Name Dwain Esper Role Director | Children Dwain, Jr., Millicent | |
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Spouse Hildegarde Stadie (m. 1920–1982) Movies Reefer Madness, Maniac, Sex Madness, Marihuana, Freaks Similar People Louis J Gasnier, Horace B Carpenter, Tod Browning, Phyllis Diller, Tod Robbins | ||
Dwain Atkins Esper (October 7, 1894 – October 18, 1982) was an American director and producer of exploitation films.
Contents
- Narcotic 1933 by dwain esper
- Biography
- Director credits
- Producer credits
- Reissues
- Dwain esper the king of the celluloid gypsies
- References
Narcotic 1933 by dwain esper
Biography
A veteran of World War I, Esper worked as a building contractor before switching to the film business in the mid-'20s. He produced and directed inexpensive pictures with eye-catching titles like Sex Maniac, Marihuana, and How to Undress in Front of Your Husband. To enhance the appeal of these low-budget features, he included scenes containing gratuitous nudity and violence that led some to label him the "father of modern exploitation."
Esper's wife, Hildagarde Stadie, wrote many of the scripts for his films. Together they employed extravagant promotional techniques that included exhibiting the mummified body of notorious Oklahoma outlaw Elmer McCurdy, before it was acquired by Dan Sonney.
Esper died in San Diego, California, at the age of 88. He and Hildagarde had two children, Dwain Jr. and Millicent.
Director credits
