The Caddo Company, Incorporated series (1922-1965) is comprised of twelve sub-series containing film production and corporate records.

The first two sub-series contain materials related to two films that predate the formation of The Caddo Company, Incorporated as a production company, Swell Hogan (1926) and Everybody's Acting (1926), financed by Howard Hughes. The remaining sub-series represent the nine films produced under the Caddo banner and general corporate records.

Materials within each film sub-series include advertising and publicity, administrative, censorship, distribution, editing, financial, legal, and production and direction records, as well as film soundtracks and screenplays. Types of materials include of ledgers, correspondence, storyboard images, sheet music, and original scores, as well as film, direction, set, and production stills. Corporate records consist of newspaper clippings, administrative correspondence, actor and distribution contracts, and financial reports.

The Swell Hogan sub-series (1925-1929) contains black-and-white photographic prints and negatives of direction and production stills for the film Swell Hogan (1926). The direction stills portray sets, principal and supporting cast members, and production members, while the production stills depict scenes from the film from beginning to end. Also included are correspondence, production costs, and a fire insurance policy pertaining to the film.

The Two Arabian Knights sub-series (1924-1931) contains screenplays, newspaper clipping volumes, actor and distribution contracts, reports for film expenditures and theatrical release revenue, and black-and-white photographic prints and negatives. Premiering on September 23, 1927 at the Million Dollar Theater in Los Angeles, California, this was Howard Hughes’ first film produced under his production company, The Caddo Company, Incorporated.

Publicity stills in the sub-series depict the principal and supporting cast at the film’s premiere. Direction stills portray scene direction and outtakes with director Lewis Milestone on set. Screenplays include Donald McGibney’s original magazine story and scene summaries. The newspaper clippings feature publicity for the release of Two Arabian Knights. The financial reports detail film production expenditures, and domestic and international receipts for film rentals. Lastly, contracts in the sub-series are of principal and supporting actors, and United Artists Corporation distribution.

The Racket sub-series (1926-1952) contains advertising and publicity, financial, legal, production and direction records, and a screenplay. Based on Barlett Cormack's play of the same name, director Lewis Milestone and producer Howard Hughes released The Racket on June 30, 1928.

Advertising and publicity records include bound volumes of newspaper clippings, advertising instructions for publicity agencies and publishers, and an honorable mention from the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences. Financial records include rental and earning reports for the film. Legal records include Louis Wolheim’s actor agreement and the story’s film rights. The screenplay is a synopsis of the film from Bartlett Cormack. The production and direction records are primarily black-and-white photographic prints and negatives depicting the interior and exterior sets, and Lewis Milestone directing.

The Front Page sub-series (approximately 1927-1939) is comprised of materials pertaining to the production process of The Caddo Company's April 4, 1931 release of The Front Page. The sub-series contains advertising and publicity, administrative, financial, legal, and production and direction, and story development records. Director Lewis Milestone, along with editor Duncan Mansfield and writers Ben Hecht, Charles MacArthur, and Bartlett Cormack helped the film earn Academy Awards nominations for Best Director and Best Picture in 1929. The black-and-white photographic prints and negatives, primarily attributed to Newton Hopcroft, depict set and production stills of the principal and supporting cast and locations in the film.

Advertising and publicity records include newspaper clippings detailing the film’s release, articles of local advertising campaigns, and publicity stills of principal and supporting cast members. Administrative records include correspondence pertaining to the editing, censorship, and distribution of the film, as well as shipping receipts. Legal records include supporting actor and domestic distribution contracts. Production and direction records include production stills of principal and supporting cast, interior and exterior sets, and a sound and production daily report ledger. The story development records include production scripts, as well as cutting continuities and dialogue scripts for domestic and international releases.

The Hell’s Angels sub-series (1922-1965) contains material related to the development, production, and post-production of The Caddo Company film, Hell’s Angels. Both the silent and sound versions of the film are represented in the materials.

Materials include contracts and lawsuits, correspondence, financial, story development, and production and direction records, editing and special effects, aviation logs, and advertising, as well as musical scores for the silent version composed by Adolph Tandler and the sound version composed by Hugo Riesenfeld. Also included are black-and-white photographic prints and negatives and twenty-four miniature airplane models.

The Cock of the Air sub-series (1931-1932) includes newspaper clippings, publicity stills, production and direction records, financial records, and legal records pertaining to the film’s production and release on January 23, 1932.

Newspaper clippings in the sub-series depict advertising campaigns for The Cock of the Air, theatrical releases, and film reviews. Publicity stills consist of the principal cast, supporting cast, and director on set, as well as posed images of the principal cast. Production and direction records feature production logs, screenplays, production still albums, and direction stills depicting the principal cast on film sets. Financial records for the sub-series include theatrical release contracts for England and purchase orders. Legal records contain contracts for the supporting cast and correspondence regarding censorship issues. Lastly, the story development records contain a synopsis, continuities, and shooting scripts.