Overview

Strippers, zombies, fugitives and jewel thieves. These were just some of the characters who inhabited the weird, wild films of director Stephen C. Apostolof in the 1960s and 1970s. But Apostolof's own life was every bit as improbable as the plots of his lurid movies. Escaping the clutches of the communists in his native Bulgaria, he came to America in 1952 and decided on a whim to reinvent himself as a Hollywood filmmaker, right down to the cigars, sunglasses and Cadillacs. He produced a string of memorable sexploitation classics, including the infamous Orgy of the Dead. Along the way, he married three times, fathered five children and forged a personal and professional relationship with the notorious Ed Wood, Jr. Drawing on rare archival material and interviews with those who knew him best, this first biography of Apostolof chronicles the life and career of a cult film legend.

Full Product Details

Author:   Jordan Todorov ,  Joe Blevins
Publisher:   McFarland & Co Inc
Imprint:   McFarland & Co Inc
Dimensions:   Width: 17.80cm , Height: 1.70cm , Length: 25.40cm
Weight:   0.581kg
ISBN:  

9781476668680

ISBN 10:   147666868
Pages:   336
Publication Date:   05 October 2020
Recommended Age:   From 18 years
Audience:   Professional and scholarly ,  Professional & Vocational
Format:   Paperback
Publisher's Status:   Active
Availability:   In Print  
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Table of Contents

Table of Contents Acknowledgments Prologue: On the Trail of Stephen C. Apostolof Part One. Journey to Freedom (1928–1962)  1. The Burgas Years (1928–1948)  2. Passage to Istanbul (1948)  3. A Stranger in Paris (1948–1950)  4. Onward to Canada! (1950–1952) Part Two. Adventures in La La Land (1952–1978)  5. The Man About Town (1952–1957)  6. The Propagandist (1957)  7. The Family Man (1958–1965)  8. The Director of the Dead (1965–1966) Orgy of the Dead (1965)  9. The Prince of Confidential (1966–1968) Suburbia Confidential (1966) Motel Confidential (1967) Bachelor’s Dream (1967) College Girls (1968) Office Love-In, White Collar Style (1968) 10. The Executive Filmmaker (1969–1972) Lady Godiva Rides (1969) The Divorcee (1969) 11. The Master of Mayhem (1972–1978) The Snow Bunnies (1972) Drop-Out Wife (1972) The Class Reunion (1972) The Cocktail Hostesses (1973) Fugitive Girls (1974) The Beach Bunnies (1976) Hot Ice (1978) Part Three. The Last Mile to El Diablo (1979–2005) 12. In Exile (1979–1986) 13. The Resurrection (1987–1997) 14. State of Fear (1998–2005) The Dying of the Light The End of the End Appendix: The Immoral Artist (unused story outline) Timeline Filmography Chapter Notes Bibliography Index

Reviews

I enjoyed the hell out of this book. It's just great! Delightfully informative, ripely hilarious-and sleazy! I gobbled up everything on Orgy of the Dead, one of cinema's truly strange masterpieces! -Filmmaker Guy Maddin; If you've never heard of Stephen Apostolof (aka A.C. Stephen) buckle in for one hell of a ride that takes readers from Bulgaria to Hollywood where Apostolof made some of the wildest films you've (probably) never seen. Blevins and Todorov have given proper scholarly attention to a pillar of the sexploitation genre! -Mike White, The Projection Booth; An unashamed peek behind the faded, and often stained, velvet curtain that separates the shiny gloss of mainstream Hollywood and the smokey backrooms of exploitation cinema. -Filmmaker Fred Olen Ray.

I enjoyed the hell out of this book. It's just great! Delightfully informative, ripely hilarious-and sleazy! I gobbled up everything on Orgy of the Dead, one of cinema's truly strange masterpieces! -;Filmmaker Guy Maddin If you've never heard of Stephen Apostolof (aka A.C. Stephen) buckle in for one hell of a ride that takes readers from Bulgaria to Hollywood where Apostolof made some of the wildest films you've (probably) never seen. Blevins and Todorov have given proper scholarly attention to a pillar of the sexploitation genre! -Mike White, The Projection Booth An unashamed peek behind the faded, and often stained, velvet curtain that separates the shiny gloss of mainstream Hollywood and the smokey backrooms of exploitation cinema. -Filmmaker Fred Olen Ray

Author Information

Jordan Todorov is a journalist and a filmmaker based in Berlin, Germany who directed Dad Made Dirty Movies (2011), a documentary about Stephen C. Apostolof. He writes for Atlas Obscura—an online compendium of “The World’s Wonders, Curiosities, and Esoterica.” Joe Blevins is a freelance writer in Arlington Heights, Illinois. His work has appeared in The A.V. Club, Splitsider, Weekly Humorist, and Crooked Marquee, as well as his blog, Dead 2 Rights.

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