The William Keighley material spans the years 1940-1981 (bulk 1940-1967) and encompasses approximately 1.7 linear feet. The collection consists of three scripts for three films released in 1940: THE FIGHTING 69TH, FOUR MOTHERS, NO TIME FOR COMEDY, along with correspondence, honorary certificates, clippings, biographical information, artifacts, and photographs. The material covers his role as director of the U.S. Army Air Force's motion picture unit during World War II and his time spent in France during retirement.

William Keighley was an American actor, director, and screenwriter most active in the 1930s and 1940s. After having spent his youth acting and directing on Broadway during the 1910s and 1920s, he relocated to Hollywood. He was the initial director of THE ADVENTURES OF ROBIN HOOD (1938), starring Errol Flynn, but was replaced by Michael Curtiz. During World War II, he supervised the U.S. Army Air Force's motion picture unit. He retired from filmmaking in 1953 and moved with his actress wife Genevieve Tobin to Paris where he went on to become a cultural ambassador throughout Europe.

1.7 linear feet of papers.

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