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 filmmakers and actors involved in the process. Rhodes is notably recognized for his contribution to classic horror films and his biographical works on Bela Lugosi. In addition to his academic pursuits, he has contributed to the filmmaking domain through the creation of documentaries and mockumentaries. Rhodes holds a tenured faculty position in film studies at Queen's University Belfast.[1]
Born in Ardmore, Oklahoma on September 11, 1972, Rhodes is a member of the Cherokee tribe.[2]
Rhodes’ primary research interests include American film exhibition, film genre, early cinema, and documentary filmmaking. His scholarly journal essays on these topics 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.
In his body of work, the author has contributed to the field with notable publications, including The Perils of Moviegoing in America, 1896-1950 (Bloomsbury/Continuum, 2011), acknowledged by Kevin Brownlow for its perceived originality,[3] Additionally, Emerald Illusions: The Irish in Early American Cinema (Irish Academic Press, 2011) garnered praise from the journal Film and History, commending 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”;[5] 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.[6]
Some of his other anthologies focus on individual film directors. Examples include Stanley Kubrick: Essays into His Films and Legacy (McFarland, 2008);Edgar G. Ulmer: Detour on Poverty Row (Lexington, 2008), which Senses of Cinema dubbed a “dynamic handbook,”;[7] and The Films of Joseph H. Lewis (Wayne State UP, 2012), referred to as a “welcome testament.”[8] by Phil Robins of Cambridge University.
Rhodes' study of horror cinema primarily focuses 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.”[9] 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."[10]
His books in the area include Lugosi (McFarland, 1996), which Fangoria said “probably won’t be topped”;[11] White Zombie: Anatomy of a Horror Film (McFarland, 2001), which Bright Lights hailed as a benchmark for single-film studies;[12] Bela Lugosi, Dreams and Nightmares (Collectables, 2006), which director Joe Dante called a “treasure trove”;[13] No Traveler Returns: The Lost Years of Bela Lugosi (BearManor Media, 2012, with Bill Kaffenberger;[14] Tod Browning's Dracula (Tomahawk, 2014), which Sight & Sound praised for tackling the film “afresh,”;,[15] Bela Lugosi in Person (BearManor Media, 2015, with Bill Kaffenberger), which Donald F. Glut called “incredibly well-researched,”[16] and ED WOOD'S BRIDE OF THE MONSTER (BearManor Media 2015),[17] and ED WOOD and the Lost LUGOSI Screenplays (BearManor Media, 2016).[18]
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.[19] He also sits on the editorial board of the peer-reviewed journal Horror Studies.[20][21]
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.[22]
In addition to his other work, Rhodes publishes fiction and poetry under pseudonyms and, occasionally, under his own name.[23] He has also booked jazz concerts in Oklahoma.[24]
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.[25]
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.[26] 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.[27] Rhodes’ next film, Fiddlin’ Man: The Life and Times of Bob Wills (1993), became a successful fundraiser for a number of PBS stations.[28] Downbeat lauded the film for “doing justice” to its legendary subject.[29]
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.”[30] 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.[31]
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.[32]
