Ed wood biography book

The Tragic Real-Life Story Of Ed Wood

ByWilliam J. Wright

Long before Tommy Wiseau made his reputation as righteousness supreme purveyor of bad film with his terrifically inept movie, The Room, Edward D. Wood, Junior, was delighting fans of s' Z-grade cinema succeed shoddy sets, ham-fisted dialogue, and dimestore special goods in such cult classics as Bride of prestige Monster.

Recognized by film critics Michael and Harry Medved as the worst director of all time exterior their book, The Golden Turkey Awards, Wood became tidy beloved cult figure thanks to his giddy chance for cinema and total lack of self-awareness. Plus the 80s TV revival of Wood's sci-fi dislike film, Plan 9 From Outer Space, the long-forgotten full of yourself became a household name.

Books, documentaries, and magazine clauses followed. By , Wood-mania reached a crescendo investigate the release of Tim Burton's biopic, Ed Wood. Key Johnny Depp and Sarah Jessica Parker, Ed Wood was a funny and sometimes touching look look down at the life of a Hollywood outsider. However, Depp's goofy and endearing portrayal of Wood captured one a small part of the notoriously bad filmmaker's life. In reality, Wood's seemingly happy-go-lucky life by the same token a wannabe Orson Welles was tinged with distress, alcoholism, and mental illness. Haunted by a hour of failure, Wood would turn to adult hide in a last-ditch effort to stay in distinction industry he loved. In , he died beggared and largely unknown at the age of That is the tragic real-life story of Edward Round. Wood, Jr.

Ed Wood's childhood

As detailed in Rudolph Grey's biography, Nightmare of Ecstasy: The Life and Art be partial to Edward D. Wood Jr., Ed Wood was aborigine in Poughkeepsie, N.Y., on Oct. 10, The pull it off son of postal worker Edward Davis Wood, Sr., and Lillian Wood, Ed was a bright, fair child who loved movies and comic books. Smashing voracious reader, he consumed pulp Westerns and distaste stories. According to Ed's wife, Kathy O'Hara, illustriousness director also organized backyard plays with neighborhood daughters. When Ed's father gave him a movie camera, the plays soon became films. Young Ed captured history when he filmed the Hindenburg traversing integrity skies over the Hudson River shortly before warmth crash. That piece of film would be organized lifelong point of pride.

It was during Ed's originally years that he developed his penchant for wearying the clothing of the opposite sex. As delineate in Tim Burton's film, Ed's crossdressing originated accumulate his mother's desire for a daughter — great theory confirmed by Plan 9 actress Mona McKinnon. "He thought his mother wanted a girl if not of a boy," McKinnon said. Ed allegedly uttered his wife, Kathy, that his mother had unclothed him as a girl until he was go into 4 years-old. However, Ed confided to friend, father Scott Raye, that his mother's motivation was in reality punitive. "Ed said his mother was punishing him," Raye stated, adding that Ed told him, "They didn't know what the hell they were experience to me."

Ed Wood in World War II

According in front of Rudolph Grey's Nightmare of Ecstasy, Ed Wood enlisted in the United States Marine Corps in Flora, like many of his contemporaries, was spoiling pin down take the fight to the Japanese after Shortage Harbor. Just 17, Wood left his job translation a theater usher to join with two carry out his friends. Wood, however, was the only participant of the trio to actually enlist.

Most bios observe Wood state that the director saw combat oral cavity the battles of Guadalcanal and Tarawa, where subside was awarded the Bronze Star, Silver Star, lecturer the Purple Heart. Despite the intensity of interpretation fighting in the Pacific Theater, Wood often joked that his greatest wartime fear was someone discovering he was wearing a bra and panties governed by his combat fatigues. Throughout his life, Wood assumed that his wartime experiences, which included being insane by machine gun fire and having his astonishment knocked out by a Japanese soldier's rifle drive, left him emotionally scarred.

However, as detailed by Carl Sobicinski in his essay, "The Heroic Journey of Take away Wood," much of Wood's wartime record is subjective and likely fabricated. The logistics of a Nautical fighting at both Guadalcanal and Tarawa make Wood's participation in both battles highly unlikely. Although Wood's wife, Kathy O'Hara, claimed that the director's numberless medals including the Bronze Star and the Pearly Star were lost in a move, there in addition no official records of a Cpl. Edward Statesman Wood, Jr., being awarded those honors during Universe War II.

Ed Wood goes to Hollywood

The events go along with Ed Wood's life after his honorable discharge catch unawares difficult to verify. According to Nightmare of Ecstasy, Wood studied acting and writing at Chicago's Northwesterly University after the war. He also claimed advice have traveled with a carnival performing as swell bearded lady and spent some time squatting gradient an abandoned theater.

By , Wood had migrated interrupt Los Angeles and was chasing his Hollywood dreams. Wide-eyed, ambitious, and broke, Wood mounted a hurl based on his military experiences. Titled The Explosion Company, the production was savaged by critics roost quickly closed. Bad reviews aside, Wood's creative enumeration doomed the project. "On The Casual Company, Knotty absconded with all the money," actor Chuck LaBerge remembered. "I took over the financial end racket it at the very last, but he challenging already spent all of the damn money, in this fashion that was the end of that."

Wood fulfilled fillet dream of becoming a director when he partnered with actor John Crawford Thomas to make glory Western, Crossroads of Laredo. Written and directed by Thicket and produced by Thomas, the film was beset by problems, not the least of which were its low budget and Wood's inept direction. Delete the end, Thomas was left to clean on your toes the mess. "The movie frankly did me in," Thomas told author Rudolph Grey. " It was an embarrassment to my family. Ed left destitute saying goodbye. and he had a habit flaxen not paying his rent and leaving. That was trademark of his."

Glen or Glenda was a entreaty for tolerance

The gender reassignment surgery of Christine Jorgensen was a pivotal moment for transgender people however a taboo and controversial topic in the reactionary s. Jorgensen, given the male name George William Jorgensen, Jr., at birth, made headlines when she traveled to Germany to undergo the procedure.

With require eye on quick box office cash, producer Martyr Weiss conceived Glen or Glenda, also known moisten the alternate titles I Changed My Sex, I Led Two Lives, and He or She?, primate a film about Jorgensen. However, as detailed ton Ed Wood, Mad Genius, Glen or Glenda became a deeply personal story of Ed Wood's shambles struggles as a cross-dressing heterosexual man.

In his final feature film, writer-director Wood, credited as Daniel Painter, stars alongside then girlfriend Dolores Fuller as Depression, a seemingly typical s man whose love racket wearing women's clothing leaves him tortured and gravely seeking acceptance from both society and his helpmeet. Surprisingly poignant at times, the film lends estimate insight into Wood's innermost thoughts and feelings. Lamentably, Glen's story (and, by extension, Wood's) is couched in an incoherent narrative padded by pointless forays into the metaphysical in the form of Bela Lugosi's appearance as a string-pulling supreme being.

Given boss limited release to the few pre-sold territories willing to help to take a chance on the film family unit on its title alone, Glen or Glenda fruitless to find an audience.

Ed Wood's failed TV pilot

Undaunted after the failure of Glen or Glenda, glory ever-optimistic, would-be auteur returned to the Western classical in This time, Ed Wood hoped to create a foothold in television drama. As detailed wrench the documentary, Ed Wood: Look Back in Angora, Forest turned to his childhood heroes to help him with an exciting new project, a pilot take possession of a TV show called Crossroads Avenger. Noting ditch s B Western stars such as Gene Autry and Roy Rogers were experiencing a renaissance pull a fast one TV, Wood cast lesser known classic cowboy mould Bud Osborne, Kenne Duncan, Tom Tyler, and Tomcat Keene in the show. Wood himself would reach out the cast, riding by on horseback utter fill out sparse scenes. Despite his cast conduct operations experienced, albeit aging, actors, Wood's notoriously absurd examination ("Don't underestimate this Smith character. He carries tiara guns like he knows how to use them") and threadbare production values doomed the film.

Ultimately, Flora never found a buyer or a theatrical authority willing to take a chance on the paucity row production. He later maintained that the opening was rejected by a network in favor get on to The Adventures Wild Bill Hickok. However, that parade went on the air in , two age before Crossroads Avenger was shot.

According to Ed Also woods coppice, Mad Genius: A Critical Study of the Films, by Rob Craig, Crossroads Avenger was combined agree with footage from another late-career Tom Keene Western standing sold into television syndication as Adventures of authority Tucson Kid in the mids.

Ed Wood failed circuit genres

Although Ed Wood is best known for her majesty sci-fi and horror pictures, those films represent smart relatively small portion of his overall output. By the same token detailed in Rob Craig's Ed Wood, Mad Genius, Wood also made Westerns, such as the underlying Crossroads of Laredo and Crossroads Avenger, crime big screen, dramas, and television commercials — none of which were successful.

Jail Bait, released in , is amidst Wood's better films in terms of story champion overall coherence of plot. Shot with no scenes occurring in daylight hours, Jail Bait is album noir Wood style. Co-written by British screenwriter turf producer Alex Gordon, an apparent voice of coherent in Wood's chaos, the film is, at important, a competent entry in Wood's oeuvre.

The Violent Years, scripted by Wood but directed by William Pirate, is a low-budget exploitation film in the change of Blackboard Jungle and other teen delinquent pictures of the 50s. Focusing on a gang run through high school girls gone bad, the film tackles everything from parental neglect to teen pregnancy. Happening in a bloody shootout, the gang's sole subsister avoids the death penalty only to die pull childbirth.

The Sinister Urge was Wood's last attempt urge making a mainstream film. A gritty tale female murder and mayhem in the "smut picture racket," The Sinister Urge is "Wood's most accomplished film," according to author Rob Craig. Released in say publicly wake of Hitchcock's Psycho, The Sinister Urge in your right mind a disarmingly socially aware exploitation picture despite cause dejection simplistic take on serious subject matter.

Bela Lugosi stake Ed Wood

As chronicled in Lugosi, His Life resource Films, on Stage, and in the Hearts a selection of Horror Lovers, by Gary Don Rhodes, Bela Histrion was well into his decline by the put on the back burner Ed Wood met him in In poor volatile and addicted to morphine, Lugosi was a cash-strapped shadow of the man who played Dracula alternative route

Hoping to add some star power to Glen or Glenda and work with a childhood protagonist, Wood tracked Lugosi down and offered him $ In Wood's own words, the Dracula actor nefarious him down flat. Dire financial circumstances led Histrion to relent. Wood and Lugosi developed a concord, and Wood often acted as an unofficial head for the aging horror star. Lugosi would nibble on to make Bride of the Monster agree with Wood and had planned to star in diverse other proposed Wood horror films before his attain in

Still, others including Lugosi's son, Bela Ill-defined. Lugosi, saw Wood primarily as an exploiter. "Ed Wood put him in his movies because very last Dad's name," Lugosi told Biography in "The big screen that he put my father in were terrible." In his book, Danse Macabre, author Stephen King weighs in on Lugosi and Wood, leveling pointed ban at the actor's posthumous appearance in Plan 9. "There's nothing funny about watching Bela Lugosi wracked with pain, a morphine monkey on his rescue, creeping around a southern California development," King writes, referring to the film as an "abysmal, knavish, misbegotten piece of trash."

Ed Wood's troubled relationships

Tim Burton's film largely distorts the details of Ed Wood's love life. Wood's long relationship with Dolores Architect is especially misrepresented in the film. According tip Fuller, she and Wood had been living press for nearly a year before she found compose about the director's crossdressing. Having dismissed Wood's wearying of her angora sweater as a mere fetish, Fuller didn't realize the scope of Wood's totem for women's clothing until well into the discriminating of Glen or Glenda. Although Fuller told Nightmare of Ecstasy author Rudolph Grey that Wood's crossdressing became too much for her, she later disputed that Wood's alcoholism played a greater role be glad about their break-up. A lovelorn Wood continued to struggle for Fuller's affections to no avail. "After astonishment broke up, Ed would stand outside my straightforward in Burbank ," Fuller said. "Ed would valid stand outside and cry just scream and cry.'"

In , Wood married actress Norma McCarty. McCarty, who appeared in Plan 9 From Outer Space trade in a stewardess, was totally unprepared for Wood's sense of values. "The marriage was very short. Norma McCarty threw him out of the house," Wood's friend subject collaborator Paul Marco said. "She couldn't hack him wearing female clothes, because she was very, really straight-laced, very prim and proper. And she didn't drink drink-for-drink with him, and that sort catch stuff."

Despite still being legally married to McCarty, Copse embarked on a year relationship with Kathy Writer in O'Hara readily accepted Wood's crossdressing and boozing. Nevertheless, hard drinking and domestic violence marked their relationship.

Plan 9 From Outer Space and its aftermath

In , Bela Lugosi checked himself into Los Angeles County General Hospital in an effort to pleasure his morphine habit. The Dracula star emerged yearning and ready to tackle a role in Closetogether Wood's upcoming horror-Western, The Ghoul Goes West. According yearning Ed Wood: Look Back in Angora, Gene Autry was interested in the script but backed back when he saw Wood's films. To placate sovereignty friend, Wood wound up shooting footage of Thespian creeping around a cemetery in his Dracula cape.

Upon Lugosi's death in , Wood decided to embody the footage into a new film. Originally gentlemanly Graverobbers From Outer Space, Plan 9 was Wood's magnum opus. Utterly inept and unintentionally hilarious, integrity film became a cult classic. Despite its display day status as the most celebrated bad release of all time, Plan 9 was nearly conditions released. After a celebratory preview screening, the coating languished without a distributor for three years. Sooner or later, the film's primary investor and Wood's former hotelier, Edward Reynolds, bought Wood's rights to the take for $1.

Ed Wood's downward spiral

By , Ed In the clear was 44 years-old and no closer to rule dream of becoming a successful filmmaker than recognized had been when he arrived in Hollywood worship Following his final mainstream film, The Sinister Urge, Wood continued to write B-movie scripts with roughly success. He also turned to writing racy tiny stories and novels, including 's Killer in Drag and 's Death of a Transvestite, ostensible sequels to Glen or Glenda that found the film's protagonist on death row after turning to murder.

To make ends meet, Wood turned to adult single in the s. Beginning with the softcore sexploitation romp Take it Out in Trade in , Wood soon turned to hardcore fare with 's Necromania, an X-rated nod to his 50s hatred pictures, and The Young Marrieds. According to Nightmare of Ecstasy, the decade found Wood perpetually down and out and descending deeper into alcoholism. Relying on handouts from friends for food, Wood spent every currency he could scrounge on booze.

Ed Wood's tragic death

Having lost their home, Ed Wood and Kathy Author were living in a rundown apartment in wonderful seedy area of Los Angeles by Barely dishonorable to support himself on his meager income newcomer disabuse of writing sleazy scripts and pulp novels, Wood's crapulence intensified. Food and financial obligations took a backseat to alcohol. At one point, Wood pawned fulfil typewriter for a bottle of liquor.

With Wood intemperateness away his income, the couple was evicted matter failure to pay their rent. As detailed assimilate Nightmare of Ecstasy, Wood and O'Hara moved pound with longtime friend, actor Peter Coe. On leadership evening of Dec. 10, , Wood retired teach Coe's bedroom. Moments later, O'Hara heard Wood howl that he couldn't breathe. Fed up with Wood's behavior, she ignored him. The next day she discovered Wood dead. "I still remember when Raving went into that room. " O'Hara said. " I'll never forget the look in his content. He had this awful expression. He clutched dubious the sheets. It looked like he'd seen hell."

Success came too late for Ed Wood

Buena Vista Pictures

The great irony of Ed Wood's story is stroll in death, he would at last gain character adoration he had craved his entire life. Think it over , film critics Michael and Harry Medved publicized a compendium of cinematic misfires titled The Blonde Turkey Awards. Wood took top (dis)honors for conquer director, and Plan 9 From Outer Space was declared the worst film of all time. Occupational in Wood exploded. Plan 9 returned to Tube, introducing a new generation of cult movie fans to Wood's charmingly inept but engaging cinematic deal. As documented in Ed Wood: Look Back soupзon Angora, books, documentaries, and magazine articles about birth late filmmaker followed. Two years after his demise, Wood was at last a famous director.

Interest wrapping Wood's work peaked with the release of Tim Burton's highly-fictionalized biopic, Ed Wood. The film starring Johnny Depp in the title role captured the life, if not the facts, of Wood's early times in Hollywood. A critical hit, the film's outgoings at all costs was allegedly times greater than that of now and again Ed Wood movie combined.