Harry Dean and the New Hollywood

This chapter begins with an interview with Monte Hellman, one of the seminal directors of the "New Hollywood" era of the 1960s and 1970s that followed the decline of the old studio system and ushered in a new spirit of independence, rebellion, and commitment to film as an art form. Harry Dean was in three Hellman films -- Ride in the Whirlwind (1966), Two-Lane Blacktop (1971), and Cockfighter (1974). He would also appear in the films of several other leading New Hollywood directors such as Francis Ford Coppola, Sam Peckinpah, and John Milius. Harry Dean remained in the supporting cast while his good friend Jack Nicholson rose to stardom. However, a cult status began to grow around him, fueled by his work in films such as Peckinpah's Pat Garrett and Billy the Kid (1973) and Arthur Penn's The Missouri Breaks (1976), which starred his Mulholland Drive neighbors Nicholson and Marlon Brando.