Gene Curtis Harrington (September 17, 1926 – May 6, 2007) was an American film and television director whose work included

experimental film Experimental film or avant-garde cinema is a mode of filmmaking that rigorously re-evaluates cinematic conventions and explores non-narrative forms or alternatives to traditional narratives or methods of working. Many experimental films, parti ...

horror film Horror is a film genre that seeks to elicit fear or disgust in its audience for entertainment purposes. Horror films often explore dark subject matter and may deal with transgressive topics or themes. Broad elements include monsters, apoca ...

s and episodic television. He is considered one of the forerunners of

New Queer Cinema "New Queer Cinema" is a term first coined by the academic B. Ruby Rich in ''Sight & Sound'' magazine in 1992 to define and describe a movement in queer-themed independent filmmaking in the early 1990s. It is also referred to as the "Queer New W ...

Life and career

Early life

Harrington was born on September 17, 1926 in

Los Angeles Los Angeles ( ; es, Los Ángeles, link=no , ), often referred to by its initials L.A., is the largest city in the state of California and the second most populous city in the United States after New York City, as well as one of the world' ...

, the son of Isabel (Dorum) and Raymond Stephen Harrington. He grew up in

Beaumont, California Beaumont is a city in Riverside County, California, United States, located at the summit of the San Gorgonio Pass, between the San Bernardino Mountains and Mount San Gorgonio to the north, and the San Jacinto Mountains and San Jacinto Peak to ...

. His first cinematic endeavors were amateur films he made while still a teenager. He attended Occidental College and the

University of Southern California The University of Southern California (USC, SC, or Southern Cal) is a Private university, private research university in Los Angeles, California, United States. Founded in 1880 by Robert M. Widney, it is the oldest private research university in C ...

, then graduated from the University of California, Los Angeles with a film studies degree.

Career beginnings

He began his career as a film critic, writing a book on Josef von Sternberg in 1948. He directed several

avant-garde The avant-garde (; In 'advance guard' or ' vanguard', literally 'fore-guard') is a person or work that is experimental, radical, or unorthodox with respect to art, culture, or society.John Picchione, The New Avant-garde in Italy: Theoretical ...

short films in the 1940s and 1950s, including ''Fragment of Seeking'', ''Picnic'', and ''The Wormwood Star'' (a film study of the artwork of

Marjorie Cameron Marjorie Cameron Parsons Kimmel (April 23, 1922 – June 24, 1995), who professionally used the mononym Cameron, was an American artist, poet, actress and occultist. A follower of Thelema, the new religious movement established by the Engli ...

which was filmed at the home of multi-millionaire art collector

Edward James Edward Frank Willis James (16 August 1907 – 2 December 1984) was a British poet known for his patronage of the surrealist art movement. Early life and marriage James was born on 16 August 1907, the only son of William James (who had inherite ...

). Cameron also co-starred in his subsequent film ''

Night Tide ''Night Tide'' is a 1961 American fantasy film sometimes considered to be a horror film, written and directed by Curtis Harrington and featuring Dennis Hopper in his first starring role. It was filmed in 1960, premiered in 1961, but was held up ...

'' (1961) with Dennis Hopper. Harrington worked with

Kenneth Anger Kenneth Anger (born Kenneth Wilbur Anglemyer, February 3, 1927) is an American underground experimental filmmaker, actor, and author. Working exclusively in short films, he has produced almost 40 works since 1937, nine of which have been grouped ...

, serving as a cinematographer on Anger's '' Puce Moment'' and acting in ''

Inauguration of the Pleasure Dome ''Inauguration of the Pleasure Dome'' is a 38-minute avant-garde short film by Kenneth Anger. It was filmed in December 1953 and completed in 1954. Anger created two other versions of this film in 1966 and the late 1970s. According to him, the fi ...

'' (1954) (he played Cesare, the somnambulist). Harrington had links to

Thelema Thelema () is a Western esoteric and occult social or spiritual philosophy and new religious movement founded in the early 1900s by Aleister Crowley (1875–1947), an English writer, mystic, occultist, and ceremonial magician. The word ' ...

shared with his close associates Kenneth Anger and

who frequently acted in his films. One of Harrington's mentors was avant-garde film pioneer

Maya Deren Maya Deren (born Eleonora Derenkowska, uk, Елеоно́ра Деренко́вська, links=no;

, an initiated

voodoo Voodoo may refer to: Religions * African or West African Vodun, practiced by Gbe-speaking ethnic groups * African diaspora religions, a list of related religions sometimes called Vodou/Voodoo ** Candomblé Jejé, also known as Brazilian Vodu ...

priestess. Harrington was the driving force in rediscovering the original

James Whale James Whale (22 July 1889 – 29 May 1957) was an English film director, theatre director and actor, who spent the greater part of his career in Cinema of the United States, Hollywood. He is best remembered for several horror films: ''Fran ...

version of '' The Old Dark House'' (1932,

Universal Pictures Universal Pictures (legally Universal City Studios LLC, also known as Universal Studios, or simply Universal; common metonym: Uni, and formerly named Universal Film Manufacturing Company and Universal-International Pictures Inc.) is an Ameri ...

). Although the rights to the original story had been sold to

Columbia Pictures Columbia Pictures Industries, Inc. is an American film production studio that is a member of the Sony Pictures Motion Picture Group, a division of Sony Pictures Entertainment, which is one of the Big Five studios and a subsidiary of the mu ...

for a remake, he persuaded

George Eastman House The George Eastman Museum, also referred to as ''George Eastman House, International Museum of Photography and Film'', the world's oldest museum dedicated to photography and one of the world's oldest film archives, opened to the public in 1949 in ...

to preserve it. On the

Kino International The Kino International is a film theater in Berlin, built from 1961 to 1963. It is located on Karl-Marx-Allee in former East Berlin. It hosted premieres of the DEFA film studios until the fall of the Berlin Wall in 1989. Today it is a protec ...

DVD, there is a filmed interview of Harrington's explaining why and how this came about (the contract stipulated that they were allowed to save the film only, not release it, essentially to prove that there was no profit motive). Harrington was an advisor on Bill Condon's '' Gods and Monsters'' (1998), about the last days of director James Whale, because Harrington had known Whale at the end of his life. Harrington also has a cameo in this film.

Roger Corman Roger William Corman (born April 5, 1926) is an American film director, producer, and actor. He has been called "The Pope of Pop Cinema" and is known as a trailblazer in the world of independent film. Many of Corman's films are based on works t ...

assigned Harrington to direct two American films and use Russian science fiction film footage in both; the result was '' Voyage to the Prehistoric Planet'' (1965) and ''

Queen of Blood ''Queen of Blood'' (a.k.a. ''Planet of Blood'') is a 1966 science fiction horror film produced by George Edwards and Samuel Z. Arkoff, directed by Curtis Harrington, that stars John Saxon, Basil Rathbone, Dennis Hopper, and Judi Meredith. ...

'' (1966), which then led to further films such as '' Games'' (1967). He also directed ''

Whoever Slew Auntie Roo? ''Whoever Slew Auntie Roo?'' (U.S. title: ''Who Slew Auntie Roo?'') is a 1972 horror-thriller film directed by Curtis Harrington and starring Shelley Winters, Mark Lester, and Sir Ralph Richardson. Based partly on the fairy tale "Hansel and ...

'' (1971) with

Shelley Winters Shelley Winters (born Shirley Schrift; August 18, 1920 – January 14, 2006) was an American actress whose career spanned seven decades. She appeared in numerous films. She won Academy Awards for ''The Diary of Anne Frank'' (1959) and ''A Patch o ...

, ''

What's the Matter with Helen? ''What's the Matter With Helen?'' is a 1971 American exploitation horror film directed by Curtis Harrington and starring Debbie Reynolds and Shelley Winters. Plot Leonard Hill and Wesley Bruckner are seen being loaded into a paddy wagon to face ...

'' (1971) with Winters and Debbie Reynolds, and '' Killer Bees'' (1974) with

Gloria Swanson Gloria May Josephine Swanson (March 27, 1899April 4, 1983) was an American actress and producer. She first achieved fame acting in dozens of silent films in the 1920s and was nominated three times for the Academy Award for Best Actress, most f ...

in one of her last film roles. Harrington made two

made-for-television A television film, alternatively known as a television movie, made-for-TV film/movie or TV film/movie, is a feature-length film that is produced and originally distributed by or to a television network, in contrast to theatrical films made fo ...

movies based on screenplays by Robert Bloch: ''The Cat Creature'' (1973) and '' The Dead Don't Die'' (1975).

Later films

Harrington had a cameo role in

Orson Welles George Orson Welles (May 6, 1915 – October 10, 1985) was an American actor, director, producer, and screenwriter, known for his innovative work in film, radio and theatre. He is considered to be among the greatest and most influential f ...

's unfinished ''

The Other Side of the Wind ''The Other Side of the Wind'' is a 2018 satirical drama film, directed, co-written, co-produced and co-edited by Orson Welles, and posthumously released in 2018 after forty-eight years in development. The film stars John Huston, Bob Random, Pe ...

'' (1970–1976). Throughout the 1970s and 1980s, Harrington directed episodes of television series such as ''

Baretta ''Baretta'' is an American detective television series which ran on ABC from 1975 to 1978. The show was a revised and milder version of a 1973–1974 ABC series, '' Toma'', starring Tony Musante as chameleon-like, real-life New Jersey pol ...

'', ''

Dynasty A dynasty is a sequence of rulers from the same family,''Oxford English Dictionary'', "dynasty, ''n''." Oxford University Press (Oxford), 1897. usually in the context of a monarchical system, but sometimes also appearing in republics. A ...

'', ''

Wonder Woman Wonder Woman is a superhero created by the American psychologist and writer William Moulton Marston (pen name: Charles Moulton), and artist Harry G. Peter. Marston's wife, Elizabeth Holloway Marston, Elizabeth, and their life partner, Olive Byr ...

'', ''

The Twilight Zone ''The Twilight Zone'' is an American media franchise based on the anthology television series created by Rod Serling. The episodes are in various genres, including fantasy, science fiction, absurdism, dystopian fiction, suspense, horror, sup ...

'' and '' Charlie's Angels''. Harrington's final film, the short ''Usher'', is a remake of ''Fall of the House of Usher'', an unreleased film he did while in high school. His casting of Nikolas and

Zeena Schreck Zeena Galatea Schreck (née LaVey), known professionally by her mononymous artist name ZEENA, is a Berlin-based American visual and musical artist, author and the spiritual leader of the Sethian Liberation Movement (SLM), which she founded in 200 ...

in his updated version of

Edgar Allan Poe Edgar Allan Poe (; Edgar Poe; January 19, 1809 – October 7, 1849) was an American writer, poet, editor, and literary critic. Poe is best known for his poetry and short stories, particularly his tales of mystery and the macabre. He is wide ...

's "

The Fall of the House of Usher "The Fall of the House of Usher" is a short story by American writer Edgar Allan Poe, first published in 1839 in ''Burton's Gentleman's Magazine'', then included in the collection ''Tales of the Grotesque and Arabesque'' in 1840. The short story ...

" is in keeping with the magical thread that runs through the filmmaker's career. Financing of the film was partly accomplished through the Shrecks' brokering of the sale of Harrington's signed copy of Crowley's ''

The Book of Thoth '' Book of Thoth'' is a name given to many ancient Egyptian texts supposed to have been written by Thoth, the Egyptian god of writing and knowledge. They include many texts that were claimed to exist by ancient authors and a magical book that ap ...

''. The

Academy Film Archive The Academy Film Archive is part of the Academy Foundation, established in 1944 with the purpose of organizing and overseeing the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences’ educational and cultural activities, including the preservation of m ...

has preserved several of Curtis Harrington's films, including ''Night Tide'', ''On the Edge'', and ''Picnic''.

Personal life

Harrington was homosexual. He said in his autobiography that he had his first sexual experience with another male (a football player) in high school.

Death

Harrington died on May 6, 2007, of complications from a stroke he suffered in 2005. He is interred in the Cathedral Mausoleum at the

Hollywood Forever Cemetery Hollywood Forever Cemetery is a full-service cemetery, funeral home, crematory, and cultural events center which regularly hosts community events such as live music and summer movie screenings. It is one of the oldest cemeteries in Los Angel ...

. ''House of Harrington'', a short documentary about the director's life, was released in 2008. It was directed by

Jeffrey Schwarz Jeffrey Schwarz is an American Emmy Awards, Emmy Award-winning film producer, director, and editor. He is known for an extensive body of documentary work including ''Boulevard! A Hollywood Story'', ''The Fabulous Allan Carr'', ''Tab Hunter Confi ...

and Tyler Hubby and filmed several years before Harrington's death. It includes footage of his high school film ''Fall of the House of Usher''. Curtis Harrington's memoir ''Nice Guys Don't Work in Hollywood'' was published in 2013 by Drag City.

Filmography

Short films

* ''Fall of the House of Usher'' (1942) * ''Fragment of Seeking'' (1946) * ''Picnic'' (1948) * ''On the Edge'' (1949) * ''The Assignation'' (1952) * ''Dangerous Houses'' (1952) – unreleased * ''St. Tropaz'' (1952) – unfinished * ''The Wormwood Star'' (1956) - documentary about

* ''The Four Elements'' (1966) - industrial short * ''Usher'' (2000)

Theatrical films

* ''

'' (1961, not released widely until 1963) * '' Voyage to the Prehistoric Planet'' (1965) * ''

'' (1966) * '' Games'' (1967) * ''

'' (1971) * ''

'' (1971) * '' The Killing Kind'' (1973) * ''

Ruby A ruby is a pinkish red to blood-red colored gemstone, a variety of the mineral corundum ( aluminium oxide). Ruby is one of the most popular traditional jewelry gems and is very durable. Other varieties of gem-quality corundum are called sa ...

'' (1977) * ''

Mata Hari Margaretha Geertruida MacLeod (née Zelle; 7 August 187615 October 1917), better known by the stage name Mata Hari (), was a Dutch exotic dancer and courtesan who was convicted of being a spy for Germany during World War I. She was executed ...

'' (1985)

TV movies

* ''

How Awful About Allan ''How Awful About Allan'' is a 1970 American made-for-television horror psychological thriller film directed by Curtis Harrington, the first of two collaborations with writer Henry Farrell (the other was ''What's the Matter with Helen?''), and ...

'' (1970) * ''

The Cat Creature ''The Cat Creature'' is a 1973 American television film, made-for-television horror film produced by Douglas S. Cramer and directed by Curtis Harrington from a teleplay by Robert Bloch and starring Meredith Baxter, David Hedison and Gale Sonderga ...

'' (1973) * '' Killer Bees'' (1974) * '' The Dead Don't Die'' (1975) * '' Devil Dog: The Hound of Hell'' (1978)

TV series

*'' The Legend of Jessie James'' (1966) - 2 episodes *''

'' (1975–76) - 2 episodes *''

Quinn Martin's Tales of the Unexpected ''Quinn Martins Tales of the Unexpected'' is an American horror and science fiction anthology television series produced by Quinn Martin, and hosted and narrated by William Conrad. It aired from February 2 to August 24, 1977.McNeil, Alex, ''Tot ...

'' (1977) - 1 episode ("A Hand For Sonny Blue") *''

Logan's Run ''Logan's Run'' is a science fiction novel by American writers William F. Nolan and George Clayton Johnson. Published in 1967, the novel depicts a dystopic Malthusianism future society in which both population and the consumption of resource ...

'' (1978) - 1 episode *'' Lucan'' (1978) - 1 episode *''

Sword of Justice A sword of justice is a ceremonial sword that is used to signify a monarch's supreme judicial power. In some cases, this may have been an executioner's sword that was no longer used for executions, becoming instead a ceremonial one. The Crown ...

'' (1978) - 1 episode *''

Vega$ ''Vegas'' (stylized as ''Vega$'') is an American crime drama television series that aired on ABC from September 20, 1978, to June 3, 1981, with the pilot episode airing April 25, 1978. ''Vegas'' was produced by Aaron Spelling and created by Mic ...

'' (1978) - 1 episode *'' Charlie's Angels'' (1978–79) - 2 episodes *''

'' (1979) - 1 episode *'' Darkroom'' (1981) - 2 episodes & opening credits *''

Hotel A hotel is an establishment that provides paid lodging on a short-term basis. Facilities provided inside a hotel room may range from a modest-quality mattress in a small room to large suites with bigger, higher-quality beds, a dresser, a ref ...

'' (1983–84) - 2 episodes *''

'' (1983–85) - 6 episodes *''

Glitter Glitter is an assortment of small, reflective particles that come in a variety of shapes, sizes, and colors. Glitter particles reflect light at different angles, causing the surface to sparkle or shimmer. Glitter is similar to confetti, sparkle ...

'' (1984) - 1 episode *''

The Colbys ''The Colbys'' (originally titled ''Dynasty II: The Colbys'') is an American prime time television soap opera that originally aired on ABC from November 20, 1985, to March 26, 1987. Created by Richard and Esther Shapiro and Eileen and Robert ...

'' (1985–87) - 5 episodes *''

'' (1987) - 1 episode

Acting roles

*''The Fall of the House of Usher'' (1942) * ''Fragment of Seeking'' (1946) *''

'' (1954) *'' Ironside'' (1967) – episode ("Let My Brother Go") *''

'' (1972) *'' Gods and Monsters'' (1998) *''Usher'' (2000)

References

External links

*
Retrospective in Terror: An Interview with Curtis HarringtonTerrortrap.com GalleryCurtis Harrington Facebook PageCurtis Harrington papers
Margaret Herrick Library, Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences {{DEFAULTSORT:Harrington, Curtis 1926 births 2007 deaths American experimental filmmakers LGBT film directors LGBT television directors Burials at Hollywood Forever Cemetery Film directors from Los Angeles Occidental College alumni University of Southern California alumni UCLA Film School alumni Horror film directors 20th-century LGBT people 21st-century LGBT people