University of Wyoming
This collection is arranged at the series level.
Fred Schiller (1904-2003) was an American playwright, screen, and television writer born in Austria. Over the course of his career, Schiller wrote for more than fifty television shows. He also wrote a number of motion pictures and plays. Schiller was most active as a writer between the years 1939 and 1975. Perhaps his best-known credit is as a co-writer in the 1939 movie "The Flying Deuces", which starred Stan Laurel and Oliver Hardy. In 1931, Schiller co-wrote a play titled "Come On Up," which starred Mae West. He also wrote for the television series "The Islanders," which aired from 1960-1961 on the American Broadcasting Company (ABC).
Schiller received several awards during his career, including the New York Literary Prize for a magazine story called "Ten Men and a Prayer" in 1952.
A large portion of this collection consists of manuscripts of plays or television shows written by Schiller. In some cases, earlier drafts of manuscripts are included. Part of the collection is composed of correspondence related to Schiller's career, including disputes over royalties, the process of getting a play produced, and correspondence with the House of Representative's Un-American Activities Committee due to mistaken identity. There are also a variety of materials related to the role fo Mae West in Schiller's first play, "Come On Up," including articles about her career to that point and the role she played in helping co-write the play. Magazine articles and newspaper clippings that are related to Schiller's other projects are included. A small portion of the correspondence is in German.
The rest of the collection consists of various recordings, both in phnographic record and magnetic tape reel formats. The recordings appear to be of Schiller's plays.
There are no access restrictions on the materials for research purposes, and the collection is open to the public.
The researcher assumes full responsibility for observing all copyright, property, and libel laws as they apply.
There are no known other archival collections created by Fred Schiller at the date of processing.
This material was received from Fred Schiller in 1978, 1982, 1985, and from his estate in 2005 and 2006.
The collection was processed by Shaun Hayes in February of 2009.
Item Description, Box Number, Folder Number, Collection Name, Collection Number, American Heritage Center, University of Wyoming.
Consists of manuscripts of a variety of Schiller's plays and teleplays throughout his career. In some instances, an earlier draft of the work is included as well. Many of the manuscripts include the date on which it was completed.
Composed of correspondence, press clippings, and other materials related to Schiller's career. Topics such as royalty collection, play production, and mistaken identity are discussed. A portion of the correspondence is in un-translated German. The folders are arranged in chronological order with the exception of the German language materials.
Consists of phonographic and reel-to-reel recordings. The contents are unknown, but likely related to Schiller's plays. Some of the recordings have labels in German.