Harry Dean and the New Hollywood

This chapter begins with an interview with Monte Hellman, one of the seminal directors of the "New Hollywood" era of the 1960s and 1970s that followed the decline of the old studio system and ushered in a new spirit of independence, rebellion, and commitment to film as an art form. Harry Dean was in three Hellman films -- Ride in the Whirlwind (1966), Two-Lane Blacktop (1971), and Cockfighter (1974). He would also appear in the films of several other leading New Hollywood directors such as Francis Ford Coppola, Sam Peckinpah, and John Milius. Harry Dean remained in the supporting cast while his good friend Jack Nicholson rose to stardom. However, a cult status began to grow around him, fueled by his work in films such as Peckinpah's Pat Garrett and Billy the Kid (1973) and Arthur Penn's The Missouri Breaks (1976), which starred his Mulholland Drive neighbors Nicholson and Marlon Brando.

The Prisoner of Gravity

The early 1970s stage and screen projects that distracted Bradbury from short story writing shape the content of chapter four. The ABC Movie of the Week adaptation of his short story “The Screaming Woman” was largely the work of others, resulting in a star-studded film that wandered far away from the original story. Long negotiations with director Sam Peckinpah to film Something Wicked This Way Comes came to naught, as did his attempt to collaborate on a musical stage adaptation of The Wonderful Ice Cream Suit. Chapter four concludes with the success of a refashioned Dandelion Wine musical using Bradbury lyrics, and the financially troubled 1972 stage adaptation of his Melville-inspired space saga, Leviathan 99.

Sam Peckinpah, Actor’s Director

In his essay on the acting in The Wild Bunch, Steve Vineberg delves into details about some of the film’s major players, including William Holden, Ernest Borgnine, and Robert Ryan, as well as members of the supporting cast. Vineberg gives us insightful background on the actors’ work in previous films, establishing links between this work and their performances in The Wild Bunch.