When I learned late filmmaker Edward D. Wood, Jr. had also been a novelist, it was only a matter of time before I read one of his literary efforts. Ed’s original novels from the 1960’s and 70’s are quite pricey on Amazon and eBay, but thankfully there have been a few recent reprints. I chose DEATH OF A TRANSVESTITE for its lurid title and because the plot sounded intriguing.
Glen is on death row for murder and he has one last request. He wants to die as Glenda, the name Glen uses when dressed as a woman. In exchange for this request, he will tell his/her story, and oh, what a story!
Glen/Glenda has decided to retire from his/her career as a drag assassin for a syndicate, but the powers that be aren’t happy with this decision. The only answer is for Glen/Glenda to go on the run to the underbelly of queer Hollywood, where he/she can hide in plain sight. Along the way, Glen/Glenda meets and falls in love with Cynthia, a woman who accepts the sexual thrill of a man who has a penchant for wearing women’s panties. “I sure should have known. Nobody has a hot tongue like you got unless they're a little queer...”
Meanwhile the syndicate has sent another drag assassin to kill Glen/Glenda. Paul is thirsty for blood and knows the best way to find his target is to let Pauline out. Not only will Pauline be able to blend in with the queer crowd, she is beautiful, unlike ugly Paul. This killer’s backstory is horrifying (Paul would rape and kill women for their clothes) and fascinating (Pauline almost married a man). Now a dangerous drag game of cat and mouse commences, culminating in a scene of gunplay, high heels and carnage!
Will Glen’s last request to die as Glenda be granted? What happens to Paul/Pauline? What about Cynthia? Who exactly was the target audience back in 1967 for this hetero-centric sex with a queer twist book and will I read another one? These are questions best left to readers of wonderfully trashy pulp fiction and to the admirably trashy readers of this blog. I will say one thing though. From my understanding, Ed’s earliest known novel BLACK LACE DRAG (aka Killer in Drag) is connected to this one, so only time will tell.
In conclusion…
This book is not a sequel to Ed Wood’s GLEN OR GLENDA. However, much like his film of transvestitism and gender reassignment, DEATH OF A TRANSVESTITE deals with similar themes in an equally shockingly progressive but weirdly backwards way. I seriously enjoyed it’s jolting, off-kilter plot and this, along with John Waters’ TRASH TRIO, was a palette cleanser after one too many overly polished mainstream affairs. So, if you crave a little vintage literary kink from the fringes, slip your favorite angora sweater over your best bullet bra and eagerly devour each deliciously sordid syllable of DEATH OF A TRANSVESTITE!
Thank you for reading or listening to my half-blind words.
Freak Out,
JLH
P.S. Click the pics ⤵️ for more Wood…
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Irritate and offend your homophobic family members this holiday season with the gift of one of my “unapologetically queer” books!
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(Available from an AMAZON near you!)
Another fun review, John! I wonder what a film version would have been like. Oh well, at least we can thank Ed Wood for this book. :)
ReplyDeleteThank you, barry! Guess we'll never know what an Ed Wood film version would be, but maybe a streaming service will decide to do a limited event series! I would watch it!
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