William Friedkin: The Early Years

Sep 25

Before William Friedkin tore through Brooklyn traffic or let unleashed a demonic entity into a Georgetown bedroom, he was a poor Chicago kid eavesdropping on corrupt cops in his uncle's liquor store, filing away everything he heard.

He talked his way into WGN-TV with no training and no connections and worked his way up to directing live broadcasts. His first real film — a death row documentary the station refused to air — ended up winning festival prizes and helping get a man's sentence commuted. It should have been his big break. Instead came four straight flops: a Sonny & Cher vehicle, a Norman Lear production, a Harold Pinter adaptation, and a queer-cinema landmark nobody wanted to touch at the time

This is the story about how a decade of failure built the guy who'd go on to break New Hollywood wide open.

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Theme Song: "There's Still a Little Bit of Time, If We Hurry and I Mean Hurry" by Slasher Film Festival Strategy.

This episode was written, produced and edited by Gary Horne & Justin Bishop.

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SOURCES

A selection of the major works we consulted throughout our John Carpenter series.

Books & Articles:

FILMS AND DOCUMENTARIES:

Going Clear: Scientology and the Prison of Belief, directed by Alex Gibney

WILLIAM FRIEDKIN: A MAN POSSESSEDWILLIAM FRIEDKINROBERT SHAWHAROLD PINTERPATRICK MAGEESYDNEY TAFLERDANDY NICHOLSNORMAN LEARJASON ROBARDSBRITT EKLANDBERT LAHRELLIOTT GOULDMART CROWLEY

Justin Bishop