Film

A Man of Potential: Visions of Paul Wendkos, the Godard of Gidget

2026 · 26m · Documentary

A closer look at the most unlikely auteur

Paul Wendkos was a bit of an auteurist fetish object in the early 1960's, when his career in theatrical features reached its pinnacle. He made his mark with such genre outings as The Burglar (1957) and Face of a Fugitive (1959), as well as with the hit Gidget (1959) and his acclaimed indictment of evangelicalism Angel Baby (1961). Many of the finest critics and film writers wrote of his style admiringly, even as studio contracts regularly saddled him with empty commercial vehicles. Quentin Tarantino even credited him as the director of the faux action saga The 14 Fists of McCluskey in his Once Upon a Time...in Hollywood. What is there to Paul Wendkos when we look at him and his work today?

Daniel Kremer

Narrator

Paul Wendkos

Self

• Daniel KremerDirector · Writer · Editor
• Tyson LeggProducer

Release date

March 25, 2026

Status

Released

Original language

English

Runtime

26m

Genres

Documentary