Rick Jewell, Ph.D.

Professor
Hugh M. Hefner Chair for the Study of American Film

213.740.2900
jewell@usc.edu

Rick Jewell teaches survey courses on American film history at both the graduate and undergraduate levels, as well as courses on media censorship, film genres (the Western; the Gangster film), film style analysis (RKO and the Studio System; the James Bond films) and seminars on national cinema (Italian Cinema; American Film, 1939-45; American Film 1967-72).

Sought after for his perspectives on the full range of topics related to film during the initial years of sound, Dr. Jewell has done commentaries on the films Little Caesar, I Am a Fugitive From a Chain Gang and G Men, an introduction to the MGM film The Postman Always Rings Twice, and he has appeared in special features on many discs. He estimates that he’s been filmed for more than 25 documentaries, including collections of films with Fred Astaire and Ginger Rogers, Bette Davis and Humphrey Bogart.

Dr. Jewell is the author of The RKO Story, The Golden Age of Cinema: Hollywood, 1929-1945,and co-author of Primary Cinema Resources and has published articles in a variety of journals including The Historical Journal of Film, Radio and Television, Film History, and Film Quarterly.