freakboy on film: GLEN OR GLENDA (1953)

written & directed by Edward D. Wood, Jr.

Hetero-centric love, of sort

Glen is engaged to Barbara, but Glen has a secret.  He enjoys wearing women’s clothing, even an uncomfortable brassiere*.  Will Glen confess his desire to wear her angora sweater?  Will Barbara accept his cross-dressing ways?  Will marriage kill Glen’s feminine alter ego Glenda?  My painted lips are sealed.

I wish I looked this good in drag 

*(I wore a bra for the abandoned video version of my soap opera parody PRIVATE IDAHO and it felt like a torture device designed by a sadistic man, in my opinion)  

As I’ve said before, GLEN OR GLENDA is shockingly progressive, but weirdly backwards.  The story is told by a psychiatrist and has an open mind, to a degree, about gender reassignment surgery and men dressing as women.  Well, hetero-centric men.   It is made abundantly clear that Glen is not a homosexual, accompanied by scenes of “predatory” queer men approaching so called “normal” men.  It would be easy to be offended by this, but I believe these moments were born out of ignorance, unlike the mean and nasty homophobic crap found in more than a few 1980’s films.  

Another element that could be offensive to modern audiences is how Glen’s transvestitism seems almost like dissociative identity disorder (split personality) than simply a man who feels more comfortable in women’s clothes.  Maybe this was out of ignorance or maybe Ed Wood saw his feminine side that way.  Then again, maybe as a filmmaker, he may have simply been adding a heightened sense of drama in the story.  

Save your drama for your mama

To muddle the issue and  the audience even further, the psychiatrist tells of two other transvestite cases.  The first one tragically ends in suicide, but the other story ends happily with a man successfully transitioning to a woman.  Yes, the message, whatever exactly it is, is all over the place.  However, there’s a lot of openness for a 1950’s film. 

Is anyone really this comfortable wearing a bra?

Then there is Bela Lugosi, who receives top billing!  The man who became famous playing Dracula ended his career in the Woodverse.  In GLEN OR GLENDA, he is a god-like scientist watching over humanity from an armchair.  His favorite pastime is to “pull the string,” which I assume makes us mere mortal puppets dance to his omnipotent whims.  All I really know is Bela Lugosi is far more entertaining here than in the snooze-fest that is 1931’s DRACULA.  

So many strings, so little time

Nobody won any acting awards for this delirious film, obviously.  Though perhaps Dolores Fuller as Barbara could’ve won a Razzie if they had been a thing in 1953.  Timothy Farrell as the psychiatrist gives a matter-of-fact performance and has an excellent droll voice for the role.  Ed Wood himself plays the title role of Glen/Glenda and he’s not half bad.  He has a somewhat natural ease with his dialogue and even more ease dressing as Glenda.  Though nothing will beat his performance as “that drag queen Alecia” in TAKE IT OUT IN TRADE! 

I must also mention the dream sequence, or whatever you might call it.  This WTF? montage includes Satan attending Glen and Barbara’s wedding, extreme femininity and some light bondage.  It also shows a group of men and women pointing accusing fingers at Glen, but then back away in awe, or at least silent respect, as Glen becomes Glenda.  Is it Glen’s way of accepting the Glenda inside?  I think so, maybe.  It’s all very confusing in the best way possible. 

Me at your wedding

In conclusion…
This was going to be a 4-in-1 post where I briefly blog about my Halloween tradition of watching three films of Edward D. Wood, Jr. and then Tim Burton’s cinematic love letter to Wood, but I found I had a lot to say about GLEN OR GLENDA.  I think this is because GLEN OR GLENDA is my favorite of his creations.  The story is trying to be sincere and sort of open-minded, while also being bizarre and almost hallucinogenic at times.  GLEN OR GLENDA may or may not do much in favor of the LGBTQ+ community, but it clicked with a young, queer freakboy who has always flashed a sardonic smirk at traditional gender roles.  So, slip into something comfortable (yes, even a bra, if that’s your bag) and open your mind to the shocking, surreal and sublime nature of Ed Wood’s GLEN OR GLENDA!    

Thank you for reading or listening to my half-blind words.

Freak Out, 
JLH 

P.S. Happy Halloween! 🎃 

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My books & blogs…  
http://thejlhcollective.blogspot.com/2018/03/the-collective.htm

Let the Nerding begin… (a KILLER NERD double feature)

 “I’m not a nerd!  I’m a geek!” - me (on multiple occasions) 

Even though my iPad’s definitions of “geek” and “nerd” are interchangeable, (a person who is extremely enthusiastic and knowledgeable about a particular subject), I’ve always believed there was a difference.  Maybe I feel “geeks” are somehow less uncool or maybe I just like the sound of the word.  “Nerd” drops like an uninspired bomb, while “Geek” floats with lyrical prose.  Plus, I like to say I “geek out” over my fave TV series and films.  I mean, nobody “nerds out” about anything other than maybe the tartly sweet 1980’s candy.  However, after all of my anti-nerd rhetoric, I experienced a massive shock to my personal identity when I sat down to watch a nerd-ish double feature. 

It’s Troma, so you know it’s classy

KILLER NERD (1991) 
written & directed by Mark Steven Bosko & Wayne Alan Harold 

Harold Kunkle is a nerd.  He’s mistreated at home, at work and on the streets.  What’s a nerd to do?  He orders audio cassettes from Slick Dick’s SCHOOL OF COOL, gets a makeover and paints the town red…with BLOOD!  You see, after his cool lessons fail to extinguish his nerdiness and he suffers more humiliation, Harold Kunkle snaps and goes on a killing spree.  

Mirror, mirror on the wall, who’s the nerdiest of them all?

Toby Radloff (American Splendor) is full on nerd as Harold Kunkle.  He manages to make the nerd simultaneously pathetic and sympathetic and is THE reason to watch KILLER NERD.  This film is so beyond a DIY, low budget affair, it makes Jon Moritsugu’s films look like million dollar marvels.  Despite, or maybe because of the slow pacing and questionable acting, I enjoyed KILLER NERD way more than I feel I should have, especially when Harold is learning to be cool.

A killer do

BRIDE OF KILLER NERD(1992) 
written & directed by Mark Steven Bosko & Wayne Alan Harold 

Children are evil 

Harold Kunkle is trying to put his killing spree past behind him, but the ghosts of a few of his victims keep haunting him and neighborhood kids torment him with nerd taunts.  Just when you think Harold is going to commit suicide, he meets Thelma Crump, a lonely, bookish young woman who is a tormented senior in high school.  What are two nerds to do?  Fall in love, attend a senior house party, get humiliated and go on a killing spree together, of course.

Sweet and nerdy

Toby Radloff returns as Harold Kunkle and he is still full on nerd, and it’s interesting to watch him struggling with Harold’s past crimes.  Heidi Lohr as Thelma Crump is very memorable.  She gives Thelma a bit of sweet sympathy and an edge of cuckoo crazy.  Together, they are THE reason to watch BRIDE OF KILLER NERD.  This sequel is also low-budget, but the pace is quicker since the film is 15 minutes shorter.  The script is funnier and it technically might be a better film.  As with the first one, I enjoyed BRIDE OF KILLER NERD more than I should have, especially the scenes of nerds in love.

Flowers are a nerd’s best friend

In conclusion…
This Troma Team nerd-filled double feature DVD made me uncomfortable because it felt like I was seen.  Watching Harold Kunkle was a reminder of my long buried shame.  I was a nerd as a kid.  No, I didn’t have tape on my glasses or own a pocket protector, but I saw who I used to be in Harold.  Socially awkward.  Low self-esteem.  A less than snappy dresser.  Ok, fine, I’m still these things, but I will no longer be ashamed!  

I am a nerd! 🤓 

Now is the time for nerds and geeks to put down our Star Trek nitpicking, push up our four eyes (or six in my case) and unite against the so-called “cool” or “hip” people of the world!  We can be “with it” together and never be social outcasts again! 

Just don’t make me play Dungeons & Dragons.  I mean, I’m not that big of nerd! 

Oops… 🫢

Thank you for reading or listening to my half-blind words.

Freak Out, 
JLH 

P.S.  A special thanks to Barry of Cinematic Catharsis for putting KILLER NERD on my radar with his review of AMERICAN SPLENDOR! 

P.P.S.  Click the pic ⤵️ for a different post about a very different Troma double feature…

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My books & blogs…  
http://thejlhcollective.blogspot.com/2018/03/the-collective.html

Caught Waiting (a poem of sorts)

Words caught 
Like fragments 
Of glass 
Coating my throat 
Blood flowing 
Away from 
What I could write 
All I could say 
Until my mouth 
Closes up 
Until my thoughts 
Run dry 
And I wait 
For the day 
When my eyes 
Completely fail 
To see the world 
And all it meant 
And what 
It never seemed 
To me 

I should use this as my obit pic

____________
2023, John L. Harmon 
Thank you for reading or listening to my half-blind words. 

Freak Out, 
JLH 

P.S. Are you aware October is Blindness Awareness Month?  (Click the pic ⤵️ for my post from 2022) 

freakboy on film: TERMINAL DEGENERATION: The Films of Jon Moritsugu

I had never heard of Jon Moritsugu until opening an email from Vinegar Syndrome, which has become my back-alley film fix destination.  Three things peaked my interest.  First, I instantly found the funky-indie-cool cover of the blu-ray box set very appealing.  Second, the description of one of the films as a DIY version of BEYOND THE VALLEY OF THE DOLLS more than intrigued me.  Third, the crazy trailer for the box set secured my desire to learn more about this writer/director. 

What did I learn about Jon Moritsugu? 

I learned MY DEGENERATION (1989) really is, in its own way, a DIY version of BVD, by way of David Lynch and Gregg Araki.  Three young women form a  rock band, achieve success (thanks to the meat industry) and then struggle with the pitfalls of fame, drugs and love of what appears to be a pig’s head.  MY DEGENERATION is a bizarre and amusing introduction to Jon Moritsugu.  Also, I love the music and the out there audio effects!

I learned HIPPY PORN (1991) is neither about hippies nor porn.  If you enjoy allegedly nihilistic, pseudo-intellectual young adults whining about the existential nothingness of their disenfranchised lives, then HIPPY PORN is the film for you.  This was the hardest for me to sit through because it feels tediously overlong and self-indulgent, but the “Accentuate the Positive” musical moment is rather brilliant.  HIPPY PORN also made me almost regret this purchase because the opening scene involves a dead animal, which hopefully wasn’t killed for the purpose of this film.  Watch at your own risk. 

I learned TERMINAL USA (1993) is Jon Moritsugu’s CITIZEN KANE.  Funded by and airing on PBS (the “Sesame Street” network), the story focuses on one very strange day in the life of an Asian-American family, culminating in a household full of cheerleaders, skinheads, a drug dealer and an alien.  Freaky, funky and funny, TERMINAL USA may be the best in this box set and must have inspired Gregg Araki’s NOWHERE (1997). 

I learned MOD F**K EXPLOSION (1994) is another Gregg Araki-style film about two oddball gangs out for a clash and the young woman stuck in the middle, who just wants a leather jacket.  Low-key weird, occasionally hard to follow and inappropriately funny, MOD F**K EXPLOSION is definitely happening in the same universe as TERMINAL USA, but doesn’t quite reach its surreal symmetry.  Still totally worth watching though!

I learned FAME WHORE (1997) might be my favorite Jon Moritsugu film.  The Gregg Araki/David Lynch vibes have fallen away to reveal a quirky, funny and strangely touching look at the danger of notoriety, the desire for success and the damage of loneliness.  After a catchy theme song, we are presented with three interesting characters.  A tennis pro dealing with scandalous (at the time) gay rumors, a young woman (Moritsugu’s wife & collaborator Amy Davis) who fancies herself a Jill-of-all-trades in the entertainment industry and a young man working alongside an imaginary friend (a giant mascot dog) at an animal shelter never meet, but in some indescribable way seem connected in their separate stories.  FAME WHORE surprised me, made me laugh and even broke my heart a bit. 

I learned SCUMROCK (2002) is ironic.  After so many films with a Gregg Araki vibe, a Gregg Araki actor (James Duval) FINALLY appears in a Jon Moritsugu film, but it’s the least like a Gregg Araki film.  Two stories, briefly connecting in the middle, revolve around a young woman trying to make a name for her rock band and a young man trying to make his first film.  SCUMROCK is slow-paced, but amusing, with a sort of happy ending that feels true.

I learned PIG DEATH MACHINE (2013) isn’t as horrifying as the title suggests.  It’s a goofy story about the strange side effects a ditsy blond and a dishwasher experience after eating bad pork at a restaurant.  The ditsy blond’s IQ rises and the dishwasher can suddenly hear plants talking.  My only complaint is I don’t understand why the dishwasher never tries to talk to the plants who are talking to her.  In the end, PIG DEATH MACHINE is an amusing finale to this box set, especially with the surprising and fun stop-motion animation sequence! 

In conclusion… 
Overall, I’m glad I learned about Jon Moritsugu and his eclectic films.  They are very DIY.  The acting is not always great.  The characters are not always likable.  However, much like an Andy Milligan film, there is an honesty underneath the weirdness and absurdity.  Yes, even in HIPPY PORN, including in that tough to watch opening scene.  So, if you are into ultra low-budget, seriously indie cinema, then TERMINAL DEGENERATION: The Films of Jon Moritsugu may be the box set for you! 
Thank you for reading or listening to my half-blind words.

Freak Out, 
JLH 

P.S.  In case you missed my latest video for The FreakOptic Files… 

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My books & blogs…  
http://thejlhcollective.blogspot.com/2018/03/the-collective.html