James Friedrich and Cathedral Films : The Independent Religious Cinema of the Evangelist of Hollywood, 1939-1966

This book studies Episcopal Reverend James Friedrich’s work at Cathedral Films during the 1940s and 50s. It offers insight into the way a small, independent B-studio created and distributed religious films for the church, television, and theatrical markets in the postwar American film industry.

James Friedrich and Cathedral Films: The Independent Religious Cinema of the Evangelist of Hollywood, 1939-1966 looks at the religious sub-genre of independent cinema during the classical Hollywood period through the works of one of its most accomplished pioneers. Episcopal pastor James Friedrich used professional Hollywood casts and crews to produce over sixty short and feature-length religious films in the 1940s and 50s, with critics and viewers alike offering praise for their cinematic and theological quality. This book is a unique contribution to our understanding of the history of the American film industry, providing unprecedented insight into the way a small independent B-studio created and distributed religious films for the church, television, and theatrical markets, and anticipated and influenced the mid-century Hollywood biblical blockbusters and independent religious films that followed Friedrich’s work.