Jean-Luc Godard wrote: “The cinema is Nicholas Ray.” Revered by both the public and his peers, Nicholas Ray changed forever the landscape of American film making. Known for directing such classics movies as Lonely Place or Rebel Without a Cause, Ray was attracted to stories of misfits and social pariahs. In fact, Ray is one of the first directors to explore the anguish of the modern American teenager, starting a long line of movies depicting the struggles of youth. However dramatic Ray’s movie pictures were they were no match for his dark and haunted fate. Biographer Patrick McGilligan takes a deep look into his life in his new book Nicholas Ray: The Glorious Failure of American Director. The author unveils every secret, from the director’s relationship with teenager Natalie Wood, to the story behind his marriage with Gloria Grahame (who ended up marrying Ray’s own son). Before being shunted from the movie industry in the sixties, Ray was the epitome of the famous 50’s Hollywood director. Patrick McGilligan joins Larry to discuss his new biography of a brilliant self-destructive film icon.

Guest:

Patrick McGilligan, author of Nicholas Ray: The Glorious Failure of an American Director, Alfred Hitchcock and Oscar Micheaux