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Michael Wilson papers, 1942-1977
PASC 52
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Title: Michael Wilson papers
Collection number: PASC 52
Contributing Institution:
UCLA Library Special Collections
Language of Material:
English
Physical Description:
26.5 linear ft.
(53 boxes)
Date (inclusive): 1942-1977
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.
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.
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.
Restrictions on Use and Reproduction
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.
[Identification of item], Michael Wilson Papers (Collection PASC 52). UCLA Library Special Collections, Charles E. Young Research
Library, UCLA.
UCLA Catalog Record ID:
4234008
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.
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.
Arranged in the following series:
- Screenplays and projects by Michael Wilson
- General files
- Untitled projects
I am the sum of my actions [oral history transcript] / Michael Wilson, interviewee. UCLA Oral History Department interview,
1982.
Available at Library Special Collections, Young Research Library, UCLA.
Subjects and Indexing Terms
Wilson, Michael, 1914---Archives
Blacklisting of authors--California--Los Angeles.
Screenwriters--Archives.