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Western Television Programs Script Collection
MSA.35
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Contributing Institution:
Library and Archives at the Autry
Title: Western Television Programs Script Collection
Identifier/Call Number: MSA.35
Physical Description:
35.75 Linear Feet
(26 boxes)
Date (inclusive): 1950-1982
Abstract: Western television programming features stories of the American West, usually occurring during the historical period of westward
expansion, from 1865-1900, and typically set in the western United States or northern Mexico. Popular series in this genre
include
Bonanza,
Gunsmoke, and
Rawhide. This collection of 996 Western television program scripts ranges from 1950-1982 and includes final scripts, drafts, notes,
and documents from Western television series, mini-series, television movies, and other programming.
Language of Material:
English
.
Appointments to view materials are required. To make an appointment please visit
https://theautry.org/research-collections/library-and-archives and fill out the Researcher Application Form.
Copyright has not been assigned to the Autry Museum of the American West. All requests for permission to publish or quote
from manuscripts must be submitted in writing to the Head of Research Services and Archives. Permission for publication is
given on behalf of the Autry Museum of the American West as the custodian of the physical items and is not intended to include
or imply permission of the copyright holder, which must also be obtained by the reader.
Walter Reuben acquired part of the collection from Douglas Hart in the 1980s and 1990s. Reuben collected the remainder of
the collection from various sources, often the editor or cutter of a specific series. The Autry purchased the entire collection
from Walter Reuben in 1999.
Western Television Programs Script Collection, 1950-1982, Autry Museum of the American West, Los Angeles; MSA.35; [folder number] [folder title][date].
Purchase from Walter Reuben, 1999 July.
Western is a genre of entertainment that features the American West, typically during the historical period of westward expansion,
from 1865-1900. Time periods for these stories can occur during Mexican or American rule of the western United States, and
geographical settings are usually in the United States or sometimes in Northern Mexico.
Western television programs were preceded by Western radio plays and movies, which were popular in the United States in the
1940s, especially with children. As televisions became a staple of American households, Western television programs continued
to be successful among young audiences. In the 1950s, programs like
Gunsmoke started to change the typical Western format by introducing more complex and sophisticated storylines and themes which had
crossover appeal into the primetime market. Western television programs were most popular in the 1950s and 1960s, and included
The Big Valley,
Bonanza,
Cheyenne,
The Gene Autry Show,
Gunsmoke,
Have Gun, Will Travel,
The High Chaparral,
Laramie,
The Lone Ranger,
Maverick,
Rawhide,
The Rifleman,
Sugarfoot,
The Virginian,
Wagon Train, and
Wanted: Dead or Alive.
This collection of scripts from Western television programs are from individual episodes of series, mini-series, pilots, and
specials from 1950-1982 and have been annotated by their original owners, who were actors, composers, editors, prop masters,
and other production staff. Folders include script drafts, notes, rewrites, and final versions. One press kit for the mini-series
Centennial is included. Some scripts include name and department ownership information for that particular copy, hand-written notes,
and laid-in production documents such as rehearsal schedules, shooting schedules, and budgets.
Processing and finding aid completed by Holly Rose Larson, NHPRC Project Archivist, 2012 April 12, made possible through grant
funding from the National Historical Publications and Records Commission (NHPRC).
- Series 1: Scripts, Western television series, 1950-1982
- Series 2: Scripts, other Western television programs, 1950-1982
David Dortort Collection, 1942-2005, Autry Museum of the American West, Los Angeles; MSA.23
John Dunkel Scripts and Papers, 1945-1988, Autry Museum of the American West, Los Angeles; MSA.37
Subjects and Indexing Terms
Big Valley (Television program : 1965-1969) Barbary Coast (Television program : 1975-1976) Bat Masterson (Television program : 1958-1961) Best of the West (Television program : 1981-1982) Alaskans (Television program : 1959-1960) Cheyenne (Television program : 1955-1963) Bonanza (Television program : 1959-1973) Bret Maverick (Television program : 1981-1982) Bronco (Television program : 1958-1962) Cowboy in Africa (Television program : 1967-1968)Television -- Production and direction
Death Valley Days (Television program : 1952-1975)
Cisco Kid (Television program : 1950-1956)
Colt .45 (Television program : 1957-1960)
Western television programs -- United States
F Troop (Television program : 1965-1967)
Gunsmoke (Television program : 1955-1975)
Cowboys (Television program : 1980-1981)
Dirty Sally (Television program : 1974)
Klondike (Television program : 1960-1961)
Laredo (Television program : 1965-1967)
Iron horse (Television program : 1966-1968)
High Chaparral (Television program : 1967-1971)
Little House on the Prairie (Television program : 1974-1983)
Kung Fu (Television program : 1972-1975)
Laman (Television program : 1958-1962)