AUTOBIOGRAPHY
Raised in the factory town of Pennsville, New Jersey, my interest
in theatre developed when I was voted Thespian of the Year in
high school and awarded a scholarship to a special theatre program
at Temple University in Philadelphia.
Moving to Los Angeles in 1962, I attended Cal State Northridge
and studied everything from acting, costume and scenic design,
to producing and directing. I was elected president of the Theatre
Guild and chairman of the Campus Film Festival.
I went on to head a small community theatre, producing and
directing original plays. To help support the theatre group I
began building film sets. Advancing quickly through the art department,
I became an art director on "The Naked Angels"
and production designer on "Bloody Mama" for
Roger Corman.
In 1971 and 1972, I directed two low-budget features: "Werewolves
On Wheels," a comedy / horror picture, which I co-wrote
for Fanfare Films; and "Sweet Sugar," a T&A
/ action / comedy for Dimension Pictures. I also co-wrote "Hot
Summer Week" for Fanfare.
With a writing-travel grant from the Dutch Cultural Commission,
I spent several months in Europe and co-wrote two screenplays,
a social satire about Hollywood "Hollywood Tower,"
and an exposé about the U.S. military in Europe "Little
America."
Returning to Los Angeles, I resumed a career as production
designer / art director on a variety of films and tv series.
During that period, I developed several treatments and wrote
one screenplay, "Vigilante Women," which I plan
to produce and direct as a low-budget DV movie.
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Michel's
Sordid Past 