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David L. Wolper archives

 Collection
Identifier: 2180

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Scope and Contents

This collection contains the archives of American movie and television producer David L. Wolper (1928-2010). The collection reflects Wolper's career from the 1960s to 2001 and covers the process of filmmaking from the initial stages of development through distribution.

Included among the holdings are diverse materials and documents covering all aspects of the productions of such groundbreaking mini-series as Roots (1977) and The Thornbirds (1983) and feature films including LA Confidential (1997) and Willy Wonka and The Chocolate Factory (1971). Materials include business/production records and correspondence, original manuscripts, story files, screenplays and television scripts, costume and set designs, music, photographs, and audiovisual materials. Also represented are publicity materials, memorabilia and artifacts from Wolper’s career.

Dates

  • Creation: 1960s-2001

Creator

Conditions Governing Access

Advance notice required for access.

Rights Statement for Archival Description

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

Conditions Governing Use

All requests for permission to publish or quote from manuscripts must be submitted in writing to the Cinematic Arts Library at ctlibarc@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.

Biographical / Historical

American film and television pioneer David L. Wolper (1928-2010) produced almost 800 projects in film and television during his 50-year career, including the opening and closing ceremonies of the 1984 Los Angeles Olympic Games. Wolper’s many show business achievements are documented by numerous awards including the Academy Award for "Best Documentary Film" for 1971's The Hellstrom Chronicle, 7 Golden Globes, 5 Peabody Awards, and an induction into the Television Hall of Fame. He is also often credited as the father of the TV mini-series.

The David L. Wolper Center at the University of Southern California was created as a result of a donation of Wolper's papers to the university.

Extent

416.25 Linear Feet (370 boxes)

Language of Materials

English

Abstract

This collection contains the archives of American movie and television producer David L. Wolper (1928-2010). The collection reflects Wolper's career from the 1960s to 2001 and covers the process of filmmaking from the initial stages of development through distribution.

Arrangement

This finding aid is arranged in the following series: I. Films/Features, II. Television, III. Plays, IV. Special Projects, V. Various and unidentified projects, and VI. Wolper Productions files

Immediate Source of Acquisition

Gift of David L. Wolper.

Title
Finding aid for the David L. Wolper archives
Status
Publish Basic
Author
Diann Benti
Date
2022 October
Description rules
Describing Archives: A Content Standard
Language of description
English
Script of description
Latin

Revision Statements

  • 2023 January: Materials rehoused and finding aid updated by Marissa Chavez & Sarah Jardini for History Associates Incorporated

Repository Details

Part of the USC Libraries Cinematic Arts Library Repository

Contact:
Doheny Memorial Library G4
3550 Trousdale Parkway
Los Angeles California 90089-0185 United States