Mardik Martin papers, 1940-2018, bulk 1980-2010

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Summary

Creators:
Martin, Mardik
Extent:
13 Linear Feet 24 boxes and 1 oversize tube
Language:
English .
Preferred citation:

[Box/folder no. or item name], Mardik Martin papers, Collection no. 2694, Cinematic Arts Library, USC Libraries, University of Southern California.

Background

Scope and content:

The Mardik Martin papers document Martin's career as a screenwriter. The majority of the collection consists of Martin's drafts for scripts and screenplays from his collaborations with Martin Scorsese, Fatih Akin, and others. The collection also includes some of Martin's correspondence with collaborators, contracts, research files, publicity materials, photographs, and drafts of scripts sent to Martin by his former students. Some of the material in the collection documents Martin's efforts to publish a monograph on screenwriting, which was never completed. Lastly, the collection holds audio and video recordings of interviews with Martin, as well as records and video files on DVDs relating to the production of the biographical documentary, Mardik: Baghdad to Hollywood (2008), directed by Ramy Katrib and Evan York.

Biographical / historical:

Mardik Martin (1934-2019) was an Armenian American screenwriter known for his early collaborations with Martin Scorsese, including Mean Streets (1973), New York, New York (1977), and Raging Bull (1980). Born in Iran to an Armenian family and raised in Iraq, Martin immigrated to the United States to study economics at New York University (NYU). Soon after starting at NYU, Martin shifted his studies from economics to the film department, where he met Martin Scorsese in 1961. Mardik Martin earned a Master's degree in Screenwriting in 1968, after which he taught at NYU until 1973. His collaborations with Scorsese began with early projects, including the 1964 short It's Not Just You, Murray, and extended to major successes like Mean Streets (1973) and Raging Bull (1980). Martin also co-wrote screenplays for Valentino (1977), directed by Ken Russell, and The Cut (2014), directed by Fatih Akin. Martin later became a professor at the USC School of Cinematic Arts, where he mentored many aspiring screenwriters.

Acquisition information:
Gift of the Mardik Martin estate via Mark Hammons, March 20, 2024.
Processing information:

Bo Doub, Accessioning Archivist for the USC Libraries, created and published the USC Libraries finding aid for the Mardik Martin papers. The finding aid is based on a collection inventory created by Mark Hammons, whom Mardik Martin had hired as an archivist prior to USC's acquisition of the collection. After the USC Libraries acquired the collection in 2024, Barbara Whitehead, Curator for the Cinematic Arts Library, updated and revised Hammons' inventory before the Cinematic Arts Library transferred the collection and its existing descriptions to Bo Doub for accessioning. An excerpt from Hammons' processing notes is included below.

Per Mardik's request, the papers reflect only his professional work. Personal information such as medical records, financial accounts, and similar types of documentation have been removed. The exception to the financial deletion is contracts and correspondence related to any of his screenwriting projects.

Unfortunately, equipment was not available to audit the numerous VHS tapes and audio cassettes. While many are labeled with sometimes cryptic titles, these materials have not been organized for the purposes of this transfer inventory and are provided as they were when Mardik died.

This transfer inventory was prepared by Mark Hammons from 2017 to 2023, having originally been hired as an archivist while Mardik was still able to identify items and answer questions. At Mardik's death, Mark Hammons was appointed literary executor of Mardik's estate with charge to complete the work. The organization of the materials and this inventory is intended to meet that obligation.

Rules or conventions:
Describing Archives: A Content Standard

Access and use

Restrictions:

Collection stored off-site. Advance notice required for access.

Terms of access:

All requests for permission to publish or quote from manuscripts must be submitted in writing to the Cinematic Arts Library at cin@usc.edu. Permission for publication is given on behalf of the Cinematic Arts Library as the owner of the physical items and is not intended to include or imply permission of the copyright holder, which must also be obtained.

Finding aid description and metadata are licensed under an Attribution 4.0 International (CC BY 4.0) license.

Preferred citation:

[Box/folder no. or item name], Mardik Martin papers, Collection no. 2694, Cinematic Arts Library, USC Libraries, University of Southern California.

Location of this collection:
Cinematic Arts Library
Doheny Memorial Library, Room G4
Los Angeles, CA 90089-0185, US
Contact:
(213) 740-8383
ctlibarc@usc.edu
Website