Gary D. Rhodes

Gary Don Rhodes, Ph.D., is an American writer, filmmaker, and film historian. His work includes research on early 20th century films and key figures such as filmmakers and actors involved in the process. He is best known for his contribution to classic horror films and his multiple biographies on Bela Lugosi. Gary has also contributed to the filmmaking process with both documentaries and mockumentaries. He is also a tenured faculty member in Film Studies at The Queen's University of Belfast, a Russell Group institution.[1]

Author Gary D. Rhodes

Personal life

Born in Ardmore, Oklahoma on September 11, 1972, Rhodes is a member of the Cherokee tribe.[2] His books and films have been reviewed in such newspapers as USA Today and The Washington Times,[3] trade publications like The Hollywood Reporter and American Cinematographer,[4] magazines like Fangoria, Rue Morgue and Cineaste,[5] journals like Film Quarterly and The Journal of Early Popular Visual Culture.,[6] and even Turner Classic Movies.[7][8]

Scholarly Work

Key Research

Rhodes’ key research interests include American film exhibition, film genre, early cinema, and documentary filmmaking. His scholarly journal essays on these subjects include: “Irish-American Film Audiences, 1915-1930.” Post Script, Summer 2013: 70-96; “The Film Company of Ireland and the Irish-American Press.” Screening the Past No. 133, 2012; “Early Cinema and Oklahoma.” The Chronicles of Oklahoma, Winter 2011-12: 388-429; “Reinventing a New Wheel: The Films of Norman Mailer.” The Mailer Review, Fall 2011: 170-182; “The Double Feature Evil: Efforts to Eliminate the American Dual Bill.” Film History: An International Journal Vol. 23, No. 1, 2011: 57-74; “Drakula halála (1921): The Cinema’s First Dracula.” Horror Studies, Vol. 1, No. 1, 2010: 25-47; “The Origin, Development, and Controversy of the US Moving Picture Poster to 1915.” Film History: An International Journal, Vol. 19, No. 3, 2007: 228-246; and "Mockumentaries and the Production of Realist Horror." Post Script, Fall 2002: 46-60.

Among his books are The Perils of Moviegoing in America, 1896-1950 (Bloomsbury/Continuum, 2011), which Kevin Brownlow heralded as “completely original”,[8] and Emerald Illusions: The Irish in Early American Cinema (Irish Academic Press, 2011), which the journal Film and History praised for its “exhaustive research and crystalline prose.”[9]

Rhodes has edited such scholarly anthologies as Horror at the Drive-In: Essays in Popular Americana (McFarland, 2003), which the Journal of Popular Culture called “impressive and considerable”;[10] and Docufictions: Essays on the Intersection of Documentary and Fictional Filmmaking (McFarland, 2005, with John Parris Springer), the first anthology on the subject of the mockumentary genre, which John Belton “recommended” in Choice.[11]

Some of his other anthologies have concentrated on individual film directors, as in the case of Stanley Kubrick: Essays into His Films and Legacy (McFarland, 2008);[12] Edgar G. Ulmer: Detour on Poverty Row (Lexington, 2008), which Senses of Cinema dubbed a “dynamic handbook,”;[13] and The Films of Joseph H. Lewis (Wayne State UP, 2012), which Phil Robins of Cambridge University called a “welcome testament.”[14]

Horror Movies

Rhodes is probably best known for his work on horror cinema, which has appealed to scholarly and popular audiences, notably his star studies of actor Bela Lugosi. In a book review for Fangoria, author David-Elijah Nahmod suggested that Rhodes “may be primarily responsible for the cult of Lugosi that exists today.”[15] According to Starbust magazine, "Scholar Gary D. Rhodes has spent his career debunking myths about classic horror cinema in general and Bela Lugosi’s life and work in particular. He has done this through meticulous research, leaving no stone unturned along the way."[16]

His books in the area include Lugosi (McFarland, 1996), which Fangoria said “probably won’t be topped”;[17] White Zombie: Anatomy of a Horror Film (McFarland, 2001), which Bright Lights hailed as a benchmark for single-film studies;[18] Bela Lugosi, Dreams and Nightmares (Collectables, 2006), which director Joe Dante called a “treasure trove”;[19] No Traveler Returns: The Lost Years of Bela Lugosi (BearManor Media, 2012, with Bill Kaffenberger;[20] Tod Browning's Dracula (Tomahawk, 2014), which Sight & Sound praised for tackling the film “afresh,”;,[21] Bela Lugosi in Person (BearManor Media, 2015, with Bill Kaffenberger), which Donald F. Glut called “incredibly well-researched,”[22] and ED WOOD'S BRIDE OF THE MONSTER (BearManor Media 2015),[23] and ED WOOD and the Lost LUGOSI Screenplays (BearManor Media, 2016).[24]

Editor

As of 2014, Rhodes became series editor (with Robert Singer) of the ReFocus series of books on neglected American film directors, published by Edinburgh University Press.[25] He also sits on the editorial board of the peer-reviewed journal Horror Studies.[26][27]

The Queen's University

At The Queen's University, Rhodes has served as Director of Film Studies, Co-Director of Film Studies, and as MA Convenor.[1] In 2015, The Guardian named Film Studies at Queen's as one of the top ten film programs in the United Kingdom.[28]

Other works

In addition to his other work, Rhodes publishes fiction and poetry under pseudonyms and, occasionally, under his own name.[29] He has also booked jazz concerts in Oklahoma.[30]

At present he is completing The Birth of the American Horror Film, a book that covers the subject to 1915, as well as a biography of William Fox.[31]

Films

Documentaries

Rhodes’ early documentary films concentrated on the subject of jazz music. His first film was Solo Flight: The Genius of Charlie Christian (1992). Directed by Rhodes when he was only eighteen years old, the film received positive reviews in such publications as The Christian Science Monitor, Booklist, Cadence, and The L.A. Jazz Scene.[32] The making of the film not only revealed the location of Christian’s hitherto-unknown and unmarked burial spot, but it also raised funds for a historical marker to be placed upon the site.[33] Rhodes’ next film, Fiddlin’ Man: The Life and Times of Bob Wills (1993), became a successful fundraiser for a number of PBS stations.[34] Downbeat lauded the film for “doing justice” to its legendary subject.[35]

Rhodes’ other documentaries focus on the subject of film history, such as Lugosi: Hollywood's Dracula (1999), a finalist at the Hollywood Film Festival in the year 2000. SF Weekly called it “sublime.”[36] Then, his film Banned in Oklahoma (2005) chronicled an unfolding, five-year legal battle over the banning of Volker Schlöndorff’s The Tin Drum in Oklahoma. In 2005, the Criterion Collection released Banned in Oklahoma on DVD with The Tin Drum (1979).[37] The documentary – which the Dallas Morning News called a “worthy mate” to the German masterpiece – also shared the award for best film at the 2004 Deadcenter Film Festival in Oklahoma.[38]

Mockumentaries

Rhodes also directed the mockumentary film Chair (2000), and the fictional feature Wit's End (2005) starring Rue McClanahan, Darryl Cox, Udo Kier, and William Sanderson.[39]

gollark: Ah.... the Egg Incident...
gollark: Great, another 2G prize offer. Really helping with my decision here...
gollark: _has denied it_
gollark: _considers offering on it_
gollark: If I leave it a while, are people likely to be annoyed and withdraw offers or are people used to keeping them on for a while on rare stuff?

References
  1. "Dr Gary Rhodes | Film Studies". Blogs.qub.ac.uk. 2010-01-22. Retrieved 2016-03-14.
  2. Rod Lott, “OKC’s Own Masters of Horror,” Oklahoma Gazette, October 25, 2006, 23-31.
  3. See, for example: “White Zombie,” USA Today, March 17, 1995, 3D, David Colton, “Horror Historians,” USA Today, October 29, 2004, 10E; “Lugosi, Wood Remembered in Frightfully Good DVDs,” Washington Times, October 24, 2002, M24.
  4. See, for example: George Turner, “Books in Review,” American Cinematographer, May 1997, 102; “Film Fest Focus,” Hollywood Reporter, July 28–30, 2000, S1, S3, S26.
  5. See, for example: John Wooley, “Lugosi: Hollywood’s Dracula,” Fangoria, No. 170, March 1998; Tom Murray, “Bela Lugosi: Dreams and Nightmares,” Rue Morgue, July 2007, 61-62; Robert Cashill, “Classic Hollywood Horrors,” Cineaste, Vol. 28, No. 3 (Summer 2003), 48-49.
  6. See, for example: Tony Williams, “White Zombie: Anatomy of a Horror Film,” Book Review, Film Quarterly, Vol. 56, No. 1 (Fall 2002), 68; Tony Tracey, “Emerald Illusions: The Irish in Early American Cinema,” Journal of Early Popular Visual Culture, Vol. 10, No. 3 (2012), 315-318.
  7. http://www.tcm.com/this-month/article/491737%7C0/No-Traveler-Returns-The-Lost-Years-of-Bela-Lugosi.html
  8. "Turner Classic Movies - TCM.com". Turner Classic Movies.
  9. Timothy X. Troy, “Emerald Illusions: The Irish in Early American Cinema, Book Review, Film and History, Vol. 43, No. 2 (Fall 2013), 72-74.
  10. Reynold Humphries, “Horror at the Drive-In,” Book Review, Journal of Popular Culture, Vol. 37, No. 3 (Spring 2004), 550-552.
  11. John Belton, “Docufictions: Essays on the Intersection of Documentary and Fictional Filmmaking,” Book Review, Choice (May 2006).
  12. "McFarland - a leading independent publisher of academic and nonfiction books". Mcfarlandbooks.com. Retrieved 2016-03-14.
  13. Lance Duerfahrd, “Kaleidoscope of the B-Film Director: Edgar G. Ulmer: Detour on Poverty Row,” Senses of Cinema, No. 52 (September 2009).
  14. Phil Robins, “The Films of Joseph H. Lewis,” Book Review, Film and History, Vol. 44, No. 1 (Spring 2014), 79-82.
  15. David-Elijah Nahmod, “No Traveler Returns: The Lost Years of Bela Lugosi,” Book Review, Fangoria, online edition, December 17, 2012.
  16. "Book Review: No Traveler Returns - The Lost Years Of Bela Lugosi". Starburstmagazine.com. 2016-03-03. Retrieved 2016-03-14.
  17. Tom Weaver, “Lugosi,” Book Review, Fangoria, May 1997, 71.
  18. Gary Morris, “Book Reviews,” Bright Lights Film Journal, 2002.
  19. Joe Dante, Back Cover Blurb, Bela Lugosi, Dreams and Nightmares (Collectables, 2007).
  20. "No Traveler Returns: The Lost Years of Bela Lugosi by Gary D. Rhodes and Bill Kaffenberger". Bearmanormedia.com. Retrieved 2016-03-14.
  21. Kim Newman, “Todd [sic] Browning’s Dracula,” Sight & Sound, February 2015.
  22. Donald F. Glut, Back Cover Blurb, Bela Lugosi in Person (BearManor Media, 2015),
  23. "SCRIPTS FROM THE CRYPT: ED WOOD'S BRIDE OF THE MONSTER (SOFTCOVER EDITION) by Gary D. Rhodes with Tom Weaver". BearManor Media.
  24. "SCRIPTS FROM THE CRYPT: ED WOOD AND THE LOST LUGOSI SCREENPLAYS by Gary D. Rhodes, Tom Weaver, Robert Cremer, and Lee R. Harris". BearManor Media.
  25. "ReFocus : Series Editors : Gary D. Rhodes and Robert Singer". Euppublishing.com. Retrieved 2016-03-14.
  26. "Horror Studies". horrorstudiesjournal.com.
  27. "Intellect Ltd". Intellectbooks.co.uk. Retrieved 2016-03-14.
  28. "University guide 2016: league table for media & film studies | Education". The Guardian. 2015-05-25. Retrieved 2016-03-14.
  29. See, for example: Gary D. Rhodes, "Unmoored," in The Mailer Review, Vol. 8, No. 1 (Fall 2014).
  30. “About the Authors,” Bela Lugosi in Person (BearManor Media, 2015).
  31. Contributor biography of Gary D. Rhodes in Recovering 1940s Horror Cinema: Traces of a Lost Decade, edited by Mario DeGiglio-Bellemare, Charles Elbé, and Kristopher Woofter (Lexington Books, 2014).
  32. David Sterritt, “Out on Video,” Christian Science Monitor, January 17, 1997; James Scholtz, “Solo Flight,” Booklist, Vol. 93, No. 20, June 15, 1997; David McElfresh, “Video Critique,” Cadence, Vol 23, No. 6, June 1997; Scott Yanow, “Video Reviews,” 'The 'L.A. Jazz Scene, April 1997.
  33. Charles McLure, “Guitarist Christian No Longer Buried in Unmarked Grave,” Fort Worth Star-Telegram, May 8, 1994.
  34. “A Swingin’ Weekend: Concert, Video Mark Bob Wills Tribute,” Tulsa World, October 30, 1993, 4.
  35. Frank-John Hadley, “Bob Wills: Fiddlin’ Man,” Downbeat, October 1997.
  36. “Bay of the Living Dead: Gary D. Rhodes’ Journey Back in Time with Dracula,” SF Weekly, March 18, 2005.
  37. "The Tin Drum (The Criterion Collection): David Bennent, Mario Adorf, Anita Hill, Gerry Spence, Angela Winkler, Katharina Thalbach, Daniel Olbrychski, Tina Engel, Berta Drews, Roland Teubner, Tadeusz Kunikowski, Andréa Ferréol, Gary Don Rhodes, Volker Schlöndorff, Anatole Dauman, Franz Seitz, Günter Grass, Jean-Claude Carrière: Movies & TV". Amazon.com. Retrieved 2016-03-14.
  38. Chris Vognar, “A Bang-Up Job,” Dallas Morning News, May 28, 2004, 8H.
  39. "Wit's End (2005)". IMDb.com. Retrieved 2016-03-14.
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