Musings of a Movie Addict
Before Jim Brown, O.J., or Fred Williamson there was Woody Strode
Woody in The Italian Connection (1972) The first time I saw Woody Strode was 1966 in a local Detroit theater with about 300 other kids on a Sunday afternoon. It was “The Professionals” one of the best shoot ‘em up Westerns. Burt Lancaster, the star, leads a team of professional tough guys hired to rescue a rich rancher’s kidnapped Mexican wife, played by Italian actress, Claudia Cardinale. The kidnapper was a Mexican bandit played by Ukrainian actor, Jack Palance. It had lots of...
From the Beginning, There was Independent Film. The Outsiders.
Edison Studios was the first American film company. In 1908, the Motion Picture Patents Company (MPPC) or "Edison Trust" was created to shut out independent productions. Thomas Edison, yeah that guy, owned significant patents relating to distribution, motion picture production, and the film Eastman Kodak. MPPC ruthlessly enforced its patents serving injunctions against filmmakers not in the cartel. ...
IndieClear Celebrates Its 20th Year!
On Tax Day 2002, IndieClear Script Clearance began in the bedroom of a backlot house in the Hollywood flats blocks from the Cinerama Dome. I was an introverted research nerd and movie addict with no real business or marketing experience. Didn’t know much about running a business at all but that didn’t stop me. There were two things I knew for sure. The new wave of indie filmmakers had no idea that making their film wasn’t all they needed to get it distributed. In 2002...