About

Known credits:
38
Birthday:
1944-09-22
Place of birth:
Lancaster, Massachusetts
Website:
N/A

John Dorr

Overview

John Dorr (1944-1993), born in Massachusetts, first studied at Yale University (1962-1966), where he programmed the Film Society, created the Yale Film Bulletin and completed a thesis on D.W. Griffith's last pictures. After moving to Los Angeles to study at UCLA (1966-1969), he shot his first shorts in 8 and 16mm, and worked as a film critic for « Take One », « On Film », « Millimeter » or « The Hollywood Reporter », where he proved himself ruthless towards New Hollywood, hoping for another type of American cinema.

The 1970s were spent writing around a dozen screenplays (from 1971 to 1978 : a gay priest drama, a vampire romance, a two-screen revisionist western, an Griffith biopic miniseries...) which all remained unproduced. In one of his poems, Dorr judged the decade harshly : « The 70s Suck ». After a short stay in Massachusetts (1977-1978), Dorr returned to California. Then, using one his friends' consumer-level B&W video camera, he decided to shoot his first feature, no longer waiting for the traditional production route.

« Sudzall Does It All! » (1979) and its rapid follow-up, « The Case of the Missing Consciousness » (1980), were shown in a public screening at LAICA in March 1980. During the next two years, Dorr helped his friends with their own video projects, while completing his Dorothy Parker biopic, « Dorothy and Alan at Norma Place » (1982). All videos were shown under the « EZTV » banner in 1982, and a brick-and-mortar location, the « EZTV Video Gallery », was eventually opened in West Hollywood in 1983, with Dorr's fourth feature « Approaching Omega » (1983), and the ambition of a new production model for non-conventional artists in the 1980s.

For Dorr, the next decade was spent maintaining EZTV's fragile existence, working as cameraman, editor, sound engineer, producer, and sometimes actor, in other people's projects. He himself only directed a handful of short subjects, or codirected documentaries on literature, poetry and film. His last fiction project, « The Three Cassandras », was abandoned after a few days of shooting. Dorr learned he was HIV-positive in the Spring of 1991, and died from AIDS-related complications in Los Angeles on January 1st, 1993.

Known for

Acting
1992 Season's Greetings Actor John Dorr 58
Average
1987 Do It Yourself Video for Poets Actor Himself / John Dorr N/A
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1984 Blonde Death Actor Park Security Man 58
Average
1982 Dorothy and Alan at Norma Place Actor Benchley N/A
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1982 As the World Burns Actor TV repairman N/A
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1980 The Case of the Missing Consciousness Actor Nick Malace N/A
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1979 Sudzall Does It All! Actor Buzzy Composition N/A
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Directing
1993 Luck, Trust & Ketchup: Robert Altman in Carver Country Directing Director 59
Average
1992 Season's Greetings Directing Director 58
Average
1987 Do It Yourself Video for Poets Directing Director N/A
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1983 Approaching Omega Directing Director N/A
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1982 Dorothy and Alan at Norma Place Directing Director N/A
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1980 The Case of the Missing Consciousness Directing Director N/A
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1979 Sudzall Does It All! Directing Director N/A
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Writing
1987 Do It Yourself Video for Poets Writing Writer N/A
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1983 Approaching Omega Writing Writer N/A
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1982 Dorothy and Alan at Norma Place Writing Writer N/A
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1980 The Case of the Missing Consciousness Writing Writer N/A
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1980 The Case of the Missing Consciousness Writing Original Concept N/A
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1979 Sudzall Does It All! Writing Writer N/A
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1974 It's Alive Writing Script Consultant 59
Average

Production
1990 Dark Romances Vol. 1 Production Executive Producer 58
Average
1986 Polly Perverse Strikes Again! Production Executive Producer 58
Average
1983 Approaching Omega Production Producer N/A
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1982 Dorothy and Alan at Norma Place Production Producer N/A
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1980 The Case of the Missing Consciousness Production Producer N/A
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1979 Sudzall Does It All! Production Producer N/A
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Camera
1993 Luck, Trust & Ketchup: Robert Altman in Carver Country Camera Camera Operator 59
Average
1983 Approaching Omega Camera Director of Photography N/A
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1982 Dorothy and Alan at Norma Place Camera Director of Photography N/A
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1980 The Case of the Missing Consciousness Camera Director of Photography N/A
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1979 Sudzall Does It All! Camera Director of Photography N/A
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Crew
1984 Blonde Death Crew Thanks 58
Average
1982 Rimbaud in L.A. Crew Cinematography N/A
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Editing
1983 Approaching Omega Editing Editor N/A
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1982 Dorothy and Alan at Norma Place Editing Editor N/A
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1980 The Case of the Missing Consciousness Editing Editor N/A
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1979 Sudzall Does It All! Editing Editor N/A
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