riddle@ut-sally.UUCP (09/27/83)
My favorite badfilm: "Glen or Glenda?", a 1950's attempt at a sensitive
docudrama on the topic of transvestitism. Unfortunately the director felt
compelled to splice in some footage he had left over from a Bela Lugosi
horror flick he had been making when Bela died. In between scenes of our
six-foot-six musclebound hero attempting to pass for a 1952 housewife doing
some clothes shopping we are treated to shots of Bela mumbling complete
gibberish to himself and then laughing fiendishly as lightning crashes behind
him.
In a bit of inspired cinematic programming the folks running our local
film series told us they had added a surprise second feature to the bill.
By the time "Glen or Glenda?" was finished we were all on the edge of our
seats wondering what could possibly match it. We were not disappointed.
The choice: an episode from Liberace's old TV series.
-- Prentiss Riddle
{ihnp4,ut-ngp}!ut-sally!riddle
riddle@ut-sally.UUCPrew@hao.UUCP (Russell K. Rew) (10/04/83)
"Glen or Glenda" (1953) was of course directed by Edward D. Wood, who also gave us "Plan 9 From Outer Space". I think he deserves some sort of recognition for creating two of the most inept films of all time. According to Leonard Maltin's "TV Movies 1983-84 Revised Edition" (a veritable treasury of mini-reviews, including probably 1,000 "bombs"), director Wood actually starred as Glen, under the name Daniel Davis. If you want to see this film (or avoid seing it again!) it is also known by the alternate names "I Changed My Sex," "I Led Two Lives,", and "He or She".