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Charles B. Pierce (June 16, 1938 – March 5, 2010) was an American film director, screenwriter, producer, set decorator, cinematographer and actor, and is considered one of the first modern independent filmmakers. Pierce directed thirteen films over the span of 26 years, but is best known for his cult hits ''The Legend of Boggy Creek'' (1973) and ''The Town That Dreaded Sundown'' (1976). An Arkansas resident most of his life, Pierce made his directorial debut with ''Boggy Creek'', a faux documentary-style film inspired by the legend of the Bigfoot-like Fouke Monster. The low-budget film grossed roughly $25 million, and Pierce followed that success with several inexpensive, regional films set in the southern United States, including ''The Town That Dreaded Sundown'', based on the true story of the Phantom Killer murders in Texarkana. Pierce continued directing films into the 1980s, when he wrote the story for the Clint Eastwood film ''Sudden Impact''. For that screenplay, he is said to have written the phrase, "Go ahead, make my day," which became one of the most famous movie quotes in history. After years of pressure from producers, Pierce directed a ''Boggy Creek'' sequel, ''Boggy Creek II: And the Legend Continues'', which he considered the worst film of his career; it was later riffed on by the comedy television series ''Mystery Science Theater 3000''. ==Early life== Charles B. Pierce was born in Hammond, Indiana on June 16, 1938, one of three boys born to Mack McKenny Pierce and Mayven Bryant Pierce. His family moved to the southwestern Arkansas city of Hampton when he was just a few months old. There he was a childhood friend and neighbor of future film and television director Harry Thomason,〔 and the two made home movies together in their backyards using an old 8 mm camera.〔Wooley, p. 14〕 His first professional foray into media entertainment was in the mid-1960s as an art director at KTAL-TV in Shreveport, Louisiana. He later became a weatherman and hosted a children's cartoon show for that channel. Pierce continued working in production jobs at television stations in Arkansas, Louisiana and Texas until 1969, when he moved to Texarkana, bought a 16 mm camera and started an advertising agency. He started a contract with Ledwell & Son Enterprises, a Texarkana-based firm that built 18-wheel trailers and farm equipment. Pierce developed commercials for the company that played throughout the Southwestern United States, using mostly footage he shot of trucks on the highway and farming equipment being used. He said the reputation he developed with those commercials later helped him launch his film career.〔 Also during this time, Pierce played a character named Mayor Chuckles on ''The Laffalot Club'', a local Arkansas children's television show.〔 Pierce launched his independent film career in the early 1970s, when he sought funding from L.W. Ledwell, the owner of Ledwell & Son Enterprises. Ledwell was skeptical of the idea,〔 but ultimately agreed to provide about $100,000 of the $160,000 budget for Pierce's first film.〔〔Wooley, p. 16〕 Prior to his directorial debut, Pierce worked as a set decorator for television shows like the Western series ''Hondo'' and for films like ''Waco'' (1966) and ''Coffy'' (1973). 抄文引用元・出典: フリー百科事典『 ウィキペディア（Wikipedia）』 ■ウィキペディアで「Charles B. Pierce」の詳細全文を読む スポンサード リンク
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