The Meta Carpenter Wilde Collection is open for research. Photographs in this collection
are stored at an off-site facility. Researchers
interested in using this collection's photographs must contact Archives and Special
Collections at least two business days in
advance of their planned visit.
Collection processed by Ross Brand, Spring 2012. Finding aid encoded by Kathryn Michaelis,
August 2012.
No further additions are expected to this collection.
Meta Carpenter Wilde was born in Memphis, Tenn. and trained as a classical pianist.
She moved to Hollywood in the 1930s and began her career as a secretary to the director
Howard Hawks. Wilde met William Faulkner in Hollywood, and they began a love affair
that lasted almost thirty years. The affair was the topic of Wilde’s book A Loving Gentleman, published in 1976. Wilde moved up the ladder in Hollywood and had a strong career
in the film industry. She died in 1994 while visiting relatives in Kansas City.
The collection contains articles and reviews dealing with “A Loving Gentleman”; some
correspondence; photographs, and cassettes. The photographs chiefly document Wilde’s
career in Hollywood, though a few personal and family photos are also included. The
cassettes contain mostly interviews with Wilde.
Meta Carpenter Wilde Collection, Archives and Special Collections, J.D. Williams Library,
The
University of Mississippi
The copyright law of the United States (Title 17, United States Code) governs the
making of photocopies or other reproductions of copyrighted material. Under
certain conditions specified in the law, libraries and archives are authorized
to furnish a photocopy or other reproduction. One of these specified conditions
is that the photocopy or reproduction is not to be "used for any purpose other
than private study, scholarship or research." If a user makes a request for,
or
later uses, a photocopy or reproduction for purposes in excess of "fair use,"
that user may be liable for copyright infringement.
For more collections related to William Faulkner, please see the Archives and Special
Collections' William Faulkner Subject Guide.
Photographs in this collection are stored at an off-site facility. Researchers interested
in using this collection's photographs must contact Archives and Special Collections at least two business days in advance of their planned visit.
This collection is arranged in 3 series.
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Series 1. Papers, 1937-1994 |
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1.1
| Wedding announcement for Meta Carpenter and Wolfgang Rebner, 1937 |
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1.2
| Articles and reviews about Wilde's book, A Loving Gentleman:
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| “Memories of William Faulkner” by Charles Calhoun from The Palm Beach Post, 19 April 1977
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| “Just for Variety” by Army Archerd, 17 November 1976 |
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| “Faulkner’s Hollywood Love” by Joel Kotkin from The Washington Post, 2 February 1977
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| “Wilde says no Faulkner follow-up” by Marilyn Beck from the Houston Chronicle, 14 December 1976
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| “A Bittersweet Tale by Faulkner’s Mistress” by Blake Green from the San Francisco Chronicle, 15 December 1976
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| “Faulkner’s True Love” by Jack Russell from The Times, 17 December 1976
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| “Faulkner als verliebter Herr in Hollywood” |
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Scope: Two copies
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| “William Faulkner’s Underside” by Robert Kirsch from the Los Angeles Times, 10 December 1976
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| “The Literary Scene” by John Barkham |
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| “A Loving Gentleman” by Peter Lemon, 17-23 December 1976 |
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| “Meta Wilde bares Faulkner romance” by Marilyn Beck |
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| “Faulkner’s Girl” by William Hogan from the San Francisco Chronicle, 8 November 1976
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| “Hollywood” by Marilyn Beck, 17 December 1976 |
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Scope: Two copies
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| Book review of A Loving Gentleman by RTP, March 1977
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| Book review of A Loving Gentleman from Newsweek, 7 February 1977
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| Announcement of second printing of Meta Carpenter’s book |
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Scope: Two copies
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| “Faulkner’s first loyalty” by Kathryn G. Boardman |
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| “The real Bill Faulkner” by Margaret W. Reid |
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| “Faulkner’s Sometime Love” from Tampa Tribune Times, 30 January [?]
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| “A very sad Faulkner tale” by Fern Long from The Cleveland Press, 21 January [?]
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| “William Faulkner’s Secret Lover Writes of 25-Year Affair” by Linda Deutsch from Monterey Peninsula Herald, 24 December 1976
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Scope: Two copies
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| Advertisement for Wilde’s book |
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| “Taylor, Wertmuller, Wilde, Kassel feted at WIF awards gala” by Bill Desowitz |
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| “Lina and Cyndi liven up Crystal Awards banquet” by Richard Natale from Los Angeles Herald Examiner, 10 June 1985
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| “Meta Carpenter Won’t Cheapen Faulkner’s Love” by Kirk Honeycutt |
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| “Faulkner’s Girl” by William Hogan |
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| “Faulkner’s love tells their story” by Marilyn O’Connell from News-Press, 2 March 1978
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| “Meta Wilde: The Woman in William Faulkner’s Hollywood Life" from The Washington Post, 2 February 1977
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| “A Private Man” by John Barkham from San Francisco Chronicle, 8 February 1977
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| “Faulkner’s Ex-Paramour Recounts 30-Year Affair” by K. McCormick Price from The Denver Post, 9 December 1976
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| “A Bittersweet Tale by Faulkner’s Mistress” by Blake Green from San Francisco Chronicle, 15 December 1976
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| “Woman in Love” by Jan Short from Los Angeles Herald-Examiner, 26 December 1976
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| “After Receiving Your Letters . . .” by William Boozer, 20 February 1977 |
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| “William Faulkner’s love story in Hollywood” by Rick Sadler |
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1.3
| Miscellaneous papers: |
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| The Faulkner Newsletter & Yoknapatawpha Review, Vol. XIV, No. 3, July - September 1994
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| “Faulkner makes ‘comeback’ with newsletter’s limited return” by William Thomas from
The Commercial Appeal, 25 July 1994
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| “Visitor’s Guide to Rowan Oak” including bibliography and building floor plan, 1993 |
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| “Carvel Collins’s Faulkner: A Newly Opened Archive” by James G. Watson from Mississippi Quarterly, Summer 1991 and memo from Dr. Bob Sprich to Meta Carpenter Wilde, 14 February 1992
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| Correspondence from William Boozer to Meta Carpenter Wilde about Bill Thomas’s Commercial Appeal article, 17 August 1994
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| “Faulkner and Gender” program from the University of Mississippi Faulkner & Yoknapatawpha
Conference, 31 July-5 August 1994
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1.4
| Miscellaneous papers: |
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| “Miss Doherty Receives Tri-State Certificate” about Meta Carpenter Wilde |
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| Memo from Andrew Lee to Orin Borsten about what films in which Faulkner was actively
involved
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| “Faulkner & Hollywood” by Jerry Wald, March 1959 |
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| “Legendary encounters show stars can be people too” by Todd McCarthy from Daily Variety, 11 November 1994
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| Obituary of Meta Carpenter Wilde from San Francisco Chronicle, 22 October 1994
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| Obituary of Meta Carpenter Wilde from New York Times, 20 October 1994
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| Obituary of Meta Carpenter Wilde from The Hollywood Reporter, 25 October 1994
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| Correspondence between Joseph N. Bell and the editor of the Los Angeles Times about Meta Carpenter Wilde, 20 October 1994
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| “In Memoriam: Meta Wilde” by Bonny Dore from Reel News |
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| Correspondence about the death of Meta Carpenter Wilde, 24 October 1994 |
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| “Meta Wilde; Wrote About Faulkner Affair” by Burt A. Folkart from Los Angeles Times, 20 October 1994
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Series 2. Photographs, 1923-1987 |
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88.1
| Photo of Meta Carpenter Wilde at dinner with four others, b/w |
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88.2
| Photo of Meta Carpenter Wilde with old man, 1984, b/w |
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88.3
| Photo of Meta Carpenter Wilde at movie premiere, b/w |
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88.4
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| Three photographs of Meta Carpenter Wilde at "Women in Film" panel, b/w |
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| Postcard of spring 1923 self-portrait by William Faulkner with Lottie Vernon White,
1987
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88.5
| Two photographs of Meta Carpenter Wilde holding an award with Lou Ferrigno and another
woman, September 1981, one b/w and one color
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88.6
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| Photo of young Meta Carpenter Wilde, 1928, b/w |
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| Photo of Meta Carpenter Wilde “still confident that somehow Faulkner and I would continue
our romance,” 1955, color
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| Portrait of young Meta Carpenter Wilde, 1923, b/w |
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| Photo portrait of young Meta Carpenter Wilde, 1928, b/w |
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| Photo of Meta Carpenter Wilde and man in cowboy hat on movie set, b/w |
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| Photo of Meta Carpenter Wilde with a young man, b/w |
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88.7
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| Photo of Meta Carpenter Wilde in front of army truck, b/w |
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| Photo of child playing at the beach, b/w |
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| Photo of Meta Carpenter Wilde with an older man (dad?), 1948, color |
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88.8
| Photo of young Meta Carpenter Wilde with three others on movie set, b/w |
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88.9
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| Photo of older Meta Carpenter Wilde on movie set (2 copies, one cropped), b/w |
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| Photo of old Meta Carpenter Wilde flipping through a book, b/w |
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| Photo of Meta Carpenter Wilde waving next to a bus, b/w |
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88.10
| Photo of Meta Carpenter Wilde on panel with Ann Margret, b/w |
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88.11
| Photo of old Meta Carpenter Wilde at podium, b/w |
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88.12
| Photo of Meta Carpenter Wilde looking over script on set, b/w |
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88.13
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| Contact print of photos of Meta Carpenter Wilde at book signing, b/w |
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| Photo of Meta Carpenter Wilde kissing Richard Burton while holding a gold brooch on
the set of Who’s Afraid of Virginia Woolf?, circa 1965, b/w
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| Photo of Richard Burton examining brooch next to Meta Carpenter Wilde, circa 1965,
b/w
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| Photo of Meta Carpenter Wilde looking at card, circa 1965, b/w |
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| Photo of Meta Carpenter Wilde, Richard Burton, and George Segal on the set of Who’s Afraid of Virginia Woolf?, circa 1965, b/w
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| Photo of Meta Carpenter Wilde on set of Who’s Afraid of Virginia Woolf?, circa 1965, b/w
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| Photo of Elizabeth Taylor pinning a brooch on Meta Carpenter Wilde on set of Who’s Afraid of Virginia Woolf?, circa 1965, b/w
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| Photo of Elizabeth Taylor and Meta Carpenter Wilde on set of Who’s Afraid of Virginia Woolf?, circa 1965, b/w
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| Photo of Elizabeth Taylor, Meta Carpenter Wilde, and an unidentified man on set of
Who’s Afraid of Virginia Woolf?, circa 1965, b/w
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88.14
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| Portrait of Meta Carpenter and family in the woods, b/w |
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| Photo of Meta Carpenter on beach taken by William Faulkner, 1953, color |
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| Photo of Meta Carpenter and Laurence Harvey on the set of King Richard and the Crusaders,
circa 1953, b/w
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| Photo of Meta Carpenter with husband Wolfgang Rebner and godmother R.E. Mitchell,
1937, b/w
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88.15
| Photo of Faulkner at the beach, b/w |
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88.16
| Photo of Meta Carpenter taken by Faulkner, b/w |
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88.17
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| Photo of Meta Carpenter Wilde taken by Bill Fraker (4 photos), 1933, b/w |
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| Photo of Meta Carpenter Wilde in white dress, b/w |
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88.18
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| Photo of Meta Carpenter Wilde at 13 years old, b/w |
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| Photo of Faulkner and another man at the beach, b/w |
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88.19
| Photo of Meta Carpenter Wilde, James Faulkner, and another woman, b/w |
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89.1
| Album containing photos of Meta Carpenter Wilde on movie sets, b/w and color |
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89.2
| Album containing photos, correspondence, documents, and newspaper articles about Meta
Carpenter Wilde, b/w and color
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