Today's movie is a biographical drama with a scene that happens on August 16. Watch it tonight and enjoy.
ED WOOD
Ed Wood desperately wants to direct movies, while working in a studio’s
plant nursery. When he reads a story in Variety that George
Weiss is going to produce a movie based on the life of the transsexual
Christine Jorgenson, Ed begs him to be allowed to direct it, since he is a
secret cross-dresser. Ed meets his idol, one time horror star, Bela Lugosi. Ed talks Weiss into letting him direct the sex change film,
called Glen or Glenda. Ed reveals his cross-dressing
secret to Dolores Fuller, his girlfriend, which causes problems between them.
He starts filming, but Bela acts like a diva. When filming is over Ed tries to
get a major studio interested, but they think the film is a joke. He saves Bela
from a drug overdose. Ed tries to arrange independent financing for his next
picture. When Bela appears on a local TV show, Ed meets the Amazing Criswell.
He meets Loretta King, who he thinks can invest in the film and ends up casting
her in the lead female role. After getting the brush-off from Vampira, who
refuses to appear in the film, he convinces Don McCoy to put up the money if
the movie ends with a bang and his son is cast as the lead. They break into a
studio’s prop department and steal a giant rubber octopus prop to use in the
film. At the wrap party for Bride of the Monster, Delores breaks up with
Ed. Bela tries to talk Ed into a double suicide, but Lugosi commits himself
instead. Ed meets Kathy O'Hara who is more accepting of his cross-dressing. At
the premiere of Bride of the Monster, the audience is so incensed they
chase Ed and his pals out of the theater. On August 16, 1956 [1:35:13 to
1:35:34] Ed hears that Bela Lugosi has died.
He talks his landlord into getting his church to finance his next
picture by promising that the profits will be enough to finance their planned
religious pictures. Ed drafts Kathy’s chiropractor, Tom Mason as Lugosi’s body double so he can use some footage he
shot of Lugosi before his death. Vampira agrees to appear, if she has no
speaking lines, so hopefully her involvement won’t be noticed. The church
changes the title to Plan 9 From Outer Space, criticize Ed’s film making style and
discover his cross-dressing. Ed flees to a bar and meets his other idol, Orson
Welles. They commiserate over the problems of making movies. Ed returns and
finishes the film his way. After the premiere, Ed and Kathy head to Las Vegas
to get married.
This is a very funny movie. Depp’s
over-the-top portrayl of Ed Wood is hilarious. Martin Landau also turned in an
Oscar deserving performance as Bela Lugosi. A good film about the worst
director ever.
Bela Lugosi by Gary D. Rhodes (Collectables,
Narberth, Pa., 2007) at page 255 gives his death date
Producer - Tim Burton and Denise Di Novi
Director - Tim Burton
Screenplay - Scott Alexander and Larry Karaszewski
Awards – The film won the Best Supporting Actor(Landau) and
Best Makeup Oscars at
the
67th Academy Awards
Runtime – 2 hours 7 minutes
Released – September 30, 1994
Starring -
Johnny Depp as Ed Wood
Martin Landau as Bela Lugosi
Sarah Jessica Parker as Dolores Fuller
Patricia Arquette as Kathy O'Hara
Lisa Marie as Vampira
Jeffrey Jones as The Amazing Criswell
Max Casella as Paul Marco
Brent Hinkley as Conrad Brooks
Bill Murray as Bunny Breckinridge
George Steele as Tor Johnson
Juliet Landau as Loretta King
Ned Bellamy as Tom Mason
Mike Starr as George Weiss
Vincent D'Onofrio as Orson Welles
Copyright by Ivan Walters in 2014.
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