Collections

Books, correspondence, photos, contracts, manuscripts, magazines, and ephemera relating to the works of playwright and screenwriter Clifford Odets.

This collection is organized into eight series.

The Books Series consists of published stage plays and screenplays written by Odets, books belonging to or inscribed by Odets, biographical publications about Odets, novels that Odets adapted into screenplays, and stage plays written by other Group Theatre writers. The bulk of the Correspondence Series is Odets's letters to his friend Bill Kozlenko. Other letters sent by Odets to a variety of correspondents are also included.

The Contracts Series consists of contracts Odets signed with movie studios.

The Manuscripts Series consists of scripts, notes, and test scenes from Odets's various projects, including a scrapped film called Joseph. Also included are proofs of The Time Is Right: The 1940 Journal of Clifford Odets, published posthumously in 1988.

The Photographs Series includes portraits and photos of Odets, portraits of Odets's first wife Luise Rainer, and photos of film and stage productions of Odets's works.

The Magazines Series comprises magazines with articles or advertisements about Odets or his works or colleagues, organized chronologically.

The bulk of the Ephemera Series are playbills and lobby cards for Odets's plays and movies. Also included are one sheets, small flyers, pressbooks, and tickets. Two of the pamphlets feature Odets's writing, while the pamphlet by Margaret Brenman-Gibson is an analysis of Odets and his work.

The A/V Series consists of two LPs: a recording of the original Broadway cast of the Golden Boy musical adaptation and a recording of Odets in conversation with Herman Harvey.

The Jonathan Demme Papers consist of materials related to Demme's extensive filmography from 1970-2008, including "The Silence of the Lambs". Materials are arranged chronologically by project, and cover most aspects of pre- and post-production, as well as publicity and related awards. As of November 2023, only the "Silence of the Lambs" series has been processed and made available. Additional series will be completed at a later date.

The Jonathan Demme Papers consists of approximately 150 linear feet of materials from 1970-2000. Materials include correspondence, legal and business documents, and photographs, as well as extensive documentation of film production, including pre- and post-production phases. In some cases, awards and publicity materials are also included.

The "Silence of the Lambs" series consists of approximately 13 linear feet. The material follows the project through the phases of production, and includes many drafts of the final script and novel adaptation, as well as extensive pre-production and location scouting information.

As of November 2023, only the "Silence of the Lambs" series has been processed and made available to researchers.

Forms part of the Robert Altman Archive. Documentation related to unfinished and suspended projects, 1960s-2000s, that Altman had an involvement with but were never produced. Materials for a project may include correspondence, legal and financial files, scripts and publicity files.

The unfinished and suspended projects series consists of materials related to projects that Altman had an involvement with but were never produced. The reason that any specific project failed may or may not be apparent from the materials and vary greatly. Materials in this series run from the 1960's through the late 2000's.

The type and volume materials also vary greatly from project to project. These can include correspondence, legal materials, legal materials from Jerome Walsh, business and financial materials, scripts and related materials, production materials including those used for research, materials related to publicity and distribution, and articles and reviews related to both the productions and the subjects of the productions.

Forms part of Robert Altman Archive. Includes materials related to films Aria, Basements, Beyond Therapy, The Caine Mutiny Court Martial, Come Back to the Five and Dime Jimmy Dean, Jimmy Dean, Fool for Love, HealtH, Images, Laundromat, O.C, and Stiggs, Popeye, Rake's Progress, Secret Honor, Streamers, Tanner '88, Two by South, Records include scripts, legal files, publicity materials, photographs and correspondence.

Forms part of the Robert Altman Archive. Includes materials related to films Aria, Basements, Beyond Therapy, The Caine Mutiny Court Martial, Come Back to the Five and Dime Jimmy Dean, Jimmy Dean, Fool for Love, HealtH, Images, Laundromat, O.C, and Stiggs, Popeye, Rake's Progress, Secret Honor, Streamers, Tanner '88, Two by South, Records include scripts, legal files, publicity materials, photographs and correspondence.

Forms part of the Robert Altman Archive. Includes materials related to films Brewster McCloud, Buffalo Bill and the Indians or Chief Sitting Bull's History Lesson, The California Split, Images, The Late Show, The Long Goodbye, Mash, McCabe and Mrs. Miller, Nashville, A Perfect Couple, The Quintet, Remember My Name, Rich Kids, Thieves Like Us, 3 Women, A Wedding, and Welcome to L.A.. Records include scripts, legal files, publicity materials, photographs and correspondence.

Forms part of Robert Altman Archive. Includes Business and Financial records and a Chronological series (30 linear feet) that includes daily logs and correspondence for many of Robert Altman's production companies.

The Business and Financial series (68 linear feet) are business records that range from payroll, paid bills, general ledgers, insurance, banking transactions, residuals and other financial documents. There are two sub-series beginning with the Personal sub-series, and ending with the Accounting and General Business sub-series both organized chronologically. The documents range in date from 1969-2007.

The Legal series (7.5 linear feet) are legal documents with the majority of documents originating from three law firms, Lane & Mittendorf, and Mitchell, Silberberg & Knupp, and Frankfort, Garbus, Klein & Selz all of which represented Robert Altman personally and professionally from 1969-2005. The series largely consists of business and financial documents. The series includes personal, business and financial, real estate and expandable file folders from Jerome Walsh's law office. The majority of files were created by Robert Altman's lawyer Jerome Walsh.

The Chronological series (30 linear feet) includes daily logs and correspondence for many of Robert Altman's production companies. Materials consist of daily logs, desk calendars, daily planners and correspondence consisting of incoming and outgoing faxes created during production of several of his films.

Forms part of Robert Altman Archive. Includes materials for films The Afterglow, Black and Blue, Cookie's Fortune, The Gingerbread Man, Gun, Kansas City, McTeague, Mrs, Parker and the Vicious Circle, The Player, Pret-a-Porter, and Robert Altman's Jazz '34: Remembrances of Kansas City Swing,. Records include scripts, legal files, publicity materials, photographs and correspondence.

Forms part of the Robert Altman Archive. Includes materials related to The Company, Dr. T and the Women, Gosford Park, A Prairie Home Companion, Resurrection Blues, Roads and Bridges, Tanner on Tanner, andTrixie . Records include scripts, legal files, publicity materials, photographs and correspondence.

Projects 2000s forms part Robert Altman Archive. It includes materials related to The Company, Dr. T and the Women, Gosford Park, A Prairie Home Companion, Resurrection Blues, Roads and Bridges, Tanner on Tanner, andTrixie . Records include scripts, legal files, publicity materials, photographs and correspondence.

Forms part of the Robert Altman Archive. The Robert Altman Personal series (14 linear feet, 3 oversized boxes) ranges in date from 1945-2007. The series includes correspondence, legal, and medical documents, topical and award-related material, early work, interviews and clippings, as well as photographs. The Early Projects series contains assorted materials from early projects including movies, TV, commercials, and short films (1 linear foot and 1 oversized box). Forms part of the Robert Altman Archives.

The Robert Altman Personal series (14 linear feet, 3 oversized boxes) ranges in date from 1945-2007. The series includes correspondence, legal, and medical documents, topical and award-related material, early work, interviews and clippings, as well as photographs. The Early Projects series contains assorted materials from early projects including movies, TV, commercials, and short films (1 linear foot and 1 oversized box). Forms part of the Robert Altman Archives.

Forms part of the Robert Altman Archive. The Commercials series (1 linear foot) includes materials from Robert Altman's commercial production company, Villains. These materials consist of scripts, storyboards, correspondence, and production notebooks.

Commercials, 1984, 2001-2005 forms part of the Robert Altman Archive. The Commercials series (1 linear foot) includes materials from Robert Altman's commercial production company, Villains. These materials consist of scripts, storyboards, correspondence, and production notebooks.