Elmer Dyer papers
Catalogued by Almendarez, Val
Margaret Herrick Library. Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences.
333 S La Cienega Blvd
Beverly Hills, CA 90211
Published January 2023
Descriptive Summary
Abstract: The collection consists of scripts; pressbooks; programs; financial records; biographical material, including many articles
that Dyer wrote on his career, aerial photography, and Paul Mantz; correspondence of both a personal and business nature,
particularly extensive for the period from 1916 to 1921; books; pamphlets; periodicals; catalogs regarding photography, photographic
equipment, and supplies; and a scrapbook. Scripts for several U.S. Navy flight training films document Dyer's work during
World War II.
Collector:
Dyer, Elmer
Dates: 1910-1969
Dates: 1930-1959
Collection number: 21
Collection Size:
4 linear ft. of papers
Repository:
Margaret Herrick Library. Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences.
Languages:
Languages represented in the collection:
English
Access
Available by appointment only.
Publication Rights
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.
Preferred Citation
Elmer Dyer papers, Margaret Herrick Library, Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences.
Acquisition Information
Gift of Stacy McCullough, 1985
Collection Scope and Content Summary
The Elmer Dyer papers span the years 1910-1969 (bulk 1930s-1950s) and encompass 4 linear feet. The papers consist of production
files and subject files relating primarily to his professional career and his various businesses. The production material
consists of scripts, pressbooks, programs, and other papers relating to some of the films Dyer worked on, both for the major
studios—such as NIGHT FLIGHT (1933), THE GOOD EARTH (1937), TAIL SPIN (1939), and THE FLYING DEUCES (1939)—and for independent
producers—including SPECIAL AGENT K-7 (1937) and THE ATTACK FOR 1940 (1939, short). THE BIG CIRCUS (1959) is the last film
covered. Scripts for several U.S. Navy flight training films document Dyer's work during World War II. There is also a small
number of scripts for unproduced properties. Of particular interest is SHADOW OF THE WING, which Michael Balcon was to have
produced for MGM in 1937. The remainder of the collection consists of bills, receipts, and other financial records covering
1920-1965; biographical material about Elmer Dyer, including many articles that he wrote on his career, aerial photography,
and Paul Mantz; correspondence, of both a personal and business nature, particularly extensive for the period from 1916 to
1921; books, pamphlets, periodicals, and catalogs regarding photography, photographic equipment, and supplies; and one oversize
scrapbook containing clippings and other biographical information.
Biography
Elmer G. Dyer (1892-1970) was born in Lawrence, Kansas. His family moved to Los Angeles in 1906. Dyer worked as a glass cutter
and designer for a number of years and for a short time was an assistant set dresser at Universal. Dyer's purchase of a camera
led to his work as a freelance cinematographer from 1916 to 1921, and he sold footage to such firms as Paramount-Bray Pictorials,
Universal Weekly, and the Gaumont Company. During the 1920s he photographed several Westerns but soon became known for his
aerial photography using an Akeley camera. After working on HELL'S ANGELS (1930), he began to specialize in aerial photography
and aerial stock shots and was closely associated with stunt pilot Paul Mantz for many years. His output during the 1930s
and 1940s included AIR MAIL (1932), I WANTED WINGS (1941), ONLY ANGELS HAVE WINGS (1939), and AIR FORCE (1943); he received
an Academy Award nomination in cinematography for the latter. During World War II Dyer served in the Army's First Motion Picture
Unit and shot aerial footage for training films. Dyer began his own stock-shot library in the 1940s and in later years concentrated
his energies on this business.
Arrangement of the Collection
1. Production files, subseries A-B as follows: A. Produced; B. Unproduced; 2. Subject files, subseries A-B as follows: A.
General; B. Books and periodicals; 3. Scrapbooks
Indexing terms
Dyer, Elmer
Cinematographers
Production files/Produced
folder 1
ACE OF THE LAW--pressbook
Circa 1924--1924
Record ID: 71325779
folder 2
AIR MAIL--general
Circa 1932--1932
Record ID: 71325783
Scope and Content Note
mock-up pages for insert shots
folder 3
THE ATTACK FOR 1940--script
1939--1939
Record ID: 71325784
Scope and Content Note
script, July 12, 1939, 16 pages
folder 4
THE ATTACK FOR 1940--production material
1939--1939
Record ID: 71325785
Scope and Content Note
a breakdown of the aerial shots needed; letter from John A. Freese to Walter Bieling, with a strip of film, July 19, 1939;
telegrams from John Freese, July 19, 1939, and July 25, 1939; telegram from Walter Bieling to Elmer Dyer, July 26, 1939; copy
of an agreement with the Navy Department
folder 5
THE BIG CIRCUS--correspondence
1958--1958
Record ID: 71325786
Scope and Content Note
copies of letters from the Niagara Falls Park Commissioners, October 31, 1958, and November 5, 1958
folder 6
THE BIG CIRCUS--storyboards
Circa 1959--1959
Record ID: 71325787
Scope and Content Note
five oversized pages with storyboards for the walk over Niagara Falls sequence
folder 7
BOWS AND ARROWS--correspondence
1939--1939
Record ID: 71325788
Scope and Content Note
copy of the agreement with Columbia for the rights to the film, August 9, 1939; copy of a letter from Columbia, September
7, 1939; letter from Columbia, September 8, 1939; payment receipts
folder 8
THE CEMENT PILLOW [television]--script
Record ID: 71325789
Scope and Content Note
script by Warren Douglas, undated, 41 pages
folder 9
DARE DEVILS OF THE AIR--publicity
Record ID: 71325790
folder 10
DIRIGIBLE--program
1931--1931
Record ID: 71325791
folder 11
DIVE BOMBER--script
1941--1941
Record ID: 71325792
Scope and Content Note
final screenplay, part 1, by Frank Wead and Robert Buckner, March 11, 1941, 146 pages
folder 12
FLIGHT--program
Circa 1929--1929
Record ID: 71325793
folder 13
THE FLYING DEUCES--script
Circa 1939--1939
Record ID: 71325794
Scope and Content Note
screenplay, 79 pages
folder 14
THE FLYING DEUCES--production material
Circa 1939--1939
Record ID: 71325795
Scope and Content Note
tentative schedule for aerial shots; breakdown of the process shots needed; storyboard drawing
folder 15
GALLANT JOURNEY--script
1946--1946
Record ID: 71325796
Scope and Content Note
final draft screenplay by Byron Morgan and William A. Wellman, January 18, 1946, 143 pages
folder 16
GLIMPSES IN A NUDIST COLONY--titles
Record ID: 71325797
Scope and Content Note
list of titles for the film
folder 17
GLIMPSES IN A NUDIST COLONY--publicity
Record ID: 71325798
folder 18
GOLDEN TRAILS--pressbook
Record ID: 71325799
folder 19
THE GOOD EARTH--script
1935--1935
Record ID: 71325800
Scope and Content Note
screenplay by Marc Connolly, August 21, 1935, 119 pages
folder 20
THE GOOD EARTH--production memos
1935--1935
Record ID: 71325801
Scope and Content Note
instructions for photographing clouds from Mr. Fleming, November 12, 1935; memo from Frank Messinger to John Arnold regarding
cloud photos, November 20, 1935, attached to a memo from Frank Messinger to Mr. Basevi with a script extract, November 7,
1935
folder 21
HELL'S ANGELS--general
1929--1929
Record ID: 71325802
Scope and Content Note
memo announcing the end of shooting, undated
folder 22
I WANTED WINGS--script
1940--1940
Record ID: 71325803
Scope and Content Note
screenplay, August 16, 1940, 126 pages
folder 23
LIGHTNING STRIKES WEST--script
1940--1940
Record ID: 71325804
Scope and Content Note
screenplay by Martha Chapin, January 20, 1940, 71 pages
folder 24
THE LOST SQUADRON--script
1931--1931
Record ID: 71325805
Scope and Content Note
first draft script, September 24, 1931, 124 pages
folder 25
THE LOST SQUADRON--script
1931--1931
Record ID: 71325806
Scope and Content Note
final script (incomplete) by Dick Grace, October 31, 1931, 23 pages
folder 26
MILE-A-MINUTE-MORGAN--press sheets
Circa 1924--1924
Record ID: 71325807
folder 27
MURDER IN THE CLOUDS--script
1934--1934
Record ID: 71325808
Scope and Content Note
final screenplay by Dore Schary and Roy Chanslor, August 21, 1934, 114 pages
folder 28
MURDER IN THE CLOUDS--script
Circa 1934--1934
Record ID: 71325878
Scope and Content Note
breakdown pages
folder 29
NIGHT FLIGHT--script
1933--1933
Record ID: 71325809
Scope and Content Note
screenplay by Oliver H. P. Garrett, March 28, 1933, 101 pages
folder 30
NIGHT FLIGHT--script
1933--1933
Record ID: 71325810
Scope and Content Note
breakdown of scenes needing aerial photography, March 31, 1933, 8 pages
folder 31
NIGHT FLIGHT--script
1933--1933
Record ID: 71325811
Scope and Content Note
conference notes dictated by Clarence Brown, April 12, 1933, 8 pages
folder 32
PORT OF SEVEN SEAS--script
1937--1937
Record ID: 71325812
Scope and Content Note
temporary complete script, "Fanny," August 19, 1937, 106 pages
folder 33
PRIMARY FLIGHT TRAINING FILMS--script
1946--1946
Record ID: 71325813
Scope and Content Note
script number 9B, "Wingovers," revised July 1, 1946, 38 pages [light annotations]; script number 9C, "Slips," revised July
1, 1946, 30 pages [medium annotations]; script number 12, "Fly-Through Aerobatics," revised July 1, 1946, 62 pages [medium
annotations]
folder 34
PRIMARY FLIGHT TRAINING FILMS--script
1946--1946
Record ID: 71325814
Scope and Content Note
script number 12, "Fly-Through Aerobatics," revised July 1, 1946, 62 pages (second copy) [medium annotations]; script number
13, "Aerobatics Involving Stalls," script, revised July 1, 1946, 25 pages [light annotations]
folder 35
RANGER BILL--pressbook
Circa 1925--1925
Record ID: 71325815
folder 36
SEPTEMBER MORN--titles
Record ID: 71325816
Scope and Content Note
list of titles for the film
folder 37
SEPTEMBER MORN--publicity
Record ID: 71325817
folder 38
SPECIAL AGENT K-7--script
Circa 1937--1937
Record ID: 71325818
Scope and Content Note
screenplay, 193 pages
folder 39
SPECIAL AGENT K-7--publicity
Circa 1937--1937
Record ID: 71325819
folder 40
TAIL SPIN--script
1938--1938
Record ID: 71325820
Scope and Content Note
final script by Frank Wead, August 20, 1938, 158 pages
folder 41
TAIL SPIN--breakdown
1938--1938
Record ID: 71325821
Scope and Content Note
breakdown of exterior and interior sequences related to flying, August 23, 1938, 55 pages
folder 42
TIMBER FURY--script
Circa 1950--1950
Record ID: 71325822
Scope and Content Note
screenplay, 62 pages [medium annotations]
folder 43
THE WEB OF THE LAW--pressbook
Circa 1923--1923
Record ID: 71325823
folder 44
WEST POINT OF THE AIR--script
1934--1934
Record ID: 71325824
Scope and Content Note
screenplay by Philip Dunne, February 21, 1934, 151 pages
folder 45
THE WINNER'S CIRCLE--script
Circa 1948--1948
Record ID: 71325825
Scope and Content Note
third draft screenplay by Howard J. Green, 84 pages (2 copies)
Production files/Unproduced
folder 46
ALL IS CONFUSION--script
1937--1937
Record ID: 71325826
Scope and Content Note
first draft continuity, February 24, 1937, 160 pages [lightly annotated]
folder 47
ALL IS CONFUSION--breakdown
Record ID: 71325828
Scope and Content Note
breakdown of process shots
folder 48
FACES--script
Record ID: 71325829
Scope and Content Note
treatment, 4 pages
folder 49
FLYING GOLD--script
1950--1950
Record ID: 71325830
Scope and Content Note
screenplay by Arthur L. Marble, 1950, 105 pages
folder 50
FOUR CARS--script
1936--1936
Record ID: 71325831
Scope and Content Note
first mimeograph, July 31, 1936, 16 pages
folder 51
GUN NOTCHES--script
1950--1950
Record ID: 71325832
Scope and Content Note
script for episode number 8, "Alarums and Excursions," by Paul Franklin, April 19, 1950, 25 pages
folder 52
I'M DADDY TO A BIRD--script
1939--1939
Record ID: 71325833
Scope and Content Note
first rough outline, May 13, 1939, 6 pages
folder 53
I'M DADDY TO A BIRD--breakdown
Record ID: 71325834
Scope and Content Note
breakdown of process shots
folder 54
LANDING AIDS, ARCATA--script
1948--1948
Record ID: 71325835
Scope and Content Note
modified shooting script, August 6, 1948
folder 55
SHADOW OF THE WING--script
Record ID: 71325836
Scope and Content Note
screenplay, 154 pages
folder 56
SHADOW OF THE WING--breakdown
1937--1937
Record ID: 71325837
Scope and Content Note
breakdown of shots needed, May-August 1937; memo from Michael Balcon, May 21, 1937
folder 57
SHADOW OF THE WING--production memos
1937--1937
Record ID: 71325838
Scope and Content Note
copies of two telegrams from Michael Balcon, June 10, 1937 and June 17, 1937
folder 58
WHAT A DAY--script
1938--1938
Record ID: 71325839
Scope and Content Note
treatment by Robert F. Lander, 1938, 24 pages
folder 59
WINGS OVER SAN ANTONIO--script
Record ID: 71325840
Scope and Content Note
screenplay, 127 pages
folder 60
WINGS OVER SAN ANTONIO--breakdown
Record ID: 71325841
Scope and Content Note
breakdown of aerial sequences
folder 61
Bills and receipts
1920--1937
Record ID: 71325842
Scope and Content Note
bills and receipts, both personal and business
folder 62
Biographical material
1925--1966
Record ID: 71325845
Scope and Content Note
membership list for the Two Three Three Club, 1927; magazine articles written by, or about, Mr. Dyer, 1928-1966; newspaper
clippings, 1925-1965
folder 63
Contracts
1924--1924
Record ID: 71325846
Scope and Content Note
contract with Independent Comedies, Inc., July 10, 1924; blank contracts with Lichtig & Englander Agency
folder 64
Correspondence
1910--1919
Record ID: 71325847
Scope and Content Note
correspondence from "Rural World Magazine," September 19, 1917; Devil's Gate Children's Camp, October 9, 1918; the Tuberculosis
Society, September 17, 1918; numerous letters from Dyer's mother, Mrs. Bina Belle Root, 1915-1918; letters from Dyer's sister,
Alice Winkler, July 10, 1917 and April 11, 1918; draft of a letter from Mr. Dyer to Mr. Kelso regarding an auto accident,
undated; letter from the draft board with Dyer's classification, January 15, 1918; numerous letters with the following companies
regarding the sale of documentary footage photographed by Mr. Dyer: Famous Players-Lasky (1919), Gaumont Co. (1916-1918),
Ford Motor Co. (1917), Kinetacartoon Co. (1917-1918), C. L. Chester, Inc. (1916-1918), Keeley-Handy Syndicate (1916-1917),
"Popular Mechanics" Magazine (1919), "Popular Science" Magazine (1919), Rothacker Film Mfg. Co. (1916), "Universal Screen
Magazine" (1917), and the American Red Cross (1918)
folder 65
Correspondence
1920--1929
Record ID: 71325848
Scope and Content Note
wires from Whitman Bennet Studios, April 19, 1921, together with Dyer's reply, April 19, 1921; letters from Jesse J. Goldburg,
October 21, 1921, and November 3, 1921; copies of letters from Dyer to Famous Players-Lasky, January 19, 1920, and August
20, 1921; letter from attorney A. P. Michael Narlion regarding the terms of Dyer's probation, April 11, 1929; receipts from
the Prosecuting Attorney's office
folder 66
Correspondence
1930--1939
Record ID: 71325849
Scope and Content Note
Christmas cards; letter from Akeley Camera, December 4, 1930; certificate for writing from the Los Angeles School District
for Gloria Dyer, January 29, 1931; fan letter from Ray Ashwell, undated; receipt for negative film from Paramount, September
23, 1932
folder 67
Correspondence
1940--1949
Record ID: 71325850
Scope and Content Note
a letter from "Durlam," October 21, 1946
folder 68
Correspondence
1950--1959
Record ID: 71325851
Scope and Content Note
letters of introduction for Dyer from Ray B. Bloker, TWA, July 29, 1955; letter from the U. S. Navy, December 4, 1950
folder 69
Correspondence
1960--1969
Record ID: 71325852
Scope and Content Note
a copy of a letter from the Spade ‘N' Gun Club, 1960; letter from Tom T. Matsumoto, February 17, 1969
folder 70
Educational footage titles
1916--1919
Record ID: 71325853
Scope and Content Note
"The Aquatic Farmer of Watts"; "Children's Open Air Health Camp"; "Expert Fly and Bait Casting"; "Feminine Life-Guards"; "Harvesting
Kelp"; "How California Harvests Beans"; "The Life of the Bee"; "Making Hair Rope Novelties"; "Mt. Lowe Trip"; "One of the
Curiosities of the West"; "Raising Imported Goats"; "Scientific Rose Culture"; "Soldiers Camouflaged Sleeping Bag"; "Spineless
Cactus Man Tamed Desert Plant"; "A Tractor Demonstration"; "The Trap Door Spider"; "The Turbine Wind Engine"; "Utilizing the
Potato"; "Utilizing the Sea Shell"; "War Dogs"
folder 71
Financial material
1923--1965
Record ID: 71325854
Scope and Content Note
two stock certificates from the Pacific Film Co., May 1923; Los Angeles County tax receipts, 1928-1929; Security Trust & Savings
Bank loan notes, March 3, 1928, June 4, 1928, September 20, 1928; letter from the Whittier Building and Loan and Savings Bank,
October 1, 1927; copy of Mr. Dyer's 1927 federal tax return; letter from the IRS accepting his 1928 tax return, November 21,
1929; cancelled checks; Allstate insurance policy, September 20, 1965
folder 72
Lab receipts
1953--1956
Record ID: 71325855
Scope and Content Note
receipts for film processing
folder 73
Miscellaneous
1936--1946
Record ID: 71325856
Scope and Content Note
a Royal Air Force Display program, 1937; National Air Races program, 1936; poster with photos of pioneer flyers; names and
addresses [loose]; Castle Films Inc. film catalog; Hollywood Film Enterprises catalog, 1942; various sheets of letterhead
for Mr. Dyer's companies; 25th Anniversary of the American Society of Cinematographers (ASC) booklet, 1946
folder 74
NuArt--correspondence
1936--1936
Record ID: 71325857
Scope and Content Note
letter from Joseph Halloran threatening a lawsuit, December 18, 1936; letter from Dwain Esper concerning the title SEPTEMBER
MORN, January 5, 1936
folder 75
NuArt-orders
1936--1937
Record ID: 71325858
Scope and Content Note
orders for the 16mm films sold by the company
folder 76
Paramount-Bray Pictographs
1917--1921
Record ID: 71325859
Scope and Content Note
correspondence relating to the sale of footage photographed by Dyer
folder 77
Photographic catalogues
Record ID: 71325860
Scope and Content Note
price lists and instruction booklets for various cameras, lenses, paper, and chemicals
folder 78
Photographic catalogues
Record ID: 71325861
Scope and Content Note
Bell & Howell; Eastman Kodak; Western Electric; Akeley Camera; Bausch & Lomb; Zeiss Lenses
folder 79
Receipts
1965--1965
Record ID: 71325862
Scope and Content Note
receipts for the sale of stock footage for the year 1965
folder 80
Receipts
1965--1965
Record ID: 71325863
Scope and Content Note
receipts for the sale of stock footage for the year 1965
folder 81
Record books
1938--1942
Record ID: 71325864
Scope and Content Note
books with the record of sales of stock shots and negative for the following periods: 1938-1942, and January-October 1954
folder 82
Record books
1961--1964
Record ID: 71325865
Scope and Content Note
books with the record of sales of stock shots and negative for the following periods: July to December 1961, and January 1963
to July 1964
folder 83
Sketches
Record ID: 71325866
Scope and Content Note
two drawings of Dopey
folder 84
Whiffle-Giffs
1923--1923
Record ID: 71325867
Scope and Content Note
titles for "Whiffle-Giffs #3" (1923), a series of puppet cartoons made by Dyer
Subject files/Books and periodicals
folder 85
Books
1920--1944
Record ID: 71325868
Scope and Content Note
Eastman Kodak Co. "The Photography of Colored Objects "(4th ed.). Rochester, NY: Eastman Kodak, 1920; Eastman Kodak Co. "Wratten
Light Filters" (17th ed.). Rochester, NY: Eastman Kodak, 1944; Dr. Othmar Helwich. "Practical Infra-Red Photography." London:
The Fountain Press, undated; Mallinckrodt Chemical Works. "The Chemistry of Photography" (6th ed.). St. Louis: Mallinckrodt
Chemical Works, 1940; C. E. K. Mees. "The Fundamentals of Photography." Rochester, NY: Eastman Kodak, 1920; Fred Westerberg.
"The Cinematographer's Book of Tables." Hollywood, CA: The International Photographer, 1934. [inscribed to Dyer by Lieut.
Don Norwood.]
folder 86
Pamphlets
1920--1926
Record ID: 71325870
Scope and Content Note
Ansco Photoproducts, "Ansco Professional Pointer," 1926 (2 copies); Bausch & Lomb Optical Co., "Sigmar Lenses for Portrait
Photography," undated; Eastman Kodak Co., "About Lenses," 1923; Eastman Kodak Co., "About Lenses," 1924; Eastman Kodak Co.,
"Color Films, Plates and Filters for Commercial Photography," 1924; Eastman Kodak Co., "Color Plates and Filters for Commercial
Photography," 1921; Eastman Kodak Co., "Elementary Photographic Chemistry," 1920
folder 87
Pamphlets
1917--1933
Record ID: 71325871
Scope and Content Note
Eastman Kodak Co., "Enlarging," 1917; Eastman Kodak Co., "Lantern Slides," undated; Eastman Kodak Co., "Professional Enlarging,"
1925; Eastman Kodak Co., "Reproduction Work with Dry Plates and Films," 1925; E. Leavenworth Elliott, "Artificial Light vs.
Natural Light in the Studio," undated; Eastman Kodak Co., "Visual Acuity," undated; Dr. Clyde Fisher, "Carl Akeley and His
Work," 1927; Frank R. Frapric, "How to Choose and Use a Lens," 1919; Hammer Dry Plate Co., "Hammer's Little Book," undated;
D. R. White, "Photographic Effects Obtained with Infra D Negative," 1933
folder 88
Periodicals
Record ID: 71325872
Scope and Content Note
"American Photography," vol. XX, no. 6, June 1926; "Camera Craft," vol. XLI, no. 4, April 1934; "Evidence in Camera," vol.
6, no. 12, March 20, 1944; "Photographic Digest," vol. 9, no. 7, July 1919
folder 89
Periodicals
1926--1926
Record ID: 71325873
Scope and Content Note
"The British Journal Photographic Almanac," 1926
folder 90
Periodicals
1927--1929
Record ID: 71325874
Scope and Content Note
"The British Journal Photographic Almanac," 1927, 1929
folder 91
Periodicals
1930--1934
Record ID: 71325875
Scope and Content Note
"The British Journal Photographic Almanac," 1930, 1934
Scrapbook
Circa 1920--1932
Record ID: 71325876
Scope and Content Note
Dyer personal clippings, including biographical material covering the mid-1920s to early 1930s; clippings on stunt pilots
and aerial photography; clippings on DIRIGIBLE (Columbia, 1931)