Dale Wasserman papers, 1946-1983

Author / Creator

Wasserman, Dale

Available as

Physical

Summary

Papers of Dale Wasserman (1917- ), a playwright, screenwriter, and television dramatist. In the collection are scripts and drafts, many bearing informative annotations; correspondence; clippings; o...

Papers of Dale Wasserman (1917- ), a playwright, screenwriter, and television dramatist. In the collection are scripts and drafts, many bearing informative annotations; correspondence; clippings; outlines; and production notes. Files from Wasserman's award-winning television writing, which primarily date from the 1950s, are most extensive for "Armstrong Circle Theatre" (CBS), "The Citadel" (ABC), "Climax" (CBS), "Kraft Television Theatre" (NBC), "DuPont Show of the Month" (CBS), and "The Power and the Glory" (CBS).

Also from this period are materials on the teleplay "I, Don Quixote," written for the "DuPont Show of the Month," which Wasserman subsequently adapted for the Broadway stage as "Man of La Mancha" (1965). Extensive holdings on this production include unused lyrics by W.H. Auden. Also well represented among his stage plays is "One Flew Over the Cuckoo's Nest" (1963), the records of which include a script annotated by Ken Kesey, author of the book of the same name. For "Livin' the Life" (1957), written with Bruce Geller, and "Cafe Crown" (1964) there are advertising posters and for "The Wind Blows Free" (1950), water color renderings of the sets are included.

Film writing is represented by produced and unproduced titles, primarily "Cleopatra" (20th Century-Fox, 1963), "The Vikings" (UA, 1958), and "Quick Before It Melts" (MGM, 1965).

The processed portion of the papers are summarized above, dates 1946-1983, and is described in the register. Additional accessions date ca. 1960-1979 and are described below.

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