Drew Casper

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A June 2005 picture of Professor Drew Casper mid-teaching.

Joseph Andrew "Drew" Casper is an award-winning Professor of Critical Studies in the School of Cinematic Arts at the University of Southern California. He is affectionately called "Drew" by former students and current colleagues.

Dr. Casper attended Fordham University where he earned his Bachelors degree in English Literature and Philosophy. Upon completion of these programs, he immediately enrolled into Fordham University's master's program in American Literature and Theology which he did complete. With his decision to pursue a new humanity and discipline, Dr. Casper applied for his PhD in film programs at USC and NYU. Being accepted into both programs, Dr. Casper decided to attend USC to have the opportunity to live in California. According to Dr. Casper, he only got one "B" in a class that was taught by Woody Omens. During his tenure as a student at USC, Dr. Casper wrote film reviews for the Catholic Legion of Decency. There is some question as to Drew Casper's current age. It is rarely discussed, and most estimates are arrived at by working backwards from when the Catholic Legion of Decency was renamed. Best estimates place his date of birth in 1941, as he has stated that he was fourteen years old at the time My Fair Lady premiered on Broadway.

Also, while a PhD student at USC, Dr. Casper's mentor, Irwin Blacker, suddenly passed on. The USC Cinema department offered Dr. Casper a position and thus, a new era was born. Along with Bernie Cantor's ingenuity in elevating the USC Cinema Department to the USC School of Cinema-Television, Dr. Casper's legacy is his ability to enthusiatically teach this difficult subject matter.

In the fall of 1997, the Hitchcock Estate and USC endowed Dr. Casper with the Alma and Alfred Hitchcock Professor for the Study of American Film. Dr. Casper was and is especially proud of having his name associated with one of the greatest film directors of all time.

Dr. Casper's name is synonymous with CTCS 190: An Introduction to Film and CTCS 469: The Hitchcock Style. He also teaches many other courses which include the Musical, American Comedy, Star Wars, Steven Spielberg, Martin Scorsese, and Silent Era Cinema (for graduates) as well as historic courses in sound cinema.

In addition, Casper provides a steady stream of DVD commentaries and expertise on films. He is the author of books about Vincente Minnelli, Stanley Donen, and an upcoming book on Postwar Hollywood 1946-1962.

Jokingly, according to Casper, he has only ever been wrong about two things: First, that the musical Fiddler on the Roof would be unsuccessful, and second, that no one would see the gross-out comedy Animal House. He also admits to having warmed to the Ewoks in Return of the Jedi (1983), having initially likened the gratuitous exploitation of the fuzzy characters to the Macy's Thanksgiving Day Parade.

[edit] Trivia

Casper's favorite genre of film is the musical.
Cites his mother, Priscilla, as his hero.
Once said, "When Priscilla passed it was like a great light had been extinguished. I sat in the dark screaming, 'Priscilla! Priscilla! Why did you turn out the light?!' but alas there was no response."
Has a friendly rivalry with fellow USC professor Todd Boyd.
Casper dislikes many things because he finds them too postmodern, including kettle corn, Pringles, bologna, and Las Vegas.
Dr. Casper's all time favorite film is George Stevens' A Place in the Sun (1951). His favorite actress is Doris Day. His favorite example of clever plotting is found in Random Harvest (1942).
Dr. Casper is not a fan of Barbra Streisand and her diva school of acting.
Dr. Casper likes to screen films that have protagonists in incestuous relationships in his History of the American Cinema courses.
Dr. Casper enjoys the film Barbershop because director Tim Story, a former student, paid compliment to Casper's influence on the film in an interview.
Dr. Casper is the model for a talkshow host (played by Michael Hitchcock) in the film "For Your Consideration" by Christopher Guest. In the film, the host paraphrases one of Drew Casper's most famous lines "as I tell my students, you can't polish sh*t, you can only smear it."