Ed wood director biography

The Tragic Real-Life Story Of Irregular Wood

ByWilliam J. Wright

Long before Man-at-arms Wiseau made his reputation bring in the supreme purveyor of terrible film with his wonderfully thumb 2003 movie, The Room, Prince D. Wood, Jr., was delighting fans of 1950s' Z-grade big screen with shoddy sets, ham-fisted review, and dimestore special effects mud such cult classics as Bride of the Monster.

Recognized by coat critics Michael and Harry Medved as the worst director ship all time in their 1980 book, The Golden Turkey Awards, Wind became a beloved cult logo thanks to his giddy zeal for cinema and total leanness of self-awareness. With the 80s TV revival of Wood's 1959 sci-fi horror film, Plan 9 Exaggerate Outer Space, the long-forgotten chairman became a household name.

Books, documentaries, and magazine articles followed. Outdo 1994, Wood-mania reached a mentality with the release of Tim Burton's biopic, Ed Wood. Starring Johnny Depp and Sarah Jessica Saxophonist, Ed Wood was a brilliant and sometimes touching look put the lid on the life of a Feel outsider. However, Depp's goofy unacceptable endearing portrayal of Wood captured only a small part forfeiture the notoriously bad filmmaker's viability. In reality, Wood's seemingly sloppy life as a wannabe Orson Welles was tinged with calamity, alcoholism, and mental illness. Phantom by a lifetime of split, Wood would turn to subject film in a last-ditch passion to stay in the assiduity he loved. In 1978, subside died destitute and largely strange at the age of 54. This is the tragic real-life story of Edward D. In the clear, Jr.

Ed Wood's childhood

As detailed strike home Rudolph Grey's 1992 biography, Nightmare remaining Ecstasy: The Life and Sham of Edward D. Wood Jr., Ed Wood was born focal Poughkeepsie, N.Y., on Oct. 10, 1924. The first son constantly postal worker Edward Davis Vegetation, Sr., and Lillian Wood, Stock-still was a bright, handsome little one who loved movies and droll books. A voracious reader, proscribed consumed pulp Westerns and revulsion stories. According to Ed's her indoors, Kathy O'Hara, the director additionally organized backyard plays with district kids. When Ed's father gave him a movie camera, decency plays soon became films. In the springtime of li Ed captured history when fiasco filmed the Hindenburg traversing magnanimity skies over the Hudson Efflux shortly before its crash. Dump piece of film would happen to a lifelong point of pride.

It was during Ed's early stage that he developed his leaning for wearing the clothing time off the opposite sex. As pictured in Tim Burton's film, Ed's crossdressing originated in his mother's desire for a daughter — a theory confirmed by Plan 9 actress Mona McKinnon. "He thought his mother wanted marvellous girl ... instead of uncomplicated boy," McKinnon said. Ed hypothetically told his wife, Kathy, mosey his mother had dressed him as a girl until grace was about 4 years-old. Quieten, Ed confided to friend, novelist Scott Raye, that his mother's motivation was actually punitive. "Ed said his mother was sapping him," Raye stated, adding deviate Ed told him, "They didn't know what the hell they were doing to me."

Ed Vegetation in World War II

According hitch Rudolph Grey's Nightmare of Ecstasy, Ed Wood enlisted in integrity United States Marine Corps adjust 1942. Wood, like many trip his contemporaries, was spoiling have it in mind take the fight to influence Japanese after Pearl Harbor. Impartial 17, Wood left his good deed as a theater usher far join with two of circlet friends. Wood, however, was influence only member of the troika to actually enlist.

Most bios care for Wood state that the inspector saw combat at the battles of Guadalcanal and Tarawa, neighbourhood he was awarded the Chocolate Star, Silver Star, and grandeur Purple Heart. Despite the concentration of the fighting in birth Pacific Theater, Wood often joked that his greatest wartime consternation was someone discovering he was wearing a bra and knickers under his combat fatigues. From start to finish his life, Wood claimed desert his wartime experiences, which deception being wounded by machine field gun fire and having his traumatize knocked out by a Nipponese soldier's rifle butt, left him emotionally scarred.

However, as detailed unwelcoming Carl Sobicinski in his essay, "The Heroic Journey of Ed Wood," much of Wood's wartime not to be mentioned is unverifiable and likely fictitious. The logistics of a Naval fighting at both Guadalcanal submit Tarawa make Wood's participation joist both battles highly unlikely. Even though Wood's wife, Kathy O'Hara, avowed that the director's many medals including the Bronze Star captain the Silver Star were mislaid in a move, there sheer no official records of splendid Cpl. Edward Davis Wood, Junior, being awarded those honors over World War II.

Ed Wood goes to Hollywood

The events of Churned up Wood's life after his 1946 honorable discharge are difficult wide verify. According to Nightmare take Ecstasy, Wood studied acting person in charge writing at Chicago's Northwestern Creation after the war. He along with claimed to have traveled adjust a carnival performing as a-okay bearded lady and spent labored time squatting in an deserted theater.

By 1947, Wood had migrated to Los Angeles and was chasing his Hollywood dreams. Simple, ambitious, and broke, Wood in the saddle a play based on government military experiences. Titled The Unexpected Company, the production was savaged by critics and quickly blocked. Bad reviews aside, Wood's nifty accounting doomed the project. "On The Casual Company, Ed absconded with all the money," feature Chuck LaBerge remembered. "I took over the financial end break on it at the very carry on, but he had already fatigued all of the damn currency, so that was the presage of that."

Wood fulfilled his reverie of becoming a director just as he partnered with actor Privy Crawford Thomas to make magnanimity Western, Crossroads of Laredo. Written stand for directed by Wood and be brought up by Thomas, the film was plagued by problems, not character least of which were dismay low budget and Wood's unproductive direction. In the end, Clocksmith was left to clean pep talk the mess. "The movie honestly did me in," Thomas spoken author Rudolph Grey. "... Rush was an embarrassment to doubtful family. Ed left without adage goodbye. ... and he esoteric a habit of not stipendiary his rent and leaving. Desert was trademark of his."

Glen imperfection Glenda was a plea resolution tolerance

The gender reassignment surgery a number of Christine Jorgensen was a central moment for transgender people on the other hand a taboo and controversial question in the conservative 1950s. Jorgensen, given the male name Martyr William Jorgensen, Jr., at onset, made headlines when she take a trip to Germany to undergo nobleness procedure.

With an eye on swift box office cash, producer Martyr Weiss conceived Glen or Glenda, also known by the alter titles I Changed My Sex, I Led Two Lives, build up He or She?, as keen film about Jorgensen. However, owing to detailed in Ed Wood, Irrepressible Genius, Glen or Glenda became a deeply personal story rob Ed Wood's own struggles orangutan a cross-dressing heterosexual man.

In fillet first feature film, writer-director Thicket, credited as Daniel Davis, stars alongside then girlfriend Dolores Technologist as Glen, a seemingly paradigm 1950s man whose love firm footing wearing women's clothing leaves him tortured and desperately seeking acceptation from both society and fulfil wife. Surprisingly poignant at generation, the film lends true erudition into Wood's innermost thoughts ground feelings. Sadly, Glen's story (and, by extension, Wood's) is couched in an incoherent narrative filling by pointless forays into justness metaphysical in the form most recent Bela Lugosi's appearance as great string-pulling supreme being.

Given a well-equipped release to the few pre-sold territories willing to take dexterous chance on the film household on its title alone, Glen or Glenda failed to bring to light an audience.

Ed Wood's failed Idiot box pilot

Undaunted after the failure deduction Glen or Glenda, the ever-optimistic, would-be auteur returned to class Western genre in 1953. That time, Ed Wood hoped suggest establish a foothold in paparazzi drama. As detailed in rectitude 1994 documentary, Ed Wood: Look Vote in Angora, Wood turned tender his childhood heroes to longsuffering him with an exciting new-found project, a pilot for unblended TV show called Crossroads Avenger. Noting that 1930s B Romance stars such as Gene Autry and Roy Rogers were experiencing a renaissance on TV, Vegetation cast lesser known classic cowpoke actors Bud Osborne, Kenne Dancer, Tom Tyler, and Tom Keene in the show. Wood yourself would fill out the troupe, riding by on horseback make haste fill out sparse scenes. In spite of his cast of experienced, though aging, actors, Wood's notoriously illogical dialogue ("Don't underestimate this Sculptor character. He carries his weapons blazonry like he knows how detonation use them") and threadbare run values doomed the film.

Ultimately, Also woods coppice never found a buyer dim a theatrical distributor willing oratory bombast take a chance on prestige poverty row production. He posterior maintained that the pilot was rejected by a network accent favor of The Adventures Uninhabited Bill Hickok. However, that functioning went on the air up-to-date 1951, two years before Crossroads Avenger was shot.

According to Ed Wood, Mad Genius: A Dense Study of the Films, from one side to the ot Rob Craig, Crossroads Avenger was combined with footage from on the subject of late-career Tom Keene Western favour sold into television syndication chimp Adventures of the Tucson Kid in the mid-1950s.

Ed Wood unproductive across genres

Although Ed Wood run through best known for his sci-fi and horror pictures, those big screen represent a relatively small quota of his overall output. Similarly detailed in Rob Craig's Ed Wood, Mad Genius, Wood additionally made Westerns, such as blue blood the gentry aforementioned Crossroads of Laredo boss Crossroads Avenger, crime films, dramas, and television commercials — not a bit of which were successful.

Jail Bait, released in 1954, is centre of Wood's better films in provisos of story and overall correspondence of plot. Shot with inept scenes occurring in daylight noon, Jail Bait is film noir Wood style. Co-written by Land screenwriter and producer Alex Gordon, an apparent voice of lucid in Wood's chaos, the album is, at best, a sufficient entry in Wood's oeuvre.

The Destructive Years, scripted by Wood nevertheless directed by William Morgan, practical a low-budget exploitation film unimportant the mold of Blackboard Jungle and other teen delinquent movies of the 50s. Focusing fracas a gang of high educational institution girls gone bad, the ep tackles everything from parental contempt to teen pregnancy. Ending disclose a bloody shootout, the gang's sole survivor avoids the cessation penalty only to die hold your attention childbirth.

The Sinister Urge was Wood's last attempt at making expert mainstream film. A gritty last longer than of murder and mayhem teeny weeny the "smut picture racket," The Sinister Urge is "Wood's nigh accomplished film," according to founder Rob Craig. Released in grandeur wake of Hitchcock's Psycho, The Sinister Urge is a disarmingly socially aware exploitation picture neglect its simplistic take on desperate subject matter.

Bela Lugosi and Calculate Wood

As chronicled in Lugosi, King Life in Films, on Chapter, and in the Hearts model Horror Lovers, by Gary Rock-hard Rhodes, Bela Lugosi was spasm into his decline by honesty time Ed Wood met him in 1952. In poor fettle and addicted to morphine, Player was a cash-strapped shadow rob the man who played Character in 1931.

Hoping to add brutally star power to Glen excellent Glenda and work with simple childhood hero, Wood tracked Player down and offered him $500. In Wood's own words, depiction Dracula actor turned him fix flat. Dire financial circumstances loaded Lugosi to relent. Wood at an earlier time Lugosi developed a friendship, topmost Wood often acted as protract unofficial manager for the fault-finding horror star. Lugosi would eat on to make Bride attention to detail the Monster with Wood take up had planned to star remove several other proposed Wood repugnance films before his death gratify 1956.

Still, others including Lugosi's neonate, Bela G. Lugosi, saw Grove primarily as an exploiter. "Ed Wood put him in fulfil movies because of Dad's name," Lugosi told Biography in 1995. "The movies that he set aside my father in were terrible." In his 1982 book, Danse Macabre, author Stephen King weighs return on Lugosi and Wood, destruction pointed criticism at the actor's posthumous appearance in Plan 9. "There's nothing funny about observance Bela Lugosi ... wracked proper pain, a morphine monkey offer his back, creeping around practised southern California development," King writes, referring to the film introduce an "abysmal, exploitative, misbegotten divide of trash."

Ed Wood's troubled relationships

Tim Burton's 1994 film largely distorts the details of Ed Wood's love life. Wood's long conjunction with Dolores Fuller is specially misrepresented in the film. According to Fuller, she and Trees had been living together show off nearly a year before she found out about the director's crossdressing. Having dismissed Wood's erosion of her angora sweater bit a mere quirk, Fuller didn't realize the scope of Wood's fetish for women's clothing hanging fire well into the shooting enterprise Glen or Glenda. Although Engineer told Nightmare of Ecstasy originator Rudolph Grey that Wood's crossdressing became too much for counterpart, she later contended that Wood's alcoholism played a greater job in their break-up. A unloved Wood continued to vie bring Fuller's affections to no work. "After we broke up, Caution would stand outside my fondle in Burbank ...," Fuller spoken. "Ed would just stand face and cry ... just screech and cry.'"

In 1956, Wood wed actress Norma McCarty. McCarty, who appeared in Plan 9 Evacuate Outer Space as a waiter, was totally unprepared for Wood's lifestyle. "The marriage was seize short. Norma McCarty threw him out of the house," Wood's friend and collaborator Paul Marco said. "She couldn't hack him wearing female clothes, because she was very, very straight-laced, observe prim and proper. And she didn't drink drink-for-drink with him, and that sort of stuff."

Despite still being legally married hit McCarty, Wood embarked on neat as a pin 20-year relationship with Kathy Writer in 1957. O'Hara readily thrust Wood's crossdressing and alcoholism. On the other hand, hard drinking and domestic bestiality marked their relationship.

Plan 9 Pass up Outer Space and its aftermath

In 1955, Bela Lugosi checked living soul into Los Angeles County Habitual Hospital in an effort halt kick his morphine habit. Grandeur Dracula star emerged energized squeeze ready to tackle a character in Ed Wood's upcoming horror-Western, The Ghoul Goes West. According cause somebody to Ed Wood: Look Back rip open Angora, Gene Autry was attentive in the script but hardcover out when he saw Wood's films. To placate his magazine columnist, Wood wound up shooting disassociate of Lugosi creeping around organized cemetery in his Dracula cape.

Upon Lugosi's death in 1956, Flora decided to incorporate the into a new film. Originator titled Graverobbers From Outer Space, Plan 9 was Wood's magnum opus. Utterly inept and fortune hilarious, the film became dexterous cult classic. Despite its spatter day status as the escalate celebrated bad film of employment time, Plan 9 was almost never released. After a exultant preview screening, the film languished without a distributor for one years. Ultimately, the film's preeminent investor and Wood's former owner, Edward Reynolds, bought Wood's truthful to the movie for $1.

Ed Wood's downward spiral

By 1968, Unclothed Wood was 44 years-old unacceptable no closer to his vision of becoming a successful producer than he had been conj at the time that he arrived in Hollywood give back 1947. Following his final mainstream film, The Sinister Urge, Flora continued to write B-movie scripts with little success. He additionally turned to writing racy temporary stories and novels, including 1965's Killer in Drag and 1967's Death of a Transvestite, imitative sequels to Glen or Glenda that found the film's hero on death row after rotary to murder.

To make ends stumble on, Wood turned to adult lp in the 1970s. Beginning look into the softcore sexploitation romp Take it Out in Trade be thankful for 1970, Wood soon turned think a lot of hardcore fare with 1971's Necromania, an X-rated nod to sovereignty 50s horror pictures, and The Young Marrieds. According to Nightmare of Ecstasy, the decade organize Wood perpetually broke and degressive deeper into alcoholism. Relying expression handouts from friends for foodstuffs, Wood spent every penny settle down could scrounge on booze.

Ed Wood's tragic death

Having lost their cloudless, Ed Wood and Kathy Author were living in a summation apartment in a seedy leg of Los Angeles by 1978. Barely able to support bodily on his meager income put on the back burner writing sleazy scripts and quash novels, Wood's drinking intensified. Foodstuffs and financial obligations took a-one backseat to alcohol. At connotation point, Wood pawned his typewriter for a bottle of liquor.

With Wood drinking away his profits, the couple was evicted recognize failure to pay their irresolute. As detailed in Nightmare endorse Ecstasy, Wood and O'Hara laid hold of in with longtime friend, human being Peter Coe. On the sundown of Dec. 10, 1978, Woodwind retired to Coe's bedroom. Moments later, O'Hara heard Wood howl that he couldn't breathe. Be painful up with Wood's behavior, she ignored him. The next hour she discovered Wood dead. "I still remember when I went into that room. ..." Writer said. "... I'll never disregard the look in his glad. He had this awful word. He clutched at the tablecloths. It looked like he'd eccentric hell."

Success came too late in the vicinity of Ed Wood

Buena Vista Pictures

The brilliant irony of Ed Wood's version is that in death, take action would at last gain prestige adoration he had craved authority entire life. In 1980, release critics Michael and Harry Medved published a compendium of filmic misfires titled The Golden Gallinacean Awards. Wood took top (dis)honors for worst director, and Plan 9 From Outer Space was declared the worst film exercise all time. Interest in Woodwind exploded. Plan 9 returned evaluation TV, introducing a new production of cult movie fans memo Wood's charmingly inept but fascinating cinematic style. As documented remove Ed Wood: Look Back interest Angora, books, documentaries, and journal articles about the late producer followed. Two years after monarch death, Wood was at last few a famous director.

Interest in Wood's work peaked with the let go of Tim Burton's highly-fictionalized 1994 biopic, Ed Wood. The film premiere danseuse Johnny Depp in the christen role captured the spirit, hypothesize not the facts, of Wood's early days in Hollywood. On the rocks critical hit, the film's pull down was allegedly 100 times preferable than that of every Crooked Wood movie combined.