"Death of a Dream," episode 8, circa 1979

The papers within the Suzanne Clauser collection fall into six series. The arrangement within the files is chronological.

Series I, Early Work, contains handwritten and typed drafts, correspondence and final published copies of two of Clauser's early pieces: “The Green Key,” a short story; and “Indian Ghosts,” a travel reminiscence. Also included, are several drafts of an unpublished short story, "The Gift." Dates for this series are 1961 1962.

Series II, Bonanza, contains correspondence and drafts for nine of the thirteen scripts Mrs. Clauser sold to the Bonanza television series. The correspondence is mainly with the production staff and covers business matters, script revisions and various story ideas. The scripts in this series show an evolution through drafts and revisions to the "shooting final" copy. This series covers the years 1962 1972.

Series III, A Girl Named Sooner, Novel and Screenplay, contains material pertaining to the novel and the television play of the same name. Included is correspondence between Clauser and publishers, literary agents, and television producers; as well as drafts and revisions of both the novel and screenplay. Also included is a copy of the published novel and a German language edition. Span dates for this series are 1962 1980.

Series IV, Television Screenplays, contains drafts, revisions and "shooting finals" of full length Clauser screenplays, most of which have been produced for television. Two of the plays, Pioneer Woman and Little Women, also contain a prospectus for their expansion into a weekly series. Some plays represented in this series include accompanying correspondence regarding revisions, logistics of shooting, and various business matters. The material in this series covers the years 1962-1993.

Series V, General Correspondence, The general correspondence in this series is mostly with Clauser's literary agents in New York and Hollywood, and pertains to whatever writing project she was at work on at the time. The correspondence dates from 1963 1979.

Series VI, Miscellaneous Material, contains biographical and professional data, a file of newspaper and magazine clippings, and a copy of Night Song by the late Constance Sontag, for which Mrs. Clauser wrote the foreword. This material dates from 1971-1993.