The True Story of the Real Big Lebowski

Fans of “The Big Lebowski” know all about Jeff “The Dude” Dowd. He is a writer, a film producer, and an all-around righteous man of the people. The Coen brothers met Dowd at the 1984 Sundance Film Festival, where their debut movie, “Blood Simple,” helped kick off the 1980s independent film revolution. Dowd is credited with having helped Robert Redford build up the Sundance Institute and the festival, which brought him into contact with loads of influential directors, critics, and studio folk.

One of Dowd’s best friends on the festival circuit was Roger Ebert, who aptly described the producer as “tall, large, shaggy and aboil with enthusiasm.” If you’ve ever been to Sundance, there is a very good chance you’ve crossed paths with him at the Yarrow Hotel. If he looked at your badge and saw that you wrote for an outlet that could help whatever film he was representing, there’s an equally good chance that he pitched you — and you quickly learned that “no” isn’t in his vocabulary. 

Variety critic John Anderson discovered this in 2009 when he informed Dowd that he’d be filing a negative review for “Dirt! The Movie.” Knowing a poor write-up in a major trade publication would hamper the film’s chances for distribution, Dowd kicked his pitch into overdrive. Anderson finally lost his cool and punched Dowd twice in the face. The police were called, but Dowd refused to press charges. He knew he’d pushed too hard, so he licked his (very minor) wounds and abided.