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Smith, Jack

Manuscripts

Smith, Jack

Description: 1 item: 62-pp. transcript of interview with columnist Jack Smith by Marshall Berges. Notable names & subjects include: Smith recounts editing a story by Otis Chandler and, feeling that every one was being to gentle with Otis and that he would never learn writing that way, Smith "butchered it," finding fault with everything (pp. 1 - 2) ; Smith describes a typical day and his planning & writing columns - Smith remarks, "I write about whatever comes to mind...(but I) make it clear that I don't know what I'm talking about" (pp. 4) ; "desperation is the mother of many columns..." (pp. 5) ; Smith says after he stopped worrying about being repetitious, he wrote on whatever was "uppermost in my mind day by day" (pp. 7) ; typical morning "ritual" (pp. 11) ; heads (headlines for his columns) - "never write them, never suggest them, never change them" - and he shares stories related to the fact that the heads are popular, usually a pun ; he mentions several times his belief that the subconscious works on problems for people, such as writers ; his childhood and youth (pp. 20 - 25) ; "I took journalism at Belmont High School ...the teacher didn't know anything about it" (pp. 23) ; Smith recounts his life prior to WW II - editing a paper for CCC, in Merchant Marines for a time, he married, worked on Honolulu Advertiser, etc. (pp. 26 - 29) ; memories of various writing jobs - "I worked for 8 or 9 newspapers, (a) wire service and the Marine Corps, real estate, public relations...a grasshopper ; (pp. 30+) more memories of his writing career ; family life (pp. 52 - 55)

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Type

Manuscripts(Opens in new tab)

Date

1979

Call number

mssLAT

Creator

Los Angeles Times (Firm)(Opens in new tab)

Provenance

The Los Angeles Times,

Restrictions

Open for use by qualified researchers and by appointment. Please contact Reader Services at the Huntington Library for more information.

Rights

The Huntington Library does not require that researchers request permission to quote from or publish images of this material, nor does it charge fees for such activities. The responsibility for identifying the copyright holder, if there is one, and obtaining permission rests with the researcher.

Associated people

Bassett, James E., (1912-1978.)

Chandler, Norman, (1899-1973.)

Chandler, Otis, (1927-2006.)

Conrad, Paul, (1924-2010.)

Johnson, W. Thomas, (1941-)

Owens, Charles H.

Associated organizations

Los Angeles Times (Firm).

Los Angeles Times History Center.

Times Mirror Company.

Find out more

View in the Library catalog(Opens in new tab)

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Nelson, Jack
Manuscripts
2 items: 52-pp. transcript of interview by Marshall Berges with Jack Nelson, Washington DC Bureau Chief, 8/1/1980. A second transcript of the same material, with mark-outs and corrections is on tan sheets. Notable names and subjects include: Nelson describes his typical day and week (pp. 1 - 10) ; he comments on the new respect given in the 1970s to Los Angeles Times in Washington (pp. 17) ; Nelson recalls his childhood, youth and military service (pp. 19 - 20) ; hired by Atlanta Constitution in 1952 ; winner of a Pulitzer Prize in 1959 and applies for a Nieman Fellowship at Harvard (for 1962) ; Nelson is hired in 1965 to open the Atlanta Bureau of Los Angeles Times (pp. 21 - 22) ; more about his youth (pp. 24 - 26) ; "the Los Angeles Times as an institution is...very open and candid" (pp. 30) ; relations between home office of Los Angeles Times and DC Bureau (pp. 37) ; Los Angeles Times top brass wanted Nelson to be a "writing bureau chief," and that was the way he wanted it, too ; discusses strengths and weaknesses of colleagues. (There are gaps in the transcript from pp. 49 on but it is not clear if they are recording flaws or something taken out in editing.
mssLAT
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Scheer, Robert
Manuscripts
1 item: 130-pp. transcript of interview with journalist Robert Scheer. Notable names and subjects include: he describes his freelance writing career as of mid-1970s - Playboy (magazine), book contract, editing gig at New Times (pp. 1 - 3) ; Scheer hired by Los Angeles Times, 1976 (pp. 7) ; anecdotes about working methods ; writing on the "Jewish Community" ; immigration ; his thoughts on Q & A format (45 - 46) ; more on his methods ; Scheer talks about childhood in The Bronx (pp. 55 - 57) ; "my bleeding liberalism, (or whatever) the right word is" (pp. 57) ; more on youth & background, Scheer is part Jewish, part secular Catholic, and very liberal (pp. 60 - 61) ; Scheer and first wife want to "escape" her strict orthodox Jewish background by going west (pp. 65) ; his studies at UC Berkeley and acquaintance with Al Martinez, Bill Boyarsky, Oakland Tribune writers, and William Knowland, Publisher (pp. 67) ; Lawrence Ferlinghetti (pp. 71 - 72) ; Scheer makes several references throughout the interview to his 1976 interview of pres. candidate Jimmy Carter that appeared in Playboy (magazine). ; first impression on joining Los Angeles Times (pp. 84 - 86) ; his views on Jerry Brown (pp. 117).
mssLAT
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Chandler, Norman - Tape # 2
Manuscripts
1 item: 25-pp. typed and annotated transcript of interview with Norman Chandler and Dorothy Buffum Chandler, 12/13/1972 and photocopy of the annotated transcript. Subjects include: on Harry Chandler, Norman Chandler says, "he liked (people) and he had a soft heart," Dorothy Buffum Chandler said of him, "He was not a generous man to his family, nor to people close to him" (pp. 1 - 2) ; Dorothy Buffum Chandler says that Harry Chandler upheld rigid discipline for Norman Chandler but that Harrison Chandler and Philip "were not in any way disciplined" (pp. 3) ; Harry Chandler's personality quirks (pp.-4) ; more on Harry Chandler personality (pp.-5) ; Harry Chandler's political views (pp.-7) ; DC offers that Harry Chandler would talk of business and politics but never anything philosophical (pp. 7) ; on how Norman Chandler and Dorothy Buffum Chandler lived "very economically...scratch(ing) to make ends meet" (pp. 10) ; William Randolph Hearst (pp. 11 - 12) ; Harry Chandler's travel across USA in 1880s (pp. 17 - 18) ; Los Angeles Times was "the first newspaper in the country to set up a personnel department" (pp. 22) ; Harry Chandler and Norman Chandler on running for public office (pp. 24 - 25).
mssLAT
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Employees - Wright, Willard Huntington
Manuscripts
Approx. 15 items: article copy, Smart Set, 3/1913, "Los Angeles -- the chemically pure," by Willard Huntington Wright; a selection of Wright's writing for LAT circa 1910 (he began reviewing books in 1907); selection of writings about Wright and his pseudonym, "S.S. Van Dine" from the 1930s, when he was engaged in writing a series of popular mystery novels; LAT obit copy, 4/13/1939, "Death comes to Van Dine"; article copy, Among Ourselves, 4/1948, "Men who made The Times"; two copies, LAT article (West mag), "Los Angeles and the library hatchet men"; Jack Smith column, LAT, 11/4/1974, "Comeuppance for a critic"; a copy of a journal, Manuscripts, Spring 1983, containing the essay, "In search of S.S. Van Dine," pp. 89-100; cover note from author John Cornell attached to copy of 2-pp. article from The Lens, 10/1988, "Famous put-down of our area 75 years ago..."; 3-pp. of copies of index cards (LAT?) on "Wright, Willard Huntington"; related material.
mssLAT
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Johnson, Tom
Manuscripts
1 item: 130-pp. transcript of interview with Tom Johnson, Los Angeles Times Publisher. Subjects include: TJ describes his typical day at that time ; he feels "a great frustration in my inability to read everything in The Times...to read other publications that I feel [it] essential of read" ; getting used to the sheer size of LA and the scope of Los Angeles Times ; his thoughts about the quality of Los Angeles Times - "one of the finest news and editorial products in the nation," etc. ; the Hispanic market (p. 28) ; "I have the reputation of being a workaholic...(but) I love my work" (p.37) ; "Otis believes...in fitness and vacations and in time away to reflect..." (p.39) ; "off-duty" time, evenings, etc. ; memories of the Johnson White House, TJ's work in Texas ; job moves including Texas to Los Angeles, saying "my son may have paid the heaviest price" (p. 49) ; plans for upgrading of high technology equipment around the newspaper (p. 54) ; product improvement ; helping to prepare Norman Chandler (Otis' son) to "achieve his...aspirations" (p. 62-68) ; personnel ; 1980 newsprint shortage ; his interest in government and civic service vs. newspaper management ; "Mrs. Lyndon Johnson is one of my best friends" (p. 100) ; his youth, his mother and father (p. 105+) ; "I'm...39...I've never failed...(with) my son...we're going down a tough path right now" ; White House Fellows program (p. 124) ; more.
mssLAT
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Vermejo Club - Correspondence and balance sheets
Manuscripts
Approx. 45 items: letters ; balance sheets and financial reports for Vermejo Ranch ; membership lists ; other materials related to operation of Vermejo Ranch. 2-pp. letter from Frank Garbutt to Harry Chandler, 1/4/1927, which opens "Harry Adams came in...we had quite a chat about Vermejo Ranch. He had charge of the ranch for eighteen years, and told me, confidentially, that during that time he made it pay a million dollars' profit and that nobody ever put a dollar into it...I felt sure you would like to talk with him."
mssLAT