American Boy: A Profile of Steven Prince is a 1978 documentary directed by Martin Scorsese.
American Boy is an extended interview with Steven Prince, who tells a variety of stories that involve his history of drug abuse. Scorsese alternates Prince’s stories with clips of his childhood to illustrate the path his life has taken.
Here’s your one-line synopsis of American Boy: Steven Prince has led a dangerous, fascinating life – much of it while high on heroin.
Prince has worked as a stagehand, gas station attendant and road manager for Neil Diamond. Along the way, he gets into acting – where he’s probably best known for playing Easy Andy, the gun salesman in Scorcese’s Taxi Driver.
The premise of American Boy is simple. Scorsese and a small crew set up at actor George Memmoli’s house and await Prince. Memmoli perfectly sets the expectations by suggesting: “how can you tell a Steven Prince story in two minutes?”
Prince emerges and is wrestled to the ground by the burly Memmoli – then the stories begin. There’s a story about a Silverback Gorilla in an apartment, caricatures of his family and getting a boat captain drunk, before the mood changes as Prince talks about a kid electrocuting himself during a performance.
Scorsese proceeds to ask the first of many questions regarding drugs. Prince recounts the first time he tried crystal meth, as a carpenter injected him. “How much did you take?” “As much as he gave me.” Scorsese and his crew are delighted with Prince’s tales and there’s a sense Prince is feeding off the energy.
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