Dalton Trumbo Papers, 1934-1976

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Summary

Creators:
Trumbo, Dalton, 1905-1976
Abstract:
James Dalton Trumbo (1905-1976) was a screenwriter who became one of the Hollywood Ten and was blacklisted by the motion picture industry (1947). He was one of the first blacklisted writers to emerge from the underground when he received screen credit for his work on the 1960 releases of Spartacus and Exodus. The collection consists of materials related to Trumbo's career as a screen writer and novelist. The majority of material in the collection includes scripts, correspondence, manuscripts, clippings, and notes.
Extent:
235 boxes (117.5 linear ft.) 4 oversize boxes 4 oversize folders
Language:
English.

Background

Scope and content:

Collection consists of materials related to Trumbo's career as a screen writer and novelist. Titles include: Hawaii, Johnny got his gun, Papillon, The fixer, The sandpiper, and other less publicized works. The majority of material in the collection includes scripts, correspondence, manuscripts, clippings, and notes.

Biographical / historical:

James Dalton Trumbo was born December 9, 1905, in Montrose, Colorado; attended University of Colorado, UCLA, and USC; worked as a newpaper reporter and editor; started screenwriting in 1935; became one of the Hollywood Ten and was blacklisted by the motion picture industry (1947); served a 10-month jail sentence for contempt of Congress when he refused to testify before the House Un-American Activities Committee (HUAC) for his alleged membership in the Communist Party; while serving his sentence at the Federal Penitentiary in Ashland, Kentucky, he used a pseudonym and smuggled out a script for sale underground; after his release he moved to Mexico and continued writing scripts under various pseudonyms; his story, The brave one (1956), won an Academy Award under the pseudonym, Robert Rich; Trumbo was one of the first blacklisted writers to emerge from the underground when he received screen credit for his work on the 1960 releases of Spartacus and Exodus; in the early 1970s, he directed a screen adaption of his novel, Johnny got his gun (1956), which won an award at the Cannes Film Festival; a collection of his letters from 1942-62 was published as, Additional dialogue (1970); underwent surgery for lung cancer and died of a heart attack three years later in 1976.

Acquisition information:

Gift of Cleo Trumbo, 1987.

Gift of Barbara Case, 1992.

Physical location:
Stored off-site at SRLF. Advance notice is required for access to the collection. Please contact the UCLA Library, Department of Special Collections Reference Desk for paging information.

Access and use

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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