The First Underground Movie Star: Taylor Mead at 100

Wed Dec 18 2024 at 07:00 pm to 08:30 pm UTC-08:00

Philosophical Research Society | Los Angeles

The Philosophical Research Society
Publisher/HostThe Philosophical Research Society
The First Underground Movie Star: Taylor Mead at 100
Advertisement
An uninhibited screen comedian and queer icon, Taylor Mead’s centennial will be celebrated tonight with special screenings. Join us!
About this Event

The First Underground Movie Star: Taylor Mead at 100


Poet, actor, filmmaker and traveler, Taylor Mead was a fixture of postwar America’s art and counterculture scenes, gleefully bridging the Beat movement and New York’s downtown scene. Born December 31, 1924, to a Michigan family of means, Mead left behind a job as a Merrill Lynch broker in Detroit to hitch-hike across America in the 50s, beginning a journey that would ultimately take him out of the mainstream for good. Hooking up with filmmaker Ron Rice in San Francisco, Mead starred in the instant classic The Flower Thief (1960). Spurred by the improvisational abandon of Robert Frank’s Pull My Daisy (1957), Rice’s free-wheeling picaresque follows the adventures and mishaps of Mead’s feral innocent through the streets of North Beach. Hailed by experimental cinema scholar P. Adams Sitney as “the purest expression of the Beat sensibility in cinema”, Rice’s film led the Village Voice’s J. Hoberman to hail Mead as “the first underground movie star.”


Relocating to New York, Mead won an Obie Award for his performance in Frank O'Hara’s The General Returns from One Place to Another in 1963 and continued acting in film, eventually racking up 130 screen credits. Mead would go on to appear in 11 films for Andy Warhol and also act for other underground luminaries such as Adolfas Mekas, Robert Downey Sr., John Lennon and Yoko Ono, Gregory Markopoulos and Robert Frank.


An uninhibited screen comedian and queer icon, Mead’s centennial will be celebrated tonight with a screening of The Flower Thief as well as some of his own, rarely screened 16mm “home movies” shot throughout his 60s journeys, plus a few other surprises from across his cinematic wanders.


Program compiled by Bernardo Rondeau.


Ticket Price: $10 (in-person event only).

Please email [email protected] or phone 323-663-2167 with any questions.


Event Photos
Event Photos
Event Photos
Event Photos

ACCESSIBILITY

PRS wants all guests to be able to enjoy our events safely and comfortably. If you require any accessibility accommodation, please reach out to [email protected] before showtime and we will be happy to assist you.


REFUND POLICIES

All sales are final. There are no refunds for PRS events , except in the event of a medical emergency, including but not limited to a positive COVID-19 test. Ticket exchanges may be granted on a case by case basis, pending circumstances.

In the event that PRS is forced to cancel an event entirely, tickets will be refunded or vouchers offered for a rescheduled event.


PARKING

Limited parking is available onsite at PRS in both the front lot (entry from Los Feliz Blvd. when heading east) and back lot (entry from first alley way, off Griffith Park Blvd. from intersection with Los Feliz Blvd.), as well as street parking on Griffith Park Blvd. and (after 7 PM) on Los Feliz Blvd. We encourage attendees to consider carpooling, walking or biking to events if possible, and please be considerate of our Los Feliz neighbors when parking.


PRS EVENT POLICIES

  • We reserve the right to refuse service to anyone.
  • Events are subject to change without notice, including guest speakers and/or performers.
  • We encourage you to arrive at least 30 min. before the scheduled event start time to find parking, enjoy the Bookstore and take your seats.
  • Please turn off all mobile devices before the show. Talking and texting are not allowed during the events.
  • No filming, audio recording or mobile phone recording of events, screenings, concerts or other programs by audience members is allowed without permission.
  • There is no smoking permitted on PRS grounds.
  • We strongly encourage guests to wear masks to PRS events to prevent the spread of infectious diseases.
  • PRS allows Service Animals into the facility under ADA and state guidelines. For further details please visit www.ADA.gov. No animals permitted whose sole function is to provide comfort or emotional support, under ADA guidelines and CA Health Code.
  • Please do not bring outside food or drink into PRS events.
  • Weapons are strictly prohibited at PRS events.
Advertisement

Event Venue & Nearby Stays

Philosophical Research Society, 3910 Los Feliz Boulevard, Los Angeles, United States

Tickets

USD 12.51

Sharing is Caring:

More Events in Los Angeles

The Art of Performance: Exploring the Many Faces of Acting
Wed Dec 18 2024 at 03:30 pm The Art of Performance: Exploring the Many Faces of Acting

1201 S Figueroa St

Unproblematic Favs | LA Comedy Open Mic @ nico's
Wed Dec 18 2024 at 05:00 pm Unproblematic Favs | LA Comedy Open Mic @ nico's

nico's

Cory Doctorow
Wed Dec 18 2024 at 05:30 pm Cory Doctorow

1003 E 4th Pl 8th floor

IAO Library Smelling Session: Perfume Kits (in person)
Wed Dec 18 2024 at 06:00 pm IAO Library Smelling Session: Perfume Kits (in person)

The Institute for Art and Olfaction

Adam Blackstone
Wed Dec 18 2024 at 08:00 pm Adam Blackstone

The Novo

UNSTUCK
Wed Dec 18 2024 at 09:30 pm UNSTUCK

Lyric Hyperion Theater & Cafe

Winter of Change
Thu Dec 19 2024 at 03:00 pm Winter of Change

810 E 3rd St

Loyola Marymount Lions Women's Basketball vs. Portland Pilots
Thu Dec 19 2024 at 06:00 pm Loyola Marymount Lions Women's Basketball vs. Portland Pilots

Gersten Pavilion

From Autumn To Ashes
Thu Dec 19 2024 at 06:30 pm From Autumn To Ashes

Echoplex At The Echo

Live Taping of Comedy, \u201cSpecial Occasion.\u201d
Thu Dec 19 2024 at 06:30 pm Live Taping of Comedy, “Special Occasion.”

Monk Space | Film Warehouse LA

Los Angeles is Happening!

Never miss your favorite happenings again!

Explore Los Angeles Events