Abstract: The collection contains primarily film and television scripts, treatments, script notes, and miscellaneous production material.

Collector: Cohen, Howard R.

Dates: 1963-1998

Dates: 1980-1989

Collection number: 439

Collection Size: 26 linear ft. of papers

Repository: Margaret Herrick Library. Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences.

Languages: Languages represented in the collection: English

Available by appointment only.

Property rights to the physical object belong to the Margaret Herrick Library. Researchers are responsible for obtaining all necessary rights, licenses, or permissions from the appropriate companies or individuals before quoting from or publishing materials obtained from the library.

Howard R. Cohen papers, Margaret Herrick Library, Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences.

Gift of Andy Romanoff and Darcy Vebber, 1999

The Howard R. Cohen papers span the years 1963-1998 (bulk 1980s) and encompass 26 linear feet. The material consists of production files, unproduced production files, television files, unproduced television files, subject files, and writing files. The production files contain material related to 34 films. The majority of this material consists of script-related documents such as synopses, treatments, outlines, script notes, and screenplays. There are complete screenplays for 25 films, only two of which, THE THING FROM ANOTHER WORLD and I WALKED WITH A ZOMBIE, were not written by Cohen. The production material covers 11 films, including BLOOD SCREAMS, RAINBOW BRITE AND THE STAR STEALER, SATURDAY THE 14TH, and THE UNHOLY ROLLERS. Of these, three films written and directed by Cohen contain extensive production material: SATURDAY THE 14TH STRIKES BACK, SPACE CASE, and TIME TRACKERS. There are music and lyrics by Cohen for RAINBOW BRITE AND THE STAR STEALER, SATURDAY THE 14TH STRIKES BACK, and TIME TRACKERS. Although Cohen remains uncredited on Roger Corman’s cult classic CRAZY MAMA, his final draft rewrite of the script is present. Also there are files for THE LAWYER, a comedy short written and produced by Cohen and script material for seven films directed by Cirio H. Santiago. One file for AMERICATHON contains director Neal Israel’s first draft screenplay, co-authored with Phil Proctor and Peter Bergman. Of interest are a letter and resume from cinematographer Janusz Kaminski for SATURDAY THE 14TH STRIKES BACK. Dispersed throughout the files are Corman’s original script notes, handwritten in pencil on scraps of paper. Prevalent throughout the papers is Cohen’s use of graphic design, notably the artwork illustrating the cover pages of his script material.

The unproduced production files contain documentation related to 285 projects. The majority of this material consists of script-related documents such as synopses, treatments, outlines, script notes, and screenplays written by Cohen and sometimes co-written with his frequent writing partners Murphy Dunne, Ira Miller, and Andy Romanoff. There is extensive script material for THE BIG MONEY, a project regarding Howard Hughes on which Cohen collaborated with producer Wilbur Stark; THE BRIDGE, based on the story “White Nights” by Fyodor Dostoevsky; and THE SPIKE JONES STORY, a dramatization of the life of the eponymous musician and bandleader. There are film and television treatments by Cohen and others spanning the years 1974 to 1982. Of interest is a letter from Robert Redford to Cohen regarding the project THE BRIDGE. Also of note are the files for the George Hamilton PROJECT JOE EDDIE AND THE BIG TORPEDO FROM CHICAGO, and the Darren McGavin project KEN AND ELVA.

The television series contains material related to 20 programs. Of these, there are files pertaining to 17 episodic series and three films. The material consists of script-related documents such as synopses, treatments, outlines, script notes, and teleplays. The titles are predominantly for animated children’s series. There is extensive script material related to JAYCE AND THE WHEELED WARRIORS and RAINBOW BRITE, as well as extensive production material for RAINBOW BRITE. There is artwork for THE BOTTS, JAYCE AND THE WHEELED WARRIORS, and storyboards for INSPECTOR GADGET. Also there are “animation bibles” for THE BOTTS and PHOTON. Of note are Cohen’s song lyrics for the episodic series JAYCE AND THE WHEELED WARRIORS and the television film ZUMA BEACH. Script material exists for four non-animated episodic series, including THE STAR’S TABLE, TWILIGHT THEATER, VIDEO POWER, and WIDE WORLD MYSTERY, as does material for the three television films CRASH: THE TRUE STORY OF FLIGHT 401, HALLOWEEN WITH THE NEW ADDAMS FAMILY, and ZUMA BEACH. Lastly are files for one commercial, “”The Legend of Mystis.” The unproduced television series contains script-related material for 58 television programs consisting of synopses, treatments, outlines, script notes, and screenplays written or co-written by Cohen. The majority is undated or from the 1970s.

The subject files contain correspondence, personal, professional, and miscellaneous files. There is material on the comedy ensemble “Conception Corporation” as well as a proposal for a Dom DeLuise comedy album. The correspondence with the animation company DIC Enterprises contains several memos from Cohen to the company’s creator Jean Chalopin and Chairman and CEO Andy Heyward, including Cohen’s 1984 letter of resignation. The International Animation Conference file contains a transcript detailing his tenure and work at DIC. There are files for various radio programs and commercials, including “Future File,” which Cohen launched in 1980. Of interest is a note from Roger Ebert at the “Chicago Sun Times” referring to his time as a correspondent for “Aardvark” magazine. Also of note is a file for the “Writers Guild of America” containing a list of Cohen’s works by title, registration number, and date, from 1971 through 1977. Scattered throughout each series are the original folders on which Cohen handwrote the date(s) on which he registered a project with the WGA.

The writing series consists of 82 projects and includes manuscripts, poetry, stories, journals, proposals, presentations, articles, themed calendars, songs, and one children’s interactive game. The majority of the material is authored or co-authored by Cohen. Included are files pertaining to Cohen’s book “Test Your Movie I.Q.,” published by Putnam in 1989. Of note are files pertaining to the project “Raising the Iron Curtain: A Directors Journey into East European Film and Politics,” which include Cohen’s copious journals handwritten while in Russia.

Howard Robert Cohen (1942-1999) was born in Chicago, Illinois. As a child he exhibited a marked talent for drawing and wanted to become a cartoonist but abandoned the idea as a teenager to pursue a career in journalism. Among the schools he attended were the University of Illinois, the University of Chicago, the Institute of Design at Illinois Institute of Technology, and Roosevelt University. Beginning in 1962, Cohen wrote and illustrated “Aardvark,” the satirical Chicago-based alternative magazine created and edited by film producer and writer Jeff Begun. For three years Cohen worked as an associate editor at “Playboy” magazine, followed by a one-year stint writing television commercials and corporate films for the advertising agency Foote, Cone & Belding. In 1970, Cohen left advertising to freelance as a graphic designer. He drew posters, conceived record album covers, illustrated books, created corporate logos, and designed main titles for film and television. Two of his posters from this period hang in the permanent poster collection of the National Museum in Warsaw, Poland. Cohen formed the “Conception Corporation,” a counter-culture comedy ensemble consisting of Jeff Begun and Second City comedians and film actors Murphy Dunne and Ira Miller. Their successful underground video production, “Void Where Prohibited by Law,” brought them to California in 1970. In Hollywood Cohen met film director Vernon Zimmerman who asked him to write the screenplay for THE UNHOLY ROLLERS, a low-budget action-drama to be directed by Zimmerman and produced by Roger Corman. The film, released by American International Pictures in 1972, became an underground cult classic. Cohen became a student of Roger Corman’s unofficial film school alongside writers Jonathan Demme, John Sayles, Curtis Hanson, and others. Cohen contributed nine films to Corman’s canon and directed three during their eighteen-year association that lasted from 1972 to 1990. Cohen wrote more than 50 screenplays. He is credited as a writer on 28 films, including one full-length animated feature. Of these, he directed seven, produced two, created the soundtracks for three, and acted in one film he wrote and directed. As a script consultant, he worked on countless films for which he received no screen credit. Cohen’s television credits also prove extensive. He worked for several years at the animation company DIC Enterprises on various children’s animated and live-action series. Cohen created one animated series, co-created another, worked as voice director on one, and eventually accumulated more than one hundred episodic writing credits on several animated series. In addition to animated television, Cohen also wrote many 90-minute television films and numerous commercials. He was a frequent guest teacher at acting classes in Los Angeles and taught his own acting class in 1993.

1. Production files, subseries A-B as follows: A. Produced; B. Unproduced; 2. Television files, subseries A-B as follows: A. Produced; B. Unproduced; 3. Subject files; 4. Writing files