- Born
- Joseph McBride was born on August 9, 1947 in Milwaukee, Wisconsin. He is a writer and actor, known for Rock 'n' Roll High School (1979), Blood & Guts (1978) and Cannonball! (1976).
- Known at San Francisco State University for his high standards on essay work and requiring a manual of style in addition to other textbooks.
- Learned how to write screenplays by reading François Truffaut's book on Alfred Hitchcock, "Hitchcock/Truffaut".
- Now an assistant professor in the Cinema Dept. at San Francisco State University.
- Now an associate professor in the Cinema Department at San Francisco State University.
- He achieved his first renown as a film critic whilst living in Madison, Wisconsin, where he was also a film society organizer. He relocated to Los Angeles following the break-up of his first marriage and determined to get into films if possible, making a point of interviewing as many film directors as possible (many of these were published in film magazines).
- [on "Citizen Kane"]: Kane" is ostensibly an attempt to resolve the complexities of a legendary man's character - it unfolds as a search for the meaning of his dying word, 'Rosebud' - but it is actually a piece of prestidigitation which makes the character disappear behind a flourish of artifice and mystery.
- [on Orson Welles's radio work]: 'First Person Singular' was the singularly apt title of Orson Welles's first radio series. Although he signed off each of his programs with the words, "Obediently Yours", Welles was about as self-effacing as a drunken butler.
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