Phil's Cult Classics: GLEN OR GLENDA (1953) from Image Entertainment - December 1, 2019

GLEN OR GLENDA DVD Cover

GLEN OR GLENDA (1953)

Starring Edward D. Wood Jr. (as Daniel Davis), Bela Lugosi, Lyle Talbot, Dolores Fuller, Conrad Brooks, Charlie Crafts, 'Tommy' Haynes
Written by Edward D. Wood Jr.
Cinematography by William C. Thompson
Edited by 'Bud' Schelling
Produced by George Weiss
Directed by Edward D. Wood Jr.
Originally released by Screen Classics
Re-released by Image Entertainment

A plethora of adjectives flood my mind when someone mentions the name Edward D. Wood Jr. They includes words like filmmaker, actor, alcoholic, pornographer, and a transvestite with a severe fetish for angora. Wood was all these things and so much more. He was a complex individual, who longed to become a filmmaker like his idol, the great Orson Wells. That did not happen, in fact, the complete opposite transpired. Two years after his death in 1978, film critics Michael and Harry Medved (known as the Medved Brothers) published their book "The Golden Turkey Awards" announced that Ed Wood was voted the "Worst Director of All time" while his 1958 sci-fi film PLAN NINE FROM OUTER SPACE won the "Worst Film of All Time" award. This garnered world wide attention to Wood, and soon after, he garnered a legion of new fans, his movies being played all over the world, VHS and DVD copies of his films selling like wildfire, and Wood himself being championed as a bona fide auteur. This is evident in his feature film debut GLEN OR GLENDA, which has gone on to become not only a cult classic, but an important documentation of transvestism, and a beloved film within the LGBTQ community.

The film's official synopsis: This is it! The true story of a man who lusted after women so much that he wanted to dress like them. The first film based on the strange tastes of legendary filmmaker Ed Wood and a sordid plea for acceptance in the world of bondage and the sexually confused, decades before THE ROCKY HORROR PICTURE SHOW and TV's Ellen. Starring famous shock star Bela Lugosi as the "Puppet Master" an Wood himself in the role of Glen/Gelnda. It also markes the screen debut of Wood's main squeeze at the time, Dorlores Fuller, who went on to become one of Elvis's star songwriters. An important film document, years before its time.

Original Theatrical Poster (1953)

Loosely inspired by the sex reassignment surgery of Christine Jorgensen in 1952, exploitation producer George Weiss was hoping to cash in on this hot story that was sweeping the headlines across the country. Wood convinced Weiss that he would be the perfect person to direct the film. However, he would make the ultimate film about self-expression, making a film about the understanding of transvestism (with about five minutes at the end talking about sex change). He would cast the great Bela Lugosi to appear in the film, portraying "The Scientist", or the "Puppet Master", or in actuality "God." By this time, Lugosi had been out of the spotlight and was a drug addict, but was hoping for a comeback. Wood cast himself in the lead role of Glen and Glenda under the handle Daniel Davis (Davis was his middle name), and cast his then girlfriend at the time Dolores Fuller as Glen's girlfriend/fiancée Barbara. He would also cast his friends Lyle Talbot (TV's Ozzy and Harriet) and Conrad Brooks (PLAN NINE FROM OUTER SPACE).

Shot in four days, Wood would break every conventional rule there was in filmmaking. He would often shoot scenes in one take, his dialogue sounded inept, he would shoot exterior scenes with no permits, spliced in stock footage to make his films look bigger, and continuity was pretty much tossed out the window. In fact, the stories of Wood often directing in drag in later films can be attributed to this film, having to direct several scenes while dressed as Glenda. But yet, he made his films to his unique and quarky vision, and he bared his soul in this film without question.

The movie received a limited released by Screen Classics in April 1953, under the main title, as well as under different titles like I Led Two Lives, He or She? and I Changed My Sex . The film bombed, but when Wood received the Golden Turkey awards, he became a hot Hollywood property. This led major motion picture studio Paramount Pictures to re-release the film to theaters in 1981. In 1983, Kansas City native Wade Williams acquired the rights to Ed Wood's films, along with several other intellectual properties, ranging from movies to television shows. He would team up with Rhino Home Video to release these films on VHS, with Image Entertainment re-releasing them on DVD.

GLEN OR GLENDA remains a true cult classic, inspiring transvestites and queer kids to dress in drag for decades to come! It also put Ed Wood on the map as a filmmaker, leading him to create some of the most off-the-wall, mondo bizzaro, cult classics that has ever graced the silver screen! The fact that we're still talking about him 41 years after his passing is testimony on how this strange and beloved human being has touched and enriched our lived for the better! And this film is a perfect example of his love of motion pictures, and it's importance to the world of cinema is unapologetic! 5 out of 5 stars!! Highly recommended!!

GLEN OR GLENDA is currently available on DVD from Image Entertainment. To purchase a copy, visit your local retailer or visit the Amazon website at www.amazon.com. Also, check out the Wade Williams Collection of films at www.wadewilliamscollection.com.

Thanks for reading, and enjoy the show!

Phil's recommendations for the National Film Registry: Part II: PLAN 9 FROM OUTER SPACE-JUNE 11, 2011

Hello, and welcome to my series of film recommendations that I'm planning to submit to the National Film Registry. After viewing the amazing documentary THESE AMAZING SHADOWS a couple of months ago, I went to the Registry's website and noticed there were films that the Library of Congress should look into adding. As a result of this discovery, I decided to pick my own film recommendations that fulfills the criteria of the registry of being "culturally, historically, or aesthetically significant," while at the same time choosing films that might have been overlooked due to oversight, or of ignorance of the film's impact on culture and society.

For my second recommendation, the film I chose is a true cult classic, in every sense of the term. No other film has gained this much of a reputation, and is regarded as the worst film ever made in the history of cinema. However GLITTER is up there too, but it isn't as beloved as this film, made by the worst film director of all time as well. Yes my friends, can your heart stand the shocking facts about PLAN 9 FROM OUTER SPACE?

Original Movie Poster (1959)

This film was the alpha and omega in the career of its director Edward D. Wood Jr. Born in Poughkeepsie, New York on October 10, 1924, he grew up watching movies, eventually moving out to Hollywood to become a famous director like his idol Orson Welles. In 1952, Wood got his break; writing, directing, and starring in his first film GLEN OR GLENDA. Two more films followed: Jail Bait and BRIDE OF THE ATOM. Both GLEN and MONSTER also starred his childhood hero Bela Lugosi, the man who created DRACULA and thus becoming a horror superstar. By the time Wood meet Lugosi in 1952, he was a washed up actor, addicted to methadone. However, the two became friends and Wood vowed to relaunch Lugosi's career. While shooting some silent film footage with Wood, Lugosi passed away on August 16, 1956. Shortly thereafter, Wood would use the footage of his late friend as the basis for his next film, a film that would garner him world wide attention decades later. Originally titled GRAVE ROBBERS FROM OUTER SPACE, the film was shot in 1956, but due to distribution problems, the film wasn't released until 1959.

What gives the film its charm is that it's really a bad film that was trying to be a good film. The camp factor for the film is off the charts. From the shoddy film sets, bewildering dialogue, overuse of stock footage, Lugosi's footage being used, then cut to his stand-in who covers up his face, Vampire and Tor Johnson walk around a really fake looking graveyard set that the tombstones keep falling over, numerous continuity errors that you can shake a stick at, and of course, the flying saucers being held on strings. However, give credit where credit's due. Ed Wood was able to make his films, albeit inept and unexplainable. You will never mistake his films for any other director. He is, what we call in the film world, a true film auteur. But unfortunately, Wood would never see how popular he and his films would become. Wood's life was a sad story that came to an end on December 10, 1978.

Edward D. Wood Jr.

Two years later, authors Michael and Harry Medved released their book THE GOLDEN TURKEY AWARDS. In it, they dubbed PLAN 9 "the worst movie ever made." Wood himself was given the Golden Turkey award as being the worst director ever. Out of this negativity grew a cult classic. Soon everybody in the world was in love with Wood and all his films, including PLAN 9. Film festivals were held in his honor, midnight shows popped up all over the country to screen his movies, his name itself become part of the lexicon of bad movies, ranking with other cult directors such as John Waters, Roger Corman, and Russ Myers.

But what makes this film so important is the enormous impact it's had on pop culture. There isn't one person on this planet that has not heard or seen PLAN 9. The film has been referenced on TV shows such as SEINFELD and THE X-FILES. The punk rock group The Misfits named their record label Plan 9 Records after the film.  Part of the film was lifted for the video game Destroy All Humans! The documentary film FLYING SAUCERS OVER HOLLYWOOD: THE PLAN 9 COMPANION is notable for running a half hour longer than the film itself. Author Rudolf Grey's book NIGHTMARE IN ECSTASY: THE LIFE AND ART OF EDWARD D. WOOD JR. was released in 1992. Two years later, director Tim Burton brought Wood's life story to the big screen. His film ED WOOD starred Johnny Deep as Wood, Martin Landau as Lugosi (who would win an Oscar for his role) , Sarah Jessica Parker as Wood's girlfriend Dolores Fuller, and Patricia Arquette as Wood's wife Kathy. Long after his death, Ed Wood finally became a Hollywood icon.

Though he never lived to see how much of an impact he made on the world, it is nice to know that somewhere out there in the world, someone is watching PLAN 9 right now and he or she is having a good time watching it. No other film can lay claim as being THE greatest cult classic film of all time. Before her death on June 26, 2006,  Kathy Wood once said of her late husband, "Despite all the sadness he went through in his life, Eddie was triumphant in the end." This is why PLAN 9 FROM OUTER SPACE should be part of the National Film Registry.

PLAN 9 FROM OUTER SPACE is available on DVD. To purchase a copy for yourself, or any other of Ed Wood's films, visit http://www.amazon.com/

To learn more about the National Film Registry, visit their website at http://www.loc.gov/film/index.html

Thanks for reading, and enjoy the show!