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A Guide to the Gary Cartwright Papers, 1981-1999



Descriptive Summary

Creator: Cartwright, Gary, 1934-
Title: Gary Cartwright Papers
Dates: 1981-1999
Abstract: The Gary Cartwright papers date from 1981 to 2000 and are organized into five series: 1.) Books, 2.) Plays, screenplays, and song lyrics, 3.) Articles, 4.) Correspondence, and 5.) Clippings. Included are handwritten notes, clippings, tear sheets, brochures, a cassette tape, drafts and galley proofs. The material describes the research and editing involved in Cartwright's writing process.
Identification: Collection 001
Extent: 7 linear feet, 16 boxes
Language: Materials are written in English.
Repository: Southwestern Writers Collection, Special Collections, Alkek Library, Texas State University-San Marcos

Biographical Sketch

Gary Cartwright was born August 10, 1934 in Dallas, Texas, and raised in nearby Arlington. He received a B.A. in journalism and government from Texas Christian University in 1957. Cartwright reported the police beat for the Fort Worth Star-Telegram from 1956 until he was hired away in 1958 to the Fort Worth Press, where he joined Dan Jenkins and Bud Shrake in the sports department under legendary Texas sportswriter Blackie Sherrod. In 1960, Cartwright moved to the Dallas Times Herald as a sports reporter and in 1963 he joined the Dallas Morning News to write his own sports column. Cartwright's first book, a football novel entitled The Hundred Yard War, was published in 1967 at which point he left newspaper work to become a freelance writer. His work has appeared in The Texas Observer, Esquire, Saturday Review, Rolling Stone and Texas Monthly.

Cartwright has been associated with Texas Monthly magazine since its inception in 1973. His articles range over various topics--crime, notable Texans, Texas culture, travel, sports and international travel. A collection of his Texas Monthly articles can be found in Confessions of a Washed-up Sportswriter. The true-crime books Blood Will Tell and Dirty Dealing began as articles for Texas Monthly. In 1988, Cartwright had a heart attack that required quintuple-bypass surgery. A suggestion by Governor Ann Richards to document changes in his life since the injury led to his latest book, HeartWiseGuy.

Among the many honors Cartwright has received for his writing are the Texas Institute of Letters' Stanley Walker Award for Journalism for "The Endless Odyssey of Patrick Henry Polk" (Texas Monthly, May 1977) and the Press Club of Dallas Katie Award for Best Magazine News Story for "The Work of the Devil" (Texas Monthly, June 1989). Cartwright has written screenplays in collaboration with Edwin (Bud) Shrake, including J. W. Coop (1972) and Another Pair of Aces (CBS-TV, 1990).


Scope and Content Note

The Gary Cartwright papers date from 1981 to 2000 and are organized into five series: 1.) Books, 2.) Plays, screenplays, and song lyrics, 3.) Articles, 4.) Correspondence, and 5.) Clippings. Included are handwritten notes, clippings, tear sheets, brochures, a cassette tape, drafts and galley proofs. The material describes the research and editing involved in Cartwright's writing process.

See also Accession Numbers 88-052 and 90-071 for photographs of the author taken by Bill Wittliff.

Series I: Books, 1988-1999, n.d. This series is arranged chronologically by publication, with an unpublished title at the end. The first subseries is for the book, Galveston, a History of the Island. These files contain research material and an annotated typescript for the book. The files are organized according to the author's filing system, primarily in chronological order. They contain articles, clippings, handwritten notes, newsletters, brochures and tear sheets. There is information on social life, prominent Galveston families, ethnic groups and major events such as the 1900 hurricane. See also Accession No. 92-044, 1991 galleys addressed to Bill Wittliff from Lee Goerner at Atheneum.

Material for the second book in this series, HeartWise Guy, spans 1988-1999. These files contain research material, drafts, annotated typescripts, and page proofs. The files are organized according to the author's filing system. They contain articles, clippings, handwritten notes, newsletters, brochures and tear sheets. Topics include aging, lifestyle, diet, medicine, sex, and spirituality. Also included is a letter from Larry McMurtry commenting on his long post-surgery depression following a heart attack.

Materials for Blood will Tell are limited to only correspondence and clippings. And the unpublished title, “Black Pearls,” or “Dark Pearls,” is represented by an annotated typescript.

Series II: Plays, Screenplays and Song Lyrics, 1981-1991. This series contains material on screenplays in collaboration with Bud Shrake. There are handwritten song lyrics for Shrake's "Pancho Villa's Wedding Day" and one draft and two scripts of "RIP" on which the 1991 teleplay "Another Pair of Aces" was based. Also included is a ditty hastily composed by Gary Cartwright with Larry L. King late one night in New York City

See also Accession No. 88-033, 90-059, 91-007 for other material on "RIP" in the Bud Shrake and Bill Wittliff papers and Accession No. 92-061 for a Cartwright teleplay written for the Ned Blessing series.

Series III: Articles, 1985-1999 This series is primarily composed of drafts and galley proofs for articles written for Texas Monthly. There is a good deal of research material for the 1987 article on the murder of a San Antonio policeman, "Total Hit." The articles report on crime, sports, food and prominent Texans. The files are arranged by date of publication when known.

Articles not written for Texas Monthly are arranged in the subseries, General. This set of articles includes national and international sports culture and travel, and honest and dishonest personalities in Texas culture, art, prisons, and politics. An unpublished article on whistle blowing within several large federal law enforcement agencies is also included.

Series IV: Correspondence, 1977-1998 This series contains correspondence regarding Cartwright’s writing projects and those of others. The letters are arranged alphabetically. Notable correspondents include Bill Broyles, Cartwright family members, A.C. Greene, Stephen Harrigan, Ann Richards, and Bud Shrake as well as Playboy Magazine, Rolling Stone, and Texas Monthly.

Series V: Clippings, 1976-1983 This series contains newspaper clippings related to Cartwright’s work.


Restrictions

Access Restrictions

Open for research.


Index Terms

Cartwright, Gary, 1934- Archives.
Galveston Island (Tex.)--History.
Texas--Social life and customs.
Audio cassettes.
Television scripts.
Shrake, Edwin.
Cartwright family--donor.

Administrative Information

Acquisition Information

Gifts donated by Gary and Phyllis Cartwright since 1989.

Processing Information

Gwynedd Cannan, 1992, Guy Doré, 2000. [inventory revised, 2004]


Detailed Description of the Collection

 

Series 1: Books, 1988-1999, n.d.

Galveston, a History of the Island, 1988-1991
Box Folder
1 1-3 Handwritten notes
4 The Saccarappa, Galveston Historical Foundation Newsletter
5 Empire Life Involuntary Petition
6 Moody
7 Open Beaches
8-10 Galveston Mardi Gras & General
11 Barrier Islands
12 Karankawas & Cabeza de Vaca
Box Folder
2 1 Lafitte (Jean)
2 Republic of Texas
3 Civil War
4-5 Cuney & Blacks
6-7 Gilded Age (1860-1900)
8 Seawall/Grade Raising
9 Rabbi Cohen/Galveston Movement
Box Folder
3 1 1880-1890
2 1880-1890--Albert Lasker/Jack Johnson
3 1900 Hurricane and lesser blows
4 After 1900
5 Moody, Kempner, Sealy
6 Partners in Progress &Socialogical Studies
7 Gambling, Whoring 1920s-1957
8 Kempners
Box Folder
4 1-4 Moodys 1860-1960
5 Blacks
6 Moodys 1980s
7 Interviews &Name
8 Gaido &other interviews
9 GHF Galveston Historical Foundation
HeartWiseGuy, 1988-1999
Research Files
Box Folder
8 1 Aging
2 Alternatives
3 American Heart Association
4 Anti-Aging Therapies
5 Anti-Oxidants
6 Attitude / Spiritual
7 Diet and Nutrition
1 Aging
Box Folder
9 1 Dr. Blevins
2 Dr. Charles Wilkins
3 Drugs, Alcohol, Smoking
4 Exercise
5 Health / Medical
6 Herbs / Medicinal
7 Hypertension, diabetes, osteoporosis, impotence...
8 Love / Sex
9 Misc. Clippings
10 Pacemaker
11 Research
12 Sex (Dr. Kaufman)
13 Correspondence with Larry McMurtry
Drafts
Box Folder
10 1 Typescript with Dr. Blevins' edits
2-3 Annotated typescript
4-5 Page proofs
Blood Will Tell
Box Folder
11 1 Correspondence
2 Clippings
Black Pearls / Dark Pearls (Unpublished)
Box Folder
11 3-4 Annotated typescript



 

Series II: Plays, Screenplays and Song Lyrics, 1981-1991

Works by Cartwright
Box Folder
4 10-11 Pancho Villa's Wedding Day
RIP
Box Folder
5 1 Script
Box Folder
14 6 Script
7 Draft
8 Shooting schedule
Box Folder
15 1 Clippings
Box Folder
5 2 Songs
Works by Others (Based upon or Inspired by Cartwright's Work)
Box Folder
15 2 "Another Pair of Aces" by Rob Gilmer (2 typescripts)
3 "Santos and Santos" by Octavio Solis



 

Series III: Articles, 1985-1999

Texas MonthlyArticles, 1985-1989
Box Folder
5 3 H.R. Bum Bright, Austin American Statesman, July 7, 1985
3 Port galley proof, 1985
4 The Last Roundup, February 1985
5 An Aggie's Revenge, August 1985
6 The Final Gun, September 1985
7 Hugh Roy Cullen's Last Hurrah, January 1986
8 Range Warrior, January 1986
9 The Snootiest Neighborhood in Texas, June 1986
10 Touch Me, Feel Me, Heal Me, December 1986
11 Total Hit, January 1987
12-14 Cops (Total Hit), January 1987
Box Folder
6 1-6 Cops (Total Hit), January 1987
7 Lifestyles, Home Ain't Where My Heart Is, March 1987
8 The Longest Ride of His Life, May 1987
9 Texas Primer: Clint Murchison, Jr., June 1987
Box Folder
7 1 The Sleaziest Man in Texas, August 1987
2 Cooking: I, Piscivore, September 1987
3 Paradise Lost, October 1987
4 Everyone's a Victim, November 1987
5 An Old Five and Dimer, February 1988
6 Newspapers (unpublished)
7 Search and Destroy, March 1989
8 Poisoned with Love, May 1989
9 The Work of the Devil, June 1989
10 How George Foreman Finally Beat Muhammed Ali, October 1989
11 Old Salts and Ancient Mariners, October 1989
12 Mean (unpublished)
Articles, General, 1992-1999
Box Folder
11 5 Dawson, George, December 1998
6 Diary of a Minor Mogul, June 1996
7 Golfsmith / Karl Paul, 1997
8 Marsh, Stanley, March 1978
Box Folder
12 1 Masters Tickets, February 1998
2 McDuff, Kenneth, August 1992
3-4 Mexican Road Race, 1999
5 Moscow / National Geographic, 1999
Box Folder
13 1-6 Moscow / National Geographic, 1999
7 Old Five and Dimer, n.d.
8 The Query, 1995-1998
9 Red Rock, December 1999
10 TCU Press / Galveston notes / One Last Shot, 1993, 1998
Box Folder
14 1 Thorton, Peter, March 1999
2 Wall Street Journal / The Final Four, 1997-1998



 

Series IV: Correspondence, 1977-1998

Box Folder
15 4 A's
5 Adams, Randall Dale
6 Atheneum
7 B's
8 Broyles, Bill
9 C's
10 Cartwright, Marge
11 Cartwright, Shea
12 Chagra, Vivian
13 Cinco Puntos Press, April 1998
14 Covert, Jean
15 Crowder, A. Don
16 Donovan, C.
17 Dorman, Michael
18 Emert, V.
19 Forbes magazine
20 Francis, Kevin
21 Glick, Allen
22 Green, Carl H.
23 Greene, A.C.
24 Harcourt Brace Jovanovich
25 Harrigan, Stephen
26 Haessler, George
27 ICM
28 Jensen
29 A's
30 Jones, Bea
31 Kessler, Denise
Box Folder
16 1 L's
2 M's
3 Marsh, Stanley
4 Martin, Bill
5 Mellett, Tom
6 Mays, Prissy
7 Mohler, Pat
8 P's
9 Playboy Magazine
10 Progress Publishers
11 R's
12 "Red, Ida"
13 Richards, Ann
14 Rinehart, John Paul
15 Rolling Stone
16 S's
17 Sherrick, Lew
18 Shrake, Bud
19 Steinberg, Jo-Ann
20 Stephenson, [Tom?]
21 Texas Institute of Letters
22 Texas Monthly
23 Texas Monthly Press
24 Thompson, Leslie, 1998
25 Universal Life Church
26 University of Texas at Arlington
27 W's
28 Walk of the Stars
29 Weatherholt, Monty
30 Williams, Harold R.
31 Wyatt, Wyatt
32 Wyoming, Leo
33 No last name



 

Series V: Clippings, 1976-1983

Box Folder
16 34-35 General
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