Title: Patrick McGilligan Papers
Inclusive Dates: 1970-1979

Creator:

• McGilligan, Patrick

Call Number: U.S. Mss 192AN; Tape 627A

Quantity: 1.2 c.f. (3 archives boxes) and 37 tape recordings

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 of film critic Patrick McGilligan, consisting chiefly of tapes, transcripts, and draft and printed copies of interviews with motion picture celebrities. Also included are biographical materials, fragmentary correspondence, a play, and a motion picture synopsis. Articles and a book prospectus and one chapter draft about Karleton Armstrong relate to McGilligan's anti-Vietnam War involvement while a student at the University of Wisconsin.

Note:

There is a restriction on use of this material; for details see the Restriction/Administrative Information portion of this finding aid.

Language: English

URL to cite for this finding aid: http://digital.library.wisc.edu/1711.dl/wiarchives.uw-whs-us0192an

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Film critic Patrick McGilligan was born in Madison, Wisconsin, on April 22, 1951. After graduating from the local school system, he attended the University of Wisconsin, receiving a degree in Communication Arts in 1974. As a student, McGilligan was known for both his work in journalism and his political activism. He was city editor, editor-in-chief, and fine arts editor of the Daily Cardinal; served as campus stringer for the New York Times; and contributed articles to the Capital Times, Liberation, the Velvet Light Trap and Film Quarterly. McGilligan was also one of a number of people active in the Karleton Armstrong Defense Committee; he testified at the extradition hearing for Armstrong in Toronto about the press reaction to the Sterling Hall bombing and in November, 1973, was himself arrested following a demonstration in Madison in support of Armstrong. Following graduation McGilligan became a member of the theater and arts staff of the Boston Globe where his writing was primarily concerned with the motion picture industry. More recently he has turned to free-lance writing, and in 1975 he published Cagney: The Actor as Auteur.

The collection relates chiefly to McGilligan's career as a writer about motion pictures and a film critic and to a lesser extent to his involvement in anti-Vietnam War activities in Madison. Included are copies of articles written for the Daily Cardinal, the Boston Globe, The Real Paper, and various film magazines and motion picture periodicals; a play script; a prospectus, synopsis and one chapter of a book on Armstrong; drafts of his Cagney book; motion picture synopses and scripts; correspondence; notebooks; and biographical material. The majority of the collection, however, consists of interviews with various motion picture celebrities.

These papers were presented and arranged in two groups. Though physically in separate folders, in the contents list below, the two groups have been listed together in a single intellectual order.

BIOGRAPHICAL MATERIAL consists of clippings, notes, and statements relating to McGilligan's arrest following a demonstration in support of Armstrong in 1973. Also included are news stories in The Daily Cardinal and the Capital Times. The CORRESPONDENCE is quite fragmentary, consisting primarily of material on prison conditions, draft proposals for Glenn Silber's The War at Home sent to McGilligan, and letters from McGilligan's friends and associates.

WRITINGS reflect both McGilligan's social activism and interest in motion pictures. Included are articles about the Susan Saxe and Karleton Armstrong cases, a 1976 review of the underground in the United States written for the Globe, and the Armstrong book materials. Political concerns are also evident in the incomplete script for the historical play Sawdust Ain't Enough. Cardinal, Capital Times, Boston Globe and other articles are present. Notebooks also include fragments of political writings. Drafts and working papers on his Cagney book and scripts and synopses for several motion pictures complete this section of the collection.

The MOTION PICTURE ARTICLES, INTERVIEWS, AND TRANSCRIPTS are arranged alphabetically by interviewee name and include material from audio-taped interviews to final printed form.

Use Restrictions

No original material in the collection may be published without the permission of Mr. McGilligan or his heirs.

Acquisition Information

Presented by Patrick McGilligan, Boston, Massachusetts, 1976-1980. Accession Number: MCHC76-109, MCHC77-069

U.S. Mss 192AN	Series: Biographical Material
Box   1 Folder   1	Part 1, 1973-1974
Box   2 Folder   1	Part 2, 1972-1977
	Series: Correspondence	⇧
Box   1 Folder   2	1977, undated
Box   2 Folder   2	undated
	Series: Writings	⇧
	Articles
Box   1 Folder   5	Daily Cardinal, 1970-1973
Box   2 Folder   3	Capital Times and Daily Cardinal, 1972
	Boston Globe
Box   2 Folder   18	1973
Box   2 Folder   19	circa 1973-1974
Box   2 Folder   20	1974
Box   2 Folder   21	1975
Box   2 Folder   22	Film magazine articles, 1973-1979
Box   2 Folder   23-24	Real Paper, undated
	Books
Box   1 Folder   4	Armstrong book proposal and chapter draft, circa 1974, with Dan Schwartz, Henry Schipper, and Debra Weiner
Box   2 Folder   6	Synopsis of book proposal on Karl Armstrong and the Sterling Hall bombing, circa 1974
Box   3 Folder   1-4	Cagney: the Actor as Auteur, chapter drafts and working papers, undated
	Fiction
Box   1 Folder   6	“Cold Cherry Soup,” undated
Box   2 Folder   5	Undated
	Motion Pictures
Box   3 Folder   5	“American Dreams,” plot synopsis, undated
	“The Contestant,” with Debra Weiner and Robert Taylor, undated
Box   1 Folder   20	Synopsis, undated
Box   3 Folder   6	Synopsis, undated
Box   3 Folder   7	“The Face of Fame,” incomplete script, undated
Box   3 Folder   8	“How I Got This Way,” script
Box   3 Folder   9	“The Two Oswalds,” script
Box   3 Folder   10	Untitled incomplete script, undated
Box   3 Folder   11-14	Notebooks, undated
Box   1 Folder   21	Play, Sawdust Ain't Enough: The Great Oshkosh Woodworker Strike of 1898, incomplete script, undated, with David Levine
	Miscellaneous
Box   1 Folder   3	Anti-war activities, 1976-1977, undated
Box   2 Folder   7	Ben Elson, Edward, political sketch, undated
Box   3 Folder   15	Notes on Humphrey Bogart's Movie Roles, undated
Box   2 Folder   4	Term paper, undated
	Series: Motion Picture Articles, Interviews, and Transcripts	⇧
Tape 627A No.   13	Adjani, Isabelle, 1976, January 24 Scope and Content Note: Interview with the star of Truffaut's Adele H. in which she discusses films in which she has acted, the parts she played, and her acting style.
No.   3-5	Altman, Robert, 1976, May Scope and Content Note: Interview with Altman and Paul Newman concerning the film Buffalo Bill. Altman also discusses Nashville.
No.   27	Berenson, Marisa, 1975, December 13 Scope and Content Note: Interview with the actress concerning her part in the film Barry Lyndon.
No.   2-3	Burns, George, 1975, June Scope and Content Note: Interview with the comedian in which he discusses his old Burns and Allen routines, his role in The Sunshine Boys, and the difference between radio and television. He also compares comedy of 1976 and early radio.
U.S. Mss 192AN	Clair, Rene, 1973, August Scope and Content Note: Interview with the director by McGilligan and Debra Weiner in which he discusses the quality of film and television, reminisces about his acting career, and talks about his inclination for writing tragi-comedies. In part 2 he talks about his filmmaking career and the people who influenced his comedies.
Box   1 Folder   28	Interview
Box   2 Folder   8	Interview
Box   2 Folder   9	Clampett, Bob, undated
Box   1 Folder   7	DeAntonio, Emile, undated Scope and Content Note: Article draft and interview transcript.
Tape 627A No.   9	Dern, Bruce, 1975 Scope and Content Note: Dern discusses his acting and directing style, and gives his opinion of Alfred Hitchcock and other directors he has worked with.
	Douglas, Kirk, October, 1975 Scope and Content Note: Douglas discusses his roles in several pictures and his life's philosophy. He also mentions motion pictures and social activism.
No.   12	Recording
U.S. Mss 192AN Box   1 Folder   8	Transcript, 1975
	Eastwood, Clint, April 2, 1976 Scope and Content Note: Eastwood talks about his films and books submitted for use. He also mentions directing and his own technique. Also discusses his start in Rawhide and his work on Dirty Harry and Play Misty for Me.
No.   12	Recording
U.S. Mss 192AN Box   1 Folder   10	Transcript, draft and published version of “Clint Eastwood,” Focus on Film, 1976
Tape 627A No.   5	Elson, Edward Ben, 1975 Scope and Content Note: Biographical interview with the Madison attorney
No.   25-26	Firestore, Cinda, undated Scope and Content Note: Interview concerning the film Attica, its financing, and the life of prisoners.
No.   15	Fletcher, Louise, December 9, 1975 Scope and Content Note: Interview with the award-winning actress concerning her role in One Flew Over the Cuckoo's Nest.
No.   16	Goldman, James, 1976
No.   8, 16	Hepburn, Audrey, 1976 Scope and Content Note: Interview concerning actors, directors, awards, and acting.
No.   9	Hitchcock, Alfred, 1975 Scope and Content Note: Interview with the director concerning production during the silent era. He also examines film as an art form.
U.S. Mss 192AN	Lupino, Ida, 1974
Box   1 Folder   11	Transcript of interview with McGilligan and Debra Weiner
Box   2 Folder   10	Interview, undated
	McCrea, Joel, 1976, April 5 Scope and Content Note: Interview with the actor in which he discusses his early days, directors such as King Vidor, and the film The More the Merrier. He discusses various directors and mentions Gary Cooper, his acting career, and various studio executives.
Box   2 Folder   11	Interview
Tape 627A No.   36, 37	Recording
No.   32	Makavejev, Dusan, 1976, February Scope and Content Note: Interview with the Yugoslav director concerning film technique, politics, and the distribution of Sweet Movie.
No.   19, 20	Mamoulian, Rouben, 1975, June Scope and Content Note: Interview with the author of Oklahoma and Carousel, in which he discusses stage and screen and experiences with MGM and Paramount. He also describes visits to Iran and Australia and the worldwide interest in film.
No.   13	Mazursky, Paul, February 3, 1976 Scope and Content Note: Interview with the director concerning his technique, his life and philosophy, and plans for the film A Star Is Born.
U.S. Mss 92AN Box   2 Folder   12	“My Brother the Alderman,” undated
Tape 627A	Newman, Paul, 1976, May
No.   3-5	Interview with the actor concerning Buffalo Bill.
U.S. Mss 192AN Box   1 Folder   12	“Slapshot; On the Set with Paul Newman,” by McGilligan and Debra Weiner, Bijou, 1977, April (Printed form only)
Tape 627A No.   14-15	One Flew Over the Cuckoo's Nest, 1975, November Scope and Content Note: Press conference concerning a discussion of how the film was shot, the reasons some scenes were used, and character development.
No.   27	O'Neal, Ryan, 1975, December 13? Scope and Content Note: Interview with the actor concerning his role in Barry Lyndon, the film's production, and his role in it. He also discusses boxing.
No.   18	Phillips, Michael, 1976, February Scope and Content Note: Interview also with Paul Schraeder concerning Taxi Driver, their lives, and the film.
	Pollack, Sydney, 1975, October Scope and Content Note: Interview concerning Three Days of the Condor.
No.   11	Recording
U.S. Mss 192AN Box   1 Folder   13	Transcript
Tape 627A	Reagan, Ronald, 1976? Scope and Content Note: Interview with the actor concerning his old films.
No.   5	Recording
U.S. Mss 192AN Box   1 Folder   14	Transcript, draft, and printed version of “Ronald Reagan Stalks the Big One,” Take One, August 1976
Tape 627A No.   10	Resnais, Alain, 1975 Scope and Content Note: Interview in French with Debra Weiner.
No.   35	Rudolph, Alan, undated Scope and Content Note: Interview with screenwriter/director concerning Welcome to L.A., its release in Madison, the actors guild, and his work with Robert Altman.
	Russell, Ken, 1975 Scope and Content Note: Interview with the writer-director-producer, concerning hobbies, religion, classical music, and the films Mahler and Tommy.
No.   23	Recording
U.S. Mss 192AN Box   1 Folder   15	Transcript and draft of article by McGilligan and Janet Maslin
Box   2 Folder   13	Schary, Dore, undated
	Schraeder, Paul, See Michael Phillips
Box   2 Folder   14	Soglin, Paul, undated
Tape 627A No.   10-11, 17	Steiger, Rod, 1975 Scope and Content Note: Interview with the actor concerning his career and politics in the United States in the 1970's. He also compares films of 1975 with those twenty years previous.
U.S. Mss 192AN	Stevens, George, undated
Box   1 Folder   16	Transcript of interview by Joseph McBride and McGilligan
Box   2 Folder   15-16	, 1974 interview
Tape 627A	Stewart, James, 1974 Scope and Content Note: Interview with the actor about films and acting.
No.   6	Recording
U.S. Mss 192AN Box   1 Folder   17	Handwritten notes
Tape 627A No.   34	Stoler, Shirley, 1976, March 16 Scope and Content Note: Interview with the actress concerning her role in Seven Beauties, her career in theater and film, future films, and work with Ingmar Bergman.
	Thompson, Bill, April 1976 Scope and Content Note: Interview with the vice-president of First National Bank concerning the financing of films.
No.   24	Recording
U.S. Mss 192AN Box   1 Folder   11	“Financing the Flicks: An Interview with two Boston Bankers,” Film Comment, October 1976 (appeared as “Bankshots”)
Tape 627A No.   6, 28-30	Vidor, King, 1975 Scope and Content Note: Press conference concerning the director-writer-producer's career, radical politics incorporated in films, the actress Marion Davies, and Hallelujah.
	Walsh, Raoul, 1974 Scope and Content Note: Interview by McGilligan and Debra Weiner concerning Walsh's techniques, the quality of his film and his part in rewriting What Price Glory. He also mentions his beginnings as an actor and progression to director.
No.   29, 31	Recording
U.S. Mss 192AN Box   1 Folder   18	Transcript and draft
Tape 627A No.   7	Wayne, John, 1975, June Scope and Content Note: Interview with the actor concerning Rooster Cogburn and other films.
	Wellman, William, 1974, August Scope and Content Note: Interview with the author-director concerning Growing Old Disgracefully, his career, and recollections of Garbo, Lombard, and Stewart. Also discusses his westerns, sex in films, and his work with major studios.
No.   21, 22	Recording
U.S. Mss 192AN Box   1 Folder   19	Transcript by McGilligan and Debra Weiner
Box   2 Folder   17	Interview, undated
Tape 627A No.   16	Whitlock, Albert, 1976
No.   33	Wise, Robert, 1975, November Scope and Content Note: Interview with the director-producer concerning the film The Hindenburg, his initial involvement in the project, financing difficulties, and his role as editor and director.