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Merian C. Cooper papers on aviation and aerospace, 1921-1969

 Series
Identifier: MSS 2008 Series 11

Scope and Contents

Contains correspondence and photographs of Cooper's early interest and participation in the commercial aviation industry and space exploration, dating from between 1921 and 1969. Materials from the early 1930s documents his involvement in General Aviation Corp., National Aviation Corp., Western Air Express, and with his interest in space pioneer Robert Goddard.

Dates

  • 1921-1969

Creator

Conditions Governing Access

Open for public research.

Conditions Governing Use

It is the responsibility of the researcher to obtain any necessary copyright clearances. Permission to use material from this collection must be obtained from Reference Services at specialcollections@byu.edu.

Biographical History

Merian Caldwell Cooper was an American aviator, United States Air Force and Polish Air Force officer, adventurer, screenwriter, film director, and producer. He was a notable movie producer, starting with documentaries filmed with Ernest B. Schoedsack while traveling the world, most famously Grass and Chang. Cooper was a member of the board of directors of Pan American Airways. During his film career, he worked for several Hollywood studios. He is considered co-inventor of the Cinerama film projection process. Cooper's most famous film was the 1933 movie King Kong. He was awarded an honorary Oscar for lifetime achievement in 1952 and received a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame in 1960. Cooper married film actress Dorothy Jordan in 1933. They were married until his death on April 21, 1973.

Extent

15 folders

1 photograph

Language of Materials

English

Arrangement

Arranged into two subseries: 1. Merian C. Cooper papers on aviation, 1927-1961. 2. Merian C. Cooper papers on space, 1919-1969.

Repository Details

Part of the L. Tom Perry Special Collections Repository

Contact:
1130 HBLL
Brigham Young University
Provo Utah 84602 United States