Speeding Bullitt: The Life and Films of Steve McQueen

Dr. Ira Wells, author of the 2021 book, Norman Jewison: A Director's Life, joins me to talk about the Canadian filmmaker's relationship with Steve McQueen, revealing details of a Western film Jewison had planned for "The King of Cool".

James Coburn's daughter-in-law Robyn L. Coburn joins me to discuss her 2021 book, Dervish Dust: The Life and Words of James Coburn, highlighting James's relationships with Steve McQueen and Bruce Lee.

Jeff Commings, host of the podcast, The Baton: A John Williams Musical Journey, joins me to discuss John Williams's career, his best scores, and of course the super important film score for The Reivers.

Chris Rieger, Director of the Center for Faulkner Studies at Southeast Missouri State University joins me to talk about Faulkner's rise to fame, we compare The Reivers book to the movie, and we also discuss Faulkner's screenwriting career.

How does the biggest name in Hollywood end the 1960s? By starring in a film adaptation of William Faulkner's last novel, 1962's The Reivers, which takes place in Mississippi at the turn of the 20th century. Tune in as the Steve McQueen expert Marshall Terrill joins me to discuss the icon's third and final comedy.

Why is society obsessed with Charles Manson? Jeffrey Melnick, author of Creepy Crawling: Charles Manson and the Many Lives of America's Most Infamous Family, joins me to explore society's obsession with Manson. McQueen expert Marshall Terrill joins me on the second half of the episode to share his thoughts on Manson.

Tom O'Neill, author of CHAOS: Charles Manson, the CIA, and the Secret History of the Sixties, discusses his shocking findings from 20 years of researching the crimes that took place at 10050 Cielo Drive in 1969. He also reveals what's in McQueen's LAPD Manson file, and shares what he knows about Steve's cocaine dealer.

In the summer of 1969, hippy cult leader Charles Manson and his followers terrorized Los Angeles, murdering actress Sharon Tate, McQueen's close friend, Jay Sebring, and others. Writer Ivor Davis was there, reporting on the madness as it unfolded in real time. Ivor joins me to reflect on the Manson murders 50+ years later.

Teenagers! Fast cars! Red blobby monsters! Novelist and co-host of the Saturday Night Movie Sleepovers podcast, Dion Baia, joins me on this Halloween bonus episode of Speeding Bullitt to discuss all of The Blob movies.

Writer and Steve McQueen expert Marshall Terrill joins me to share stories and anecdotes from his impressive writing career. Marshall has written 27 books, including 7 that focus on McQueen.

Writer and Steve McQueen expert Marshall Terrill returns to debunk or confirm rumours about 'The King of Cool'. Did Steve McQueen punch Charles Manson in the face? Whats the story behind the famous quote, "I live for myself and answer to nobody"? Did McQueen die with a poster for The Blob on his wall? Tune in to find out.

Lee Purcell's film career was launched when Steve McQueen selected her to star in Solar Productions' Adam at 6 AM. Purcell, who had never acted in a film before, become the only actress or actor to be introduced to the world by Steve McQueen as his personal discovery, and the only performer to receive mentorship from the icon.

The Steve McQueen expert Marshall Terrill and I discuss Quentin Tarantino's first work of fiction, Once Upon a Time in Hollywood: A Novel, which is loaded with plenty of Steve McQueen.

Novelist and co-host of the Saturday Night Movie Sleepovers podcast, Dion Baia, joins me to discuss Steve McQueen's five consecutive box office hit films in the 1960s: The Cincinnati Kid, Nevada Smith, The Sand Pebbles, The Thomas Crown Affair, and Bullitt.

Professional auctioneer Matt Moravec from Mecum Auctions, the world leader in live auctions of collector and classic vehicles, discusses what it was like to bang the gavel on the 1968 Bullitt Mustang, when it sold for 3.4 million dollars in 2020.

Matt Stone, author of the 2020 book, Bullitt: The Cars and People Behind Steve McQueen, joins me to discuss the vehicles in the film, including the Mustangs, the Chargers, and the green Volkswagen Beetle everybody loves to talk about.

Hop in the highland green Bullitt Mustang with Marshall Terrill and me as we explore Steve McQueen's defining film, 1968's Bullitt. We talk about the time McQueen witnessed a murder in San Francisco, dig deeper into Steve's vision for Solar Productions, and go into what makes Bullitt McQueen's most memorable picture.

Blobfest is an annual three-day festival that celebrates the film in which Steve McQueen appeared in his first star billing role, The Blob. Typically the festival is held at The Colonial Theatre in Phoenixville, Pennsylvania; however, because of the COVID-19 pandemic, this year's edition has gone virtual. Chuck Francisco, aka Dash Daring, joins me to discuss all things Blobfest including this year's activities.

Tune in to hear the Steve McQueen expert Marshall Terrill and I answer and discuss questions sent in by you, the listeners. This episode covers all time periods of McQueen's life and career, exploring different aspects such as, his relationship with Sam Peckinpah, his workout regiment, his acting style, plus much more.

On this episode, I connect with two people who worked with Steve McQueen in the late 1950s, actor Michael Dante and writer William F Nolan. Tune in to hear both guest share anecdotes about Steve McQueen and about working in Hollywood over the past 60 years.

Peter Drummey, Chief Historian and Stephen T. Riley Librarian for the Massachusetts Historical Society joins me to discuss the historical significance of Thomas Crown's home at 85 Mount Vernon Street in Boston's affluent neighbourhood of Beacon Hill.

Film producer Arthur Friedman joins me to discuss his time working for United Artists in the 1960s, including his involvement with the world premiere of The Thomas Crown Affair in Boston, Massachusetts in 1968. Our conversation also includes anecdotes from Arthur's experience in film distribution, insights into his friendship with Bobby Darin, and he explains how he got involved with the Coen brothers.

1968's The Thomas Crown Affair was the only film Steve McQueen had to fight to be in after becoming a star. Steve McQueen expert Marshall Terrill joins me to discuss why Steve badly wanted to play Thomas Crown, and how it impacted his life and career. Megan Sanders and Simon Tennant join me in the second half of the show to discuss the Sanders chukka boot, a model made popular by Steve McQueen.

Writer and Steve McQueen expert Marshall Terrill unpacks the contents of Steve McQueen's FBI file, as well as addresses rumours about Steve, including hearsay about his sexuality.

This episode contains a new introduction with Steve McQueen expert Marshall Terrill. Frank Hill met Steve McQueen in 1963 as a youth attending Boys Republic in Chino, California. Over the next 17 years, Frank developed a close relationship with McQueen, spending a significant amount of time with the Hollywood icon. During our 60-minute conversation, Frank shares many never-before-heard stories about "The King of Cool," including tales of speeding cars (and bikes), fist fights, and run-ins with police. This episode was originally released on January 9, 2020.

In 1965, John Norris scored a job as Steve McQueen's stand-in and photo double for The Sand Pebbles. The two developed a friendship, which led to Norris working with McQueen again for 1972's The Getaway. John joins me to share stories about filming the American war epic, and to talk about his friend, Steve McQueen.

Writer J.R. Jordan discusses his book, Robert Wise: The Motion Pictures, as well as the life and career of the director. The second half of the show features a conversation with Jerry Figgiani, one of McQueen's buddies from his days in Greenwich Village.

Writer and Steve McQueen expert Marshall Terrill and I explore Steve McQueen's time filming the The Sand Pebbles, an American war epic directed by Robert Wise. The second part of the show looks at the curious life of the woman who played Maily, Marayat Andriane.

Film historian and writer Alan L. Gansberg and I discuss Steve McQueen's Hollywood, exploring various aspects of the industry that impacted McQueen's life and career.

In 1965, Steve McQueen and John Sturges set out to make the first authentic grand prix racing film, Day of the Champion. The movie was shelved before being completed, leaving McQueen fans with plenty of questions about the project. Filmmaker Alex Rodger's new documentary Steve McQueen: The Lost Movie helps answer many of those questions, he joins me on Episode 31 to talk about his film.

Veering from Speeding Bullitt's chronological exploration of McQueen's life and films, Episode 30 puts the Bullitt Mustang in reverse, and takes a deeper look at 1958's Never Love a Stranger and Steve's time spent at the Neighborhood Playhouse School of the Theatre in New York City. John Blyth Barrymore discusses his father's turbulent life and acting career, followed by Pamela Kareman, Executive Director of the Neighborhood Playhouse School of the Theatre, talking about the school's rich history.

What if Steve McQueen starred in Breakfast at Tiffany's, Butch Cassidy and the Sundance Kid, or Rambo: First Blood? Steve McQueen expert Marshall Terrill and I discuss the films Steve McQueen missed out on, movies he passed on, and projects that never got made.

Writer and host of the Six-Gun Justice podcast, Paul Bishop, provides insight into McQueen's 1966 Western, Nevada Smith, after which Peter Bernstein, son of Academy Award-winning composer and conductor Elmer Bernstein, joins me to talk about his father's life and music.

Writer and filmmaker Dana Schoel discusses his book, Young Steve McQueen: His Incredible Life Before Stardom, and the process of trying to get his work onto the screen.

Marshall Terrill discusses his new book, Steve McQueen In His Own Words, 40 years after McQueen's passing.

Tune in to this Halloween bonus episode of Speeding Bullitt with The Blob-centric conversations with Steve Vertlieb, cinema archivist, journalist, film historian, and film music educator; as well as Mr. Lobo, horror host of the nationally syndicated American television series Cinema Insomnia, as well as the host of Blobfest.

On this episode of Speeding Bullitt, Alan L. Gansberg, author of Little Caesar: A Biography of Edward G. Robinson, and someone who has dedicated almost his entire life to film and film education, working in both entertainment and academia, discusses the life, career, and legacy of the great Edward G. Robinson.

Writer and Steve McQueen expert Marshall Terrill explores Steve McQueen's experience filming the classic 1965 poker movie The Cincinnati Kid. Dr. Robert Joseph, PhD joins me during the second half of the show to discuss the history of filmmaking in New Orleans, Louisiana.

Steve McQueen expert Marshall Terrill shares stories from Steve's time filming Baby, the Rain Must Fall, including anecdotes about Steve McQueen expensing drugs to the studio, his connection to JFK, and "The King of Cool's" rivalry with "The King of Rock and Roll," Elvis Presley.

Matt Stone, author of McQueen's Machines and McQueen's Motorcycles: Racing and Riding with the King of Cool, joins me to discuss some of McQueen's most popular machines, as well as to tell me about his newest book, Bullitt: The Cars and People Behind Steve McQueen.

Go behind the scenes of HBO's documentary, Natalie Wood: What Remains Behind with director Laurent Bouzereau, a pioneer of "making-of" documentary film making and the director of Netflix's Five Came Back.

On this episode of Speeding Bullitt, Marshall Terrill and I look at McQueen's life immediately after The Great Escape, following the "King of Cool" to New York City as he films Love with the Proper Stranger with the Magnificent Natalie Wood. After that, Dr. Gretchen Sisson, PhD joins me to explore representations of abortion and reproductive decision-making in film and television.

Tyler Trafford joins me to share the emotional story behind his 2014 W.O. Mitchell Award, the Wilfrid Eggleston Award for Non-Fiction, and the Alberta Readers' Choice Award winning novel, Almost a Great Escape. It's an incredible story about his mother's love affair with Norwegian pilot Jens Müller, one of only three men to escape to freedom from German POW camp Stalag Luft III.

Film writer and critic Sheila O'Malley discusses her essay Not Caught, part of the Criterion Collection release of The Great Escape, after which film historian Steve Rubin explores how the film came together.

On this episode of the show, I am joined by writer and Steve McQueen expert Marshall Terrill to talk about McQueen's experience in England filming The War Lover, and by Matthew Burchette, Senior Curator at Seattle's Museum of Flight to explore the history of one of The War Lover's biggest stars, the Boeing B-17F Flying Fortress.

Bruce Lee: A Life author Matthew Polly joins me to discuss how his 2018 definitive biography of Bruce Lee came together, share stories about the martial arts legend, and to dismiss popular rumours about the Enter the Dragon star.

After watching Bao Nguyen's ESPN 30 for 30 documentary Be Water, I connect with the Steve McQueen expert Marshall Terrill to discuss McQueen's relationship with Bruce Lee.

In 1979, Alexander Hamilton High School student Rick Penn-Kraus had the opportunity to conduct an interview with Steve McQueen. It was the Hollywood icon's first interview in almost a decade, and the last formal interview he ever gave. This is Ricks's story about one of the most amazing moments of his life.

Episode 15B is my conversation with Steven Jay Rubin, an internationally recognized author, film historian, producer, screenwriter, and promoter. He has written nine books, including Combat Films: American Realism, 1945-2010.

Episode 15A is a conversation with Jeanine Basinger, founder of the department of film studies at Wesleyan University, a program that is considered to be one of the best of its kind in the world. She is the author of ten books on film including The World War II Combat Film: Anatomy of a Genre. Basinger is a trustee of the National Board of Review, a trustee emeritus of the American Film Institute, and a former member of the Board of Advisors of the Association of Independent Video and Filmmakers. She's also a huge Steve McQueen fan, citing Hell is for Heroes as her favourite "King of Cool" film. At the age of 84, Basinger is set to retire this summer, leaving behind an incredible legacy at Wesleyan University.