Art Wallace Papers, 1953-1967

Scope and Content Note

Documenting Wallace's career as a television writer from the early 1950s through the late 1960s, the collection consists of script materials and some miscellaneous related correspondence. The papers' arrangement is alphabetical by program title. Whenever possible, air dates for specific episodes are listed in parentheses next to the corresponding titles. Among the programs included are Armstrong Circle Theatre, Combat!, 87th Precinct, Kaiser Aluminum Hour, Kraft Mystery Theatre, The Lieutenant, The Nurses, Sam Benedict, Star Trek, and The Wackiest Ship in the Army. Of interest in the Star Trek file is a memorandum (May 22, 1967) from Gene Roddenberry, the series creator, in which he critiques Wallace's outline and its portrayal of the program's characters. Also of note are files relating to Family Films, Inc., a company which produced films for the Radio and Television Commission of the Southern Baptist Convention. These scripts and correspondence show the company's efforts to convey religious messages and themes through a format of popular entertainment.