Gary Kurtz

Kurtz's early work included various duties for producers like Roger Corman and such directors as Monte Hellman on B-movies like "Ride in the Whirlwind" (1965) and "Two Lane Blacktop" (1971). Through fellow Corman disciple Francis Ford Coppola, he met young filmmaker George Lucas, who later hired him to produce his classic ode to 1960s teen car culture, "American Graffiti" (1973). The duo worked so well together that their collaborative efforts …