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Joan Moore Collection
WGF-MS-067  
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Collection Overview
 
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Description
The Joan Moore Collection, 1932-1976, documents the research done by Dr. Joan Moore, a sociologist who began a study of the Writers Guild of America in 1963 and subsequently wrote several unpublished manuscripts about the history of the Guild and the craft of screenwriting. The collection includes more than 300 surveys completed by Writers Guild members as part of Dr. Moore’s research study, as well as correspondence, notes, research files, manuscripts, and detailed summaries of interviews that Dr. Moore conducted with many prominent writers.
Background
Dr. Joan Moore is a noted sociologist and scholar who received her Ph.D. from the University of Chicago. In 1963, when she was an assistant professor of sociology at the University of California, Riverside, Dr. Moore approached the Writers Guild of America about undertaking a sociological study of the writers’ experience in the film and television industry. The Guild agreed, and Dr. Moore spent the next several years working with the Guild on the study, which included sending a detailed questionnaire to all of the members as well as interviewing a number of prominent writers about their experiences in the industry and in the Guild. Dr. Moore presented several papers on her findings, and also began writing a book-length history of the Guild, in collaboration with her husband Burton Moore. The book was never published, however, and Dr. Moore moved on to other areas of study, including a focus on Latinos in America and the issues of gangs and crime.
Extent
1.75 linear feet
Restrictions
The responsibility to secure copyright and publication permission rests with the researcher.
Availability
Available by appointment only.