The original filing order was retained wherever possible, but since these papers were in use by the company for many years, a great deal of “shuffling” resulted. Many of the literary properties were used as the basis for several films, and in many cases, when a new film was made from a previously used property, some or all of the material was transferred to the file on the new film. Thus it is often necessary to consult several folders in order to obtain the most complete information available on any given film. The researcher is cautioned to note the distinction between “see” and “see also”. Where a “see” reference is given, it means that all material on a film has been transferred to another title. “See also” means that only some of the material was moved, thus making it necessary to consult both folders.
Because the long-term contracts between Warner Bros. and its stars, directors, and technicians usually cover a period of years rather than specific film titles, and because they were in use for so many years, they are variously located in any folder of a film that the person was associated with. For this reason, an index of such contracts was prepared as an appendix to this finding aid. One-picture contracts and those for loan-outs are usually located in the folder for the film covered by the contract and thus were not indexed.
