University of Oregon Libraries
Special Collections & University Archives
1299 University of Oregon
Eugene, OR 97403-1299
URL: http://libweb.uoregon.edu/speccoll/index.html



Guide to the Thomas A. Curry, Jr. Papers, 1922-1967


Ax 318





Finding aid prepared by Erick Arenas

Finding aid encoded by Erick Arenas, April 2004
Funding for encoding this finding aid was provided through a grant awarded by the National Endowment for the Humanities.


Overview of the Collection

 
Repository Name:
 

University of Oregon Libraries
Special Collections & University Archives

1299 University of Oregon
Eugene, OR 97403-1299
URL: http://libweb.uoregon.edu/speccoll/index.html

 
Collection Number:
 

Ax 318

 
Creator:
 

Curry, Tom, 1900-

 
Title:
 

Thomas A. Curry, Jr. Papers

 
Dates:
 

1922-1967 (inclusive)

 
Quantity:
 

13 linear feet
10 containers

 
Languages:
 

Collection materials written in English. 

 
Summary:
 

Thomas A. Curry, Jr. (1900-1976) was best known as a writer of adventure stories. He published numerous novels, novelettes and periodical articles. This collection contains several of his manuscripts and also a large amount of his correspondence.

 

Biographical Note

Thomas A. Curry, Jr. (1900-1976) was a prominent American writer of adventure stories, novels, and novelettes. His parents were involved in writing for the theater and his father, Thomas Sr., was private secretary to the leading broadway producer David Belasco from 1914 to 1931. Thomas Jr. studied chemical engineering at Columbia University, where he earned a Bachelor of Science degree. While in school he sold his first story to People's Magazine. At age 23 he was hired as a reporter for the New York American, covering the crime beat in the city's tenderloin district. By 1925 he was writing detective stories and in the 1930s became a regular contributor to Detective Fiction Weekly. Curry married and had three children. He became a regular contributor to Texas Rangers magazine, which was launched by Leo Margulies in 1936. In 1939, Thomas created his well known character Bob Pryor, The Rio Kid. The Rio Kid Western became a quarterly publication in October of 1939. During his career Curry wrote numerous western adventures but also pieces dealing with sport, fantasy, history and other topics. In 1955 with the pulp fiction market virtually dead, Curry returned to the engineering profession. He continued to publish new works occasionaly. He began his retirement around 1967 the year in which he donated his papers to the University of Oregon. Curry died in 1976 in Connecticut, where he resided much of his adult life.

Content Description

The Thomas A. Curry Papers contain literary manuscripts, correspondence and other miscellaneous items. The literary manuscripts includes numerous novels and novelettes, but mainly short stories and articles. Other manuscripts include radio scripts and motion picture and comic strip treatments. There are 43 folders of unidentified story manuscripts. Correspondence included here are related mainly to Curry's professional and business affairs, but some personal letters can be found. The group of materials previously identified as suppliment are integrated into the whole colletion.

Arrangement

Collection is organized into the following series: Literary manuscripts; Correspondence

Use of the Collection

Restrictions on Access 

Collection is open to the public.

Collection must be used in Special Collections & University Archives Reading Room.

Restrictions on Use 

Property rights reside with Special Collections & University Archives, University of Oregon Libraries. Copyright resides with the creators of the documents or their heirs. All requests for permission to publish or quote from manuscripts must be submitted to the Manuscripts Librarian in Special Collections & University Archives. The reader must also obtain permission of the copyright holder.

Preferred Citation 

[Identification of item], Thomas A. Curry, Jr. Papers, Ax 318, Special Collections & University Archives, University of Oregon Libraries, Eugene, Oregon.

Subjects

This collection is indexed under the following headings in the online catalog. Researchers desiring materials about related topics, persons, or places should search the catalog using these headings.

 
Curry, Tom, 1900---Archives
Authors, American--20th century
Comic books, strips, etc.--Authorship
Detective and mystery stories, American--Authorship
Motion picture authorship
Publishers and publishing--Correspondence
Treatments (Motion pictures, television, etc.)
Western stories--Authorship
Manuscripts for publication
Motion picture plays
Mystery fiction
Radio scripts
Western stories

Detailed Description of the Collection

The following section contains a detailed listing of the materials in the collection.


 

Literary manuscripts

 
Container(s)
Description
   
Novels and Novelettes
 
 
box
1
folder
1

The Adventures of Sigrid and Peter
 
 
2
The Astounding Robberies
 
 
3
Bayou Guns (Texas Rangers)
 
 
4
Black Range (Texas Rangers)
 
 
5
Border Patrol (Rio Kid Western)
 
 
6
Cathedral of Death 1
 
 
7
Cathedral of Death 2
 
 
8
Colt Contract (Texas Rangers)
 
 
9
[Custer Fragments]
 
 
10
Death in a Penthouse
 
 
11
Deep River Guns (Texas Rangers)
 
 
12
Far West Law (Texas Rangers)
 
 
13
The Forgotten Hand
 
 
14
Galveston Raiders (Texas Rangers)
 
 
15
Golden Guns (Texas Rangers)
 
 
16
Graves on the Range (Masked Rider Western)
 
 
17
Gulf Guns (Texas Rangers)
 
 
18
The Gun Boosters (Texas Rangers)
 
 
19
Gun Paradise (Texas Rangers)
 
 
20
Guns Across the Pecos (Texas Rangers)
 
 
21
Guns of Fort Griffin (Texas Rangers)
 
 
22
Guns of the Mace (Texas Rangers)
 
 
23
Idaho Raiders (Rio Kid Western)
 
 
2 1
In Old San Antone (Rio Kid Western)
 
 
2
King of the Brazos (Texas Rangers)
 
 
3
Lone Star Peril (Texas Rangers) 1
 
 
4
Lone Star Peril 2
 
 
5
Maracaibo
 
 
6
Montana Brand (Rio Kid Western)
 
 
7
Murder Mind
 
 
8
Murder on Top
 
 
9
Outlaws of Arizona (Rio Kid Western)
 
 
10
Port o' Guns
 
 
11
Red River Rule (Texas Rangers)
 
 
12
Red Runs the Rio (Texas Rangers)
 
 
13
Untitled (2) (Rio Kid Western)
 
 
14
Untitled, different narrative (Rio Kid Western)
 
 
15
The River Raiders The River Raiders (Texas Rangers)
 
 
16
Santa Fe Trail (Rio Kid Western)
 
 
17
Secret of the Central Hills (Texas Rangers)
 
 
18
Secret of the Saddlebrand (Texas Rangers)
 
 
19
Sign of the Vigilantes (Rio Kid Western)
 
 
20
Six Gun Junction (Texas Rangers)
 
 
21
The Skeleton Riders (Texas Rangers)
 
 
22
Untitled (Texas Rangers)
 
 
3 1
Untitled (Texas Rangers)
 
 
2
Untitled (Texas Rangers)
 
 
3
Trouble on the Trinity (Texas Rangers)
 
 
4
Under Cover (Devrite Mysteries)
 
 
5
The Unmaking of a man
 
 
6
The Unmaking of a Man (carbon)
 
 
7
The Unmaking of a Man
 
 
8
Vaqueros of Death (Texas Rangers)
 
 
9
Without Fear
 
   
Short Stories and Articles
 
 
10
"A. de Medici"
 
 
11
"Absent"
 
 
12
"Adamant Eve"
 
 
13
"Alexander the Small"
 
 
14
"Ali's Baby and the Forty Theives"
 
 
15
"All in the Family"
 
 
16
"Angels' Big Day"
 
 
17
"An Inadvertent Ad"
 
 
18
"Another Chance"
 
 
19
"Anthony and Cleo's Papa"
 
 
20
"Anybody's Treasure"
 
 
21
"Arctic Foe"
 
 
22
"The Art of Love"
 
 
23
"As Al Would Have it"
 
 
24
The Assistant
 
 
25
"At Devil's Isle" (Devil's Isle stories)
 
 
26
"The Baby"
 
 
27
"The Back"
 
 
28
"The Balcony"
 
 
29
"The Bamboo Kisser"
 
 
30
"The Bandit"
 
 
31
"Bandit Hearts"
 
 
1 32
"Bandit Raid"
 
 
3 33
"Bandits Stroll Off With $2,000"
 
 
34
"The Battle for the Amazon"
 
 
35
"The Beacon"
 
 
36
"The Bear and the China Shop"
 
 
37
"The Beast"
 
 
38
"Belle Starr"
 
 
39
"The Bequest"
 
 
40
"The Better Man"
 
 
41
"The Big Boy"
 
 
42
"The Big Fish"
 
 
43
"Big Game Hunting on Mt. Tom"
 
 
44
"Big Jobs"
 
 
45
"Big Six"
 
 
46
"The Biggest Oil Field in the World"
 
 
47
"Birds of a Feather"
 
 
48
"The Black Flow"
 
 
49
"Black Fury"
 
 
50
"Blessed are the Meek"
 
 
51
"Blood Feud"
 
 
52
"Blood on the Plains"
 
 
53
"Bloody Trail"
 
 
54
"The Blow-Off"
 
 
55
"The Border Spy Man-Smugglers"
 
 
56
"The Boss of Ridge Valley"
 
 
57
"Bottom Up"
 
 
58
"Brand Blotter"
 
 
59
"The Break"
 
 
60
"The Break" (different narrative)
 
 
61
"Break Up"
 
 
62
"The Brutal One"
 
 
63
"Buck"
 
 
64
"The Bulb"
 
 
4 1
"Bullet for Bullet"
 
 
2
"Bullets Win"
 
 
3
"The Burglar"
 
 
4
"Buried Death"
 
 
5
"Busted"
 
 
6
Butcher Furman
 
 
7
"C?"
 
 
8
"A Can of Peaches"
 
 
9
"Captain"
 
 
10
"The Capture"
 
 
11
"The Careful Driver"
 
 
12
"Catclaw"
 
 
13
"Cat's Paw"
 
 
14
"Cause of Death"
 
 
15
"The Champion"
 
 
16
"Change"
 
 
17
"Charlie's Brother"
 
 
18
"The Charmed Life"
 
 
19
"The Chase"
 
 
20
"Cherchez la femme"
 
 
21
"Chinaman's Mine"
 
 
22
"Chinese Rocket"
 
 
23
"Chipping the Old Block"
 
 
24
"The Choice"
 
 
25
"Christmas Fear"
 
 
26
"Clancy Gets the Air"
 
 
27
"Clay Allison"
 
 
28
"Clean Play"
 
 
29
"Clown Stuff"
 
 
30
"Clues"
 
 
31
"The Code"
 
 
32
"Cold Water"
 
 
33
"The Comforter"
 
 
34
"Concentrated Corny Cracks Course"
 
 
35
"Condemned"
 
 
36
"Cop Murder"
 
 
37
"The Cover-up"
 
 
38
"The Coward"