“Wooden’s artwork is a cultural mutation. He defies comparability — there is no such thing as a one remotely like him. Dispatched from time, his legend and fame grows.“
— Rudolph Gray, creator of Nightmare of Ecstasy — The Life & Artwork of Edward D. Wooden Jr., 1991.
On the earth of cinema whenever you actually give it some thought, they’re solely two varieties of films — good films and unhealthy films. However what if I had been to let you know that there’s a third type, and that could be a so-bad-it’s-good film — mainly movies which are so garbage, however they’re one way or the other actually pleasant. A current instance could be the 2003 “basic” from the Twenty first-century “catastrophe artist” himself, Tommy Wiseau’s The Room. It’s in all probability essentially the most well-known movie on this area of interest sub style, and is now notorious, particularly within the Web circles, however earlier than Wiseau was even considered, there was a Hollywood Legend, who set the gold commonplace for making films that had been so unspeakably unhealthy they had been considerably, not simply good, however legendary! Who was this man? Women and gents, let me introduce you to the best “unhealthy” film director of all time, Edward D. Wooden Jr. higher often known as simply merely previous Ed Wooden!
What can I say about “Eddie” — Director, Producer, Scriptwriter, Actor, Stuntman, Creator, Journalist, Musician, Struggle Hero, LGBTQ+ pioneer; he was an actual “jack-of-all-trades”, however a grasp of 1 — making artwork that was debatably so unhealthy, it wasn’t even good, however apparently wonderful! He had a list of labor that included movement footage with “no finances”, particular results and surroundings similar to a major college play, idiosyncratic tales, semi-coherent meme-worthy dialogue, mismatched inventory footage, and an unhealthy obsession with Angora sweaters! Regardless of missing in finances or expertise, the qualities that stored Ed Wooden going had been his naive optimism, willpower and his limitless drive and ambition — he was no slouch when it got here to his work ethic, opposite to what one might imagine!
He churned out a cottage trade of movies, screenplays and novels of constant high quality (i.e. debatably minimal) lasting from 1948, till his unlucky demise in 1978, because of a coronary heart assault introduced on by continual alcoholism. He’s, after all, accountable for a sure sci-fi basic, which was, at one stage, stated to be the worst film of all time Plan 9 From Outer House (SPOILER ALERT — it’s not, and Plan 9 isn’t even his worst movie!), which featured toy alien craft on strings, not-so convincing aliens, a extremely unconvincing Bela Lugosi double and a limitless e book’s value of quotable dialogue.
Whereas he stays a determine of enjoyable on the planet of cinema, Ed Wooden’s life was truly very tragic, particularly in his ultimate decade, when he was diminished to directing “nudie cutie” flicks, that made the terrible UK intercourse comedies from that point interval look tasteful as compared (good luck making an attempt to take a seat by means of The Love Feast!) in addition to tasteless erotic novels. On the finish of his life, he was so broke, he couldn’t even afford to pay the lease. The extra you study him, it actually makes you surprise, ought to we REALLY be making enjoyable of him? Then after all, there’s Tim Burton’s glorious 1994 biopic on the man, the place Ed was portrayed to perfection by Johnny Depp. Whereas not significantly factually correct, it makes up for it’s lack of historic fact by being such a beautiful celebratory tribute to a not-so-perfect man, in addition to the late Martin Landau’s unimaginable efficiency as Bela Lugosi, for which he gained an Oscar — even when Landau’s portrayal did swear like a sailor, which the true Lugosi didn’t actually do in actual life!
Ed Wooden was additionally a person of contradictions, and he had a really oxymoronic character; he was each pathetic and inspirational, and regardless of his conservative political beliefs, he was many years forward of his time when it got here to trans points, and likewise contemplating he may very well be a imply, violent drunkard, virtually all people who knew Wooden had nothing however glowing issues to say concerning the man (until your Bela Lugosi’s son, Bela Lugosi Jr.). Regardless of being obscure in his time, he’s now, sarcastically, one of the crucial well-known filmmakers of the Nineteen Fifties!
On a lighter observe, as October tenth 2024 marks the good man’s a hundredth birthday (and likewise 2024 marks the thirtieth Anniversary of the 1994 Biopic), I believed it will be an effective way to honour the cinema legend by writing a enjoyable article concerning the best anti-hero that the film trade has ever witnessed! I may write a complete e book on the man, however, to cite his late spouse, Kathy Wooden, Eddie was a infamous bullshitter! Plus, I must be an actual masochist to take a seat by means of fading prints of 1970’s 8mm “Intercourse Schooling” brief movies which will or might not have been directed by Ed Wooden. Earlier than I’m going any additional, I want to give a shout-out to 2 very helpful sources of knowledge, from the place I sourced a few of my analysis — Rudolph Gray’s unbelievable, however very unhappy 1992 oral biography on the person (Nightmare Of Ecstasy), which is a set of interviews from most of the folks within the Ed Wooden entourage and their fading or distorted reminiscences — in all probability the closest we’ll get to traditionally correct data on the man, and Joe Blevins weblog Useless 2 Rights (thanks Joe, for suggesting that I put this text right here!). Saying that, getting the details proper with Ed is tough; as you’ll now glean, Ed was one thing of a person who favored to inform a superb tall story, and a lot of the second hand data we have now on him comes from Ed’s aged cohorts, whose reminiscences had been sadly getting more and more extra blurred with age, or fully fading away, and sadly, most of them are now not with us.
With this text, I haven’t chosen the plain details that everyone is aware of, comparable to Wooden utilizing his spouse’s chiropractor to fill in for Bela Lugosi in Plan 9 From Outer House, however as an alternative, selected fascinating details about which some folks might not know, outdoors of some die-hard Wooden fans. There’s in all probability extra I may discover if I had the time, however I needed to only do a range that I believe might curiosity you. I additionally didn’t know what tone I ought to set for this text, as some folks see Ed as being nothing greater than a talentless clown, whereas others see him as a misunderstood genius — personally I fall someplace within the center, so I’ll ensure to steadiness the laughs, but in addition be respectful on the similar time.
Earlier than studying this text, I’d extremely suggest you need to be, no less than, an off-the-cuff fan of Wooden’s work, or have seen the 1994 biopic, as a way to get a lot of the references on this article, so you understand what I’m speaking about. The Ed Wooden rabbit gap was a really fascinating journey, and when you get sucked in, you’ll keep there for hours, days, weeks, months, years! The lifetime of Edward D. Wooden Jr. in some ways is much more fascinating than most of his precise output!
So, with out additional ado, to cite Wooden’s pal, Criswell the Psychic, allow us to punish the responsible, allow us to reward the harmless, as we take a look at 52 Random Issues I Learnt About Ed Wooden. Why 52 — as a result of, why not, for every week of the yr!
1. Ed’s life was truly actually unhappy.
Don’t fear, the remainder of the article shall be much more mild in tone, promise! Think about residing and respiratory films, with the ability to “grasp” directing, producing, writing and performing, and failing in any respect of them, being torn aside by critics, after which ending up dying in poverty. Like Vincent Van Gough — Eddie died for his artwork! I believe Ed’s TV Tropes web page sums it up greatest “Regardless of his unwavering dedication to creating films and pursuing his desires, the true Ed Wooden by no means made any form of real impression on the moviegoing public in his lifetime, and died a penniless alcoholic. It was solely till two years after his demise that he began to realize the notoriety of being the “World’s Worst Director” which, regardless of being a type of immortality in and of itself that it’s completely seemingly he wouldn’t have been completely dismissive of, remains to be an ignominious “honour” that was undoubtedly a far cry from what he strived for.”
Talking of Vincent Van Gough, American film-maker Dennis Smithers Jr. (we’ll get to him in a while) even straight compares the parallels of Wooden to Vincent in his 2024 article “Posthumous Fame, Such a Disgrace”.
2. Ed favored to inform a tall story.
Ed Wooden was considerably financial with the reality! Clearly, whenever you’re making an attempt to promote your self to apathetic producers and traders, you need to appear considerably spectacular, and Eddie’s credentials (outdoors of working with Dracula himself, Bela Lugosi) wouldn’t seemingly get him a foot within the door in Hollywood. The “story” about him carrying ladies’s underwear throughout battle in WW2 was in all probability made up by himself (the authenticity of his navy duties are nonetheless debated immediately) — to not point out, he would generally put phony movie credit on his CV to fatten it up. I believe most of the would-be producers, backers and so forth. had been sensible sufficient to learn between the traces! Then, after all, there was Ed’s declare that when he received his first movie digital camera, when he was 12 years previous, the very first thing he shot was the Hindenburg passing over the Hudson River, shortly earlier than it’s demise — perhaps one in all Ed’s tall tales, or a morbidly prophetic metaphor for Ed’s future in movies — you resolve. One other humorous tall story from Ed was that he as soon as claimed that his 1972 pores and skin flick that he penned The Class Reunion was up for an Oscar? Sure, when pigs fly!
3. Ed Wooden favored to work beneath many names.
Ed generally favored to jot down, direct, and act beneath a collection of many pseudonyms. These included:
Daniel Davis (the identify he used for his performing position in Glen or Glenda as Glen/Glenda)
Dr T.Okay. Peters
Hank Barnum
Edward Davis
TV Edwards (The TV stands for Transvestite FYI)
Ann Gora (groan!)
Flint Holloway
Edward Everett
Pete LeRoche
Akdov Telmig (Vodka Mimlet backwards FYI)
Don Miller
Dick Trent
Dr. Emil Moreau
It’s unknown why he did this, however throughout his days of being diminished to doing porn, it was in all probability to avoid wasting embarrassment, as he didn’t wish to inform folks how low his profession had sunk (then once more, there are experiences that he liked plastering his identify onto something, however that was in all probability extra to entice extra enterprise). The previous declare is made considerably evident within the 1978 linear notes he wrote for the vinyl soundtrack LP to Plan 9 From Outer House, the place he talked about he’s “retired” (he’s extra seemingly sugar coating issues, as Plan 9 is a household pleasant campy sci-fi romp).
4. Ed wasn’t at all times as likeable as he was portrayed within the 1994 biopic.
“On the finish, Ed completely misplaced his thoughts. Fully. Simply flat-ass misplaced his thoughts.“
— John Andrews, Ed Wooden affiliate.
One of many issues that Tim Burton’s glorious biopic movie does closely downplay, is Ed’s completely atrocious dependancy to alcohol, which actually solely will get talked about within the movie’s “The place Are They Now?” epilogue on the finish. Whereas the ingesting wasn’t good within the Nineteen Fifties, by his Seventies stage, it received extremely hideous. As I wish to preserve this text light-hearted, I gained’t go into the finer particulars. His continual boozing was in all probability the explanation why Ed ended up broke, as he spent what little earnings he made, on making nudie flicks and writing erotic novels, into shopping for extra booze (that, and his lack of enterprise smarts). The Eddie of the later years was chronicled not directly within the Joseph Robertson directed 1968 intercourse comedy movie The Love Feast the place Ed himself performs the principle position of a drunk, pervy middle-aged photographer — one thing that he had devolved into in actual life by that stage. It’s completely heartbreaking to observe, and I don’t suggest it to anyone, until you’re a whole masochist! Mainly, the Ed Wooden of the Nineteen Fifties might have appeared like a enjoyable, likeable, charismatic, however eccentric fellow, and not using a imply bone in his physique (when sober) however the Ed Wooden of the Seventies was generally a fairly disagreeable scumbag, normally when the surplus of Imperial Whiskey kicked in (poor Kathy, his spouse, received the worst of this aspect of him). Although saying all this, Wooden affiliate Casey Larrain stated he was similar to his Depp portrayal in actual life.
Due to the alcohol, his dashing conventional Errol Flynn fashion attractiveness had been mainly destroyed by the mid Nineteen Sixties, and he grew to become bloated, and extremely unkempt trying, aptly resembling a low-rent sleazy con man, who you’ll cross the road to keep away from, or alternately a extremely unhealthy end-of-the pier comic (as seen within the aforementioned Love Feast)!
One message we should always actually study from this, is that alcohol, whereas OK carefully, ought to NOT be drunk in extra, as it may possibly actually injury who you might be each mentally and bodily. Barely “preachy” I do know!
5. Plan 9 From Outer House is NOT the worst movie of all time and is certainly NOT the worst Ed Wooden film!
Having watched many unhealthy movies myself, Plan 9 is certainly not the worst film of all time, it’s not even Ed Wooden’s worst film! I’d say that, numerous what Ed was concerned in from 1965 onward, when it received somewhat extra “50 Shades Of Wooden”, is much extra deserving of that title, which all I can say is: when you’re on the lookout for laughs or titillation, you can be upset on each counts! However If there was one factor that the porn movies of Ed Wooden genuinely supplied, it was a totally uncensored and non nostalgic commentary of absolutely the grimness of Seventies tradition — warts, cheesy mustaches and all!
6. I believe all people who’s a fan of Wooden is aware of, he was a cross dresser…
…however what you won’t know, is that his drag/feminine alter ego identify was Shirley! The identify would even seem in a few of his movies with Betty Boater taking part in a personality referred to as Shirley in 1960’s The Sinister Urge, Pat Barrington taking part in a personality referred to as Shirley in 1965’s Orgy of the Useless and Grownup transfer legend Rene Bond taking part in one other character referred to as Shirley in 1972’s Necromania.
7. Ed’s favorite programme on the tv was a forgotten 1962 comedy present.
After a tough days work, both directing, or writing great trash, Ed talked about in his 1965 e book Hollywood Rat Race, that he would quiet down to observe his favorite TV present — The Bell Brothers, which leads us to a basic Ed Woodism “I favored the tv collection The Bell Brothers starring the Bell Brothers”. In actuality, the present was referred to as Oh! These Bells, which ran for one collection again in 1962, and it starred the German/Austrian born slapstick comics, The Wiere Brothers. They had been standard from the Nineteen Twenties to the Nineteen Sixties.
8. Ed’s pet canine was supposedly named by future US president Ronald Reagan.
Certainly one of Eddie’s alleged acquaintances was fellow b-movie actor, Californian governor and future fortieth President of the USA, Ronald Reagan! In an interview with psychic Baron Von Brenner in 1973 for Psychic Assessment, Wooden revealed that he was a canine lover, and owned a number of of them. Certainly one of them was named Bumper Sticker, and was supposedly christened by none aside from Gov. Reagan himself, whereas Ed was campaigning to elect Sam Yorty because the thirty seventh Mayor of Los Angeles in 1965. As this was stated by Ed himself (a grasp of misinformation) the authenticity of this declare is debatable. Apparently, Reagan was reportedly one of many inspirations behind Depp’s efficiency as Ed within the 1994 Burton Biopic movie.
9. Glen or Glenda was going to have a lavish New York premiere.
In 1981, after Ed Wooden’s posthumous profession resurrection, because of the Medved Brothers notorious e book The Golden Turkey Awards, Paramount Photos had been going to re-release his basic 1953 main cinematic debut Glen or Glenda, and provides it a lavish premiere in New York Metropolis on April 1st 1981 beneath the pretense that the movie was a misplaced basic within the vein of Citizen Kane or The Godfather. Many movie buffs assumed It was some large April Idiot’s Day prank, however Paramount then abruptly pulled the plug on it, citing the tried assassination of President Reagan on March thirtieth. Paramount did ultimately re-release it, albeit in a low-key method.
10. Glen or Glenda was as soon as rejected by the BBFC (British Board of Movie Classification).
In 1958, Border Movies tried to launch Glen or Glenda right here within the UK, however the BBFC rejected a launch of the movie on the twenty sixth February — perhaps a movie coping with transvestites and transgender points was presumably too progressive for British audiences to deal with on the time, or perhaps it was the “stag” footage that was edited into the movie by producer George Weiss with out Wooden’s permission? It might ultimately be given a 15 Certificates on January 18th 1995.
11. The basic 1994 biopic movie Ed Wooden price extra to supply than each Ed Wooden movie put collectively.
In fact, this isn’t adjusted for inflation!
12. Ed’s attainable reference to Christopher Lee.
Certainly one of Ed’s objectives in his ultimate years was to exit the seedy porn enterprise, and return into respectable cinema (he may have, if he’d sobered up), and he supposedly had that chance with the schlocky 1977 slasher flick Meatcleaver Bloodbath (filmed in 1974). In response to some sources, the Keith Burns (beneath the pen identify Evan Lee) directed movie was, as talked about on the web site, Alamo Drafthouse Cinema, “partially directed by a boozed-up Ed Wooden shortly earlier than his demise.”, whereas a person on an Ed Wooden Fb web page instructed Joe Blevins from the Ed Wooden themed weblog Useless 2 Rights that Jim Bryan, who edited the movie, claims that Ed “directed round 60% of Meatcleaver Bloodbath” as a result of “the unique director was fired.” with the film’s cinematographer additionally backing up this declare on Fb in 2022. Think about a director of a movie being so unhealthy, they needed to get Ed Wooden to exchange him! Although saying that, Wooden’s late widow, Kathy, denied Eddie having labored on this movie, and the movie by no means appeared on any identified C.V. Wooden carried round.
Ed supposedly has a really temporary cameo within the film, as a photographer (which is apt, as he performed photographers in a few of his grownup movies), and he even receives an on-screen credit score. Whereas it does strongly resemble the Wooden of his ultimate years, acclaimed Ed Wooden historian, Rudolph Gray, says the noses don’t match, however I’ll allow you to resolve (I believe they’re a match)!
What does the legendary movie actor (and one of many coolest people who ever lived!), Christopher Lee, should do with all this? Lee performs the position of the on-screen narrator for the movie (assume Criswell in Plan 9, and like Criswell, Lee is studying off cue playing cards!) The story of how he supposedly crossed paths with Wooden, was a producer employed Lee to relate a totally totally different movie, after which bought the footage with out telling him. Lee then initiated authorized motion towards the producers of this movie, however gave up, as it will be a protracted and time-consuming process. I believe this is able to be very a lot in character with Wooden to shoe-horn in Christopher Lee inventory footage, as, like fellow Dracula, Bela Lugosi, in Wooden’s 1950’s heyday, he wanted to have a “identify” as a way to promote his low cost and cheerful horror movie.
On a side-note, the film was generally proven within the UK beneath the title of Revenge of the Useless, which was an alternate identify for Wooden’s then-lost 1959 movie Evening of the Ghouls, and Ed was identified for recycling concepts for unfinished initiatives into new ones.
Personally, I actually wish to consider that Meatcleaver Bloodbath was certainly Edward D. Wooden Jr’s ultimate movie that he directed to “fanonically” give his film profession a barely happier ending, as this was launched a yr earlier than he died, and that Ed had one final go at a “legit” movie. So as to add some credibility to this, the itemizing for Meatclever Bloodbath on Amazon Prime lists Edward D. Wooden Jr. as a director alongside Evan Lee (although it may very well be to extend gross sales/streams), in addition to the web site for the BBFC in 2023 for it’s Blu-ray reissue, handed with a 15 certificates.
On one other side-note, If Ed Wooden had survived into the 1980’s, and perhaps skilled a profession “resurgence”, I’m fairly certain his profession would have gone from making terrible soft-core porn to creating terrible “video nasties”.
13. Ed narrated film trailers.
Generally, Ed’s distinctive musical voice would lend itself to movie trailers. In 1974, he narrated the theatrical trailer to a grind home flick named Fugitive Women (directed by Ed’s buddy, Stephen Apostolof) , which Ed additionally wrote, and through which he had small cameos as totally different characters. By 1974, because of his unlucky dependancy to Imperial Whiskey and the air pollution of residing within the seedier aspect of L.A., his voice had considerably modified from the way it sounded in Glen or Glenda again in 1953. Eddie’s narration is totally “hammy”, and theatrical, channeling William Dozier within the 1960’s Batman TV collection. It’s a disgrace he didn’t get to do extra of those gigs, as you possibly can inform he had numerous enjoyable with it!
14. Ed Wooden was concerned with the well-known Japanese movie firm, Toei.
Ed Wooden’s confirmed final movie he was concerned in (until you depend Meatcleaver Bloodbath) that wasn’t a part of the “gentleman’s particular curiosity” sub-genre, was having an previous script of his being utilized in a micro-budget 1970 sci-fi horror flick referred to as Venus Flytrap AKA The Revenge of Dr. X. It was based mostly off a screenplay Ed wrote within the 1950’s and was picked up by fellow B-movie director, Norman Earl Thomson, who drastically rewrote Ed’s unique screenplay. It was distributed by none aside from the legendary Japanese movie firm, Toei, who Anime followers will in all probability recognise for works comparable to Dragonball Z and Sailor Moon, and western cartoons comparable to Transformers, G.I.Joe, Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles, The Actual Ghostbusters, Muppet Infants, and My Little Pony in addition to the animated interludes to the videogame, Sonic The Hedgehog CD. Toei are also accountable for the Tremendous Sentai collection AKA Energy Rangers. It’s bizarre to assume that Ed Wooden as soon as loosely labored for Toei, albeit very briefly!
15. Ed Wooden might have illegally used music from different movies!
Joe Blevins of the Ed Wooden themed weblog Useless 2 Rights, uploaded a bootleg soundtrack to the latter Ed Wooden movie Necromania (1972) onto his Soundcloud account, and for enjoyable, I gave the title theme a Shazam. Guess what — it was initially a tune referred to as Festa Indiana from an Italian movie referred to as Horny launched in 1962, composed by Armando Sciascia and his Orchestra! Plainly Ed Wooden was stealing music type different movies!
It doesn’t cease there — his 1971 softcore film Nympo Cycler options an instrumental cowl model of Black Magic Girl initially by Fleetwood Mac, memorably lined by Santana. As Wooden’s later movies had been mainly no-budget pores and skin flicks for pervy middle-aged males (into which, sarcastically Wooden had sadly devolved by that stage), I can’t think about he may have afforded to license out well-known pop music (and I can’t think about Fleetwood Mac or Santana desirous to degrade themselves by associating themselves with that form of smut!).
16. The man who composed the music for Plan 9 additionally had music utilized in Monty Python, Physician Who, and SpongeBob Squarepants!
British library music composer, Trevor Duncan, who composed a lot of the inventory music that Ed used for Plan 9 From Outer House, which incorporates the movie’s iconic theme tune Grip of the Legislation, additionally had his music utilized in one other piece of basic sci-fi, Physician Who! Within the now-lost episode Mission To The Unknown (broadcast 1965), Duncan’s music cues had been used, that sounded similar to those utilized in Plan 9. Duncan’s music was additionally utilized in a 2002 episode of SpongeBob Squarepants, in addition to Ren & Stimpy, Morecambe & Clever and Monty Python’s Flying Circus amongst many others.
17. Glen or Glenda had two sequels, however solely in novel type.
Certainly one of Ed’s most well-known movies was the “daring for it’s time” 1953 movie Glen or Glenda, which was VERY loosely based mostly on the lifetime of Christine Jorgensen, the primary publicly identified male-to-female intercourse change. It was as an alternative rewritten by Ed to be a fictionalised autobiography about his struggles along with his personal transvestism, as Jorgensen didn’t need something to do with it. Regardless of the film being splendidly bizarre, it was a movie that was very ahead pondering within the conservative world of early Nineteen Fifties America, because it was a plea for tolerance for transvestite and transgender acceptance.
Regardless of the film fading away to obscurity on the time (till Ed’s demise, that’s), it truly had a sequel within the type of a “dime retailer” novel 10 years later in 1963 referred to as Killer In Drag. By the early 1960’s, Ed’s profession as a legit film-maker was mainly over, and earlier than he made a “comeback” in movies 2 years later within the grownup market, he wrote ENDLESS pulp novels to make ends meet. Within the sequel novel, Glen (whose full identify is revealed to be Glen Marker), makes use of “Glenda” as his murderer alter ego, who works for an organisation solely often known as The Syndicate (which was additionally the identify of the “Smut Image Racket” organisation in his 1960 movie The Sinister Urge). We additionally study that he has an ex-girlfriend referred to as Barbara, who was his girlfriend in Glen or Glenda, memorably performed by Ed’s actual life girlfriend on the time, Delores Fuller. Whereas Glen or Glenda stays a campy cult basic in LGBTQ+ cinema, the sequel Killer In Drag is much more darkish and edgy. The e book obtained an extra sequel in 1967 referred to as Demise Of A Transvestite, the place Glen is now on Demise Row, and their ultimate want is to die in drag as “Glenda”.
18. Glen or Glenda‘s theme is definitely the theme music for Lassie!
As Ed Wooden couldn’t afford to get a correct composer to attain one in all his movies, he must depend on library music (or stealing music from different movies!). For the theme tune of 1953’s Glen or Glenda, Wooden selected the William Lava inventory tune Presenting The Physician, which, was renamed, and recomposed as Secret of the Silent Hills, AKA the theme music for the well-known TV Present, Lassie, about an exquisite Tough Collie canine, who helps folks. Presenting The Physician had it’s debut in 1940 within the RKO manufacturing The Brave Dr. Christian. Wooden additionally used the tune 2 years earlier for his TV brief The Solar Was Setting.
William Lava, who composed Presenting The Physician/Secret of the Silent Hills would later compose music for the Looney Tunes and Merrie Melodies cartoons for Warner Bros. throughout it’s “darkish age” of 1962-1969.
19. Ed as soon as staged a dwell Las Vegas residency for Bela Lugosi.
Ed is commonly “cliched” as being a complete failure, however he did handle to attain some type of respectable success, and a few his movies had been truly commercially profitable (extra on that later). In response to his 1965 (however launched in 1998) e book Hollywood Rat Race, Wooden staged a comedic Las Vegas revue for his idol, and star of Ed’s three most well-known movies, Dracula himself, Bela “PULL THE STRING!” Lugosi. The Bela Lugosi Revue began in February 1954 on the Silver Slipper, and was contracted to 4 weeks, however was prolonged to seven, doing 4 reveals per day. The present was written completely by Ed himself, and the entire intention was to, hopefully, convey Lugosi extra work — sadly, this wasn’t the case, and Lugosi was diminished to working along with his sole employer and new buddy, Ed Wooden.
20. Ed Wooden has a small spiritual cult devoted to him (?!?).
Sure, I’m NOT making this up — there’s a very small group of people who worship Ed Wooden as their lord and saviour! In 1996, an Oklahoma based mostly Ed Wooden fan referred to as Reverend Steve Galindo began a joke faith, that boasts greater than 3500 baptised followers. In case you are curious sufficient to take a look at this cult, they’ve a web site (edwood.org), although it hasn’t been up to date since 2016. Their equal of Christmas, is named Woodmas, which is widely known each October tenth, which is, after all, Ed Wooden’s birthday!
21. Criswell wrote his personal dialogue in Plan 9.
Apparently, Ed’s dialogue was so boring, that everybody’s favorite inaccurate prognosticator, Criswell (who, coincidentally had a music written about him by Peggy Lee), needed to step in and rewrite it himself! All these basic memetic traces of his — all Cris work…properly a few of it! His introductory ramble of “Greetings, my buddies! We’re all sooner or later, for that’s the place you and I are going to spend the remainder of our lives!” truly dates from the 1939 New York World’s Honest as a part of the captions and narration for Normal Motor’s Futurama Journey and it’s accompanying movie New Horizons. However what about “Future occasions comparable to these will have an effect on you sooner or later” — A basic Ed Woodism? NO! Certainly one of Criswell’s signature traces from his now misplaced tv collection Criswell Predicts (Wooden directed some episodes). Regardless of all of this, Criswell couldn’t keep in mind something, and nonetheless needed to learn his traces off cue playing cards!
22. The Film Ed Wooden may truly be a narrative instructed by Ed himself.
Not a lot trivia, however a believable fan idea. As hardcore Wooden followers might know, the story of Tim Burton’s biopic movie is extremely romanticised (although not in a foul method), and I (and the followers) want to consider that the entire movie may need been instructed by means of the drunken thoughts of Eddie himself. Because the YMMV (Your Mileage Could Range) part for Ed Wooden on TV Tropes places it “Whereas the movie performs loosely with historical past all through, it’s additionally been described as “the form of biopic Ed Wooden would have made for himself.” Every part that occurs after Ed storms out of the Plan 9 shoot in drag is totally made up: he actually didn’t meet Orson Welles and the film positively didn’t have such a lavish, closely publicised premiere. Is the movie merely being type to Ed by giving him a contented ending he may solely want he’d ever get, is the movie presupposed to be Ed’s reminiscences and he’s remembering them in additional flattering methods than they occurred or, contemplating that Wooden was an alcoholic and instantly goes to a bar, is all of it only a drunken stupor?
This idea alone, vindicates the movie, for all these snobs, who need every little thing factually correct, and Eddie hog-washing the details could be very a lot in line with who he was. There’s presumably one canonical clue to the movie being instructed by means of Wooden’s eyes — when Ed meets Orson Welles, Orson’s bodily look resembles that of how he did circa 1941, when he made Citizen Kane, when he was fresh-faced and youthful trying. By 1956, when the fantasy assembly sequence happened, he was chubby, and his hair was greying. My fan-theory is that the entire film was Wooden’s life flashing earlier than his eyes (along with his reminiscences being considerably distorted, clearly because of his alcoholism), earlier than his ultimate breath on that fateful day on the tenth December 1978.
23. 14 Minutes of Glen or Glenda is nothing however inventory footage!
Ed liked inventory footage — in truth, he may have made a film fully out of random clips, one thing the Johnny Depp portrayal of him steered to his editor. In Wooden’s first important image “Glen or Glenda, 14 minutes of the movie’s working time was nothing however fairly random inventory footage, with some photographs being repeated greater than as soon as (a shot of faux lightning seems SIX occasions, and would later present up in different Wooden movies!). Essentially the most notorious, after all, was the random footage of Bison overlayed throughout Bela Lugosi’s now well-known “PULL THE STRING! PULL THE STRING!” rant. A few of it was padded out by the movie’s producer, George Weiss, to make it characteristic size, from a modest 65 minutes to a barely extra beefy 71 minutes. This included a weird dream sequence (not directed by Wooden) that includes burlesque footage, which had nothing to do with the remainder of the movie, with unrelated photographs of Lugosi and Wooden reacting to it. Ed didn’t approve of this extra smut, which is, in-hindsight, hypocritical, because the kind of footage Weiss added was similar to the kind of carry-on that made up 95% of Wooden’s output from 1965 onwards (although considerably tamer).
24. The increase mics in Plan 9 had been truly not meant to be seen!
The precise supposed facet ratio, was that Plan 9 From Outer House was meant to be widescreen (16:9) as an alternative of fullscreen (4:3), so these seen increase mics within the cockpit scene weren’t a common Ed Wooden oversight of him refusing to do a retake to save cash, however an oversight of the film (actually in residence media releases) exhibiting greater than what was meant to be proven on display! Hilariously, seen increase mics would present up once more in his 1960’s anti-porn propaganda movie The Sinister Urge.
25. The writers of Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles had been followers of Ed Wooden.
Folks like me, who grew up within the Nineties, are fairly seemingly going to be followers of the amphibious Fab 4 of Leonardo, Donatello, Michelangelo and Raphael AKA The Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles AKA The Teenage Mutant Hero Turtles, when you lived within the UK like myself! Within the basic 1987 cartoon collection, the Turtles generally used Tor Johnson Halloween masks as disguises, plus one episode was referred to as Plan Six From Outer House!
26. Ed may need made a revenue with two of his movies!
In response to the person himself, his splendidly inept 1955 horror flick Bride of the Monster truly made a revenue on the field workplace, however Eddie oversold the movie and couldn’t reimburse all of the backers, who funded the film. A film that Ed wrote, however not directed, 1956’s The Violent Years additionally apparently made a revenue (coincidentally not one in all Wooden’s most well-known movies). The first motive for Wooden’s decline into “Nudie Cuties”, sexploitation, and ultimately straight up porn, was for that reason alone, as you might be at all times assured to make a revenue, and it helped pay the payments (which sadly, ultimately went into shopping for extra booze), and, the truth that Ed was a poor businessman.
27. Bride of the Monster was truly referred to as Dracula’s Bride in Greece.
An apparent try on cashing in on Bela Lugosi’s fame as Dracula! Perhaps that’s the place the movie’s alleged earnings got here from?
28. Ed was, at occasions, self-aware.
Whereas it’s considerably true that he believed his movies to be masterpieces, he as soon as acknowledged, in an interview featured within the e book Nightmare of Ecstasy, that the notorious scene in Plan 9 From Outer House, the place Bela Lugosi’s character dies by having him run over by a automobile off-camera, with a scream (clearly not in Lugosi’s voice, in all probability supplied by Ed himself) with the movie footage freezing throughout that second, that the scene seemed phoney. That is truly referenced within the 1994 Tim Burton Biopic. Throughout the finish of the film, when Ed is on the gala premiere of Plan 9, you see him lip studying the entire movie, and when it will get to that scene, he truly turns his head round to ensure no one was laughing at that scene.
On a side-note, Ed Wooden himself thought-about the 1953 Phil Tucker sci-fi movie Robotic Monster to be the worst movie ever made — one other so-bad-it’s-good “basic”, which one man on IMDB truly claims is “WAY extra enjoyable than Plan 9 From Outer House“.
29. Generally, Ed truly did shoot a scene with a couple of take.
Whereas it’s true that, numerous the time, Ed favored to shoot films with as little takes as attainable (clearly, as he labored to extremely tight deadlines and budgets), sometimes, he would generally ask for a retake, and there truly is movie proof of that! Within the theatrical trailer for Glen or Glenda, there’s an alternate take used of the well-known scene the place Barbra (Delores Fuller) fingers over Glen’s (Ed Wooden AKA Daniel Davis) angora sweater, the place, on this alternate take, it’s carried out rather a lot faster and extra bluntly. Delores thought-about this alternate take a metaphor, for what she considered the movie. There are two locations the place you possibly can watch real Ed Wooden outtakes — firstly, some fairly boring outtakes for the equally boring TV mini-film Ed directed from 1951 The Solar Was Setting and outtakes additionally exist for his 1970 detective intercourse comedy movie Take It Out In Commerce.
On my DVD of Plan 9 From Outer House, there’s about a few minutes or so of deleted scenes, however they’re comedic ones manipulated by Legend Movies, who issued the DVD again in 2006.
Talking of doing issues in just one take, this was truly one thing fairly frequent for micro finances movie productions again within the day. Within the Thirties over right here within the UK, we had the Quota Quickies, which had been no-budget movies the place every little thing needed to be, virtually, shot in a single take, and even classic tv, comparable to early Physician Who, had a lot of the studio work shot in just one take too, to not point out that numerous kids’s and dramatic TV reveals from the Nineteen Forties, 50s, and 60s had been even broadcast dwell, so when you screwed up — you’re screwed!
30. Ed truly had a small cult fanbase earlier than his demise in 1978.
Imagine it or not, there was a really small, however devoted, group of Ed Wooden followers that existed earlier than his demise in 1978, because of his 1950’s “golden age” movies being a staple of the graveyard slots on native American TV stations. A few of them organised a particular Ed Wooden Day (assume when folks display The Room immediately), the place they confirmed a few of his movies. When Ed discovered about this, he was completely delighted, and he was so heartened to know that folks nonetheless remembered him and his previous movies. Certainly one of these early followers, a scholar named Scott Zimmerman, truly befriended Ed after a 1975 TV screening of Bride of the Monster. In response to Scott, Ed appeared like a fairly cool man (clearly catching him on one in all his good, i.e. sober, days), and Ed even invited him to his residence to observe Plan 9. Scott would even be one of many contributors to the oral biography Nightmare of Ecstasy. One other Wooden fan referred to as Fred Olen Ray truly teamed up with Eddie to jot down a screenplay referred to as Seashore Blanket Massacre in 1978, which might have seen Wooden make his comeback into “legit” cinema, which sadly didn’t get correctly completed, because of Wooden’s demise, with just a few minutes shot.
In truth, it was these very followers, that gave Ed Wooden the love and fame he deserved, as they had been those that affectionately received him voted into the Golden Turkey Awards e book as The Worst Director of all Time, and Plan 9, the Worst Film of all Time, skyrocketing him right into a stage of notoriety, which he by no means received to expertise in his lifetime.
31. Ed generally was deliberately humorous.
Properly, Ed Wooden films are unintentionally hilarious, however in all honesty, we must be laughing with him, NOT at him! His 1947 WW2 Stage play The Informal Firm (as portrayed to start with of the 1994 Johnny Depp Biopic) was truly an intentional comedy with the programme for the play even referring to it as “an unique farce in three acts” — even among the characters names are intentionally comical comparable to PFC Elbo Joints. In Ed’s sordid ultimate years as a director/author/producer for the “amorous” market, a few of these so-called-films had been meant to be comedies, comparable to Take It Out In Commerce — a detective parody, 1 Million AC/DC — a caveman movie that includes in all probability the “greatest” scene from this period of Ed Wooden (a personality will get eaten by a unconvincing toy dinosaur) and most infamously, Ed’s return to performing in The Love Feast, which is about as comedic as Ed’s personal life by that stage (i.e. not humorous in any respect and fairly miserable). One unreleased mission of Wooden’s was a sci-fi flick named Invasion of the Gigantic Salami — assume Plan 9, however solely deliberately humorous!
Additionally, Ed would generally fairly tastelessly gown up as a sure Austrian monster with a toothbrush moustache, to amuse folks at events. He additionally favored to cosplay as Jesus too!
32. A few of Criswell’s predictions truly got here true!
Frankly, regardless of his alleged 87% accuracy fee, Ed’s cohort, Criswell, did speak numerous previous cobblers… or perhaps he was the true deal? A few of his predictions, consider it or not, truly occurred. He efficiently predicted a shift from paper cash to bank cards, e-mails, continually up to date information experiences transmitted electronically, best elevated reliance on know-how (or “automation” as he would name it), a technology of people that derive pleasure from complaining and, extra harshly, the assassination of President John F. Kennedy. On March tenth 1963 on the Jack Paar Program, he prophesied “I predict that President Kennedy won’t run for reelection in 1964, due to one thing that can occur to him in November 1963.” If he had been round immediately, may he predict the lottery numbers for subsequent week for me, please?
33. There have been different biopics on Ed Wooden earlier than Tim Burton’s Ed Wooden!
Ed’s first main movie, 1953’s Glen or Glenda, was a free biopic of kinds, because the protagonist, Glen (performed by Ed himself beneath the alias of Daniel Davis) was straight about Wooden’s personal struggles with transvestism, plus Barbra, Glen’s fiancee, is performed by Wooden’s real-life squeeze on the time, Delores Fuller.
The primary try at making a biopic on the not-so nice man, was truly all the best way again within the 1980’s… sorta! Properly, one in all Wooden’s associates, David Ward, was engaged on a fictionalised account of his life, referred to as Edward Ford. One of many aspect characters in his screenplay was a fictionalised model of Ed Wooden, named Harry Blake, however, in contrast to the model of Ed portrayed by Johnny Depp in Tim Burton’s 1994 biopic, Ward didn’t downplay the darker aspect of Ed’s character, comparable to his out-of-control alcoholism, and his downward descent into trashy erotica. Regardless of the script getting vital reward, the film was by no means made.
One other extra beginner try was made in 1986 referred to as Ed and Bela directed by a scholar named Scott Allen Nollen. On this movie, Ed is performed by Jim Singletary, whereas Lugosi is performed by Bart Aitkens. Rudolph Gray’s acclaimed Ed Wooden “bible”, Nightmare of Ecstasy, began life as a biopic of a B-movie director, who descended into making unhealthy pornography, earlier than being reinvented right into a e book about our favorite cinema anti-hero.
Additionally, the well-known Monty Python sketch Scott of the Antarctic includes a drunken film director referred to as James McRettin (performed by John Cleese), who’s, in some ways, fairly much like Ed Wooden, character sensible, however Wooden’s anti-fame hadn’t actually kicked in again when it was made (1970), until the Pythons had been early followers of his?
34. There’s an Ed Wooden movie pageant.
There’s an annual movie pageant in the USA, the place college college students should make a film in 24 hours, which is a part of the USC Cinematic Arts in L.A.. The catch….. make one thing higher than what Ed would have carried out! It has been going since 1996, and remains to be taking place to at the present time!
35. Ed’s films generally had reoccurring characters.
What do Bride of the Monster, Plan 9 From Outer House and Evening of the Ghouls all have in frequent? They’re directed by Ed Wooden = sure, they’re debatably so-bad-it’s-good = sure, and so they all have a personality named Kelton The Cop = sure. The late Paul Marco (start identify Angelo Inzalaco) was one in all Eddie’s common performers, and all movies featured a bumbling police officer named Kelton, who has the tendency to say “Sure Sir!” rather a lot. Wooden followers like to contemplate these movies to be the “Kelton Trilogy”. Marco would later turn into the president of the official Paul Marco Fan Membership. Apparently, the character of Lobo, memorably performed by Swedish Wrestler, Tor Johnson, appeared in a non Ed Wooden movie in 1957 referred to as The Unearthly, directed by Boris Petroff (although it may very well be argued they’re two separate characters with the identical identify). The film might be greatest remembered for Johnson’s line “TIME FOR GO TO BED!” which is now an web meme.
36. Clear variations exist of Ed Wooden’s extra “amorous” movies.
A courageous filmmaker/YouTuber, who goes by the deal with of Beast Releasing (actual identify Dennis Smithers Jr.) has re-edited a few of Wooden’s later movies (dubbed, the Circumcised Cuts) from 1965-1978 to take away all of the boobs and simulated conjugal exercise, solely leaving the story, performing and dialogue. Doesn’t make these movies any higher, although, nevertheless it’s good for many who wish to watch a few of Wooden’s later movies in a extra PG-rated type!
On the alternative finish of the spectrum, whereas most of Ed’s “nudie” characteristic movies had been more-or-less strictly softcore affairs (the identical can’t be stated for this “loop” shorts), they had been generally re-edited by the distributors to incorporate “hardcore” inserts to make the movies extra interesting to porno theatres, which was frequent follow again within the day.
37. Ed was a infamous pattern hopper.
Following tendencies is one in all life’s non-obligatory mandatory evils, and Eddie favored to capitalise on what was large on the time. Because the world of 1953 wasn’t prepared but for a film about trans acceptance with Glen or Glenda, Ed mainly cashed in on what was scorching, and be “down with the youngsters”. Bride of the Monster — clearly a cash-grab on the monster film craze, Plan 9 — a rip off of each different sci-fi on the market on the time, and each movies had been crammed with all of the Chilly Struggle paranoia, which was taking place on the planet on the time. Clearly Ed’s decline into grownup movies in 1970’s, was a money seize on rising softcore administrators like Russ Meyer, and even hardcore movies like Deep Throat, which had been shock field workplace successes, and the truth that even mainstream flicks through the interval had been borderline porn, just like the “Confessions” comedies over right here within the UK (on a aspect observe, Confessions of a Window Cleaner was the UK’s highest grossing film in 1974 outgrossing the Disney animated basic The Aristocats) — it was an odd interval the place the road between mainstream cinema and pornography had been blurred, and numerous Wooden’s contemporaries had been happening that path to make a fast buck. What makes this much more miserable is that by most accounts, Ed HATED making pornography, which some consider fed into his despair and helped gasoline his ever-increasing alcoholism.
38. Ed Wooden’s Reference to the Batman franchise.
Certainly one of Ed’s regulars was an actor named Lyle Talbot (1902-1996), who had been performing because the days of silent cinema. He performed Inspector Warren in Glen or Glenda, Inspector Johns in Jail Bait, and Normal Roberts in Plan 9 From Outer House. Regardless of having a large filmography, he’s in all probability greatest identified for taking part in Commissioner Gordon within the 1949 low-budget Columbia serial, Batman & Robin, which might be the closest we’ll get to what a Batman film directed by Ed Wooden would have been like! Johnny Duncan, who performed Robin The Boy Surprise in the identical 1949 serial, additionally had a small uncredited position in Plan 9 From Outer House as a stretcher bearer, which ends up in one of many few regrets of my life (extra on that later). Wooden common, B-movie cowboy actor, Kenne Duncan, additionally had an uncredited position in an earlier Batman film serial from 1943 as Fred the Mechanic. So as to add to his superhero credentials, Kenne Duncan was additionally in film serials for Superman, Captain Marvel (Shazam) and Captain America.
Eddie Parker, who was a stuntman for Bela Lugosi on Bride of the Monster (the one who ACTUALLY fought the rubber octopus) additionally doubled for Lewis Wilson’s portrayal of Batman within the 1943 film serial, in addition to double for Home Peters Jr. within the position of Earl, and he additionally performed a minor character named Holt within the 1949 Batman serial.
In Plan 9, through the Flying Saucers Over Hollywood montage, we go the outside of the Macombo Membership on Sundown Boulevard, the place there’s a marquee saying that Eartha Kitt is doing a live performance. Eartha Kitt, after all, performed Catwoman within the 1966 Batman TV collection with Adam West. Kitt would additionally seem within the 1998 movie I Woke Up Early The Day I Died, which was based mostly off an previous Ed Wooden script, that was written in 1974.
Again to Johnny Duncan — once I was child, I used to be truly in contact with the good man himself, however this was lengthy earlier than I grew to become an Ed Wooden fan — if solely I had been a Wooden fan on the time, I’d have LOVED to have requested him if he had any fascinating tales about Eddie. There’s additionally a picture on-line of Ed Wooden hanging about with the legendary Caesar Romero, who delightfully performed The Joker within the basic 1966 Batman TV collection.
39. Ed Wooden was a grasp of misinformation.
Whereas clickbait, faux information, and misinformation is outwardly an invention that started in 2016 or so, Ed favored his tall tales and to misinform folks along with his work. His 1954 film Jail Bait has a title that’s fortunately deceptive, because it’s, in actuality, a fairly boring movie noir film a couple of man who blackmails the dad of his buddy’s plastic surgeon into fixing up his face, so he can evade the cops (in truth, the unique title of the film was The Hidden Face, however Ed doubtlessly thought, having a provocative title would get extra curiosity — it didn’t!).
He did the identical once more with the 1965 Stephen Apostolof “monster nudie” movie, that he wrote and produced referred to as Orgy of the Useless — No Orgy is current within the film, and in actuality, it’s a fairly tame 90 minute assortment of topless burlesque items that includes some Poundland Raquel Welch lookalikes, with a drunk or excessive Criswell spectating, making cringy observations. His 1972 horror-themed porn movie Necromania has a fortunately very deceptive title too, although the closest we do get to that kind of awfulness within the movie is, that we see a pair… ahem….”dance the horizontal mambo” in a coffin!
One other pointer to Meatclever Bloodbath being Ed Wooden’s doubtlessly ultimate movie, was that the film truly didn’t have any meat cleavers, with the identify clearly cashing in on The Texas Chainsaw Bloodbath (additionally see Ed being a infamous trend-hopper).
It wasn’t simply deceptive titles — Ed’s ultimate “mainstream” movie, 1960’s The Sinister Urge was a super-exaggerated Reefer Insanity-esque propaganda flick on the evils of pornography, or, because the film places it, the “smut image racket”. In a harsh act of prophecy, Ed himself 5 years later would be part of the “smut image racket”, till his demise in 1978. Sarcastically, that film would even be proven in grownup cinemas on the time, presumably as a joke (a bit like how Reefer Insanity is standard with stoners).
40. Ed Wooden did some stunt work.
In 1950, Wooden was a stuntman within the Samuel Fuller directed movie The Barron of Arizona starring Vincent Worth and Ellen Drew. Wooden allegedly doubled for Drew (being a crossdresser, this is able to come naturally to him) in a scene the place her character, Sofia, will get pushed off a transferring coach by an offended mob. As Glen or Glenda proved, Wooden wasn’t significantly engaging in drag, and the enhancing hid Wooden’s face as a lot as attainable.
This wasn’t the primary or final time Ed was a stuntman. Wooden did some horseback driving in his first film Crossroads of Laredo (made 1948 launched 1995) and the unsold TV pilot Crossroad Avenger and Wooden additionally doubled for Mona McKimmon in Plan 9 From Outer House in a scene the place she is being pursued by NOT Bela Lugosi being performed unconvincingly by Ed Wooden’s spouse’s chiropractor utilizing a cape to cowl his face to cover the truth that he appears to be like ABSOLUTELY NOTHING like Lugosi.
41. Ed by no means received to satisfy his idol, Orson Welles… or did he?
The gorgeous scene in Tim Burton’s 1994 Biopic, the place Eddie had an opportunity encounter along with his Hollywood idol, Orson “Citizen Kane” Welles, was admitted by the movie’s scriptwriters to be nothing greater than fiction… however a gathering with the 2 Hollywood legends was a chance inside the realms of actuality. Welles as soon as dated Ed Wooden’s pal, Vampira, so that you by no means know, Vampira may need launched Welles to Wooden in actual life, although I believe that’s simply mainly hopeful hypothesis from myself! A cinematographer referred to as Gary Graveller additionally labored with each Welles and Wooden, having labored on the movie One Million AC/DC written and produced by Ed Wooden.
42. Ed Wooden’s early makes an attempt within the music trade.
When he was an adolescent in his start city of Poughkeepsie in New York within the Thirties, he tried a profession within the music trade, the place he was a vocalist and performed drums in a band. He additionally fashioned a quartet named Eddie Wooden’s Little Splinters, the place he sang and performed numerous string devices. It’s unknown what kind of music he made, however one would naturally assume Nation & Western, due to his love of Buck Jones and Western Motion pictures, which Wooden would later direct. No recordings exist of the Little Splinters, however don’t assume, because it’s Ed Wooden, that their output could be of poor high quality! Wooden was additionally in a gaggle referred to as the Sunshine Mountaineers, who had been a pseudo hillbilly band, that wore beards extra faux than these of a Santa Claus at a neighborhood winter village gala!
43. Ed by no means favored an thought to go to waste.
I believe Wooden buffs all know that the Lugosi footage for Plan 9 wasn’t truly shot for that, however was supposed for one more mission (alleged to be both two unreleased movies The Vampire’s Tomb and The Ghoul Goes West). This wouldn’t be the primary or final time, Ed would recycle concepts into different initiatives. One piece of footage that may get recycled greater than as soon as, was a shot from an unreleased Wooden mission entitled Hellborn (AKA Rock & Roll Hell,) which options youngsters having a brawl outdoors a restaurant (with one in all them unconvincingly performed by Ed Wooden himself) — this footage was recycled into Evening of the Ghouls in addition to The Sinister Urge.
44. Ed was an extremely quick typist.
If Ed Wooden did have one respectable reward, it was that he was extremely speedy on the previous typewriter, in truth he even gained an award for “Quickest Typist” by President Roosevelt! He may actually full a film script or a novel in a whole day, and this was a helpful useful resource within the latter a part of his profession, when he was writing sleazy pulp novels, resulting in a really prolific profession. Wooden would additionally ghostwrite a number of Bela Lugosi fan letters in Bela’s ultimate years, with the 2 apparent clues to this being that he would typically add a P.S. to his fan letters, and in some surviving examples, the truth that the capital letters are at a special stage than the remainder of the textual content, which means the shift key didn’t have time to return correctly.
One very unhappy factor in his ultimate years, was that he needed to pawn his beloved typewriter as a way to assist pay the lease and get extra money for Imperial Whiskey.
45. Wooden as soon as wrote a script referred to as I Watched Soccer Early The Day I Died — a title that forecast his personal destiny.
Extremely harshly prophetic, as that was what Ed was doing the day that he died! One may speculate that Criswell might have considered the title for him. Apparently, the script was truly a biopic about American soccer participant Frank Leahy. Sarcastically, Ed Wooden HATED soccer (as in American Soccer, not Soccer)!
46. Among the music cues within the Ed Wooden biopic are impressed by the music in actual Ed Wooden Motion pictures.
Howard Shore, who composed the music within the Ed Wooden biopic, was clearly impressed by the precise music in Ed Wooden films. Working example, the title music is sort of a free, extra uptempo reimagining of the Trevor Duncan Library Piece, Grip of the Legislation, which, is the library tune used because the theme tune to Plan 9 From Outer House. A tune based mostly off the William Lava inventory tune Presenting The Physician AKA the Glen or Glenda theme AKA the Lassie theme, was reimagined through the extra “tender” scenes within the movie and through the montage of Wooden filming Plan 9, the reimagining of Presenting The Physician is mashed up with a tune, based mostly off the library piece In the direction of Journey by Gilbert Vinter, which was used throughout Criswell’s scenes in Plan 9. On a extra touching observe, the Tchaikovsky tune Swan Lake performs through the extra emotional scenes with Bela Lugosi, which, was used because the theme tune for his most well-known movie, 1931’s Dracula.
47. Certainly one of Wooden’s associates needed to dig out Lugosi’s corpse for the premiere of Plan 9.
That is both hilariously morbid or morbidly hilarious. In response to Wooden himself “I can nonetheless keep in mind the day one in all our affiliate producers got here up with the thought of digging up Bela Lugosi’s physique and propping him up in his coffin close to the theatre foyer.” It might have been an ideal publicity stunt, however the extra I considered it, the extra tasteless the thought grew to become. We ended up placing my plastic octopus from “Bride of the Monster’”. At the very least he admitted the octopus in Bride of the Monster was faux!
48. Ed Wooden: File Producer.
Throughout Ed’s darkish ultimate days of being a sleaze service provider for the cash, he nonetheless had a nostalgic reflection for the nice previous days when he made “good” family-friendly movies like Plan 9 and Bride of the Monster. He had a quick profession as a file producer in 1970, with two information produced by Wooden together with Tor Johnson studying a narrative by Wooden referred to as The Day The Mummy Returned (these acquainted with Tor’s distinct thick Swedish accent can think about how that labored out!) and Criswell narrating one other story of Wooden’s referred to as The Ultimate Curtain (which was additionally the identify of an unsold TV Pilot of Ed’s). It’s unknown if the information had been ever launched.
49. Ed Wooden wrote a fan script for The Beverly Hillbillies and had the audacity to ship it over!
In case you are of a sure age, you’ll have in all probability heard of a well-known American sitcom from the Nineteen Sixties referred to as The Beverly Hillbillies. Properly, in response to Ed’s affiliate, Don Fellman, Wooden despatched a fan script to CBS, who had been broadcasting the present, solely to, in response to Wooden, have it “rejected on the final minute”.
50. Nat King Cole might have sung a music about Ed Wooden.
As most Wooden followers would know, his former girlfriend, Delores Fuller, grew to become a profitable songwriter, who’s resume included main hits for Elvis Presley together with Do The Clam and Rock-A-Hula Child. Certainly one of Fuller’s songwriting credit was for traditional crooner, Nat King Cole for his music Somebody To Inform It To. The music was featured within the 1995 Ed Wooden documentary The Haunted World of Edward D. Wooden Jr, and Delores recites the lyrics whereas getting emotional all through. Take a look on the lyrics, and you may make up your thoughts if it’s about our Eddie…
“What good is a dream,
A plan or a scheme,
The rainbow that you just pursue?
It’s every little thing, and it’s nothing
With out somebody to inform it to.
How keen you might be
To get to that star,
However after the journey’s by means of,
You’re solely a lonely dreamer
With out somebody to inform it to.“
On a side-note, in all probability the one factor I didn’t like concerning the Ed Wooden biopic was Sarah-Jessica Parker’s portrayal of Delores, which makes her out as this air headed prima donna. From what I can inform from documentaries about Wooden, the true Delores appeared like a extremely candy previous woman.
51. The man who did the poster for Plan 9 additionally did the poster for Star Wars.
Apart from (perhaps) Christopher Lee, there’s one other man, who has crossed paths with each George Lucas and Ed Wooden — in all probability essentially the most well-known and most notorious sci-fi administrators of all time — the legendary poster designer, Tom Jung. Arguably essentially the most unironically benefit of Plan 9 was the movie’s actually superior poster, that was considerably deceptive (a bit like Ed himself!) and even the well-known and iconic poster Jung designed for Star Wars (the primary one AKA A New Hope) which was somewhat bit far fetched, because it had the already very lovely Mark Hamill and Carrie Fisher beefed up and exaggerated seeking to assist promote the movie. Jung would additionally make posters for different legendary films comparable to Raiders of the Misplaced Ark and a great deal of Eddie Murphy comedies.
52. Certainly one of Ed’s actors solely appeared in films directed by Ed Wooden!
The actor’s identify was Duke Moore (1913-1976). He starred in Wooden’s very first movie Crossroads of Laredo in 1948 and was additionally in one in all his ultimate movies within the Director’s chair, the 1970 softcore intercourse comedy Take It Out In Commerce as aristocrat Frank Riley. I’m presuming Wooden was one in all his buddies.
His most notorious line within the Wooden canon must be this gem in Plan 9 From Outer House, because the character of Lieutenant Harper “However one factor’s certain. Inspector Clay is lifeless, murdered, and anyone’s accountable!”
So there you could have it — I hope you loved studying this lengthy ramble, about an previous B-movie legend from the 1950’s. Earlier than I’m going, I’ll go away you with these phrases from an previous 2011 YouTube video, by a man named OgreVI
“Anybody could make his mark on the world if he’s received expertise, imaginative and prescient and genius, however Ed Wooden made his mark with out these issues. All he had was intransigence and a dream. To me, that’s way more inspiring [than most mainstream heroes]. Ed Wooden makes no empty guarantees to us. The lesson of his profession is, that if we pursue our desires with ardour and willpower, if we commit ourselves to physique and soul to the issues we love. If we ignore the individuals who say we’re no good, even after we know they’re proper, we’ll nonetheless fail more often than not. We’d fail each time. Generally although, we are able to fail gloriously.“
Comfortable a hundredth Birthday Edward D. Wooden Jr. — might you relaxation in peace, and supply us all with extra affectionate laughter for one more 100 years!
Peace, love, and all that great things.
— Rory
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