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Spencer (Ray) papers
PASC.0296
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Contributing Institution:
UCLA Library Special Collections
Title: Ray Spencer papers
Creator:
Spencer, Ray
Identifier/Call Number: PASC.0296
Physical Description:
3.4 Linear Feet
(6 boxes and 1 flat box)
Date (inclusive): 1937-1984
Date (bulk): circa 1930s-1960s
Abstract: Ray Spencer was a screenwriter and produced the West Coast production of the controversial play of,
Deep are the Roots, in Los Angeles and San Francisco, CA (ca. 1947-1948). The bulk of the collection consists of materials related to the play.
Additionally, there is a small amount of script material, correspondence, contractual agreements, and a small number of story
synopses and newsletters associated with Paramount Pictures. In addition, there are a small number of letters and reader reports
related to his wife, Helen Spencer.
Physical Location: Stored off-site. All requests to access special collections material must be made in advance using the request button located
on this page.
Language of Material: Materials are in English.
Open for research. All requests to access special collections materials must be made in advance using the request button located
on this page.
Restrictions on Use and Reproduction
Property rights to the physical objects belong to UCLA Library Special Collections. All other rights, including copyright,
are retained by the creators and their heirs. It is the responsibility of the researcher to determine who holds the copyright
and pursue the copyright owner or his or her heir for permission to publish where The UC Regents do not hold the copyright.
[Identification of item], Ray Spencer Papers (Collection PASC 296). UCLA Library Special Collections, Charles E. Young Research
Library, University of California, Los Angeles.
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UCLA Catalog Record ID:
9956029123606533
There is very little biographical information available about Ray Spencer. Much of the following information was compiled
from the collection. Ray Spencer may also be known as R. Edward Spencer and may have written under the pseudonym of Bill Owen
or Robert Owen. He was married to Helen Spencer with whom he had one child, Greg. He was a graduate of the 1947 workshop at
Yale, executive director of
Meet the People, and a theatrical designer and screenwriter. He worked as a member of the reading staff at Paramount Pictures in ca. early-1940s.
In 1947, he obtained the West Coast production rights for the play
Deep Are the Roots, written by Arnold d'Usseau and James Gow. He produced the play in both Los Angeles and San Francisco in ca. 1947-1948. In
the early 1950s, Spencer and his family moved to Mexico where he continued to write. It is uncertain when he returned to the
United States. His motion picture credits include
Bonnie Lassie,
Star Bright,
Boogie Woogie, and
Crackup.
The collection consists of materials related to the career of writer and producer Ray Spencer. The bulk of the collection
is comprised of files related to the West Coast production of the controversial play,
Deep Are the Roots, produced by Spencer, ca. 1947-1948. Also included is small amount of script material and reader reports (not identified
with a studio), believed to be written by Spencer; a small collection of correspondence and contracts for projects in which
it appears Spencer was involved, and a research file about Plaintiffs Against the Blacklist. There are also a small number
of items related to Paramount Studios such as a script for
Your Son is My Brother, script synopses, reader reports, and newsletters titled New York Bulletin Stories. In addition, there are a small amount
of letters and readers reports written by Ray Spencer's wife, Helen Spencer. Notably absent from the collection are materials
related to films
Bonnie Lassie,
Star Bright,
Boogie Woogie, and
Crackup, for which Spencer is credited.
Arranged in the following series:
- Contracts
- Correspondence File
- Deep Are the Roots
- Paramount Pictures
- Writings by Ray Spencer
- Helen Spencer
- Plaintiffs vs. Blacklist
- Miscellaneous Files
Subjects and Indexing Terms
Screenwriters -- Archives.
Theatrical producers and directors -- Archives.
Spencer, Helen
Spencer, Ray