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William Boyd papers, 1911-1998 (bulk 1935-1972)

Overview of the Collection

Creator
Boyd, William, 1895-1972.
Title
William Boyd papers
Dates
1911-1998 (bulk 1935-1972) (inclusive)
Quantity
149.43 cubic ft. (242 boxes) + 27.54 KB
Collection Number
08038
Summary
Materials of William Boyd, the actor best known for his portrayal of cowboy character Hopalong Cassidy.
Repository
American Heritage Center, University of Wyoming
American Heritage Center
University of Wyoming
1000 E. University Ave.
Dept. 3924
Laramie, WY
82071
Telephone: 3077663756
ahcref@uwyo.edu
Access Restrictions

Box 223 contains personnel records associated with William Boyd Enterprises, B.B. Productions, and Hopalong Cassidy Productions. The material in this box is restricted until 2058. There are no access restrictions on all other materials for research purposes, and the collection is open to the public.

Languages
English
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Historical Note

William Boyd was an actor made famous through his portrayal of the cowboy character Hopalong Cassidy on radio, television, and film. Hopalong first appeared in films in 1934, on television in 1949, and on radio and in comics in 1950. The character became enormously popular and Boyd acquired all rights to the Hopalong character in 1948. He consolidated all Hopalong enterprises and began a highly profitable business through promotion of the character. Boyd donated some of his profits to children’s hospitals and homes. Boyd married actress Grace Bradley in 1937. He retired in 1953, and died in 1972.

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Content Description

The William Boyd papers contain materials concerning Boyd’s portrayal of Hopalong Cassidy and his many related promotional and business ventures. The collection contains correspondence, legal files, financial files, newspaper clippings, promotional and publicity materials, and other business records. Also present are Hopalong Cassidy scripts and comics, sheet music, phonograph records, and photographs of William Boyd. The collection also contains a number of artifacts, including Hopalong Cassidy costume items, toys, and other merchandise. A small amount of personal files are also present.

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Use of the Collection

Restrictions on Use

Copyright Information

The researcher assumes full responsibility for observing all copyright, property, and libel laws as they apply.

Restrictions on Use

Statement on Potentially Harmful Language and Images Found in Collections

The American Heritage Center aspires to approach all areas of our work in ways that are respectful to those who create, use, and are represented in our collections. For a variety of reasons, however, users may encounter offensive or harmful language or images in some of our finding aids, catalogs, and collection materials.

Note that the AHC does not censor or alter contents of the collections as they provide context and evidence of a time, people, place, or event. Therefore, we encourage users to bring questions and concerns about descriptions in our finding aids to our attention via email or anonymous web-form. For more information, read our full statement.

Preferred Citation

Item Description, Box Number, Folder Number, William Boyd papers, 08038, American Heritage Center, University of Wyoming.

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Administrative Information

Related Materials

There are no known other archival collections created by William Boyd at the date of processing.

Acquisition Information

This bulk of this material was received from Grace Bradley Boyd & trust from 1982-1995. Additional material was donated by Allen Fuller (1995), Andrew J. Sordoni (1995), Robert Learned-Hand (1998), Dick Kean (2009), and Jane C. Mak (2020-2023).

Processing Note

The collection was processed by Emily Christopherson in March 2013. Updated by Alexandra Cardin in June 2022 and Jamie J. Greene in May 2025.

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Detailed Description of the Collection

Container List

Processed by Emily Christopherson
2013

CC Attribution
This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International License.

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