Hollywood and the Mob

Calum Waddell

Film & Visual Culture

Press/Media: Research

Description

Three part documentary about Hollywood and the mob will first be broadcast on Sundance Now in the United States (formerly The Sundance Channel). I was interviewed about the mafia's influence on American exploitation cinema, drawing on my own research into how crime syndicates financed and/or distributed hit films such as Deep Throat (Gerard Damiano, 1972) and The Texas Chain Saw Massacre (Tobe Hooper, 1974).

Period	23 Jan 2026

Media coverage

Title	Hollywood Crime Story: The Mob Takes Over Movies
Degree of recognition	International
Media name/outlet	Sphere Abacus: A Bell Media Company
Media type	Web
Country/Territory	United Kingdom
Date	23/01/26
Description	A three-part documentary series, reveals how organised crime and the mob infiltrated Hollywood across the 20th Century, embedding itself deep into the heart of the film industry.
URL	https://www.sphere-abacus.com/programme/4533/hollywood-crime-story-the-mob-takes-over-the-movies
Persons	Calum Waddell

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Keywords

documentary film
exploitation film
film history
American history