The director Hollywood forgot—until Tarantino fake-credited him.
Paul Wendkos was a bit of an auteurist fetish object in the early 1960's, when his career in theatrical features reached its pinnacle. He made his mark with such genre outings as The Burglar (1957) and Face of a Fugitive (1959), as well as with the hit Gidget (1959) and his acclaimed indictment of evangelicalism Angel Baby (1961). Many of the finest critics and film writers wrote of his style admiringly, even as studio contracts regularly saddled him with empty commercial vehicles. Quentin Tarantino even credited him as the director of the faux action saga The 14 Fists of McCluskey in his Once Upon a Time...in Hollywood. What is there to Paul Wendkos when we look at him and his work today?
Direction
Kremer crafts elegiac tribute to invisible craftsmen.
Editing
Archival clips resurrect Wendkos's visual grammar.
Director
Daniel Kremer
Trivia, insights & behind the scenes
Wendkos spent his final decades directing disposable TV movies-of-the-week, including multiple Columbo episodes.
The 'Godard of Gidget' moniker references how French critics adored his genre work while American studios wasted him.
No ratings yet
Sign in to join the discussion — comments are spoiler-gated to your watch progress.
Discussion starters
US
