McCoy (Horace) papers, 1920-1956

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Summary

Title:
Horace McCoy papers
Dates:
1920-1956
Creators:
McCoy, Horace, 1897-1955
Abstract:
Horace McCoy (1897-1955) wrote hard-boiled detective fiction and sold his first screenplay, The Luxury Girl, in 1933; his first and most notable novel was They Shoot Horses, Don't They?(1935). During the next twenty years, he wrote scripts for several Hollywood studios and produced five additional novels. The collection consists mainly of typescripts of McCoy novels and screenplays.
Extent:
6 boxes (3 linear ft.)
Language:
Finding aid is written in English. and Materials are in English. Portions of this collection are in Portuguese, French, Danish, German, Italian and Norwegian.
Preferred citation:

[Identification of item], Horace McCoy papers (Collection 794). UCLA Library Special Collections, Charles E. Young Research Library, UCLA.

Background

Scope and content:

Collection consists mainly of typescripts of McCoy novels and screenplays. Includes the final shooting script and ephemera for They Shoot Horses, Don't They?(1935). Also includes correspondence, copies of McCoy's work in translation, and ephemera.

Biographical / historical:

Horace McCoy was born April 14, 1897 in Pegram, Tennessee; worked for Dallas Journal and Dallas Dispatch in 1920s; his hard-boiled detective fiction appeared in Black Mask magazine; arrived in Hollywood to pursue acting career in 1931; sold screenplay, The Luxury Girl, in 1933; his first and most notable novel was They Shoot Horses, Don't They?(1935); during the next twenty years, he wrote scripts for several Hollywood studios and produced five additional novels; died December 15, 1955.

Acquisition information:
Gift of Helen McCoy, 1962.
Arrangement:

Arranged in the following series:

  1. Manuscripts, typescripts, screenplays
  2. Ephemera, clippings, correspondence
  3. Books--foreign translations.

Physical location:
Stored off-site at SRLF. Advance notice is required for access to the collection. Please contact UCLA Library Special Collections for paging information.
Rules or conventions:
Finding aid prepared using Describing Archives: a Content Standard
Bibliography:
  • from Black Mask
    • 1927 December: The Devil Man.
    • 1929 September: Dirty Work.
    • 1929 October: Hell's Stepsons.
    • 1929 December: Renegades of the Rio.
    • 1930 January: The Little Black Book.
    • 1930 March: Frost Rides Alone.
    • 1930 July: Somewhere in Mexico.
    • 1930 August: The Gun-Runners.
    • 1930 December: The Mailed Fist.
    • 1931 May: Headfirst into Hell - missing.
    • 1931 November: The Mopper Up.
    • 1932 March: The Trail to the Tropics.
    • 1932 June: The Golden Rule.
    • 1932 August: Murder in error.
    • 1932 October: Wings over Texas.
    • 1934 May: Flight at Sunrise.
    • 1934 October: Somebody must die - missing.
  • from Detective-Dragnet Magazine
    • 1930 December: Killer's Killer.
    • 1931 March: Death Alley - missing.
    • 1931 August: Juggernaut of Justice - missing.
  • from Detective Action Stories
    • 1931 Frbruary: Night Club - missing.
  • from Man Stories
    • 1931 July: A matter of Honor - missing.

About this collection guide

Collection Guide Author:
Processed by J. Thomas Sturak, 7 January 1960; machine-readable finding aid created by Caroline Cubé.
Date Prepared:
© 2002
Date Encoded:
Text converted and initial EAD tagging provided by Apex Data Services, March 2000 . Frontmatter gathered from MARC record. Supplementary encoding and revision supplied by Caroline Cubé.

Access and use

Restrictions:

Open for research. STORED OFF-SITE AT SRLF. Advance notice is required for access to the collection. Please contact UCLA Library Special Collections for paging information.

Terms of access:

Property rights to the physical object belong to the UC Regents. Literary rights, including copyright, are retained by the creators and their heirs. It is the responsibility of the researcher to determine who holds the copyright and pursue the copyright owner or his or her heir for permission to publish where The UC Regents do not hold the copyright.

Preferred citation:

[Identification of item], Horace McCoy papers (Collection 794). UCLA Library Special Collections, Charles E. Young Research Library, UCLA.

Location of this collection:
A1713 Charles E. Young Research Library
Box 951575
Los Angeles, CA 90095-1575, US
Contact:
(310) 825-4988
AskLSC@library.ucla.edu
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