William Friedkin

One of the best directors from the best decades in Hollywood has passed. William Friedkin who directed some of the most critically acclaimed movies including “The French Connection” and “The Exorcist.” I tried to book Friedkin on the show, with no success. One of Friedkin’s best attributes is that he looks for authenticity. In “The French Connection” to portray the story as accurate as possible, not only did Friedkin have Eddie Egan and Sonny Grosso on the set as technical advisors, but he cast them in the movie! Egan brought Friedkin, and actors Gene Hackman and Roy Scheider to “shooting galleries.” And the scene where the Police Supervisor stripped the Lincoln looking for heroin was portrayed by the actual police officer who searched the car looking for heroin in the actual case! Friedkin wasn’t done there. In “The Exorcist” Friedkin went out and cast an actual priest to play the priest! And where the scene called for the priest to be shocked, Friedkin actually slapped a priest and started rolling the film! And in the movie “Blue Chips” who else to cast as a college basketball superstar than a college basketball superstar Shaquille O’Neal. And for the chase scene in “French Connection” Hickman had to have a New York City Transit Authority Motorman play a New York City Transit Authority Motorman as the boss of the Transit Authority giving permission would not let Friedkin use an actor.

Besides authenticity, Firedkin was also responsible for some of the most epic car chases in movies. “To Live and Die in LA” and of course, “The French Connection.” In “Connection” Friedkin has a car chase a subway! Friedkin has stunt driving legend Bill Hickman doing double duty. He was a character in the movie and the stunt driver of that Pontiac LeMans chasing the train.

Friedkin was at the right place at the right time for film making. As Friedkin was making “The French Connection” and “The Exorcist” you had Sam Peckenpah making “The Wild Bunch,” Steven Spielberg making “Jaws,” Francis Coppola make Godfather I and II, Martin Scorsese make “Mean Streets” and “Taxi Driver,” and George Lucas make a little film called “Star Wars.”