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Series 8. Ranch Files, 1927-1977 (bulk 1950-1970) (continued)
Unions, 1951-1969
BOX 189 FOLDER 3 American Federation of Television and Radio Artists (AFTRA), 1963-1968
BOX 189 FOLDER 4 Authors League of America, 1955
BOX 189 FOLDER 5 Dramatists Guild, 1956 July-1966 June
BOX 189 FOLDER 6 Miscellaneous, 1952 June-1955 November
BOX 189 FOLDER 7 Screen Directors Guild, 1951 October-1969 March
BOX 189 FOLDER 8-9 Writers Guild, 1954 March-1969 May
"V" miscellaneous, 1953-1955
BOX 189 FOLDER 10 Variety, 1953 December-1955 November
BOX 189 FOLDER 11 "Y" miscellaneous, 1965 January-April
"W-Y-Z" miscellaneous, 1953-1967
BOX 189 FOLDER 12 1953-1967
BOX 189 FOLDER 13 Ward, Kathleen, 1959 September-1960 December
Series 9. Scripts, 1933-1993 and undated
70 linear feet (168 boxes)
RPA 00659-00825 (boxes 190-356); RPB 00110 (box OS 3); RPC 00083 (box OS 2); RPE 00005 (box OS 1); RPU 00020 (box 363)
The largest series in the Oboler papers, the Scripts series showcases Oboler’s work at his creative best and at the height of his popularity, when he wrote and directed numerous works for radio shows such as Lights Out, Arch Oboler’s Plays, Everyman's Theater, To the President, Plays for Americans, and Free World Theatre.
Most scripts are retained in the collection in multiple copies of various versions, including original, corrected, revised, edited, and as broadcast. Oboler apparently maintained at least two separate collections of his scripts, the “Fire” file (possibly at his residence) and the “Town” file (possibly at his long-time office at 4119 St. Clair Avenue, Studio City, California). All versions of scripts from the Fire and Town files and from other locations are grouped together and arranged alphabetically by title.
The Scripts series contains virtually all of Oboler’s pre-war work in the horror, humor, romance, and drama genres, as well as early anti-war radio plays and scripts of his wartime broadcasts supporting American and Allied war efforts against global totalitarianism. Oboler’s trademark stream-of-conscious narration is evident in many of the scripts, as is his penchant for reworking, re-recording, and re-titling story lines. Ever seeking new opportunities, Oboler proposed a number of new radio series during his career, and the Scripts series contains summaries of these proposals, which he attempted, in many cases without success, to sell to radio networks.
Indexes and summaries, 1934-1958 and undated
BOX 190 FOLDER 1 Arch Oboler's Plays series, 1939-1940, 1954
BOX 190 FOLDER 2 Arch Oboler's Plays series, town file, 1939-1940
Everyman's Theater series
BOX 190 FOLDER 3 Country file, 1940-1941
BOX 190 FOLDER 4 Town file, 1940-1941
BOX 190 FOLDER 5 Everything for the Boys series, undated
BOX 190 FOLDER 6 Free World Theatre series, 1943
BOX 190 FOLDER 7 Grand Hotel series, 1934-1940
BOX 190 FOLDER 8 Mark Twain series, 1944
BOX 190 FOLDER 9 Mark Twain series, town file, 1944
BOX OS 1 FOLDER 8 NBC and Mutual radio series promotional posters, 1945, undated
BOX 190 FOLDER 10 Plays for Americans series, 1942
BOX 190 FOLDER 11 Script indexes, 1957-1958 , undated
BOX 190 FOLDER 12 To the President series, 1942
BOX 190 FOLDER 13 Your Hollywood Parade series, 1937-1938
BOX 363 Card index of Oboler's radio series and episodes, undated
RPU 00020
Card box containing two indexes, each arranged alphabetically by program and episode title.
Free World Theatre, 1943
A series of radio plays that were produced, directed, and in part written by Arch Oboler and broadcast February 21-June 27, 1943, on the NBC Blue Network.
As part of his support of American involvement in World War II, Oboler requested statements intended for the American people from various world leaders and thinkers, such as Franklin D. Roosevelt, Winston Churchill, Josef Stalin, Thomas Mann, and Aldous Huxley. These were then dramatized for radio by Oboler and others. Stars of the broadcasts included Orson Welles, Fred MacMurrary, Judy Garland, Joseph Cotten, James Cagney, Lena Horne, Jackie Cooper, and others. The series was funded by the U.S. Office of War Information.
Published in: Arch Oboler and Stephen Longstreet, editors. Free World Theatre: Nineteen New Radio Plays, with an introduction by Thomas Mann and a preface by Arch Oboler. New York: Random House, 1944.
BOX 190 FOLDER 14 "The People March," broadcast 1943 February 21
Arch Oboler
Written by Arch Oboler
BOX 190 FOLDER 15 "Tomorrow," broadcast 1943 February 28
Budd Schulberg and Jerome Lawrence
Written by Budd Schulberg and Jerome Lawrence
BOX 190 FOLDER 16 "Your Day Is Coming," broadcast 1943 March 7
Allan Scott
Written by Allan Scott
BOX 190 FOLDER 17 "Rip von Dinkel of Nuremberg" and "I Have No Prayer," broadcast 1943 March 14
BOX 190 FOLDER 18 "White House Kitchen," broadcast 1943 March 21
B.C. Schoenfeld
Written by B.C. Schoenfeld
BOX 190 FOLDER 19 "Music for Freedom," broadcast 1943 March 28
Don Quinn, Ira Greshwin, Jay Gorney, Henry Myers, and Edward Eliscu
Written by Don Quinn, Ira Greshwin, Jay Gorney, Henry Myers, and Edward Eliscu
BOX 191 FOLDER 1-2 "The Fountain of Dancing Children," broadcast 1943 April 4
Fanya F. Lawrence
Written by Fanya F. Lawrence
BOX 191 FOLDER 3 "Night Flight," broadcast 1943 April 11
Arch Oboler
Written by Arch Oboler
BOX 191 FOLDER 4-5 "Fiesta," broadcast 1943 April 18
Richard Collins and Everett Tomlinson
Written by Richard Collins and Everett Tomlinson
BOX 191 FOLDER 6-7 "S.S. Middletown," broadcast 1943 April 25
Hector Chevigny, Anne Anthony, and Jerome Lawrence
Written by Hector Chevigny, Anne Anthony, and Jerome Lawrence
BOX 191 FOLDER 8-9 "China to America," broadcast 1943 May 2
Pearl Buck
Written by Pearl Buck
BOX 191 FOLDER 10-11 "Last Will and Testament of Tom Smith," broadcast 1943 May 9
Stephen Longstreet
Written by Stephen Longstreet
BOX 191 FOLDER 12-13 "My Mothers Never Weep," broadcast 1943 May 16
William Kozlenko
Written by William Kozlenko
BOX 192 FOLDER 1-2 "Something about Joe," broadcast 1943 May 23
Milton Merlin and Clarence Muse
Written by Milton Merlin and Clarence Muse
BOX 192 FOLDER 3-4 "Man with a Beard," broadcast 1943 May 30
Talbot Jennings
Written by Talbot Jennings
BOX 192 FOLDER 5-6 "General Armchair," broadcast 1943 June 6
Samuel Raphaelson
Written by Samuel Raphaelson
BOX 192 FOLDER 7-8 "The Second Battle of Warsaw," broadcast 1943 June 13
Irving Ravetch
Written by Irving Ravetch
BOX 192 FOLDER 9-10 "In Memory of a Hero," broadcast 1943 June 20
Howard Estabrook
Written by Howard Estabrook
BOX 192 FOLDER 11-12 "V-Day," broadcast 1943 June 27
Arch Oboler
Written by Arch Oboler
Radio, 1933-1981 and undated
"About My Mother"
BOX 193 FOLDER 1 Fire file, 1942 November
BOX 193 FOLDER 2 Town file, 1942 November
"Acrophobia"
BOX 193 FOLDER 3 Fire file, 1937 February
BOX 193 FOLDER 4 Town file, 1937 February
BOX 193 FOLDER 5 Miscellaneous file, undated
"Across the Gap (Neanderthal Man)"
BOX 193 FOLDER 6-7 Fire file, 1942 November
BOX 193 FOLDER 8 Town file, 1942 November
BOX 193 FOLDER 9 Miscellaneous file, undated
"Adam's Weak Rib"
BOX 194 FOLDER 1 Fire file, 1937 September
BOX 194 FOLDER 2 Town file, 1937 September
"Adolph and Mrs. Runyon"
BOX 194 FOLDER 3 Fire file, 1942 February-March, June
BOX 194 FOLDER 4 Town file, 1942 June
"Adults Only"
BOX 194 FOLDER 5 Fire file, 1937 October, December, 1941 January
BOX 194 FOLDER 6 Town file, 1937 December, 1941 January
BOX 194 FOLDER 7 "Adventure," 1946 April
Weekly series.
BOX 194 FOLDER 8 "Adventure in Tomorrow," 1950-1951
Radio series proposal.
"Adventure Postponed"
See also "Finale"
BOX 194 FOLDER 9-10 Fire file, 1937 December, 1939 September
BOX 194 FOLDER 11-12 Town file, 1939 September
"The Adventures of Tom Sawyer"
BOX 195 FOLDER 1 Fire file, 1944 January
BOX 195 FOLDER 2 Town file, 1944 January
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