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Leonard St. Clair papers, circa 1918-1986

Overview of the Collection

Creator
St. Clair, Leonard
Title
Leonard St. Clair papers
Dates
circa 1918-1986 (inclusive)
Quantity
13 cubic ft. (28 document boxes)
Collection Number
09627
Summary
The Leonard St. Clair collection includes biographical material, correspondence, source material, photographs, diaries, manuscripts, radio scripts, and published books and stories. The largest part of the collection consists of scripts for radio and TV, and manuscripts for historical suspense novels like "The Seadon Fortune."
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
Access Restrictions

There are no access restrictions on the materials for research purposes, and the collection is open to the public.

Languages
English
Sponsor
The creation of the EAD-version of this finding aid was made possible through a grant from the National Historic Publications and Records Commission.
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Historical Note

Leonard St. Clair was born in 1918 in San Francisco and continued to live in California, although he traveled extensively and lived for awhile in Paris. He attended the Choinard Institute of Arts in Los Angeles but did not earn a degree. He was a self-educated man. He became a popular writer for radio shows during the 1940s and 1950s, and produced the famous A Christmas Carol script for Lionel Barrymore. His regular radio shows included Mayor of the Town, Lux Radio Theatre, Hallmark Playhouse and Mike Shayne. He wrote over 250 radio scripts in all. St. Clair also wrote scripts for TV, especially Four Star Playhouse. In the 1960s and 1970s he wrote magazine stories and adventure-mystery novels including Fortune in Death, The Emerald Trap, The Seadon Fortune, and Obsessions.

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Content Description

The Leonard St. Clair collection includes biographical material, correspondence, source material, photographs, diaries, manuscripts, radio scripts, and published books and stories from his commercial writing career.

The biographical file includes resumes, membership cards, and a pamphlet about an oil tanker named for St. Clair’s father. Most of the correspondence relates to St. Clair’s writing history. Source material includes clippings for ideas and notes relating to history and characters. The photographs date from childhood and St. Clair’s radio career. The diaries extend from 1927 to 1943, and they consist mainly of comments about travel, weather, politics, and career. There are a few gaps in a substantial collection of bound and unbound radio and TV scripts from the 1940s and 1950s. The largest part of the collection consists of manuscripts for novels, short stories, radio dramas, outlines, and a few articles. Some of the novels, like The California Saga (later renamed The Seadon Fortune) involved many re-writes so their manuscripts are extensive.

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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.

Preferred Citation

Preferred Citation

Item Description, Box Number, Folder Number, Leonard St. Clair papers, circa 1918-1986, Collection Number 09627, American Heritage Center, University of Wyoming.

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Administrative Information

Related Materials

Related Materials

There are no other known archival collections created by Leonard St. Clair at the date of processing.

Acquisition Information

Acquisition Information

The Leonard St. Clair papers were given to the American Heritage Center in one shipment by Mrs. Catherine St. Clair in 1988.

Processing Note

Processing Information

The collection was processed by John Hanks in February 2002. The papers were received in good condition and partial order. They have been arranged by type, chronologically within series. Where original folder titles existed they have been maintained. Where none existed, a descriptive title was created.

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Detailed Description of the Collection

Container List

Names and SubjectsReturn to Top

Form or Genre Terms

  • Radio scripts.
  • Television scripts.

Occupations

  • Novelists.
  • Radio writers.
  • Television writers.

Processed by John Hanks
2006

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

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