Glen or Glenda
Glen or Glenda is a 1953 movie about a male transvestite. It was written and directed by Ed Wood. It stars Ed Wood as Glen and Glenda, and features Bela Lugosi and Wood's then-girlfriend Dolores Fuller.
| Glen or Glenda | |
|---|---|
 Film poster | |
| Directed by | Ed Wood |
| Written by | Ed Wood |
| Produced by | George Weiss |
| Starring | Ed Wood (as Daniel Davis) Dolores Fuller Bela Lugosi Lyle Talbot "Tommy" Haynes |
| Narrated by | Timothy Farrell |
| Cinematography | William C. Thompson |
| Edited by | Bud Schelling |
| Music by | William Lava (uncredited) |
| Distributed by | Columbia Classics |
Release date | 1953 |
Running time | 65 minutes 71 minutes (1982 reissue) |
| Country | United States |
| Language | English |
| Budget | $20,000 |
The movie was inspired by the Christine Jorgensen's sex reassignment surgery in 1952. George Weiss was a Hollywood producer of low-budget films. He wanted a movie made to exploit the event. He made Jorgensen several offers to appear in the movie. These offers were turned down.[1]
This was the only movie Wood directed but did not also produce. Wood himself played the title character, but under the pseudonym "Daniel Davis".[2] Lugosi is credited as "The Scientist". He acts as a sort of narrator but gives no narration relevant to the plot.[2]
Cast
change- Timothy Farrell as Narrator / Dr. Alton
- Ed Wood (credited as "Daniel Davis") as Glen/Glenda
- Dolores Fuller as Barbara
- Bela Lugosi as The Scientist
- Lyle Talbot as Inspector Warren
- "Tommy" Haynes as Alan/Anne
- Charles Crafts as Johnny
- Conrad Brooks as Banker / Reporter / Pickup artist / Bearded drag
Story
changeGlen is shown looking at women's clothes in a shop window. He reads about sex change operations in a newspaper. He meets with Barbara, his girlfriend. She asks if Glen's secret problem is another woman. A transvestite friend tells Glen how crossdressing ended his marriage. A dream sequence containing some BDSM scenes full of flagellation and bondage follows. Glen tells Barbara the truth. She offers Glen an Angora wool sweater as a sign of acceptance.
References
change- ↑ Rhodes, Gary D. (1997). Lugosi: His Life in Films, on Stage, and in the Hearts of Horror Lovers. McFarland. ISBN 0-7864-0257-1.
- ↑ 2.0 2.1 Peary, Danny (1988). Cult Movies 3. New York: Simon & Schuster Inc. pp. 97–101. ISBN 0-671-64810-1.