AGENDA . Agenda Picks

David Goodis to a Pulp

Fri., March 5, 8:30-10 p.m., $10, Society Hill Playhouse, 507 S. Eighth St., 215-923-0210, societyhillplayhouse.org.


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Published: Mar 3, 2010

noir narrative

Noir novelist and screenwriter David Goodis, one of Philly's true mystery men, is the subject of his own big reveal. Goodis garnered critical acclaim with novels like Dark Passages and Down There (later made into Francois Truffaut's Shoot the Piano Player) but returned to Philly after a tumultuous relationship with Hollywood. From a tiny bedroom in his parents' East Oak Lane home, the "poet for losers" wrote some of his best novels until his death at age 49. Director Larry Withers' fascination with the writer began when he found out that Goodis was secretly married to Withers' mother (pictured together) in the '40s. "I started doing research on this guy my mother had been married to and I find out he has such a huge fan base ... it was very surprising," says Withers. In his documentary David Goodis ... to a Pulp, Withers used interviews of Goodis' few living family members and friends, as well as archival footage and photos. To a Pulp is for fans of classic noir, who Withers says aided in the creation of his film. "There is such a camaraderie between the writers and fans of the genre," says Withers.

Fri., March 5, 8:30-10 p.m., $10, Society Hill Playhouse, 507 S. Eighth St., 215-923-0210, societyhillplayhouse.org.