Douglas Benton was a television writer, director, and producer who was best known his work in detective show genres. The collection consists of script material and production information and material documenting his production company, Blackjack Productions.

Douglas Carleton Benton II was born on September 24, 1925 in Hollis, Oklahoma and spent most of his childhood in West Texas. Benton earned a B.A. at the University of New Mexico (1948) and a Master of Science in Journalism at Northwestern University (1950). He began his career making documentary films for General Electric and was later placed in charge of the series General Electric Theater in Hollywood, CA. From there he went on to write and produce television series for Universal, MGM, and other studios. Benton's credits include Dr. Kildare (1961-1966), Hec Ramsey (1972-1974), Columbo, Police Woman, (1974-1978), and Magnum, P.I. (early-1980s), among others. He produced and directed several movies for television, among them A Holwing in the Woods, Undercover with the Ku Klux Klan, and MADD: Mothers Against Drunk Driving. Nominated a number of times for an Emmy, Benton earned the award in 1974 for his work on the series, Columbo. Benton died in November 2000.

12.8 linear ft. (28 boxes and 4 flat boxes)

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