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\nI was so sad to hear of the passing of director Milton Moses Ginsberg, who directed many things but one which I hold very dear: 1973\u2019s Werewolf of Washington<\/i>, a political satire\/monster movie starring Dean Stockwell as a White House press secretary who – unfortunately for everyone involved – is also a werewolf. <\/p>\n
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\nBecause it’s Dean Stockwell, you know I know this movie backwards and forwards. (I wrote a little bit about it<\/a> in the giant piece I wrote about Stockwell for House Next Door back in the day.) <\/p>\n Werewolf of Washington<\/i> died on the vine. As they were filming, the Watergate scandal was unfolding. They would scramble to rewrite in order to keep up with the news cycle. “I am not a crook” happened. The Saturday Night Massacre happened. The movie is ABOUT the corruption in Washington, and they were basically co-creating the zeitgeist AS they were filming. But unfortunately, by the time it came out, nobody was in the mood for a werewolf movie with political commentary embedded in it. Everyone had LIVED Watergate. They weren’t at all in the mood for a satire on it. <\/p>\n \n \nThe film has since been restored. Just last year, the Metrograph theatre – which was screening the film – hosted a conversation between Simon Abrams and myself about Werewolf of Washington<\/i> . About 5 years ago, on break at Ebertfest, somehow Simon and I had discovered our shared love of the film – so this filmed conversation was a culmination of fandom for us!<\/p>\n Another special thing: Ginsberg read that first piece I wrote about Dean Stockwell, and reached out. We corresponded for a bit, and he told me some great backstage stories, including one about the “bowling alley scene”, which I had mentioned in that original piece. Then, after my conversation with Simon went up on the Metrograph site, Ginsberg sent me a lovely sincere email, thanking me for loving this film and for championing it so much over the years. I am so grateful for this correspondence. <\/p>\n \n \nWerewolf of Washington<\/i> was basically a lost\/forgotten film for many years. The failure of the film was a disappointment for all involved. <\/p>\n I\u2019m so glad, then, that Ginsberg lived to see the day – decades later – when his unfairly-ignored film was revived and celebrated. <\/p>\n You can watch the conversation Simon and I had here.<\/a> (There are other goodies on that page too: an essay by Ginsberg about the film and his career, and an interview with Ginsberg.) And see the film! It’s a great monster movie and an even better political satire. <\/p>\n \n \n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":" I was so sad to hear of the passing of director Milton Moses Ginsberg, who directed many things but one which I hold very dear: 1973\u2019s Werewolf of Washington, a political satire\/monster movie starring Dean Stockwell as a White House … Continue reading ![\"\"](\"https:\/\/www.sheilaomalley.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/05\/Werewolf_2-e1622026570460.jpg\")
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