Collection context
Summary
- Abstract:
- Michael Wilson was a successful screenwriter during the late-1940s and early-1950s. In 1951, he was named an “unfriendly witness” by the House Un-American Activities Committee and blacklisted from the motion picture industry for the next 13 years. The collection consists of correspondence, screenplays, treatments, research materials, clippings, legal papers, outlines, and notes. Additionally, there is personal documents and material relating to the blacklist. Among the projects represented in the collection are Lawrence of Arabia (1962), A Place in the Sun (1951), Che! (1969), Planet of the Apes (1968), and Salt of the earth (1953), among others.
- Extent:
- 26.5 linear ft. (53 boxes)
- Language:
- and Materials are in English.
- Preferred citation:
-
[Identification of item], Michael Wilson Papers (Collection PASC 52). UCLA Library Special Collections, Charles E. Young Research Library, UCLA.
Background
- Scope and content:
-
The collection consists of materials related to the career of screenwriter Michael Wilson. Included are correspondence, screenplays, treatments, research materials, clippings, legal papers, outlines, and notes. Additionally, there is personal documents and material relating to the blacklist. Among the many produced and unproduced projects represented in the collection are A Place in the Sun (1951), Salt of the earth (1953), Friendly Persuasion (1956), Bridge on the River Kwai (1957), Lawrence of Arabia (1962), Sand Piper (1965), Planet of the apes (1968), Che! (1969), The Betsy (1978), Outer Darkness, and Raid on Harper’s Ferry. Correspondents include Dalton Trumbo, Paul Jarrico, Isle Lahn, Dino De Laurentiis, and Herbert Biberman, among others.
- Biographical / historical:
-
Michael Wilson was born in McAlester, OK, July 1, 1914. He graduated from UC Berkeley in 1936 with a BA in Philosophy. Primarily a short story writer during the 1930s, he supported himself by teaching English and through occasional work on a low budget Western movie (his early film work consisted mainly of William Boyd Westerns). With the advent of World War II, Wilson served as a lieutenant in Marines, and upon his return, began his screenwriting career in earnest.
In 1964, he returned to the United States settling in Ojai, California. There he wrote The Sandpiper (1965), Planet of The Apes (1968), and Che! (1969). In 1970, he suffered a stroke, but continued to write, turning out such scripts as The Betsy and The Raid on Harper’s Ferry. In 1976 he received the Writers Guild of America's Laurel Award for Outstanding Life Achievement in Screenwriting. Michael Wilson died April 9, 1978.
- Arrangement:
-
Arranged in the following series:
- Screenplays and projects by Michael Wilson
- General files
- Untitled projects
- Physical location:
- Stored off-site at SRLF. Advance notice is required for access to the collection. Please contact the UCLA Library Special Collections Reference Desk for paging information.
- Rules or conventions:
- Describing Archives: A Content Standard
Indexed terms
Access and use
- Restrictions:
-
COLLECTION STORED OFF-SITE AT SRLF: Open for research. Advance notice required for access. Contact the UCLA Library Special Collections Reference Desk for paging information.
- Terms of access:
-
Property rights to the physical object belong to the UC Regents. Literary 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.
- Preferred citation:
-
[Identification of item], Michael Wilson Papers (Collection PASC 52). UCLA Library Special Collections, Charles E. Young Research Library, UCLA.
- Location of this collection:
-
A1713 Charles E. Young Research LibraryBox 951575Los Angeles, CA 90095-1575, US
- Contact:
- (310) 825-4988