American author (1908-1973) known for his 1956 novel Old Yeller. Three TLSs signed "Fred," each one page, 8.5 x 11, personal letterhead, dated 1964-1965, all to literary agent H. N. Swanson. The first, in part: "I find instructions from the Writers Guild of America, West, Inc., to terminate all agreements or understandings between me and my agent unless 1) we have a written contract, a copy of which must be filed with the Guild, or 2) my agent has signed the new 1964 agreement with the Guild…Possibly you have signed with the Guild by now, but to the best of my remembrance the only agreement that you and I ever had pertaining to your representing me was an oral one…I would like to keep my membership with the Guild, just in case I turn out another book that sells to the movies and I get an opportunity to do the screenplay. So, will you please set me straight on how we stand."
The second, in part: "If you feel that Richard Lyons really liked my Recollection Creek script, see if he might be interested in my writing other scripts for him. I wouldn't want just any kind, but I can handle your backwoods, frontier or so-called western because that's the sort of culture I grew up in. Death, divorce and a long illness has me pretty well strapped for money."
The third, in part: "My damn backbone had to go fall apart, so that now I'm fighting the nerve shakes again, while wearing a back brace that fits like a woman's corset and looks like a packsaddle on a mule. But I am now getting back to handling some of my accumulated correspondence, and I have some faint hope of getting out of pain long enough to write a little." In fine condition.
