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Peter Orton Collection of Screenplays and Television Scripts
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Held at: Princeton University Library: Manuscripts Division [Contact Us]
This is a finding aid. It is a description of archival material held at the Princeton University Library: Manuscripts Division. Unless otherwise noted, the materials described below are physically available in their reading room, and not digitally available through the web.
Overview and metadata sections
Peter Orton, having worked fifteen years for IBM Corporation, designs leadership development web sites, videos, and online simulators. Previously, he was a screenplay writer for Hollywood. Orton lives in North Carolina with his family.
The collection consists of thirty screenplays, five made-for-TV film scripts, and three television series scripts--typewritten or photocopied--collected by Peter Orton. The earliest screenplays are Sullivan's Travels, written by Sullivan Sturges and released in December 1941, and Casablanca, written by Julius and Philip Epstein and Howard Koch and released in 1942. The most recent film script is High, Wide and Handsome!, later known as Talladega Nights, written by Will Ferrell and Adam McKay in 2005. There are two copies each of Robin Hood: Men In Tights, Our Sons, and Leap Of Faith, four drafts of 3 O'Clock High (or After School), and one of A World Apart. Other screenplays include The Godfather by Mario Puzo and Francis Ford Coppola, Chocolat by Robert Nelson Jacobs, and Chinatown by Robert Towne. All but these three scripts were produced: "Sacred Cow" written by Joe Eszterhas, "The Universal Baseball Association" by Robert Coover, and "Godzilla vs. Cleveland" by Dana Olson. Television scripts include an episode of Seinfeld ("The Pez Dispenser") written by Larry David dated 1991, the pilot episode for Quantum Leap by Donald P. Bellisario, and the made-for-TV film Who Will Love My Children written by Michael Bortman.
The collection is organized into one series with the scripts arranged in alphabetical order and, within that, in chronological order:
Gift of Peter Z. Orton, Princeton Class of 1970, in November 2007.
For preservation reasons, original analog and digital media may not be read or played back in the reading room. Users may visually inspect physical media but may not remove it from its enclosure. All analog audiovisual media must be digitized to preservation-quality standards prior to use. Audiovisual digitization requests are processed by an approved third-party vendor. Please note, the transfer time required can be as little as several weeks to as long as several months and there may be financial costs associated with the process. Requests should be directed through the Ask Us Form.
This collection was processed by Dina Britain on November 14, 2007. Finding aid written by Dina Britain on November 15, 2007.
No appraisal information is available.
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Subject
- Publisher
- Manuscripts Division
- Finding Aid Author
- Dina Britain
- Finding Aid Date
- 2007
- Access Restrictions
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The collection is open for research.
- Use Restrictions
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Single copies may be made for research purposes. To cite or publish quotations that fall within Fair Use, as defined under U. S. Copyright Law, no permission is required. For instances beyond Fair Use, it is the responsibility of the researcher to determine whether any permissions related to copyright, privacy, publicity, or any other rights are necessary for their intended use of the Library's materials, and to obtain all required permissions from any existing rights holders, if they have not already done so. Princeton University Library's Special Collections does not charge any permission or use fees for the publication of images of materials from our collections, nor does it require researchers to obtain its permission for said use. The department does request that its collections be properly cited and images credited. More detailed information can be found on the Copyright, Credit and Citations Guidelines page on our website. If you have any questions, please feel free to contact us through the Ask Us! form.
Collection Inventory
The series consists of scripts (both typewritten and photocopied) of films, television series episodes, and made-for-TV films, ranging from comedies to tragedies and romances and spanning a period of almost sixty-five years.
The folders are arranged in alphabetical order and, within that, in chronological order. Screenplays and television scripts are interfiled.
Physical Description9 boxes
Screenplay of a 1987 American high-school comedy film, directed by Phil Joanou, written by Richard Christian Matheson and Thomas Szollosi, and produced by Aaron Spelling; also known as 3 O'clock High. Undated typewritten draft, with autograph correction and annotations in pencil. 119 leaves.
Physical Description1 folder
Screenplay of the 1987 American high-school comedy film, directed by Phil Joanou, written by Richard Christian Matheson and Thomas Szollosi, with autograph corrections and annotations; third draft, dated August 8, 1986. 107 leaves
Physical Description1 folder
Screenplay of the 1987 American high-school comedy film, directed by Phil Joanou, written by Richard Christian Matheson and Thomas Szollosi, with a few markings in pencil; third draft, dated August 13, 1986. 112 leaves.
Physical Description1 folder
Screenplay for the 1988 anti-Apartheid drama, written by Shawn Slovo and directed by Chris Menges. It is based on the lives of Slovo's parents in Africa. The movie was released on June 17, 1988, by Atlantic Releasing Corporation. Leaf 113 verso of copy 2 contains inscriptions in pencil. Both scripts are photocopies of the second draft of the screenplay, dated September 1986. 114 leaves.
Physical Description2 folders
Television script fpr a one-hour pilot of a Saracen Productions/CBS Television series written by Carol Evan McKeand. Final draft, dated January 5, 1987. 55 leaves.
Physical Description1 folder
Released in 1981, this neo-noir film was written and directed by Lawrence Kasdan. This original screenplay by Kasdan is dated February 19, 1980; photocopy. 119 leaves.
Physical Description1 folder
Screenplay by Billy Wilder and I. A. L. Diamond for a 1981 dark comedy based on the play L'Emmerdeur by Francis Veber. This is a final draft, dated August 8, 1980, with a page of who's who in the cast following the title page. The movie was a Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer Film Co. production. The script is photocopied on blue and white paper. 106 leaves.
Physical Description1 folder
Screenplay written by Julius and Philips Epstein and Howard Koch of the Warner Bros. Co. movie. Also known as Everybody Comes to Rick's, which is handwritten at the top of the title page, the film was directed by Michael Curtiz. Included is a page with the names of the writers and cast following the title page. This is a photocopy of the revised final draft, dated June 1, 1942. 161 leaves.
Physical Description1 folder
Screenplay written by Fred Brady and Hans Jacoby for a 1950 Cardinal Pictures, Inc., comedy about a trivia quiz show. The movie was directed by Richard Whorf and produced by George Moskov. This is an undated photocopy with some pages bearing revision dates of August 14 or 15, 1949. 135 leaves.
Physical Description1 folder
Screenplay written by Robert Towne for the 1974 film distributed by Paramount Pictures. It was produced by Robert Evans, directed by Roman Polanski, and features many elements of the film noir genre, particularly a multi-layered story that is part mystery and part psychological drama. The movie won several awards, including an Academy Award in 1975 for Best Original Screenplay. This is a photocopy of the third draft, dated October 9, 1973; the original was signed at the top right hand corner "Roz Master". 141 leaves plus 7 leaves that were revised on 12/8.
Physical Description1 folder
Screenplay for the 2001 Miramax Films film, based on the novel by the same name written by Joanne Harris, adapted by the screenwriter Robert Nelson Jacobs, and directed by Lasse Hallström. Tipped in is a circular sent to members of the "Writers Guild of America" from Miramax with the screenplay. This is an undated printed copy. 130 leaves.
Physical Description1 folder
Photocopy of a screenplay of the Metro Goldwyn Mayer Pictures romantic comedy written by Lawrence J. Cohen and Fred Freeman, directed by Tom Mankiewicz, and released in 1991. This is a photocopy of the third revised draft, dated September 5, 1989. It contains corrections and markings in pencil, and yellow post-it notes. 120 leaves.
Physical Description1 folder
Screenplay for a comedy-drama released in 1991 by Tri-Star Pictures, written by Richard LaGravenese and directed by Terry Gilliam. This a photocopy of a revised draft, dated April 16, 1990. 137 leaves.
Physical Description1 folder
Screenplay for the romantic comedy written by Billy Wilder and I. A. L. Diamond and directed by Billy Wilder. It was released on October 19, 1966 by United Artists. Photocopy. 176 leaves.
Physical Description1 folder
Screenplay by Mario Puzo and Francis Ford Coppola for the 1972 Paramount Pictures crime film based on the novel of the same name also by Puzo. The film was directed by Francis Ford Coppola. This is a photocopy of the second draft, dated March 1, 1971. 174 leaves.
Physical Description1 folder
The original title being It Ate Cleveland, this was a spoof script by Dana Olsen, after the popular Airplane! series. The movie was killed after Golan-Globus, of the Cannon Group, Inc., bought the script and changed the title to Godzilla vs. Cleveland. Not having any rights to the Godzilla name, Golan-Globus found itself under several legal threats and subsequently dropped the film. The story had the monster emerge from Lake Erie to attack Cleveland. This is a photocopy of the third draft of the screenplay written by Dana Olsen, dated August 17, 1984. On the title page the title is crossed out in pencil and underneath it is written " It Ate Cleveland 3/12/85." Also on the title page is the stamp of Cannon Films, Inc. 112 leaves.
Physical Description1 folder
Screenplay written by Judith Rascoe for the drama set in Havana Cuba in the 1950s. The movie was directed by Sydney Pollack and was distributed in the USA by Universal Pictures in December 1990. This is a photocopy of a production draft by David Rayfiel, dated November 6, 1989. 130 leaves.
Physical Description1 folder
Screenplay for the 2006 comedy film about NASCAR racing, distributed by Columbia Pictures. The film was directed by Adam McKay, who also co-wrote the screenplay with actor and former Saturday Night Live cast member Will Ferrell. This is a typewritten revised first draft, dated, July 13, 2005. 112 leaves.
Physical Description1 folder
Screenplay for the crime drama written and directed by David Mamet, distributed in 1991 by the Triumph Releasing Corporation. This is a photocopy draft, dated April 15, 1989. 133 leaves with an additional 16 leaves of names telephone numbers and addresses of the cast, the crew, agents, electricians, etc.
Physical Description1 folder
A screenplay adapted from the play by the same name, both written by Neil Simon, of the drama directed by Herbert Ross, released on March 26, 1982, by Twentieth Century-Fox Film Corporation. This is a photocopy of the final draft, dated July 15, 1981, with some clippings tipped in. It was printed on multi-colored paper. 131 leaves.
Physical Description1 folder
A revised final draft screenplay written by Peter Benchley, after the novel also by Benchley, for the movie directed by Steven Spielberg and released June 20, 1975, by Universal Studios. This is an undated photocopy. 124 leaves.
Physical Description1 folder
Screenplay for a film produced in 1981 by Embassy International Pictures and Twentieth Century-Fox Film Corporation and released on February 18, 1983. The screenplay was written by Paul D. Zimmerman, and the movie was directed by Martin Scorsese. This photocopy of the script is dated December 15, 1976. 134 leaves.
Physical Description1 folder
Screenplay adapted by Robert Benton from the novel by Avery Corman of the Columbia Pictures film released in December 1979. The film was directed by Robert Benton and produced by Stanley Jaffe. This is a photocopy of the revised fourth draft with final revisions dated September 5, 1978. 133 leaves.
Physical Description1 folder
Screenplay by Janus Cercone for the drama about a fake faith healer. The movie was directed by Richard Pearce and released by Paramount Pictures on December 18, 1992. This is a photocopy of a draft, and it contains markings in yellow highlighter. It is dated April 26, 1992. 124 leaves.
Physical Description1 folder
Revised yellow draft of the screenplay, dated May 25, 1992. This copy contains autograph corrections, annotations, and markings in ink. 114 leaves.
Physical Description1 folder
Television script for a Hallmark Hall of Fame presentation for the 1985 made-for-TV movie drama written by Darlene Craviotto, based on the novel In This Sign by Joanne Greenberg. It was produced by Dorothea G. Petrie and directed by Joseph Sargent. The script is undated. 96 leaves.
Physical Description1 folder
Screenplay written by Bo Goldman for the 1980 movie directed by Jonathan Demme and produced by Art Linson. The story is based upon the claims of a Utah service station owner, Melvin Dummar, concerning a purported will of Howard Hughes leaving Dummar 1/16th of his $2 billion estate. The movie was released on September 19, 1980. This is a photocopy of the first draft shooting screenplay; some pages have a revision date of 2/1/79, 1/5/79, 12/12/78, and some are undated. 124 leaves.
Physical Description1 folder
Screenplay for the movie shot in 1991-1992 and released on Sept. 23, 1992, by Columbia Pictures. The screenplay was written by Billy Crystal, Lowell Ganz, and Babaloo Mandel, and the movie was directed by Billy Crystal. This is a revised draft of the shooting script of September 26, 1991, dated February 5, 1992. It is copied on multi-colored paper, with a different revision date for each color. 122 leaves.
Physical Description1 folder
Screenplay for The Naked Gun, a series of three comedy films from 1988 to 1994. They were written and produced by the comedy film-making trio Jerry Zucker, Jim Abrahams, and David Zucker, based on their short-lived 1982 ABC television series Police Squad!, which was cancelled after only six episodes. The first two films were directed by David Zucker, and the third film was directed by Peter Segal. This is a photocopy of a revised screenplay, dated February 11, 1988. This copy contains markings and deletions. 110 leaves.
Physical Description1 folder
Two photocopies of the final draft of a screenplay dated January 1, 1991, of the made-for-TV movie drama written by William Hanley and directed by John Erman. The movie aired on May 19, 1991. 105 leaves.
Physical Description2 folders
Screenplay for the 1981 film adaptation of the 1978 BBC television drama of the same name. Dennis Potter, the writer of the original British series, adapted his own screenplay for American audiences. The film's setting was changed to Depression era Chicago. The movie was directed by Herbert D. Ross and produced by Herbert D. Ross and Nora Kaye. It was distributed by Metro Goldwyn Mayer and released on December 11, 1981. This is a revised final draft, dated August 18, 1980. It is printed on multicolored paper, each color indicating a different revision date. This copy has some highlights and markings. 226 and 28 leaves.
Physical Description1 folder
Television script for a made-for-TV drama in 1982 which aired on ABC and garnered controversy when Rev. Jerry Falwell undertook a public campaign in an attempt to keep the show from airing. The script was written by Lane Slate, and the movie directed by Robert Markowitz. This is a revised final draft dated May 28, 1981. Pages 1-7 contain a working list of names, address, and telephone numbers of the cast, crew, and producers of the film. The script is printed on different colored paper. 105 leaves.
Physical Description1 folder
Television script of an American science fiction series which ran for 96 episodes, from March 1989 to May 1993, on the NBC network. The series was created, produced, and written by Donald P. Bellisario. This is a revised draft dated December 8, 1988. It is printed on different colored paper. The first two pages contain information about cast replacement and about the cast and sets. 126 leaves.
Physical Description1 folder
Two copies of the screenplay written by Mel Brooks and J. David Shapiro after a story written by Evan Chandler and J. David Shapiro, parodying the traditional story of Robin Hood. It was distributed by 20th Century Fox and released on July 28, 1993. Both are photocopies with pink highlighter markings and dated October 2, 1992. 128 leaves.
Physical Description2 folders
Screenplay by Dale Launer of the 1986 black comedy loosely based on the O. Henry short story The Ransom of Red Chief. The movie was released on June 27, 1986, by Touchstone Pictures. This is a revised photocopy of the first draft, dated December 31, 1985. It contains some autograph corrections and markings in pencil and in ink. 108 leaves.
Physical Description1 folder
Photocopy of a screenplay written by Joe Eszterhas. The film was never produced; however, it was to be directed by Jim Abrahams. This draft photocopy is dated January 1992. 110 leaves.
Physical Description1 folder
Television script written by Larry David and directed by Tom Cherones for "The Pez Dispenser" which was the thirty-first episode of the NBC situation comedy Seinfeld. The episode was the fourteenth episode of the show's third season. It aired on January 15, 1992. This is a photocopy table draft, dated December 14, 1991. 61 leaves plus an additional 6 leaves for the title page, tentative schedules, and a list of the cast and the guest cast.
Physical Description1 folder
Screenplay written by William Hanley, for a 1984 Made-for-TV movie exploring the drama to a family caused by incest. The movie was directed by Randa Haynes, and released by ABC and The Leonard Goldberg Company on 9 January 1984. This is a photocopy of the revised second final draft, dated April 4, 1983. 107 leaves.
Physical Description1 folder
Screenplay for the 1941 film written and directed by Preston Sturges. It is a satire about a movie director, John L. Sullivan, who longs to make a socially relevant drama, but eventually learns that comedies are a more valuable contribution to society. The movie is a Paramount Pictures production, released in December 1941. This is a photocopy dated May 3, 1941. 145 leaves plus 4 additonal leaves.
Physical Description1 folder
Screenplay written by Robert Towne for the sequel to the 1974 movie Chinatown. It was directed by and starring Jack Nicholson and released by Paramount Pictures on August 10, 1990. This is a photocopy of the first draft, which is dated October 29, 1984. 165 leaves with an additional 16 leaves Appendix: Chinatown - "Dream Montage".
Physical Description1 folder
A screenplay for an un-produced movie written by James Desmond and Tim Newman from the novel The Universal Baseball Association, Inc., J. Henry Waugh, Prop. written by Robert Coover in 1968. This is a photocopy bearing two copy right dates, 1968 for the book and 1979 for the screenplay. 174 leaves.
Physical Description1 folder
Television script for the Made-for-TV movie drama written by Michael Bortman, directed by John Erman, and produced by Wendy Riche and Paula Levenback; an ABC production. The movie was released on February 14, 1983. This is a photocopy of the final draft, dated October 21, 1982, which was revised on November 8, 1982. 113 leaves plus an additional 4 leaves with names of the cast, a description of the sets, etc.
Physical Description1 folder
Television script for the pilot episode of the Emmy Award-winning television comedy/drama created and written by Carol Black and Neal Marlens. The show ran for six seasons on ABC, from 1988 through 1993. The pilot aired on January 31, 1988. This is a photocopy of the revised second draft, dated September 21, 1987. 38 leaves.
Physical Description1 folder