The collection includes production files with scripts, call sheets, or clippings on nearly two dozen films in which McGuire appeared, including CLAUDIA (1943), THE SPIRAL STAIRCASE (1946), TILL THE END OF TIME (1946), FRIENDLY PERSUASION (1956), and THE GREATEST STORY EVER TOLD (1965). The television files contain some scripts and miscellaneous production material, including call sheets and press releases. The stage files contain scripts, programs, and clippings documenting several of McGuire’s theater performances, including "The Country Girl," "Dial M for Murder," "Joan of Arc at the Stake," and "Night of the Iguana." The subject files contain clippings, correspondence, and programs including some related to Peter Fonda and the La Jolla Playhouse. Four scrapbooks contain clippings, photographs, programs, and memorabilia related to her film, stage and radio work.

Dorothy McGuire was born in Omaha, Nebraska in 1916. Her parents were avid theatergoers who encouraged her interest in becoming a professional actor. She became a member of the Omaha Community Playhouse and first appeared onstage at the age of 13, opposite Henry Fonda in a production of “A Kiss for Cinderella.” Her father died the following year, and she was subsequently sent to a convent school in Indianapolis, Indiana for her high school education. She then attended Pine Manor Junior College in Chestnut Hill, Massachusetts. Following graduation from Pine Manor in 1937, she travelled to Maine to act in summer stock, then moved to New York to pursue an acting career. She debuted on Broadway in 1938, in the original production of "Our Town,” replacing Martha Scott when Scott left the show. Following this auspicious debut, many of her stage appearances were in short-lived productions which were nevertheless notable for the talent involved. She toured with John Barrymore in a production of “My Dear Children,” performed alongside Louis Armstrong, Bill Bailey, and the Dandridge Sisters, among many others in “Swingin’ the Dream,” a musical adaptation of “A Midsummer Night’s Dream,” and acted with Norman Lloyd in “Medicine Show,” staged by Jules Dassin. When not appearing onstage, she earned a living through modeling jobs and performed in the radio drama “Big Sister.”

McGuire’s breakthrough came when she was cast in the title role of “Claudia” (1941-1943), a stage adaptation by Rose Franken from her novel of the same name. The show ran for nearly two years, leading David O. Selznick to buy the film rights and sign McGuire to a film contract. Once in Hollywood, she met photographer John Swope and the two married soon after production on CLAUDIA (1943) wrapped. CLAUDIA was enormously popular and launched McGuire’s film career. For the next several years she appeared in a succession of noteworthy films, including THE ENCHANTED COTTAGE (1945), A TREE GROW’S IN BROOKLYN (1945), THE SPIRAL STAIRCASE (1946), CLAUDIA AND DAVID (1946), the sequel to CLAUDIA, and GENTLEMAN’S AGREEMENT (1947). The latter film earned her an Academy Award nomination for Best Actress in a Leading Role. Following this success, McGuire took some time away from film to give birth to her daughter, Topo, born in 1948, and to return to the stage. She co-founded the La Jolla Playhouse with Gregory Peck, her GENTLEMAN’S AGREEMENT co-star, and Mel Ferrer, with whom she had appeared onstage in New York in a short-lived 1940 production of “Kind Lady.” Over the next few years, she appeared at the La Jolla Playhouse in productions of “The Importance of Being Earnest,” “The Winslow Boy,” and “Summer and Smoke,” among others.

McGuire returned to the screen in 1950 in MOTHER DIDN’T TELL ME (1950) and MISTER 880 (1950), but for the remainder of her career she would balance her film work with television and stage work. She took time off in 1953 to give birth to her son, Mark, then worked steadily for the next four decades. Her notable film credits include THREE COINS IN THE FOUNTAIN (1954), FRIENDLY PERSUASION (1956), A SUMMER PLACE (1959), THE DARK AT THE TOP OF THE STAIRS (1960), and THE GREATEST STORY EVER TOLD (1965). She also acted in the live action Walt Disney Productions OLD YELLER (1957), THE SWISS FAMILY ROBINSON (1960), and SUMMER MAGIC (1963). In the 1950s she appeared on such television shows as ROBERT MONTGOMERY PRESENTS, THE UNITED STATES STEEL HOUR, LUX VIDEO THEATRE, and CLIMAX!, among others. In the 1970s she acted in the television mini-series RICH MAN, POOR MAN (1976) and LITTLE WOMEN (1978) and later guest starred on FANTASY ISLAND, THE YOUNG AND THE RESTLESS, THE LOVE BOAT, and ST. ELSEWHERE, among other series. Her stage work was more sporadic. She returned to Broadway in 1951 for a short-lived production of “Legend of Lovers” opposite Richard Burton. She remained involved in the La Jolla Playhouse, including starring in a production of “I Am a Camera,” and her husband helped manage the theater throughout the 1950s. In 1958 she again performed on Broadway in a brief run of “Winesburg, Ohio.” Her last appearance on Broadway was in a 1976-1977 production of “Night of the Iguana” opposite Richard Chamberlain and Sylvia Miles. Following her husband’s death in 1979, McGuire worked less, though she appeared onstage at the Ahmanson Theater for a revival of “The Little Foxes” in 1982 and was nominated for an Emmy for Outstanding Supporting Actress in a Miniseries or a Special for her work in AMOS. She retired altogether in 1990 and passed away in 2001.