Rodney Dangerfield’s 1st Movie! Buster Crabbe! Chuck McCann! R.I.P. Cult Director Harry Hurwitz

Movie Classic! Rodney Dangerfield was cast by director Harry Hurwitz in THE PROJECTIONIST as the smarmy, obnoxious theatre manager who becomes the Bat in the dream fantasies of film projectionist Chuck McCann. It was Dangerfield’s first film, and he kills! The camera loved him, and he shines in the movie. As does veteran actor and comedian Chuck McCann. They both excel in dual roles.

THE PROJECTIONIST (1971) was Hurwitz’s love letter to the movies. McCann is wonderful as the day dreaming projectionist who fantasizes that he is super hero Captain Flash. McCann’s derring-do is created in one of the first examples of intercutting classic film clips into a new feature film narrative. As Captain Flash he fights off The Bat through caves, haunted mansions, and even Rick’s Café from CASABLANCA! The finished movie is an extraordinary example of a film buff, Hurwitz, creatively making a new movie blending the old black and white with the new.

Harry’s style of improv, working with no scripted dialogue, works in THE PROJECTIONIST, but falters on his other films like THE COMEBACK TRAIL, also 1971 but not released until a decade later. In THE COMEBACK TRAIL, Chuck McCaan is back and paired with comic Robert Staats. They are two very sleazy producers who hire Buster Crabbe, as former western star Duke Montana, to star in a new western. Actually, the two are plotting Duke's demise during filming to collect the insurance. Also appearing in the film are Hugh Hefner and legendary talk show host, Joe Franklin.

Harry was a friend of mine from Florida and appeared with me on late night TV in Tampa in 1973 and again in 1976-77 on a talk show called STARDOM. It was a Mon-Fri 2 ½ minute entertainment series for syndication several years before ENTERTAINMENT TONIGHT. The 5-part STARDOM segments, taped just prior to Harry’s move to Hollywood, have been edited together into this exclusive conversation about his film history, his love of movies and his legacy. Yes, his legacy. Harry died Sept 21, 1995, at the age of 57, of heart failure while waiting for a transplant. R.I.P. Thanks for the memories.

We are pleased to present this conversation with Harry and hope you film buffs and fans will search out and find Harry’s cinema treasures.

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Видео Rodney Dangerfield’s 1st Movie! Buster Crabbe! Chuck McCann! R.I.P. Cult Director Harry Hurwitz канала A Word on Westerns