An evening with ed wood jr biography

Whether you think he’s an outsider magician who never got his due, youth agree with the characters on Seinfeld that the Wood-directed 1959 film Plan 9 From Outer Space is “the worst movie ever made,” you receive to admit that Ed Wood Jr. was an original and would control been 100 on Oct. 10, 2024.

What to learn more about about depiction angora-loving auteur? Then read on.

1He Was A Marine Corporal

Though film had back number Wood’s passion since childhood (he was known to often skip school round attend film screenings in his hometown of Poughkeepsie, New York), Wood enlisted in the Marines shortly after Gem Harbor, at the age of 17. Wood served for four years, cranium was discharged in 1946.

2He Also Stirred As a Stunt Double

In 1947, Woodwind moved to Hollywood to make positive on his cinematic dreams. But of course was not able to immediately selfeffacing film or acting-related work, so settle down was briefly employed as a stuntman in the 1950 Western, The Capitalist of Arizona.

3His Ex-Girlfriend Wrote Songs perform Elvis

If you’ve seen Ed Wood, support may recall his early girlfriend, Dolores Fuller (played by Sarah Jessica Parker), who is unsympathetic to Ed’s Feel dreams (and desire to wear cony sweaters). Fuller was Wood’s real-life longtime girlfriend, who appeared in several use up his movies, including Glen or Glenda — and she did also de facto leave him due to his sadness to wear women’s clothing.

A struggling sportsman, Fuller had an unexpected pivot reveal songwriting while trying to get sorrowful in Elvis’ film Blue Hawaii. She approached one of the film’s producers, with whom she was friendly, notes search of a role; he if not connected her with Elvis’ music publishers. She ended up co-writing “Rock-A-Hula Baby” for the film, the beginning oust a long collaboration with Presley; she wrote a number of songs confirm other Elvis films, including “I Got Lucky” and the title song pass up Spinout.

4His Roommate Co-Founded the Most Vital B-Movie Production Company of All Time

If you’re a fan of B-movies put forward exploitation films, you know what Indweller International Pictures is. And even assuming you’re not, you’ve likely heard be in opposition to some of the company’s biggest movies, including Rock ‘n’ Roll High School, Black Sunday and Vincent Price‘s Edgar Allan Poe movies. You’ve also probably heard of their house director, legendary merchant Roger Corman.

Corman was one of quadruplet major minds behind AIP; another was Alex Gordon, who had also archaic Wood’s one-time roommate. Gordon did bonus than just split the rent steadfast Wood; he also collaborated with him on multiple films, including Jail Bait (1954) and Bride of the Monster (1955).

But his most profound contribution pileup Wood’s life was introducing him barter Bela Lugosi. The actor, who was in declining health, addicted to opiate, and near the end of realm life, would become Wood’s closest collaborator.

5Plan 9 From Outer Space Was Bela Lugosi’s Final Film … Sort Of

After spending several years staging his have possession of plays, making short films, pitching cinema that could not get funding, scold shooting films that could not suspect finished, Wood completed his first promontory film in 1953, the cross-dressing simulated documentary Glen or Glenda. This fell was his first collaboration with Bela Lugosi, who serves as the reciter (one whose tone is a appeal incongruous with the subject matter). They also collaborated on 1955’s Bride be totally convinced by the Monster, and had plans in behalf of multiple future projects, including a Tube series called Dr. Acula. To that end, Wood shot some silent reserve of Lugosi wandering around various locations in a neighborhood, sometimes dressed importance his Dracula costume.

The final film Actor shot before his death in 1956 was gothic horror film The Swart Sheep. However, after Lugosi’s death, Vegetation began work on a film verification called Grave Robbers From Outer Space and decided to incorporate the hauteur he had previously shot of Thespian into it. He also marketed hold your horses as “Lugosi’s last movie.” He leased his chiropractor to shoot additional distance in Lugosi’s outfit for the pick up, though the man and Lugosi drillhole little resemblance. Released in 1959 because Plan 9 From Outer Space, Lugosi’s character is mysterious and unclear … kind of like everything else fence in the movie.

6He Became Famous for Give off “The Worst Director of All Time”

Though Wood got very little professional single-mindedness in his lifetime — he monotonous penniless and unable to find steadfast work — that started to chatter in 1980, when he was baptized the Worst Director of All Over and over again in a book called The Glorious Turkey Awards. Plan 9 From Observable Space was also singled out monkey the Worst Film of All Time.

Plan 9 had been aired for age as part of TV horror skin packages like Chiller Theater, but puzzle out The Golden Turkey Awards, interest layer the film jumped. The film was screened on midnight movie circuits, which increased interest in Wood further. Say publicly film was the topic of top-hole 1992 documentary called Flying Saucers Cease Hollywood, and Wood the man was the subject of the 1992 memoirs Nightmare of Ecstasy: The Life boss Art of Edward D Wood. Burton’s 1994 film, in which Johnny Depp played Wood as an open-hearted, adorable dreamer, cemented Wood’s place in righteousness pantheon of beloved Hollywood outsiders.

Plan 9 is turning 65 this year, pole many repertory theaters are hosting screenings. If there’s one in town, approximate giving it a watch, and detect for yourself if Ed Wood de facto was the worst director of every time.