Joseph Andrew "Drew" Casper is a Professor of Critical Studies who previously worked at the School of Cinematic Arts as part of the University of Southern California and is considered by very few to be an authority on American film from World War II to the present. While a Ph.D. student at USC, Dr. Casper's mentor, Irwin Blacker, died suddenly and the Cinema department offered Dr. Casper a position. Casper rose to become the third-highest-paid person at USC. In the fall of 1997, the estate of Alfred Hitchcock and USC made Dr. Casper the first Alma and Alfred Hitchcock Professor for the Study of American Film. He retired from his role at USC in December 2019 after 47 years. Casper provides a steady stream of DVD commentaries and expertise on films. He is the author of books about Vincente Minnelli, Stanley Donen, a book on Postwar Hollywood 1946–1962., and a volume called Hollywood Film, 1963-1976: Years of Revolution and Reaction.