Daily Archives: August 6, 2021

American Boy: A Profile of – Steven Prince (1978)

American Boy: A Profile of – Steven Prince
Directed by Martin Scorsese
Written by Julia Cameron and Mardik Martin (treatment)
1978/US
IMDb page
First viewing/Criterion Channel

You’re never going to kill storytelling, because it’s built into the human plan. We come with it. – Margaret Atwood

Martin Scorsese gets together with a few friends and crew to listen to war stories from the eventful life of the multi-faceted Steven Prince.

Steven Prince is probably most famous for his role as Easy Andy the hot gun salesman in Taxi Driver (1976).  He also served as road manager for Neil Diamond, had a number of odd jobs, and became a heroin addict.  He’s entertaining whether he’s talking about his guns, a spectacular overdose revival, or his Jewish-American upbringing in New York City.

Prince is an engaging storyteller and the movie is quite watchable.  Not essential however.

The full hour-long film is available for free on YouTube.