Speeding Bullitt: The Life and Films of Steve McQueen

Paul D. Wilson takes us behind the scenes of his 1999 short film Finding McQueen, sharing how the project came together, and exploring his ties to key figures from Steve McQueen's career.

Long before Steve McQueen started vacationing in Palm Springs, California in 1961, celebrities were already escaping Hollywood to the desert. In this episode of Speeding Bullitt, historian Jim Cook shares his extensive research on Hollywood's ties to the Coachella Valley.

The Steve McQueen expert Marshall Terrill joins me on this episode to discuss Steve's Palm Springs era. Together, we explore his former homes and revisit some of the actor's favorite spots. Later, I chat with the current owner of McQueen's first Palm Springs home, which you can rent for your next vacation.

Writer, actor, podcaster, and Speeding Bullitt regular Dion Baia joins me on this episode of the podcast to discuss five AI-generated Steve McQueen films created by ChatGPT. While this episode is purely speculative, Dion's extensive knowledge of film and television makes for an engaging and enjoyable conversation.

In 2022, Hagerty.com released an article titled The 10 Most Valuable Steve McQueen Cars Sold at Auction. On this episode of Speeding Bullitt, I'm joined by automotive journalist Matt Stone, author of McQueen's Machines, to explore the history behind these iconic vehicles in greater detail.

Over four decades after his passing, Steve McQueen's sense of fashion continues to influence what men wear today, including Tom Hoy from Easy on the Ivy and Lincoln McConnell-Brown from Dressing Like McQueen. Tune in as both men join me to discuss the icon's effortlessly cool style.

During the summer of 1968, Leilani Chun found herself on the set of Bullitt alongside Steve McQueen. She joins me on this bonus episode of the show, to share her interaction with "The King of Cool."

On this episode of Speeding Bullitt: The Life and Films of Steve McQueen, I'm joined by Marshall Terrill, writer and Steve McQueen expert. Together, we explore McQueen's relationship with his third wife, Barbara Minty, his struggle with Mesothelioma, and his passing on November 7, 1980.

Dr. Jason Ney, Associate Professor of English at Colorado Christian University and film historian, joins me to discuss Steve McQueen's final film, The Hunter. We explore the cars featured in the movie, the film's cast of ridiculous characters, and the exciting stunt work performed by Steve McQueen and Loren Janes.

Mickey Guinn, retired actor, stuntman, and driver for Hollywood Local 399 Teamsters joins me to talk about befriending Steve McQueen on the star's penultimate film, Tom Horn, and to share stories about working with many actors including William Shatner, Bette Davis, and Jim Carrey.

Florence Esposito takes me back to The Old Place in Agoura Hills, California during the early to mid-70s, where she worked and mingled with Steve McQueen and other Hollywood stars at the beloved rustic bar.

The Steve McQueen expert Marshall Terrill joins me to provide insight into McQueen's rarely seen 1978 film, An Enemy of The People. We also discuss the extensive interview Steve gave Charles Champlin at Loyola Marymount University in 1978, which I also present in its entirety.

In 1974, Steve McQueen starred in The Towering Inferno, the top grossing film of the year. By 1975, he became a recluse, and faded into the background of Hollywood. On this episode of the podcast, the Steve McQueen expert, Marshall Terrill, joins me to talk about the icon's time away from the spotlight.

Lee Marvin expert Dwayne Epstein joins me to discuss his new book, Killin' Generals: The Making of The Dirty Dozen, the Most Iconic WW II Movie of All Time, and to explore the life and films of one of Steve McQueen's contemporaries, and the man credited with drastically altering the way real violence is depicted on film, Lee Marvin.

Writer, actor, podcaster, and fellow disaster movie fan Dion Baia joins me on this lengthy episode to discuss the best Disaster movies ever made, The Towering Inferno and The Poseidon Adventure. We also review the history of disaster movies and explore the career of Irwin Allen.

Documentary filmmaker, producer, and author, Laurent Bouzereau explores the impact disaster movies have had on his career, especially Steve McQueen's The Towering Inferno. He also shares what he learned about the classic disaster film from talking to his friends, Robert Wagner and Faye Dunaway.

Carlena Gower, Angela Allbright in The Towering Inferno, joins me to reveal what it was like working with Steve McQueen and Paul Newman, to talk about being on the set of the greatest disaster movie ever, and to discuss her life and career after the film.

It's that time of year again, when movie fans congregate at The Colonial Theatre in Phoenixville, Pennsylvania to celebrate Steve McQueen's 1958 classic sci-fi monster movie, The Blob. Chuck Francisco, aka Dash Daring, joins me on this episode of Speeding Bullitt to discuss this year's Blobfest programming.

After seeing The Graduate in 1968, Steve McQueen couldn't believe Dustin Hoffman was going to be a movie star. Five years later, they starred in Papillon together. Beverly Gray, author of 2017's Seduced by Mrs. Robinson: How The Graduate Became the Touchstone of a Generation, joins me to discuss Dustin Hoffman and The Graduate.

Kevin Kehrwald, author of the book Prison Movies: Cinema Behind Bars, and a professor in the English department at Frostburg State University, where he founded the Film Studies program, joins me to discuss the history of prison movies; exploring films and actors from all decades, including movies about women in prison and prison comedies.

Caroline Delbert, freelance writer and reporter, and contributing editor at Popular Mechanics, discusses her recent article, Forced Exile: The World's Dubious History of Prison Islands, as we explore the history of life on various prison islands, like Devil's Island from the Steve McQueen film, Papillon.

Writer and Steve McQueen expert Marshall Terrill joins me to discuss McQueen's life after The Getaway, a conversation that includes some never before shared information about Steve's relationship with Ali MacGraw and a cast member of The Reivers. We explore McQueen and Dustin Hoffman's relationship on the set of Papillon, the film's connection to The Beatles, and we compare the 1973 epic to the 2017 remake.

Author, actor, and co-host of the Saturday Night Movie Sleepovers podcast Dion Baia joins me to discuss the 1994 remake of 1972's The Getaway. We talk about the performances of several actors in the 1994 version of the film and compare them to their counterparts in the original version. We take a look at where the cast of the 90s film are now, and we speculate on what sequels and remakes of other McQueen projects would or could look like.

Daniel Epler from The Cobwebs Podcast joins me to compare Antoine Fuqua's version of The Magnificent Seven to John Sturges' 1960 classic remake of Akira Kurosawa's 1954 Japanese film, Seven Samurai. We discuss the film's diverse cast of characters, talk about what we like better about the 2016 iteration of the movie, and we speculate on future versions of the Western classic.

In the first episode of a series that explores remade and reimagined Steve McQueen projects, Will from the Exploding Helicopter podcast and website joins me to discuss 1987's reimagined Wanted: Dead or Alive, a film that attempts to connect to Steve McQueen's Western TV show of the same name.

Drummer and Jazz historian Steven Cerra joins me to explore Steve McQueen's record collection, as seen in LIFE photographer John Dominis' 1963 photograph of the "King of Cool" listening to Jazz records in his Palm Springs bungalow.

James Curtis, author of Spencer Tracy: A Biography, joins me to discuss the life and films of one of Steve McQueen's favourite actors, Spencer Tracy.

Georgetown University professor Dr. Susanna Lee, author of Hard-Boiled Crime Fiction and the Decline of Moral Authority and Detectives In the Shadows: A Hard-Boiled History, joins me to discuss the hardboiled crime fiction of Jim Thompson, including his 1958 novel turned Steve McQueen movie, The Getaway.

As we say goodbye to 2022, and welcome in 2023, I share with you the most listened to/downloaded episode of Speeding Bullitt of the past year, with a new intro providing insightful background information about the podcast. Bruce Buffer, the official octagon announcer for the Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC), shares stories about surfing, martial arts, and hanging out with Steve and Chad McQueen in Malibu, California. During the second half of the show, I share my thoughts on the Steven Spielberg Bullitt project.

Steve McQueen robbed banks in The Great St. Louis Bank Robbery, The Thomas Crown Affair, and The Getaway; Clay Tumey robbed banks in real life. Clay joins me to discuss what led to him robbing banks, to talk about how prison changed him, and he shares his thoughts on Hollywood depictions of heists and bank robberies.

Writer and Steve McQueen expert Marshall Terrill joins me to provide an update on the books he's been writing, to talk about fact and fiction in Baz Luhrmann's Elvis, and to discuss Steve McQueen's Junior Bonner and The Getaway.

Acclaimed director Quentin Tarantino has released his nonfiction film theory book, Cinema Speculation, which includes chapters on Bullitt and The Getaway. On this episode of Speeding Bullitt, McQueen expert Marshall Terrill and I unpack the McQueen content of the book, as well as discuss the latest Steven Spielberg Frank Bullitt news.

It's Noirvember, and on this episode of Speeding Bullitt, Daniel Epler from The Cobwebs Podcast joins me to explore Steve McQueen's very first appearance on film in the ultra low budget film noir, 1953's Girl on the Run. During the second half of the episode listeners share their thoughts on Steve McQueen.

Novelist, actor, and co-host of the Saturday Night Movie Sleepovers podcast, Dion Baia, joins me to discuss Steve McQueen's two episodes of Alfred Hitchcock Presents, Human Interest Story from 1959 and Man from the South from 1960.

Musicians have been singing about Steve McQueen for over 50 years, including singer-songwriter Patterson Hood, co-founder of the Drive-By Truckers. Patterson joins me to talk about his song, Steve McQueen, and to explore the origins of his fascination with "The King of Cool".

Novelist and co-host of the Six-Gun Justice Western pop culture podcast, Paul Bishop, discusses Junior Bonner and explores the history of rodeo books, TV shows, and films. Matthew Asprey Gear, writer, educator, and film historian follows Paul to dive into the life and career of the woman who plays McQueen's mother in Junior Bonner, Ida Lupino.

Costume designer and the youngest child of director Sam Peckinpah, Lupita Peckinpah, discusses the Turner Classic Movies 2019 documentary, Peckinpah Suite, of which she is the focus of. Lupita also talks about the life and films of her father, and shares stories from her career.

Stuart Rosebrook, writer, Western historian, and editor of True West magazine, discusses the Steve McQueen film his father Jeb Rosebrook wrote, Junior Bonner, providing an extensive amount of behind-the-scenes information.

Noah Isenberg, George Christian Centennial Professor and Chair of the Department of Radio-Television-Film at the University of Texas at Austin, and author of We'll Always Have Casablanca: The Legend and Afterlife of Hollywood's Most Beloved Film, discusses Steve McQueen's favourite actor, Humphrey Bogart.

Filmmaker Dana Brown discusses the pioneering films of his father, Bruce Brown, director of The Endless Summer and On Any Sunday. Dana also talks about his relationship with the McQueens, and looks back on his own career as a documentary filmmaker.

Mert Lawwill is one of the stars of Bruce Brown's 1971 documentary, On Any Sunday, a film that documents Lawwill's defence of his 1969 AMA Grand National Championship. Mert joins me to discuss the documentary, to reminisce about riding with Steve McQueen, and to look back on an accomplished motorcycle racing career.

Rebecca Sullivan is a professor in the department of English at the University of Calgary, specializing in feminist film, media and cultural studies. Her Natalie Wood book was published by the British Film Institute in 2019, shedding new light on Wood's enormous contributions to American cinema and popular culture.

Charles Bronson historian Paul Talbot, author of Bronson's Loose!: The Making of the Death Wish Films and Bronson's Loose Again! On the Set with Charles Bronson, joins me to explore the life and films of Steve McQueen's buddy, Charles Bronson.

Not only was Steve McQueen one of the biggest movie stars of the 1960s and 70s, he was also one of the coolest dressers in Hollywood. Nick Guzan from the blog BAMF Style joins me to discuss Steve McQueen's most iconic looks, and provides pointers on how to dress like Steve McQueen.

Gabriel Clarke, writer and codirector of the 2015 documentary Steve McQueen: The Man and Le Mans joins me to discuss his film, revealing all sorts of behind-the-scenes information from the production, including how it all came together and what it was like to work closely with the McQueen family.

Matt Stone, author of BULLITT: The Cars and the People Behind Steve McQueen, McQueen's Motorcycles: Racing and Riding with the King of Cool, and McQueen's Machines: The Cars and Bikes of a Hollywood Icon joins me to discuss Steve McQueen's four-wheeled co-stars in Le Mans.

Writer, documentary filmmaker, and Emmy Award-winning director John Klawitter reflects on his time in Sarthe, France in the summer of 1970, documenting Steve McQueen's Le Mans.

Writer, actor, and podcaster Dion Baia joins me to discuss four of Steve McQueen's early TV appearances, including The Defender, the two-part television play starring Ralph Bellamy and William Shatner, and the pilot for McQueen's Western TV show, Wanted: Dead or Alive.

Bruce Buffer, the official octagon announcer for the Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC), shares stories about surfing, martial arts, and hanging out with Steve and Chad McQueen in Malibu, California. During the second half of the show, I share my thoughts on the Steven Spielberg Bullitt project.

The Steve McQueen expert Marshall Terrill answers listener submitted questions about McQueen's womanizing, his drug use, and his religious beliefs.