Edward Dmytryk papers
Catalogued by Mei, Chen
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 includes a handful of scripts for films directed by Dmytryk; a few scripts for unproduced films; extensive
clippings; 60 letters from Dmytryk written to his wife Jean during the period of his incarceration in the federal penitentiary
at Danville, Connecticut in 1950; writings by Dmytryk, including his manuscripts for “Dmytryk on Film-Making,” “It's a Hell
of a Life But Not a Bad Living,” “Odd Man Out,” “On Film Directing,” and “On Film Editing”; material on the “Hollywood Ten”;
and photographs.
Collector:
Dmytryk, Edward
Dates: 1947-1999
Collection number: 939
Collection Size:
4.5 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
Edward Dmytryk papers, Margaret Herrick Library, Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences.
Acquisition Information
Gift of Jean Porter Dmytryk, 2005.
Collection Scope and Content Summary
The Edward Dmytryk papers span the years 1947 to 1999 and encompass 4.5 linear feet. The collection consists of production
files (produced and unproduced), subjects files, and a small amount of oversize material documenting Dmytryk’s work as a film
director and writer.
The production files (produced) consist primarily of scripts for several films directed by Dmytryk, including annotated scripts
for THE CARPETBAGGERS (1964) and THE RELUCTANT SAINT (1962), as well as a script for CROSSFIRE (1947) bound with shooting
schedules for the film. Additionally, there are bound scripts for MURDER, MY SWEET (1944), SALT TO THE DEVIL (1949), and THE
YOUNG LIONS (1958). Of interest is the file of research material for THE LEFT HAND OF GOD (1955) and a bound photo album chronicling
the production of SALT TO THE DEVIL, the film Dmytryk made in England after he was cited for contempt of Congress and compelled
to flee the United States. There is also an undated, unpublished manuscript for “Making of Raintree Country” by Dmytryk. There
is no material for films Dmytryk worked on as an editor early in his career, nor on such notable directorial credits as TENDER
COMRADE (1943), THE CAINE MUTINY (1954), or WALK ON THE WILD SIDE (1962). The production files (unproduced) contain material
for four projects, including a documentary on John Fante, who co-wrote SALT TO THE DEVIL and WALK ON THE WILD SIDE, as well
as a script for THE MOUNTAIN IS YOUNG, adapted by Robert Alan Arthur from the bestselling novel by Han Suyin.
The subject files include extensive clippings as well as numerous manuscripts for Dmytryk’s memoirs and books on filmmaking.
The bulk of the clippings concern the hearings before the House Un-American Activities Committee (HUAC) and the resulting
blacklist, as well as clippings collected later in Dmytryk’s life on the activities of other members of the Hollywood Ten.
Further materials on the blacklist can be found in the files of correspondence, which include numerous letters written by
Dmytryk to his wife, Jean, while he was incarcerated in Danville, Connecticut. Other correspondence in the collection comes
from prominent attorney Bartley Crum and Robert Taylor’s daughter, Terry. Elsewhere in the series there are manuscripts for
two of Dmytryk’s memoirs, “It’s a Hell of a Life But Not a Bad Living” and “Odd Man Out,” as well as manuscripts for several
of his books about filmmaking, including “On Film Directing” and “On Film Editing.”
Biography
Edward Dmytryk was born in Grand Forks, British Columbia, Canada in 1908. He was the second of four children born to Ukrainian
immigrant parents. With the advent of World War I, his parents were in danger of being interned by the Canadian government,
so the family emigrated to the United States and settled in Northport, Washington. When his mother died in 1917, his father
moved the family down to San Francisco, and finally to Los Angeles when he remarried in 1919. Because his father was abusive,
Dmytryk ran away from home to live on his own at the age of fourteen, working as a messenger for Famous Players-Lasky while
attending Hollywood High School. He excelled at mathematics and enrolled at the California Institute of Technology but left
after his first year to return to the film industry. He eventually made his way back to Famous Players-Lasky, by then known
as Paramount Pictures Corp., and found work as a projectionist, taking advantage of his time projecting the day’s rushes to
observe the aesthetic and technical choices made by such filmmakers as Erich von Stroheim and Josef von Sternberg. He became
an assistant cutter in 1929, working on THE DANCE OF LIFE (1929) and a few Spanish-language productions before being promoted
to editor with ONLY SAPS WORK (1930). As an editor he had the opportunity to work under and observe such directors as George
Cukor on THE ROYAL FAMILY OF BROADWAY (1930) and ZAZA (1939) and Leo McCarey on RUGGLES OF RED GAP (1935) and LOVE AFFAIR
(1939). However, many of his editing assignments at Paramount were B pictures.
Although Dmytryk had directed one film, the Western THE HAWK (1935) for Monogram Pictures Corp., his directing career began
in earnest in 1939, the same year he became an American citizen. Throughout the 1930s he had done uncredited work directing
scenes on some of the B pictures he had edited, and his efforts on MILLION DOLLAR LEGS (1939) led Paramount to offer him a
directing contract. He directed four films, among them GOLDEN GLOVES (1940), before Paramount prematurely ended his contract,
leaving him to move among several studios throughout the 1940s. His work at RKO was the most successful, beginning with the
propaganda films HITLER’S CHILDREN (1943) and BEHIND THE RISING SUN (1943), and including the melodrama TENDER COMRADE (1943)
and the noirs MURDER, MY SWEET (1944) and CROSSFIRE (1947), the latter earning him an Academy Award nomination for Best Director.
His success was short-lived, however, as he soon found himself embroiled in the investigations of the House Un-American Activities
Committee. Dmytryk, who had briefly joined the Communist Party in 1944, became a member of the “Hollywood Ten” when he refused
to testify before the committee. He was subsequently fired from RKO and sentenced to prison. He left the United States for
England, directing THE HIDDEN ROOM (1949) and SALT TO THE DEVIL (1949) before his passport expired and he was forced to return.
He served several months in prison and during that time became disillusioned with the stand he had taken as one of the Hollywood
Ten. He reappeared before the committee in 1951 as a cooperating witness.
A month after his testimony, Dmytryk was hired to direct MUTINY (1952). He then made four films in quick succession for producer
Stanley Kramer, concluding with THE CAINE MUTINY (1954), a critical and commercial success that received Academy Award nominations
for Best Picture and Best Actor. Dmytryk’s film career had recovered, but his reputation with many in the industry was irrevocably
damaged. Nevertheless, he was able to work steadily through the 1950s and 1960s. His notable credits include the Western BROKEN
LANCE (1953), the romantic drama THE END OF THE AFFAIR (1955), the historical epic RAINTREE COUNTRY (1957), the war film THE
YOUNG LIONS (1958), the drama WALK ON THE WILD SIDE (1962), and the thriller MIRAGE (1965). He worked far less frequently
in the 1970s, directing his final work, the short film NOT ONLY STRANGERS, in 1979. He then transitioned into academia, teaching
filmmaking at the University of Texas at Austin and the University of Southern California. He wrote two autobiographies as
well as several books on the filmmaking process, focusing on directing, editing, writing, and acting, the latter written with
his second wife, actress Jean Porter. Dmytryk died in 1999.
Arrangement of the Collection
1. Production files, subseries A-B as follows: A. Produced; B. Unproduced; 2. Subject files
Indexing terms
Dmytryk, Edward
Directors
Editors
Hollywood Ten
Producers
Screenwriters
Production files/Produced
folder 1
THE CARPETBAGGERS--script
1963--1963
Record ID: 71302866
Scope and Content Note
screenplay, April 11, 1963, with changes through August 16, 1963, 188 pages [bound copy; annotated]
folder 2
CROSSFIRE--script
1947--1947
Record ID: 71302864
Scope and Content Note
screenplay by John Paxton, August 4, 1947, 95 pages [bound copy; also shooting schedules]
folder 3
THE LEFT HAND OF GOD--research
1939--1939
Record ID: 71302875
Scope and Content Note
"Scenic Beauties in Southwest China" from China Travel Service, circa 1939, 184 pages
folder 4
MURDER, MY SWEET--script
1945--1945
Record ID: 71302865
Scope and Content Note
screenplay by John Paxton, April 21, 1944, 132 pages [bound copy]
folder 5
RAINTREE COUNTY--manuscripts
Circa 1957--1957
Record ID: 71302868
Scope and Content Note
manuscript "Making of Raintree County" by Edward Dmytryk, undated, 147 pages
folder 6
RELUCTANT SAINT--script
Circa 1962--1962
Record ID: 71302870
Scope and Content Note
treatment by John Fante and Joseph Petracca, undated, 74 pages
folder 7
RELUCTANT SAINT--script
Circa 1962--1962
Record ID: 71302869
Scope and Content Note
screenplay by John Fante and Joseph Petracca, undated, 129 pages [lined copy; annotated]
folder 8
SALT TO THE DEVIL--script
1949--1949
Record ID: 71302863
Scope and Content Note
screenplay by Ben Barzman, circa 1948, 137 pages [bound copy]
folder 9
SALT TO THE DEVIL--photographs
1949--1949
Record ID: 71302859
Scope and Content Note
photo album, circa 1949, approximately 150 pages [bound copy]
folder 11
THE YOUNG LIONS--script
1957--1957
Record ID: 71302867
Scope and Content Note
screenplay by Edward Anhalt, April 25, 1957, 180 pages [bound copy]
Production files/Unproduced
folder 12
ACT OF ANGER--script
Record ID: 71302876
Scope and Content Note
screenplay by Peter Allan Fields, undated, 138 pages
folder 13
JOHN FANTE: A LIFE--publicity
1993--1993
Record ID: 71302895
Scope and Content Note
press kit from Neil Gordon on documentary, circa 1993
folder 14
THE MOUNTAIN IS YOUNG--script
1959--1959
Record ID: 71302873
Scope and Content Note
screenplay by Robert Alan Aurthur, March 25, 1959, 141 pages
folder 15
THE MOUNTAIN IS YOUNG--miscellaneous
1957--1959
Record ID: 71302874
Scope and Content Note
clippings in English, Japanese, Chinese and other Asian languages, 1957 to 1959 [also photos from the Dmytryks' trip to Asia];
script plans, 1959; article about the making of the film, undated
folder 16
THAT WOMAN--script
1963--1964
Record ID: 71302898
Scope and Content Note
screenplay by Robert Alan Aurthur, circa 1963, 212 pages [lightly annotated]; letters from Aurthur to Edward Dmytryk, circa
1964
folder 17
THAT WOMAN--script
Record ID: 71302871
Scope and Content Note
screenplay by Robert Alan Aurthur, undated, 183 pages
folder 18
Clippings--clippings
1946--1949
Record ID: 71302901
Scope and Content Note
newspaper and magazine clippings on blacklist hearings, 1946 to 1949, approximately 90 items [bulk late 1947; most are news
coverage of "Red Probe," also the Dmytryks' life and work in England]
folder 19
Clippings--clippings
1950--1953
Record ID: 71302905
Scope and Content Note
newspaper and magazine clippings on blacklist era, 1950 to 1953, approximately 50 items [two items in French; includes Albert
Maltz's 2-page print letter to "Saturday Evening Post," May 28, 1951]
folder 20
Clippings--clippings
1974--1978
Record ID: 71302906
Scope and Content Note
newspaper and magazine clippings on some among the Hollywood Ten, 1974 to 1978, approximately 20 items [bulk related to "Nixon
issues"; also "To Name or Not To Name" by Victor S. Navasky]
folder 21
Clippings--clippings
1984--1989
Record ID: 71302907
Scope and Content Note
newspaper and magazine clippings, 1984 to 1989, approximately 10 items [2 items in Spanish]
folder 25
Correspondence--correspondence
1948--1999
Record ID: 71302912
Scope and Content Note
letters from friends and Bartley C. Crum (attorney), April 1948 to October 1973; copies of letters from Terry Taylor (Robert
Taylor's daughter), 1990
folder 26
Correspondence--Dmytryk, Edward
1950--1950
Record ID: 71302897
Scope and Content Note
letters from Edward Dmytryk to his wife Jean, June 1950 to November 1950, approximately 60 items [from the federal penitentiary
at Danville, Connecticut]; "Regulations for Visiting" and "Instructions for Correspondence" [also driving directions]
folder 28
Dmytryk on Film-Making--manuscript
Record ID: 71302885
Scope and Content Note
manuscript pages 1-150
folder 29
Dmytryk On Film-Making--manuscript
Record ID: 71302886
Scope and Content Note
manuscript pages 151-300
folder 30
Dmytryk on Film-Making--manuscript
Record ID: 71302887
Scope and Content Note
manuscript pages 301-450
folder 31
Dmytryk on Film-Making--manuscript
Record ID: 71302888
Scope and Content Note
manuscript pages 451-654
folder 32
It's a Hell of a Life But Not a Bad Living--manuscript
1978--1979
Record ID: 71302889
Scope and Content Note
galleys of manuscript pages 1-100 [annotated]; letter from Times Books, 1979
folder 33
It's a Hell of a Life But Not a Bad Living--manuscript
1978--1979
Record ID: 71302890
Scope and Content Note
galleys of pages 101-250 [annotated]
folder 34
It's A Hell of a Life But Not a Bad Living--manuscript
1978--1979
Record ID: 71302891
Scope and Content Note
galleys of pages 251-400 [annotated]
folder 35
It's a Hell of a Life But Not a Bad Living--manuscript
1978--1979
Record ID: 71302892
Scope and Content Note
galleys of manuscript pages 401-500 [annotated]
folder 36
It's a Hell of a Life But Not a Bad Living--manuscript
1978--1979
Record ID: 71302893
Scope and Content Note
galleys of manuscript pages 501-609 [annotated]
folder 37
Notes--Chinese lessons
Record ID: 71302896
Scope and Content Note
handwritten notes by Edward Dmytryk, in Chinese and English, undated, approximately 50 pages
folder 38
Odd Man Out--manuscripts
Record ID: 71302877
Scope and Content Note
manuscript pages 1-150
folder 39
Odd Man Out--manuscripts
Record ID: 71302879
Scope and Content Note
manuscript pages 151-335
folder 40
Odd Man Out--manuscripts
Record ID: 71302880
Scope and Content Note
manuscript pages 1-150 [edited copy]
folder 41
Odd Man Out--manuscripts
Record ID: 71302881
Scope and Content Note
manuscript pages 151-335 [edited copy]
folder 42
On Film Directing: An Introduction to the Art of Film-Making--manuscripts
Record ID: 71302883
Scope and Content Note
manuscript by Edward Dmytryk, undated, 132 pages
folder 43
On Film Editing: An Introduction to the Art of Film Construction--manuscripts
Record ID: 71302882
Scope and Content Note
manuscript by Edward Dmytryk, undated, 167 pages
folder 44
Personal--miscellaneous
1930--1930
Record ID: 71302915
Scope and Content Note
two versions of booklets from the wives of the "Hollywood Ten," undated; biography notes by Edward Dmytryk, undated; folder
of "The Watergate Papers," 1971
folder 45
Photographs--photographs
1948--1995
Record ID: 71302910
folder 46
XII Lessons in Screen Directing: An Introduction to the Art of Film-Making--manuscripts
Record ID: 71302884
Scope and Content Note
manuscript by Edward Dmytryk, undated, 122 pages
folder 47
Periodical--Saturday Evening Post
1951--1951
Record ID: 71302923
folder 48
Photograph
1947--1947
Record ID: 71302922
