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Bob Rafelson

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Filmmaker

The Resume

    (February 21, 1933-July 23, 2022)
    Born in New York City, New York
    Formed BBS Productions with Bert Schneider and Stephen Blauner
    With Schneider, created the TV series The Monkees (1966)
    Directed the films 'Head' (1968), 'Five Easy Pieces' (1970), 'The King of Marvin Gardens' (1972), 'Stay Hungry' (1976), 'The Postman Always Rings Twice' (1981), 'Black Widow' (1987), 'Mountains of the Moon' (1990), 'Blood and Wine' (1996), and 'No Good Deed' (2002)
    Produced the films 'Easy Rider' (1969), 'The Last Picture Show' (1971), and 'Hearts and Minds' (1974)

Why he might be annoying:

    As a teen, he would frequently run away from home searching for adventure, including riding with a rodeo in Arizona and playing with a jazz band in Acapulco.
    While in the Army, he was court martialed twice, once for striking an officer.
    He was fired from Revue Productions after an argument with Lew Wasserman ended with him grabbing and throwing items from Wasserman's desk, ranging from show biz awards to ashtrays to a picture of the mogul's family (1963).
    He recorded four hundred rattling ashtrays to get just the right sound for a scene in 'Five Easy Pieces' of an ashtray rattling in Jack Nicholson's car.
    He was fired from the film 'Brubaker' after hitting a studio Vice President on the head with an ashtray (1979).
    He dropped out of sight so thoroughly after his last movie that when 'Sight and Sound' ran a 'Where Are They Now?' feature about the New Hollywood figures of the 1970s, he was included with Robert Altman and Hal Ashby among the deceased (2017).

Why he might not be annoying:

    While stationed in Japan with the US Army, he translated Japanese films and advised the Shochiku Film Company on which films would be successful in America.
    He and Schneider won an Emmy for Outstanding Comedy Series for 'The Monkees.' (1967)
    He frequently directed Jack Nicholson, who said, 'I may have thought I started his career, but I think he started my career.'
    His ten-year-old daughter Julie died of injuries from a propane stove exploding in their Aspen home (1973).
    He received a standing ovation when he walked into Chasen's restaurant after being fired from 'Brubaker,' suggesting that by decking a studio executive, he fulfilled a secret dream of a lot of directors and actors.

Credit: C. Fishel


Featured in the following Annoying Collections:

Year In Review:

    In 2023, Out of 1 Votes: 100% Annoying
    In 2022, Out of 18 Votes: 50.0% Annoying
    In 2021, Out of 8 Votes: 75.00% Annoying