http://tcmunderground.com/BRIDE OF THE MONSTER (airs 10/13)
Edward D. Wood, Jr.'s Bride of the Monster (1955) can be experienced in two ways; both on its own terms and as filtered through the many shot recreations and behind-the-scenes views from Tim Burton's affectionate biopic, Ed Wood (1994). The edge is given to the original, of course, if only for the bravura performance by Bela Lugosi å his last speaking role, and one of his most energetic and unforgettable. Make no mistake å the experience of watching Bride of the Monster can only be enhanced by an awareness of the backstage stories of the cast and crew. Since there is no "movie magic" to spoil, knowledge of the fascinating off-camera machinations, personality quirks, and bizarro-world thinking that went into nearly every technical and aesthetic aspect of the film make for riveting viewing. While it is not the surreal dreamscape that is Plan 9 from Outer Space (1959), Wood's Bride of the Monster holds many delights; in addition to Lugosi, there is the emergence of Tor Johnson's iconic Lobo, a staple of rubber Halloween masks and a subliminal presence in the imagination of many who have never heard of the Great Swede, and the debut of Kelton the Cop, the most superfluous running character in the history of stock players. Wood's exquisitely dumb dialogue is always a joy to hear, and in Bride of the Monster it comes out of the mouths of some of the most enthusiastic non-actors he ever cast as juvenile leads. The overriding sensibility that drives the movie (aside from determination), though, is a palpable love of filmmaking itself. Talent and even competence may be well beyond Wood's grasp - even in this, probably his most accomplished work å but the joy of just plain getting it on film is intoxicating and contagious.
Producer: Edward D. Wood, Jr., Donald E. McCoy
Director: Edward D. Wood, Jr
Screenplay: Edward D. Wood, Jr, Alex Gordon
Cinematography: Ted Allan, William C. Thompson
Film Editing: Warren Adams
Art Direction: George Bahr
Music: Frank Worth
Cast: Bela Lugosi (Dr. Eric Vornoff), Tor Johnson (Lobo), Tony McCoy (Lt. Dick Craig), Loretta King (Janet Lawton), Harvey B. Dunn (Capt. Tom Robbins), George Becwar (Prof. Vladimir Strowski).
BW-68m.
by John M. Miller
PLAN 9 FROM OUTER SPACE (airs 10/13)
Beneficiary of more than its fair share of critical brickbats, Ed Wood's Plan 9 from Outer Space (1959) is not only not the worst film ever made, it's not even the worst Ed Wood film ever made. Written and shot around existing footage of aging Dracula star Bela Lugosi in the sad days leading up to his 1956 death and cobbled together with enthusiasm, determination and whatever Hollywood leavings could be scavenged, Plan 9 has become the whipping boy of midnight movies for its technical gaffes, flat acting, continuity errors and tautological dialogue ("Future events such as these will affect you in the future"). Guilty as charged-- but the film deserves honorable mention as an unsung milestone in American independent filmmaking.
Highly personal, brazenly cross-pollinated from a genre standpoint and openly critical of the Western atomic stockpile, the self-financed Plan 9 also utilizes the non-professional actors and guerilla production tactics that distinguished the Nouvelle Vague in France a few years later. However risible Wood's script may be, his dialogue is endlessly quotable and images of Tor Johnson and Vampira doing the zombie shuffle are forever burned into the retina of horror fandom's collective eye. While few would argue its artistic superiority, Plan 9 is viewed, discussed and quoted more times in any given year than John Cassavetes' Shadows (1959), Hal Hartley's Trust (1990) or Darren Aronofsky's Pi (1998), none of which have, for all their indie credibility, inspired so much as a single refrigerator magnet. Could respected A-list filmmakers such as Nora Ephron, Neil LaBute or even Tim Burton, if denied the studio perks on which they rely to facilitate the creative process, produce a work as enduring as Plan 9 from Outer Space, which is still being discussed and enjoyed fifty years after it was made?
Director: Edward D. Wood, Jr.
Producer: J. Edward Reynolds
Screenplay: Edward D. Wood, Jr.
Cinematography: William C. Thompson
Editing: Edward D. Wood, Jr.
Cast: Bela Lugosi (Ghoul Man), Gregory Walcott (Jeff Trent), Mona McKinnon (Paula Trent), Tor Johnson (Inspector Clay), Paul Marco (Patrolman Kelton), Duke Moore (Lt. John Harper).
BW-79m.
by Richard Harland Smith
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