David L. Wolper archives
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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
- Wolper, David L. (Person)
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.
Subject
- Wolper, David L. -- Archives (Person)
Function
Genre / Form
- Manuscripts
- Memorabilia
- Screenplays
- Scripts
- Set design drawings
- Television scripts
- Video recordings (physical artifacts)
Topical
- 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
Doheny Memorial Library G4
3550 Trousdale Parkway
Los Angeles California 90089-0185 United States
ctlibarc@usc.edu