Glen or Glenda (1953)

User Rating:

3.5/10   

Director:

Edward D. Wood Jr.

Writer:

Edward D. Wood Jr. (story)

Release Date:

30 September 1995 (Japan)

Genre:

Drama

Tagline:

"I Changed My Sex!"

Plot:

A psychiatrist tells two stories: one of a transvestite (Glen or Glenda), the other of a pseudohermaphrodite (Alan or Anne).

Plot Keywords:

Psychiatrist | Transvestite | Scientist | Sweater | Cross Dressing

Cast

Bela Lugosi	...	Scientist
Lyle Talbot	...	Inspector Warren
Timothy Farrell	...	Dr. Alton / Narrator
Dolores Fuller	...	Barbara
'Tommy' Haynes	...	Alan / Anne
Edward D. Wood Jr.	...	Glen / Glenda (as Daniel Davis)
Charles Crafts	...	Johnny
Conrad Brooks	...	Banker / Reporter / Pickup Artist / Bearded Drag (as Connie Brooks)

Also Known As:

Glen or Glenda: Confessions of Ed Wood
Glen or Glenda? (USA) (alternative spelling)
He or She
I Changed My Sex
I Led 2 Lives (UK)
The Transvestite

Runtime:

65 min | 74 min (1982 re-issue) | 68 min (DVD version) | 61 min (cut)

Country:

USA

Language:

English

Color:

Black and White

Aspect Ratio:

1.37 : 1

Sound Mix:

Mono

Certification:

Finland:K-18 (2004) | Spain:T | Australia:M | Italy:VM14 | Sweden:15 | UK:15 (DVD rating) (2006) | UK:R (original rating) | USA:Not Rated | Argentina:13

Filming Locations:

Jack Miles Studios, Hollywood, Los Angeles, California, USA

Company:

Screen Classics (II)

Trivia:

Surrealist filmmaker David Lynch has stated that this is one of his favorite films, and used the "howling wind" sound effect in his film Eraserhead (1977).

Goofs:

Crew or equipment visible: In the very first scene with Bela Lugosi, the shadow of the cameraman is clearly visible when he zooms out with the camera.

Quotes:

Scientist: Beware! Beware of the big green dragon that sits on your doorstep. He eats little boys... Puppy dog tails, and BIG FAT SNAILS... Beware... Take care... Beware!

Movie Connections:

Spoofed in Seed of Chucky (2004)

Believe the hype! Everything you've heard about this one is true! Fifty years on it's STILL one of the weirdest movies ever made.

Ever since Tim Burton's wonderful 'Ed Wood' raised Ed Wood Jr's profile and made his seriously bent movies movies better known than they have ever been, some cult movie fans have gotten their noses out of joint. Wood's reputation as the worst director ever pushes some buffs buttons as it marginalizes already marginalized film makers like Ray Dennis Steckler, Ted V. Mikels, Herschell Gordon Lewis, Al Adamson and other "so bad it's good" directors. I leave more knowledgeable fans than me to argue over who REALLY is the worst, but there's no denying that Wood's movies are quite unlike anything made before or since. 'Glen Or Glenda' is his best movie, or if the term "best" misleads, his Ed Woodest. I've lost track of how many times I've seen it over the years but it never loses its power to amuse and astound. Every single time I watch it I am flabbergasted! It literally has to be seen to be believed. Wood plays the title character, a man wrestling with his transvestitism. His girlfriend is played by Dolores Fuller, the cop by Lyle Talbot, the psychiatrist by Timothy Farrell, all three familiar faces from other Wood classics like 'Plan Nine From Outer Space' and 'Jail Bait'. But the real reason to watch this is the utterly bizarre performance from horror legend Bela Lugosi, credited on the version I watched as "scientist", and on the IMDb as "The Spirit", who may or may not be God. His rantings of "Pull the strings! Pull the strings!" and nonsensical stuff about "Green dragons" and "puppy dog tails" will stay in your head for YEARS, if not for the rest of your life! Wood intercuts this with nutty stock footage like buffalo stampedes, and one of the most wacked out nightmare sequences ever seen, which includes lots of chubby gals in states of undress, some S and M, and and an appearance by Satan. Believe the hype - everything you've heard about this one is true! Fifty years on it's STILL one of the weirdest movies ever made. If you haven't seen 'Glen Or Glenda' you just don't know what you're missing!