy Award, as well as for several other notable performances. Filed under the heading of oral interpretations are scripts and recordings of various radio plays and documentation pertaining to various commercial recordings in which Douglas was featured.

Also grouped with the Acting Files are contracts, which primarily relate to his association with the William Morris Agency, and several scripts apparently sent to Douglas for review. These include Morning's at Seven, which was sent to him by Paul Osborn, and a typescript play by his friend Dan Totheroh.

The papers also include three folders of chronologically-arranged SPEECHES AND WRITINGS and some poetry written by Douglas as a young man. The majority of the speeches and writings concern Douglas' political activities during the 1940's. Printed copies of a few articles he wrote about Hollywood are included with the microfilmed biographical clippings.

Four boxes of the collection consist of chronologically-arranged general CORRESPONDENCE. With the exception of several notable letters from his agent in 1935 and a copy of a letter from Sean O'Casey in 1936, the early correspondence is fragmentary and unremarkable. With the beginning of Douglas' political activism during the late 1930's, however, the documentation becomes more extensive and this continues until 1950 when the coverage again becomes incomplete. Correspondence from the late 1930's and early 1940's relates to his increasing interest in politics through involvements in such groups as the Hollywood Committee of Fifty-Six, the Motion Picture Democratic Committee, and the Fight for Freedom Committee. There is also extensive material relating to Douglas' appointment to the Office of Civil Defense and to his membership on the California Citizens Committee of the White House Conference on Children in Democracy, which grew out of his appointment to the California Welfare Board. There is also extensive documentation of his charitable contributions and the vitriolic personal criticism which he experienced as a result of his political views and activities. Prominent correspondents during this period include Clark Eichelberger, Harold Ickes, James Landis and Selma Hirsch of the OCD, Burgess Meredith, George Norris, and Daniel J. Tobin.

The post-war correspondence refers to participation in Americans for Democratic Action, the American Veterans Committee, and the Southern Conference for Human Welfare. There are also references to contract negotiations during this period and incidental letters from Robert W. Anderson, Brooks Atkinson, Ralph Bellamy, Kermit Bloomgarden, Donald Hyatt, Loring Mandel, Worthington Miner, Barrie Stavis, Dan Totheroh, and Walter Wanger referring to theatrical topics and other matters. Of special note is correspondence with Louis Nizer concerning Douglas' involvement in litigation concerning the inspiration for The Great Dictator. Prominent political correspondents in the post-war section include Paul H. Douglas, William O. Douglas, Abba Eban, James T. Farrell, Elmer Gertz, Lady Bird Johnson, Paul O'Dwyer, Joseph L. Rauh, Walter Reuther, Eleanor Roosevelt, James Roosevelt, and Benjamin Spock. Much of the later correspondence reflects participation in commemorative or fund-raising events rather than administrative involvement.

The correspondence is supplemented by the alphabetically-arranged SUBJECT FILES, which include minutes, newsletters, press releases, lists, memoranda, and other documents on organizations in which Douglas was active such as the California Citizens Committee of the White House Conference on Children in a Democracy, the Motion Picture Democratic Committee, and the Office of Civilian Defense. The microfilmed Army 201 file, which is also listed here, contains copies of orders and other official documents relating to his military service. Also available only on microfilm is a clipping scrapbook documenting the activities of the Entertainment Production Unit which he created in the China-Burma-India Theater.

BIOGRAPHICAL MATERIAL consists of microfilmed clippings and scrapbooks about Douglas' career, awards and memorabilia, financial miscellany, and research material apparently collected by biographer Tom Arthur. The research files include several on members of Douglas' family and on his first wife Rosalind Hightower. Of special note is the correspondence Arthur collected on Douglas' activities during the period 1939-1947. This file, which originally consisted of poor quality xerox pages, has been microfilmed to preserve its content. Unfortunately, the value of the file is diminished by the fact that there is no information on the sources of the original correspondence that Arthur consulted.

Oral history interviews which Arthur conducted in the course of his research on Douglas have been deposited with the Oral History Project of Indiana University. A copy of Arthur's dissertation, “The Political Career of an Actor: Melvyn Douglas and the New Deal,” is available on microfilm in the SHSW Library. See You at the Movies, which he co-authored with Douglas, is available in the WCFTR office.

Acquisition Information

Presented by Melvyn Douglas, and the Estate of Melvyn Douglas (via Tom Arthur), 1969-1988. Accession Number: MCHC69-52; M84-23; M85-110, -484, -509; M88-128

	Series: Acting Files
U.S. Mss 100AN	Subseries: Theatre
	Quality Street (high school performance)
Box   1 Folder   1	Program, photograph, 1914
	Stock company work, 1920's
Micro 1181 Reel   1 Segment   1	Theatrical program scrapbook, 1905-1929
U.S. Mss 100AN Box   1 Folder   2	Miscellaneous loose programs, 1920's
	Theatrical photograph scrapbook, 1920's
Box   17	Original copy
Micro 1181 Reel   2 Segment   1	Microfilmed copy
Reel   2 Segment   2	Xeroxed pages from undentified photo album, 1920's
U.S. Mss 100AN	Tonight or Never
Box   1 Folder   3	Clippings, 1930
Micro 1181	Within the Gates
Reel   2 Segment   3	Clipping scrapbook, 1934
	No More Ladies
Reel   2 Segment   4	Clipping scrapbook, 1934
U.S. Mss 100AN	Call Me Mister, 1946
Box   1 Folder   4	Correspondence
Box   1 Folder   5	Agreement with Herman Levin, 1945
Box   1 Folder   6	Clippings
Box   1 Folder   7	Programs
Box   1 Folder   8	Sheet music, n.d.
	Two Blind Mice
Box   1 Folder   9	Correspondence, 1948-1950
Box   1 Folder   10	Contracts, 1950
Box   1 Folder   11	Box office statements, 1949-1950
	The Bird Cage
Box   1 Folder   12	Contracts, 1949
Box   1 Folder   13	Script by Arthur Laurents (annotated), n.d.
Box   1 Folder   14	Box office statements, 1950
	Let Me Hear the Melody
Box   1 Folder   15	Script by S.N. Behrman (annotated) and pages, n.d.
Micro 1181 Reel   2 Segment   5	Clipping scrapbook, 1951
	Glad Tidings
U.S. Mss 100AN Box   1 Folder   16	Script by Edward Mabley (annotated), n.d.
Micro 1181 Reel   2 Segment   6	Clipping scrapbook, 1951 (Continuation)
U.S. Mss 100AN	Recurrent Dream
Box   2 Folder   1	Correspondence, 1951
	Time Out for Ginger
Box   2 Folder   2	Correspondence, 1952
Box   2 Folder   3	Contracts, 1952
Box   2 Folder   4	Script by Ronald Alexander (annotated), n.d.
Box   2 Folder   5	Script (annotated), n.d.
Box   2 Folder   6	Programs, 1952
Micro 1181 Reel   2 Segment   7	Clipping scrapbook, 1952
U.S. Mss 100AN Box   2 Folder   7	Australian clippings, 1955
	Inherit the Wind
Box   2 Folder   8	Correspondence, 1955
Box   2 Folder   9	Contract, 1955
Box   2 Folder   10	Script by Jerome Lawrence and Robert E. Lee (annotated), n.d.
Box   2 Folder   11	Playbill, 1956
Micro 1181 Reel   2 Segment   8	Clipping scrapbook
Reel   2 Segment   9	Loose clippings
WCFTR C-44	Drawings
WCFTR B55	Two 14×17 charcoal sketches of Douglas by artists LeRoy Neiman and S. Cotsworth
U.S. Mss 100AN	Waltz of the Toreadors
Box   2 Folder   12	Contracts, box office statements, clippings, 1957
Box   2 Folder   13	Playbills, 1957, n.d.
	Maiden Voyage
Box   2 Folder   14	Box office statements, 1957
	The Man in the Dog Suit
Box   2 Folder   15	Correspondence
Box   2 Folder   16	Contracts, 1957
Box   2 Folder   17	Script by William H. Wright and Albert Beich, [May 10, 1957?]
Box   3 Folder   1	Script (annotated)
Box   3 Folder   2	Clippings
	Sweet and Sour
Box   3 Folder   3	Contracts, Box office statements, 1958
Box   3 Folder   4	Script by Florence Lowe and Caroline Francke (annotated), June 28, 1958
Box   3 Folder   5	Playbills, 1958
Box   3 Folder   6	Clippings, 1958
	Juno
Box   3 Folder   7	Correspondence, 1959
Box   3 Folder   8	Contracts, 1959
Box   3 Folder   9	Script by Joseph Stein, n.d.
Box   3 Folder   10	Script “Daarlin' Man” (annotated), n.d.
Box   3 Folder   11	Musical score and notes, 1959
Box   3 Folder   12	Playbills and program. , 1959
WCFTR 2.5.0012	Poster
U.S. Mss 100AN Box   3 Folder   13	Clippings, 1959
	The Gang's All Here
Box   3 Folder   14	Correspondence, 1959
Box   3 Folder   15	Contracts, 1959
Box   3 Folder   16	Script by Jerome Lawrence and Robert E. Lee, n.d.
Box   4 Folder   1-2	Script (annotated), September 19, 1959
Box   4 Folder   3	Clippings, 1959
Box   4 Folder   4	Programs and photos, 1959.
	The Best Man
Box   4 Folder   5	Correspondence, 1961
Box   4 Folder   6	Contracts, 1961
Box   4 Folder   7	Typescript (annotated), n.d.
Box   4 Folder   8	Script by Gore Vidal (annotated) and pages, n.d.
Box   4 Folder   9	Clippings, 1960
	School For Scandal
Box   4 Folder   10	Script (annotated), 1966
	Spofford
Box   4 Folder   11	Correspondence, 1967
Box   4 Folder   12	Contract and operating statement, 1967
Box   4 Folder   13	Script “I've Been Thinking” (annotated, with revised pages), November 23, 1967
Box   5 Folder   1	Script by Herman Shumlin, December 14, 1967
Box   5 Folder   2	Playbill, 1967
Box   5 Folder   3	Clippings, 1967
	The Great American Fourth of July Parade
Box   5 Folder   4	Published script by Archibald MacLeish (annotated), 1975
	First Monday in October
Box   5 Folder   5	Correspondence, 1976-1977, and actor's notes
Box   5 Folder   6	Contracts, 1975
Box   5 Folder   7	Script by Jerome Lawrence and Robert E. Lee annotated , (n.d.)
Box   5 Folder   8	Script (annotated), n.d.
Box   5 Folder   10	Revised script, April 1976
Box   5 Folder   9	Revised script, August, 1977
Box   6 Folder   1	Revised script, October 1978, and clipping
Box   6 Folder   2	Playbill, 1976
Box   6 Folder   3	Clippings, 1975-1977
	Subseries: Motion Pictures	⇧
	Tonight or Never
Box   6 Folder   4	Contract, 1931
Box   6 Folder   5	Script by Ernest Vajda (annotated), September 1, 1931
Micro 1181	As You Desire Me(1932)
Reel   2 Segment   10	Clipping scrapbook
U.S. Mss 100AN	Ninotchka
Box   6 Folder   6	Clippings
	Two-Faced Woman (1941)
Box   6 Folder   7	Clipping
	Billy Budd
Box   6 Folder   8	Contract, 1961
	Hud
Box   6 Folder   9	Contracts, 1962
Box   6 Folder   10	Clippings, 1963
	I Never Sang for My Father
Box   6 Folder   11	Correspondence, 1969-1971
Box   6 Folder   12	Script by Robert Anderson, n.d.
Box   6 Folder   13	Script, January 23, 1969
Box   6 Folder   14	Script (annotated), March 20, 1969, with revisions of May 1, 1969
Box   6 Folder   15	Box office statements, 1970
Box   6 Folder   16	Clippings, 1971
	One Is a Lonely Number
Box   7 Folder   1	Contract, 1971
	The Candidate
Box   7 Folder   2	Correspondence, 1971
Box   7 Folder   3-4	Chapters from The Genuine Article, ca. 1972
	The Tenant
Box   7 Folder   5	Contract, clippings, 1976
	Twilight's Last Gleaming
Box   7 Folder   6	Correspondence, 1976
Box   7 Folder   7	Script, with revisions of January 9 and February 13, 1976
	Portrait of Grandpa Doc
Box   7 Folder   8	Correspondence, 1976-1978
Box   7 Folder   9	Script by Randal Kleiser, June 29, 1976
	Being There
Box   7 Folder   10	Correspondence, 1980-1981
Box   7 Folder   11	Contract, 1979
Box   7 Folder   12	Script by Jerzy Kosinski and Robert C. Jonas (annotated), January 10, 1979
Box   7 Folder   13	Clippings
	The Changling
Box   7 Folder   14	Correspondence, contract, 1979
Box   7 Folder   15	Clippings, 1980
	Tell Me a Riddle
Box   8 Folder   1	Correspondence, 1980
Box   8 Folder   2	Script by Joyce Eliason, September 19, 1978
Box   8 Folder   3	Script, November 2, 1979
Box   8 Folder   4	Press kit, n.d.
Micro 1181 Reel   2 Segment   11	Clippings
U.S. Mss 100AN	Ghost Story
Box   8 Folder   5	Contracts, 1981
Box   8 Folder   6	Miscellany, 1981
	Subseries: Television	⇧
	“The Plot to Kill Stalin,” Playhouse 90
Box   8 Folder   10	Clippings, 1958
	“The Lamp at Midnight,” Hallmark Hall of Fame
Box   8 Folder   7	Correspondence, 1966, 1972
Box   8 Folder   8	Clippings and publicity, 1965
Box   8 Folder   9	“Galileo,” Script by Bertolt Brecht, English version by Charles Laughton, n.d.
WCFTR (CT5)35	Color transparency
WCFTR A388	Miscellaneous publicity
U.S. Mss 100AN	“Do Not Go Gentle Into That Good Night,” CBS Playhouse
Box   8 Folder   11	Script by Loring Mandel, March 6, 1967
Box   8 Folder   12	Published script, 1967
Box   8 Folder   13	Clippings, 1967
	“The Choice,” Prudential's On Stage
Box   9 Folder   1	Script [by Henry Denker] (annotated), n.d.
Box   9 Folder   2	Clipping, advertising brochure, n.d.
	The Four Lives of Benjamin Franklin: The Statesman
Box   9 Folder   3	Script, March 6, 1974, with revised pages, , March 19, 1974 and actor's biographical research
Box   9 Folder   4	Clippings, 1975
Box   9 Folder   5	“A Gift to Last,” publicity, 1976
	Oral interpretation and disc recordings
Box   9 Folder   6	“Dear Adolf” scripts (annotated), June 28, 1942 Note: Autographed by Stephen Vincent Benet.
Box   9 Folder   7	“The Front Page,” Program, January 27, 1946
	Lincoln Portrait by Aaron Copland, recorded 1946
Box   9 Folder   8	Published orchestral score
	Erskine Johnson's Hollywood Story
Box   9 Folder   9	Scripted interview (anno.), September 1, 1948
Disc 192A No.   1	“Quote and Unquote,” March 28, 1946
No.   2	“Quote and Unquote,” May 20, 1946
No.   3-4	“Franklin Roosevelt,” Institute for Democratic Education, June 24, 1947
No.   5-6	Americans for Democratic Action-Hollywood Division, 1948
Disc 102A No.   1-2	The Eternal Light, 1948
Disc 192A No.   7-8	“Eyewitness,” Narrated by MD, 1950
No.   9-10	“Eyewitness '52,” Narrated by MD, January 2, 1953
U.S. Mss 100AN	Soldier's Tale by Igor Stravinsky, recorded 1960
Box   9 Folder   10	Correspondence, contract, and published narration (annotated), n.d.
Disc 192A No.   11	Interview of Sen. Robert Wagner by MD, n.d.
No.   12-13	“General Motors Hour” (Australia), n.d.
No.   14-15	“Current Account,” United Nations Radio production, narrated by MD, n.d.
Disc 102A No.   3-4	“The Little Boy,” Institute for Democratic Education, n.d.
U.S. Mss 100AN Box   9 Folder   11	Subseries: Miscellaneous scripts submitted to Douglas	⇧
Box   9 Folder   12	“Tomorrow's Children,” by Jan Leman, 1958
Box   9 Folder   13	“Tonight! Lincoln versus Douglas, by Norman Corwin, n.d.
Box   9 Folder   13	“Live Life Again,” by Dan Totheroh, n.d.
Box   9 Folder   14	“Schweitzer's Way,” by James Brabazon, n.d.
Box   9 Folder   15	“Morning's at Seven,” published script by Paul Osborn, with letter from author, n.d.
	Subseries: Contracts	⇧
Box   10 Folder   1	Television contracts, 11955-1976
Box   10 Folder   2	William Morris contracts, 1955-11980
Box   10 Folder   3	Miscellaneous contracts, 1928-1950
	Series: Speeches and Writings	⇧
Box   10 Folder   4-6	Speeches and writings, 1930-1975, n.d.
Box   10 Folder   7	Poetry, n.d.
	Series: Correspondence	⇧
Box   10 Folder   8	1915; 1922-1938
Box   11 Folder   1-7	1939-1942, January
Box   12 Folder   1-6	1942, February-1945
Box   13 Folder   1-8	1946-1959
Box   14 Folder   1-10	1960-1983, n.d.
	Series: Subject Files	⇧
Box   14 Folder   11	Actors Equity Association, 1960, n.d.
Box   14 Folder   12	Americans for Democratic Action, 1946-1948, n.d.
Box   14 Folder   13	American Veterans Committee, 1946-1947
Micro 1181 Reel   2 Segment   12	Army 201 file
U.S. Mss 100AN Box   14 Folder   14	California Citizens Committee of the White House Conference on Children in a Democracy, 1942
Box   15 Folder   1	California Citizens Council, 1940
Micro 1181 Reel   2 Segment   13	Entertainment Production Unit scrapbook, 1944-1945
WCFTR Lot 86	Photographs of Douglas in the Army
U.S. Mss 100AN Box   15 Folder   1A	Original material from scrapbook
Box   15 Folder   2	Fight for Freedom, 1941, n.d.
Box   15 Folder   3	Motion Picture Democratic Committee, 1939-1940
Box   15 Folder   4	Office of Civilian Defense, 1941-1942, 1944, n.d.
Box   15 Folder   5	Southern Conference for Human Welfare, 1946-1947
Box   15 Folder   6	Special Services notes, ca. 1943
	Series: Biographical Material	⇧
Micro 1181	Clipping scrapbooks, 1905-1932 Note: Filmed without a counter.
Reel   3 Segment   1	1905-1929
Reel   3 Segment   2	1928-1932
Reel   3 Segment   4	Loose clippings, 1925-1981
U.S. Mss 100AN Box   15 Folder   7	Biographical miscellany and notes
	Photographs
WCFTR Name File	Hesselberg family and MD as a youth
WCFTR Name File	Portraits of Douglas
WCFTR Name File	Douglas and Helen Gahagan
WCFTR Name File	Awards, political activities, and miscellany
WCFTR A362	3 Drawings of Douglas (1 from Inherit the Wind, 1 dated 1927, and 1 dated , 1980
WCFTR A364	Souvenir program of The Degenerates starring Lilly Langtree
WCFTR A365	Souvenir photo of Douglas
U.S. Mss 100AN Box   15 Folder   8	Certificates and awards
Box   16	Oscar and Emmy memorabilia
Box   15 Folder   9	Financial miscellany, 1922, 1965-1973
Box   15 Folder   10	Commissions, 1957-1972
Box   15 Folder   11	Helen Fuller estate, 1972-1974
	Biographical and family research
Micro 1181 Reel   3 Segment   3	Tom Arthur research file, 1939-1947
U.S. Mss 100AN Box   15 Folder   12	Helen Gahagan, 1926-1980
Box   15 Folder   13	Rosalind Hightower, 1980-1981, n.d.
Box   15 Folder   14	Cora Hesselberg, 1969
Box   15 Folder   15	Eduoard Hesselberg, 1892-1968
Box   15 Folder   16	William Owen, n.d.