Gary Don Rhodes (born 1972) is an American writer, filmmaker, and film historian. His work encompasses research on early 20th-century films and key figures, including the filmmakers and actors involved in the process. Rhodes is notably recognised for his contribution to classic horror films and his biographical works on Bela Lugosi. In addition to his academic pursuits, he has also created documentaries and mockumentaries. Rhodes holds a tenured faculty position in film studies at Queen's University Belfast.[1]
Rhodes’ primary research interests include American film exhibition, film genre, early cinema, and documentary filmmaking.
Rhodes has contributed to the field of film studies with several publications, including The Perils of Moviegoing in America, 1896-1950 (Bloomsbury/Continuum, 2011), acknowledged by Kevin Brownlow for its perceived originality,[3] as well as Emerald Illusions: The Irish in Early American Cinema (Irish Academic Press, 2011) which was praised for its exhaustive research and clear prose.[4]
Rhodes has edited scholarly anthologies such as Horror at the Drive-In: Essays in Popular Americana (McFarland, 2003), which the Journal of Popular Culture called “impressive and considerable,”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.
Horror movies
Rhodes' study of horror cinema primarily focusses on the life and legacy 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.”[5] 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."[6]
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.[7] He also sits on the editorial board of the peer-reviewed journal Horror Studies.[8][9]
The Queen's University
At Queen's University, Rhodes has served as director of film studies, co-director of film studies, and 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.[10]
Other works
In addition to his other work, Rhodes publishes fiction and poetry under pseudonyms and, occasionally, under his own name.[11] He has also booked jazz concerts in Oklahoma.[12]
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.[13] 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.[14] Rhodes’ next film, Fiddlin’ Man: The Life and Times of Bob Wills (1993), became a successful fundraiser for a number of PBS stations.[15]Downbeat lauded the film for “doing justice” to its legendary subject.[16]
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.”[17] 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).[citation needed] 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.[18]
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.
Works
Essays
“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: 57-7
“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
"Mockumentaries and the Production of Realist Horror." Post Script, Fall 2002: 46-60
^See, for example: Gary D. Rhodes, "Unmoored," in The Mailer Review, Vol. 8, No. 1 (Fall 2014).
^“About the Authors,” Bela Lugosi in Person (BearManor Media, 2015).
^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.
^Charles McLure, “Guitarist Christian No Longer Buried in Unmarked Grave,” Fort Worth Star-Telegram, May 8, 1994.
^“A Swingin’ Weekend: Concert, Video Mark Bob Wills Tribute,” Tulsa World, October 30, 1993, 4.
^Frank-John Hadley, “Bob Wills: Fiddlin’ Man,” Downbeat, October 1997.
^“Bay of the Living Dead: Gary D. Rhodes’ Journey Back in Time with Dracula,” SF Weekly, March 18, 2005.
