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Finding Aid for the Dan Curtis Productions Records, 1963-2005
PASC 1
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Title: Dan Curtis Productions Records
Date (inclusive): 1963-2005
Collection number: PASC 1
Creator: Dan Curtis Productions
Extent: 154 boxes (61 linear ft.)
Abstract: The Dan Curtis Productions Records span the years 1963-2005. Dan Curtis predominantly produced television series, made for
television movies, television episodes, and television miniseries. While Curtis produced many acclaimed productions, he is
most known for his 1960's gothic soap opera
Dark Shadows and the massive television miniseries
Winds of War and
War and Remembrance. Curtis also produced four motion picture projects including the horror film
Burnt Offerings,
Me and the Kid, as well as two films based on
Dark Shadows. Series include television projects, motion picture projects, unproduced projects, and business records. Subseries are arranged
alphabetically by project title and include scripts, production materials, and audio reels.
Language: Finding aid is written in English.
Repository:
University of California, Los Angeles. Library.
UCLA Library Special Collections.
Los Angeles, California 90095-1575
Physical location: Stored off-site at SRLF. Advance notice is required for access to the collection. Please contact the UCLA Library, UCLA Library
Special Collections Reference Desk for paging information.
COLLECTION STORED OFF-SITE AT SRLF: Open for research. Advance notice required for access. Contact the UCLA Library, UCLA
Library Special Collections Reference Desk for paging information.
Audio materials in this collection are restricted and require advance notice for use.
Portions of the Business Records series in this collection are restricted and require advance notice for use.
Restrictions on Use and Reproduction
Property rights to the physical object belong to the UCLA Library,
UCLA Library Special Collections. 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.
Provenance/Source of Acquisition
Gift of Dan Curtis.
[Identification of item], Dan Curtis Productions Records (Collection PASC 1). UCLA Library Special Collections, Charles E.
Young Research Library, UCLA.
Daniel Cherkoss (later changed to Curtis) was born in ca. 1927 in Bridgeport, CT, and was educated at Syracuse University.
He began his career in television in 1950 as a salesman for syndicated shows. He had a passion for golf and in the early 1960s
created
Challenge Golf with Arnold Palmer and Gary Player. He was also executive producer for
The CBS Golf Classic, which first aired in 1963 and ran for a decade. He followed this success with the creation of the gothic daytime soap opera
Dark Shadows, which first aired in 1966. The show suffered poor ratings until, in 1967, the vampire Barnabus Collins was introduced. Despite
the massive following of loyal fans, the show was canceled in 1971 with a total of 1,225 episodes. The program went into
syndication almost immediately and has continued to maintain a loyal fan base. Curtis produced two
Dark Shadows feature films released by MGM:
House of Dark Shadows (1970) and
Night of Dark Shadows (1971).
Curtis produced and/or directed numerous television productions during his 40-plus year career. Among his credits are projects
for ABC Wide World Specials and ABC Wide World of Mystery (under the umbrella ABC Wide World of Entertainment) including
Frankenstein (1973),
The Picture of Dorian Gray (1973), and
The Turn of the Screw (1974). His made-for-television movie credits include
The Night Stalker (1972),
The Night Strangler (1973) and
Trilogy of Terror I (1975) and II (1996) which introduced the iconic "Zuni Doll." In 1978, Curtis produced the semi-autobiographical
When Every Day Was the Fourth of July which was based on his childhood in Bridgeport Maine in the 1930s. He followed up this project with another semi-autobiographical
sequel,
The Long Days of Summer (1980). Curtis was the first executive producer of the ill-fated television anthology series,
Supertrain (1979), which was one of the most expensive television series ever made.
The largest of all of Dan Curtis Productions' projects were the ABC miniseries
Winds of War and
War and Remembrance, both adapted from Herman Wouk's bestseller novels. Winds of War, a seven part miniseries, aired in February of 1983. The
miniseries focused on fictional characters interwoven with historical events between the years 1939-1941, culminating in the
attack on Pearl Harbor. It cost 40 million dollars to produce, was filmed in 267 locations in six countries, and boasted a
viewership of 140 million.
War and Remembrance, a twelve part miniseries, aired in both November 1988 and May 1989. It continued with the time period 1941-1945, including
both the Battle of Midway as well as the Holocaust. It featured 1,020 sets, was filmed in more than 10 countries including
Auschwitz Poland, and had a final budget of 140 million dollars. It was the longest mini-series ever made for network television,
winning Curtis an Emmy Award for the production.
Curtis went back to his roots and produced a
Dark Shadows revival series that aired in 1991. Dan Curtis Productions produced 12 episodes of this new
Dark Shadows series before it was canceled. Fromm 1999 to 2005, Curtis produced several more television projects and one motion picture
project,
Me and the Kid (1993). His final project as both producer and director was the May 2005 Showtime production
Our Fathers, which dealt with the scandals of the Catholic Church. Dan Curtis died of cancer on March 28, 2006, in Los Angeles, CA at
the age of 78.
The collection consists of production records related to the career of prolific television producer and director Dan Curtis
and his production company, Dan Curtis Productions. Included are scripts, production information, press clippings, photographs,
audio reels, business records, and other documents pertaining to assorted produced and unproduced television and motion picture
projects. Television projects documented include the television miniseries
Winds of War and
War and Remembrance, made for television movies
Trilogy of Terror,
When Every Day Was the Fourth of July,
The Long Days of Summer, and the gothic daytime television soap opera
Dark Shadows, among other, numerous projects. The motion picture files document the projects
Burnt Offerings,
Me and the Kid,
House of Dark Shadows, and
Night of Dark Shadows. There are a number of unproduced projects documented which may include scripts, notes, research for possible projects,
and development files from Dan Curtis Productions. The bulk of the business records include materials which document the
internal business operations Dan Curtis Productions from 1977-1983 and include financial records, employee information, and
what appears to be sensitive personal material.
Arranged in the following series:
- Series 1. Television Projects
- Series 2. Motion Picture Projects
- Series 3. Unproduced Projects
- Series 4. Dan Curtis Productions Business Records
The following terms have been used to index the description of this collection in the library's online public access catalog.
Curtis, Dan, 1927-2006--Archives
Dan Curtis Productions--Archives
Television producers and directors--Archival resources
Soap operas--Archival resources
Dark shadows (Television program : 1966-1971)
War and remembrance (Television program)
Television scripts
Set design drawings
ABC Circle Films Production Records for the Mini-series War and Remembrance (Collection 103). Available at UCLA Library Special
Collections, UCLA.