“The Writer Speaks” interview series, conducted by the nonprofit Writers Guild Foundation from 1994 to 2013, consists of 63 videotaped oral history interviews with prominent film and television writers. Interviewees include Billy Wilder, Robert Towne, Julius Epstein, Garry Marshall, James L. Brooks, Norman Lear, Carl Reiner, William Goldman and Sidney Sheldon. Among the major topics discussed are early childhood, inspiration and influence, big breaks, career milestones, process and craft, the Hollywood blacklist, and advice to aspiring writers. The collection is available on DVD as well as on the Writers Guild Foundation’s YouTube channel.

The nonprofit Writers Guild Foundation was founded in 1966 by a group of prestigious film and television writers with a mission to promote excellence and visibility in the craft of screenwriting and honor and preserve the work of the past. In reaching these goals, the WGF operates the Shavelson-Webb Library and Archive and hosts speaker events, conferences, and mentorship programs to support the next generation of emerging writers.

63 interviews; approximately 90 hours of video footage

The rights belong to the Writers Guild Foundation. Please contact the Archive for requests to reproduce or publish materials.

Access to this collection is unrestricted.