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Quinn (Anthony) Collection of Scripts
MS.2015.009
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Contributing Institution:
Special Collections and Archives
Title: Anthony Quinn Collection of Scripts
Identifier/Call Number: MS.2015.009
Physical Description:
53.75 Linear Feet
Date (inclusive): 1940-1972
Abstract: Anthony Quinn (1915-2001) is best known
as an actor, starring in such films as Lawrence of Arabia (1962), Zorba the Greek (1964),
and La Strada (1954), but he was also a writer and visual artist. He was born in Chihuahua,
Mexico, then his parents moved to Los Angeles where Quinn grew up in Boyle Heights and Echo
Park. Quinn was a boxer for a time and studied architecture under Frank Lloyd Wright before
starting his film acting career in 1936. Quinn was under contract at Paramount and played
characters of various ethnicities such as Native American, Crazy Horse, in They Died with
Their Boots On (1941) and a Chinese character, Chang Tai, in Island of Lost Men (1939).
Quinn was a Mexican national until he became an American citizen in 1947. In 1947, Quinn
played Stanley Kowalski in A Streetcar Named Desire on Broadway, replacing Marlon Brando.
This led to director Elia Kazan casting Quinn alongside Brando in 1952's Viva Zapata! Quinn
won an Oscar for Best Supporting Actor, making him the first Mexican-American to ever win an
Academy Award. He won the award a second time for his performance in Lust for Life (1956).
Quinn went on to star in many successful films throughout the 1950s and 60s. He was also
active on Broadway. After the success of the TV movie, The City (1971), Quinn reprised his
role in the short lived television series, The Man and the City (1971-1972), as the Hispanic
mayor of a city in the American Southwest. His acting career continued until his death in
2001. Anthony Quinn was also involved in and had a rich interest in civil rights movements
throughout the United States. In 1970, Quinn was a panelist at the Mexican-American
Conference. He attended events for La Raza and other groups. In 2001, the Los Angeles Latino
International Film Festival awarded Quinn their Lifetime Achievement Award posthumously. The
National Council of La Raza gives out an award named for Quinn, the Anthony Quinn Award for
Industry Excellence, at the annual American Latino Media Arts Awards.
Language of Material:
English .
The Anthony Quinn Collection of Scripts is the physical property of California State
University, Los Angeles, John F. Kennedy Memorial Library, Special Collections and
Archives.
Folder title, Series, Box number, Collection title, followed by Special Collections and
Archives, John F. Kennedy Memorial Library, California State University, Los Angeles
The collection is organized into seven series: I. Scripts/Outline; II. Manuscripts; III.
Civil Rights Materials; IV. Publications, V. Correspondence; VI. Research Materials; VII.
Miscellaneous. Two of the seven series consist of subseries. Series III. Civil Rights
Materials is organized into two subseries: a. Civil Rights Materials and b. Oversized Civil
Rights Materials. Series IV. Publications is organized into two subseries: a. Newspapers and
b. Reports.
Anthony Quinn (1915-2001) is best known as an actor, starring in such films as Lawrence of
Arabia (1962), Zorba the Greek (1964), and La Strada (1954), but he was also a writer and
visual artist. He was born in Chihuahua, Mexico, then his parents moved to Los Angeles where
Quinn grew up in Boyle Heights and Echo Park. Quinn was a boxer for a time and studied
architecture under Frank Lloyd Wright before starting his film acting career in 1936.
Quinn was under contract at Paramount and played characters of various ethnicities such as
Native American, Crazy Horse, in They Died with Their Boots On (1941) and a Chinese
character, Chang Tai, in Island of Lost Men (1939). Quinn was a Mexican national until he
became an American citizen in 1947.
In 1947, Quinn played Stanley Kowalski in A Streetcar Named Desire on Broadway, replacing
Marlon Brando. This led to director Elia Kazan casting Quinn alongside Brando in 1952's Viva
Zapata! Quinn won an Oscar for Best Supporting Actor, making him the first Mexican-American
to ever win an Academy Award. He won the award a second time for his performance in Lust for
Life (1956). Quinn went on to star in many successful films throughout the 1950s and 60s. He
was also active on Broadway.
After the success of the TV movie, The City (1971), Quinn reprised his role in the short
lived television series, The Man and the City (1971-1972), as the Hispanic mayor of a city
in the American Southwest. His acting career continued until his death in 2001.
Anthony Quinn was also involved in and had a rich interest in civil rights movements
throughout the United States. In 1970, Quinn was a panelist at the Mexican-American
Conference. He attended events for La Raza and other groups. In 2001, the Los Angeles Latino
International Film Festival awarded Quinn their Lifetime Achievement Award posthumously. The
National Council of La Raza gives out an award named for Quinn, the Anthony Quinn Award for
Industry Excellence, at the annual American Latino Media Arts Awards.
The materials in this collection were created from 1940-1972. The bulk of the collection is
scripts and outlines collected by Anthony Quinn, a notable MexicanAmerican actor, director,
writer, and visual artist. The scripts and outlines contain film scripts, theater plays,
teleplays, and pre-production film materials. These include scripts of films and television
that star Anthony Quinn as well as many that were never produced. Included in the collection
are materials and documents related to Quinn's interest and involvement in civil rights
movements from 1960-1972, particularly those involving Mexican-Americans. The materials in
this collection also include correspondence and research materials related to film projects,
Quinn's appearances, and civil rights.
Series I: Scripts/Outlines Inclusive Dates: 1957-1972 Arrangement: Alphabetical and there
under chronological
This large series consists of scripts and outlines collected by Anthony Quinn dated from
1957-1972. The series is organized by title and includes screenplays, theater scripts,
outlines and other pre-production film materials. Care was taken to keep the materials in
their original order to facilitate research. The series is mostly English language, but it
includes scripts and outlines in Spanish, French, and Italian as well. The series contains
scripts of films starring Anthony Quinn such as The Shoes of the Fisherman (1968), A Dream
of Kings (1969), and Across 110th Street (1972). It also contains several teleplays from The
Man and the City (1971-1972), a show starring Quinn as the Hispanic mayor of a city in the
Southwestern United States. There are also scripts and outlines in various stages of
development, many of which never made it to movie screens. Other notable materials include
Last Resort, an early script by John Milius (The Dirty Harry Films, Conan the Barbarian);
and La Strada: A New Musical Play (1968), a Broadway adaptation of the 1954 Best Foreign
Language Film Oscar Winner of the same name, directed by Federico Fellini and starring
Anthony Quinn. The play is a famous Broadway flop that closed on opening night. The series
includes two scripts co-written by Quinn, The Eagle and the Horse, and The Bag Man or Harry
the Gent (1966).
Series II: Manuscripts Inclusive Dates: 1940-1971 Arrangement: Alphabetical and there under
chronological
This small series includes manuscripts of published novels released from 1940- 1971. The
series includes a copy of Ladislas Farago's history of German espionage in World War II, The
Game of Foxes (1971); and Mayhem in B-Flat (1940), a detective novel from Elliot Paul's
Homer Evans books.
Series III: Civil Rights Materials Inclusive Dates: 1960-1972 Arrangement: Alphabetical and
there under chronological
This small series consists of two subseries: a. Civil Rights Materials, 1960-1972; and b.
Oversized Civil Rights Materials, 1966-1971. The series includes information regarding the
Mexican-American Conference held at Beverly Hills High School in 1970. Anthony Quinn was a
panel member, and the series includes his notes on the event. Also included are
informational packets and brochures from institutions such as the Equal Employment
Opportunity Commission and CASA (Chicano Association for Student Assistance, UCLA). There
are also documents concerning the education of minorities and image stereotyping.
Series IV: Publications Inclusive Dates: 1968-1971 Arrangement: Alphabetical and there
under chronological
This small series includes newspapers and reports dated from 1968-1971. The series is
organized into two subseries: a. Newspapers, 1968-1970 and b. Reports, 1968-1971. Some of
the issues included are La Raza Yearbook (1968), El Grito Del Norte (1969), and La Voz de la
Alianza (1970). Included in subseries b. Reports are Equal Employment Opportunity Commission
Hearings on discrimination in white collar employment and the utilization of minority women
workers (1968-1969). Also included is Stranger in One's Land (1970), a publication released
by the U.S. Commission of Civil Rights that addresses the Mexican American community's civil
rights problems.
Series V: Correspondence Inclusive Dates: 1967-1971 Arrangement: Alphabetical and there
under chronological
This small series consists of correspondence to and from Anthony Quinn from 1967-1971
regarding film projects, appearance requests, and Civil Rights. Included in the collection
are several letters from Quinn to screenwriters rejecting involvement in their projects.
Many of the rejected scripts are in Series I: Scripts/Outlines. Another notable folder in
the series includes correspondence in English and in Spanish regarding the admission of two
Columbian students into UC Berkeley. Care was taken to maintain the original order to
facilitate research.
Series VI: Research Materials Inclusive Dates: 1971 Arrangement: Alphabetical and there
under chronological
This small series consists of Anthony Quinn's research materials. The topics include the
Albuquerque city government and the Los Angeles city government. There are also handwritten
notes about scripts.
Series VII: Miscellaneous Inclusive Dates: u.d. Arrangement: Alphabetical and thereunder
chronological
This small series consists of miscellaneous documents included with the collection. One of
the items included is a press kit for Battle of Neretva (1969), a Yugoslavian film featuring
Orson Welles. The front cover has a copy of the film's poster made by Pablo Picasso.