Retrospective: Michael Schultz

In conjunction with a citywide celebration of Columbus-born author Wil Haygood’s new book Colorization: One Hundred Years of Black Films in a White World, the Wex is proud to present Retrospective: Michael Schultz. Schultz, whose work is included in the book, will join us via Zoom for a virtual masterclass and a conversation presented at the Wex. We look forward to spotlighting his prolific and distinguished career for our communities.

If Michael Schultz is not a household name, the same cannot be said for his body of film and television work. Schultz directed some of the most memorable films of the 1970s and 80s including Cooley High (1975), Car Wash (1976), Krush Groove (1985), a series of features starring Richard Pryor, and a long list of hit television shows stretching from the 1970s to the present day. Born in Milwaukee in 1938, Schultz began his career directing for the stage, where his work caught the attention of Hollywood. Within a few years he moved from directing episodic television shows such as The Rockford Files and Starsky & Hutch to feature films. The success of his coming-of-age film Cooley High (1975) cemented his reputation and made fans out of the likes of Francis Ford Coppola and George Lucas. Schultz has been almost exclusively a television director for the past 20 years, working on such hit shows as Young Indiana Jones Chronicles, Black-ish, The Practice, Arrow, Black Lightning, and All American, among many others.

The Wexner Center joins Columbus Metropolitan Library, Columbus Metropolitan Club, Columbus Museum of Art, Drexel Theatre, Gateway Film Center, Gramercy Books, and Lincoln Theatre in celebrating the release of Wil Haygood’s book Colorization. Find out more about events across the city at gcac.org

Thank you to Larry and Donna James for their generous support of this event.