Robert Benton Papers

Academy Award winning director/writer/producer Robert Benton donated his papers to the Southwestern Writers Collection/The Wittliff Collections in 2001. Known for such films as Bonnie and Clyde, Kramer vs. Kramer, Places in the Heart, and Nobody's Fool, Benton’s collection includes original manuscripts, treatments, outlines and screenplays along with movie-set photographs, original storyboards, and posters.

Listed below is an archival inventory of the Robert Benton holdings. Note that access to unprocessed materials is granted on a case-by-case basis. Please contact the Archivist for details about access the Robert Benton Collection.

Accession 2001-104

Screenplay drafts, production notes, publicity correspondence, movie posters, reviews and clippings related to the films of director and screenwriter Robert Benton. Bulk of materials relates to films Still of the Night, Billy Bathgate, and Places in the Heart. Dates range from 1978-1992.

Box 1

Still of the Night (originally titled "Stab") 1980-1981

Stills

Stills rejects

Location negatives

Photos – Meryl Streep

Screenplay (originally entitled "Stab") annotated t.s., rev. 1/7/1981

Annotated t.s., n.d.

Annotated t.s., n.d.

Script pages, heavily annotated, no date

Screenplay "Master 3rd draft", July 1980

Notes on characters Sam and Brooke (handwritten), blueprints of Sam’s apt.,

Outlines and notes

Box 2

Reviews (USA, France, Italy, other foreign reviews)

Screenplay 2nd draft "Stab" (3)

Screenplay 3rd draft "Stab", July, 1980

Screenplay 3rd draft "Stab" unrevised, July 24, 1980

Screenplay draft "Stab" revised, July 24, 1980 (script from which

typing was done)

Screenplay draft "Stab" – Benton work copy, Jan. 19, 1981

Revised screenplay, no date

Revised screenplay, Feb. 6, 1981

First draft screenplay, Jan, 1976 (2)

Rev. screenplay, Feb. 27, 1981 (2)

Master copy, revised screenplay, Feb. 6, 1981

Box 3

Places in the Heart

Binder of contact sheets of set stills, n.d. (2 f.)

Nadine (1985-86)

Screenplay, approximate first draft, Nov. 1985

Production schedule, 1986, minimal correspondence (2 f.)

Kramer vs. Kramer (1978)

Screenplay, rev. third draft July 1978 / Renata’s [continuity] script notes

Billy Bathgate

Screenplay "rec. 5/29/90" ICM covers

Screenplay, no covers, no date

Screenplay, no date

Production schedule, Dec. 1991 - Jan. 1992

Revised screenplay, brief production schedule, 9/1991

Box 4

Places in the Heart (1983)

Production schedule/script (2 binders)

Bootlegging research (typewritten notes)

Lover 1st draft (novel by Benton) annotated typescript, no date

Billy Bathgate (1990)

Screenplay 3rd draft 2nd revision, Sept. 6, 1990

Screenplay, annotated t.s., n.d.

Screenplay 3rd draft, Aug. 6, 1990

Screenplay, n.d.

Screenplay, March 1990

Screenplay, rev. 1st draft, March 1990 (3)

Screenplay, 3rd draft, rev. July 15, 1990 (2)

Box 5

Screenplay, rev. 2nd draft, May 25, 1990

Screenplay 3rd draft, Aug. 6, 1990

Screenplay 4th draft, Sept. 14, 1990 (3)

Screenplay 3rd draft, June 15, 1990

Still of the Night

Script notes (n.d.)

Script with outline notes (n.d.)

Inventory

Looping notes (12/1981)

Photos – Gail’s apt. (and other locations)

Continuity

Photos for bulletin board for trailer

Photos – Parke Bernet

Box 6

Places in the Heart (The Texas Project) (1983)

Photos (color 3x5 set photos in binders by numbers – need to be rehoused)

1-200

201-400

401-600

601-800

801-1000

Box 7

1001-1200

1201-1400

1401-1600

1601-1700

1701-1900

Box 8

1901-2100

2101-2300

2301-2501

2501-2583

Screenplay – 2nd draft March 1983 revision (2)

March 1983 rev., misc. pages

Box 9

Billy Bathgate (1990-1992)

Screenplay 3rd draft June 15,1990

Screenplay, n.d. (2)

Screenplay, rev. 2nd draft, May 25, 1990 (2)

Screenplay, rev. 3rd draft, Aug. 6, 1990 (3)

Screenplay, pgs, 108-164 from Doctorow, n.d.

Screenplay, rev. 1st draft, March 1990

Screenplay, 4th draft, Sept. 12, 1990

Screenplay, 4th draft, Sept. 14, 1990 (blue and pink revision sheets)

Screenplay, 3rd draft, 2nd rev., Sept. 6, 1990

Screenplay, rev. 1st draft, March, 1990

Screenplay, n.d.

Screenplay, various portions and notes, n.d.

Box 10

Places in the Heart (1983)

Screenplay – 1st draft, Jan. 24, 1983 rev.

1st draft, Jan. 20, 1983 rev.

1st draft, Jan. 31, 1983

2nd draft, 1st 88 pgs., n.d.

Possible scenes (script portions and notes)

2nd draft, n.d. (2)

2nd draft, March 1983 (2)

2nd draft, May 1983 revision, East Texas

Revised 2nd draft, July 25, 1983 (3)

"Praise, Blame, Love, Kisses, Tears, and Smiles – a treatment" 10/11/1982

Box 11

"Praise, Blame, Love, Kisses, Tears, and Smiles" Nov. 24, 1982 (2)

"Praise, Blame, Love, Kisses, Tears, and Smiles" work copy, n.d.

"Praise, Blame, Love, Kisses, Tears, and Smiles" Dec. 20, 1982

Script fragment, n.d.

"Praise, Blame, Love, Kisses, Tears, and Smiles" Sept., 1982

French reviews (bound photocopies)

1984 publicity memos and clippings

Extra continuity

Clippings/Publicity, 1984

Academy Award clippings

Box 12

Clippings/Publicity

First draft revision pages

Photos and slides

Screening list

Script fragment and notes

Casting notes (one photo and bio of Deborah Rush)

Music / Sound cue list

Production notes

Main title sequence

Foreign publicity

Box 13

Kramer vs. Kramer (1977-1980)

Screenplay, pgs. 21-147, n.d., heavily annotated

Screenplay, n.d.

Screenplay, 2nd draft work copy (Oct. 27, 1977?)

Screenplay, rev. 1st draft work copy with Tom Manks’ cuts

Screenplay, 1st draft pages

Screenplay, 1st draft

Clippings, 1979-80

Stardust (1988)

Draft, March 8, 1988

Draft, March 28, 1988

Draft and notes, 4/4/1988

Notes and outline

Bad Company screenplay – release dialogue script, Oct. 2, 1972

The Coast – screenplay, 1st draft, April 1975

Box 14

Sullivan Street (by Walter Bernstein) (1986)

Screenplay

First draft, n.d.

Script Feb. 25, 1986 (2)

Script revisions, 4/1/1986, pgs. 77-86

Script revisions, 3/26/1986 pgs. 19-76

Script revisions 3/21/1986, pgs. 1-19

Script pgs. 42-62, n.d.

Original 2/25/1986 draft

Script, n.d.

Second draft, 2/10/1986

Draft 5/21/1986

Draft 2/10/1986 and 2/24/86 revisions

Draft 2/20/86 (2nd draft rev.)

Drafts 2/10/1986

Draft 2/25/1986

Draft 4/1/1986

Peter’s file

6/9/1986 Benton / Donovan rewrite

Correspondence (1986 re production / credits)

Nadine (1986)

Screenplay

2/1986 draft

First draft, April 29, fragment

First draft, Oct. 1985

July 9, 1986 draft

May 15, 1986 draft

Wolfgang #’d copy

April 22 and 29, 1986 draft

Box 15

Draft, Aug. 25, 1986

Draft, April 29,1986

Draft, Aug. 12, 1986 (2)

Draft, March 15, 1986 (partial)

Second version, first draft, n.d.

Billy Bathgate (1990)

Screenplay drafts

N.d., labeled "Anne Rapp"

Sept. 6, 1990

Draft, n.d., annotated in pencil

July 20, 1990 Doctorow notes

Sept. 12, 1990 draft

May 1990 draft

Rev. 4th draft, Sept. 14, 1990

Draft fragments, n.d.

Hoffa by David Mamet, June 1990 draft

The Homesman or Seeing the Elephant, by Naomi Foner, Nov. 1990

Still of the Night, screenplay, n.d.

Subject files (1984087, n.d.)

Photocopies of papers regarding Italy, 1940s

Computer (notes and instructions, n.d.)

Jim, Tammy, Jessica (clippings of Bakker scandal, 1987)

Texas Project / John Malkovich clippings, 1984

Playbill, Broadhurst Theater, Death of a Salesman, April 1984

Oversize:

Billy Bathgate set drawings/plans

Movie posters

Still of the Night

Billy Bathgate

Bad Company

The Late Show

Places in the Heart

Kramer vs. Kramer

Nobody’s Fool

Nadine (French version)

Twilight

11x14 color photograph from set (of Billy Bathgate?)

Framed photoprints (Framed Art Case Annex A):

Benton on set with Dustin Hoffman and Bruce Willis

Benton on set with Bruce Willis

Johnson’s New Map of Texas

Accession 2001-135

Screenplay drafts, contact sheets, production stills, outlines and notes. Bulk of materials relates to films Magic Hour, Nobody’s Fool, Places in the Heart, Nadine & Hubba-Hubba.

Dates range from 1969 - 1993.

Box 1

Magic Hour (1996 Paramount Pictures, Inc.)

Contact sheets, production stills - photographer Lorey Sebastian - 286 pages

Revised first draft - annotated - t.s., n.d.

First draft - clean t.s., n.d.

Places in the Heart (The Texas Picture)

Annotated second draft t.s., n.d.

Stab

First draft screenplay - January, 1976

Hubba-Hubba

Clean t.s., n.d.

Hubba-Hubba or Will the Big Bands Ever Come Back?

Annotated screenplay - September 2, 1969

Nadine

Annotated screenplay - May 15, 1986

Nobody’s Fool

Clean screenplay - September 15, 1993

Clean screenplay - August 13, 1993

Combined continuity and Spotting list

Box 2

Nobody’s Fool

Clean screenplay - March 15, 1993

Clean screenplay - August 13, 1993

Annotated t.s., n.d. pp 253-501

Clean t.s., n.d. pp 502-707

Clean t.s., n.d. pp 708-937

Annotated t.s., n.d. - part 1 - pp 1-252

Annotated t.s., n.d. - part 2 - pp 253-501

Annotated t.s., n.d. - part 3 - pp 502-707

Annotated t.s., n.d. (with page inserts) - part 4 - pp 708-937

Clean t.s., n.d. - part 2 - pp 253-414

Annotated t.s., June 24th

Outline & Notes

Extra pages

Box 3

Nobody’s Fool

Contact sheets, production stills - photographers Kerry Hayes & Melinda Sue

Gordon - 194 pages

Box 4

Places in the Heart

4 storyboard panels, 8-1/2 x 11”, four sheets

Nadine

9 storyboard panels, 8-1/2 x 11”, 9 sheets

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