Otis Ferguson (August 14, 1907 – September 14, 1943) was an American writer best remembered for his music and film reviews in ''
The New Republic'' in the 1930s.
Although he can be seen as a predecessor to film critics
James Agee,
Manny Farber,
Pauline Kael, and
Andrew Sarris, he has been characterized by
Robert Christgau as "the first rock critic" due to his appreciation of
jazz and its impact on
popular culture. Ferguson died in action during
World War II.
His film criticism is praised and discussed by critics
Richard Schickel and
Wesley Morris in the documentary film ''
For the Love of Movies: The Story of American Film Criticism'' (2009).
On the release of ''
The Wizard of Oz'' (1939) Ferguson wrote a notoriously negative review. In the review, he made the remark, "It has dwarfs, Technicolor, freak characters, and Judy Garland. It can't be expected to have a sense of humor as well."
After the
Attack on Pearl Harbor, Ferguson joined the
Merchant Marine. He died in 1943 when his ship was bombed while anchored in the
Gulf of Salerno.
Bibliography
* ''The Film Criticism of Otis Ferguson'',
["Movie History: Choice Critics," ''American Heritage'', Nov./Dec. 2006.] edited by Robert Wilson, with a foreword by
Andrew Sarris (Temple University Press, 1971)
* ''In the Spirit of Jazz: The Otis Ferguson Reader'', edited by Dorothy Chamberlain and Robert Wilson (December Press, 1982; Da Capo, 1997)
Notes
External links
An essay about Ferguson from ''Senses of Cinema''
Category:1907 births
Category:1943 deaths
Category:American film critics
Category:American music critics
Category:Jazz writers
Category:20th-century American non-fiction writers
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