The Howard W. Fleming collection spans the years 1884-1998 and encompasses 0.8 linear foot. The collection contains a miscellaneous assortment of production, television, biography, and subject files collected by Fleming.

The production files contain a photocopy of Tom Cruise's contract for DAYS OF THUNDER (1990); information regarding patenting a stage built for 42ND STREET (1933); a contract for the film rights to a Lewis John Carlino novel that became the basis for THE MECHANIC (1972); a letter from Delmer Daves to Carlos Drake regarding the possible adaptation of Drake's novel "Mr. Aladdin" (unrealized, 1946-1950); and six photocopied pages of Marlon Brando's notes for THE UGLY AMERICAN (1962).

The television files contain Dorothy McGuire's 1956 contract for CLIMAX! (1954-1958); a photocopy of Don W. Sharpe's 1954 agreement for DOUGLAS FAIRBANKS PRESENTS (syndicated, 1953-1956); sheet music by Al Hoffman and Dick Manning for I LOVE LUCY (1951-1957); and agreements between Desilu Productions and Eve Arden, Richard Crenna, and Robert Rockwell for OUR MISS BROOKS (1952-1956).

The biography files contain an assortment of letters from hundreds of film personalities, usually in the form of one letter per celebrity. These range from the mundane—a letter from Walt Disney inviting Jack Warner to the 1955 opening of Disneyland—to the intriguing—a handwritten letter from Erich von Stroheim to Jesse Lasky explaining that he will not continue working on THE WEDDING MARCH (1928) without being paid. The earliest item is an 1884 handwritten telegram from Sarah Bernhardt; the most recent is a 1998 handwritten letter from Muriel Spark. There are letters from Zoë Akins; a 1984 letter from Dana Andrews explaining the evolution of his screen name; a handwritten letter from Lucille Ball to Eddie Mannix expressing her disappointment at no longer being with MGM; correspondence and an agreement between Ina Claire and Samuel Goldwyn, Inc., 1932; three handwritten letters from Greer Garson to Eddie Mannix; and a 1914 handwritten letter from William Farnum to William Selig. The largest quantity of material covers William S. Hart, including a handwritten account of a dispute in 1929 involving Hart, Hal Roach, and Nicholas Schenck; eight handwritten 1930s letters from Hart to Paul H. "Scoop" Conlan; half a dozen handwritten letters from Georges Méliès from the late 1920s and early 1930s; 12 Ramon Novarro letters; 17 letters from Leni Riefenstahl to Kurt Kreuger concerned primarily with Riefenstahl's unrealized film BLACK CARGO; and 18 letters from Thornton Wilder. Recipients of the letters include James Leo Herlihy, Eddie Mannix, and José Quintero.

The subject files contain material regarding Dick Powell's endorsement of Camel cigarettes; a list of inventions by L. Gaumont and Company copyrighted from 1893 to 1907, along with information on the Chronophone and Elgephone; and miscellaneous correspondence regarding MGM including a letter from the Department of the Navy demanding cuts in HELL BELOW (1933) and a photocopy of Grace Kelly's personnel record. Much of the material is in the form of photocopies.