Description
Abraham Polonsky was a director, screenwriter and novelist. In 1951, he refused to confirm or deny membership to the Communist
party before the House Un-American Activities Committee and as a result, he was blacklisted by the entertainment industry.
The collection consists of script material, manuscripts, books, and a small amount of clippings, photographs, correspondence,
and other ephemera reflecting Polonsky's activities from the 1970s-1990s.
Background
Abraham Lincoln Polonsky was born December 5, 1910. He graduated from the City College of New York and Columbia University
Law School, and for a while, he taught English at City College. Before trying starting his career in film, Polonsky wrote
novels and several short stories. During the 1940s he also wrote for radio and worked with the Columbia Workshop and Orson
Welles. During World War II, Polonsky was assigned to the Office of Strategic Studies, a forerunner of the Central Intelligence
Agency.
Extent
10.9 Linear Feet
(18 boxes, 2 record cartons, and 1 flat box)
Restrictions
Property rights to the objects belong to UCLA Library Special Collections. All other rights, including copyright, are retained
by the creators and their heirs. It is the responsibility of the researcher to determine who holds the copyright and pursue
the copyright owner or his or her heir for permission to publish where The UC Regents do not hold the copyright.
Availability
Open for research. All requests to access special collections materials must be made in advance using the request button located
on this page.