The Cinematic Misadventures of Ed Wood

Tim Burton's Ed Wood (1994), a critically acclaimed film starring Johnny Depp that earned two Academy Awards, only told part of the fascinating story of the strange American screenwriter, director, producer, actor, author, and film editor. Now, authors Andrew J. Rausch and Charles E. Pratt Jr. unreel the unreal back stories of the much-maligned “Worst Filmmaker of All Time” and his 29 films that sometimes outshone Wood’s off screen shenanigans. In the 1950s, audiences cringed at Glen or Glenda, Jail Bait with Steve Reeves, Bride of the Monster and Plan 9 From Outer Space with Bela Lugosi, The Violent Years, and Night of the Ghouls. In the 1960s, moviegoers winced at The Sinister Urge and Orgy of the Dead. Though his films sometimes shocked the delicate sensibilities of post-war audiences, modern moviegoers often love the good, bad, and ugly movie millstones. The authors share a passion for all things Ed Wood and wanted to explore, deplore, and implore the always unvarnished facts about the born loser, who continually defied odds to achieve each scrap of success in Hollywood. Wood refused to allow his dreams to die, despite the seemingly-insurmountable hurdles he faced in life and with his own lack of talent, yet he found a way to continue making movies. Discover his daring deeds in detail, from the crowd favorites to the more obscure nudie films that Wood made late in life. Illustrated. 293 pages, 42 chapters, and 10 interviews with a variety of people involved with Ed Wood films. “A lot of movies are simply lousy – created by two-bit hacks who obviously didn’t give a damn about the outcome. But it takes a filmmaker with singularly unique sensibilities to create such sincerely passionate, wondrously lousy films as Edward D. Wood, Jr. Paying tribute to his long and memorable career as both director and screenwriter, the majority of this engaging 293-page softcover consists of separate chapters devoted to each Ed Wood screen project, from ‘classics’ like GLEN OR GLENDA and PLAN 9 FROM OUTER SPACE, to surprisingly competent B-movies (JAIL BAT, THE SINISTER URGE) and his most pathetic paychecks (SHOTGUN WEDDING, LOVE FEAST). In the process, Rausch and Pratt deftly critique every film – respecting Wood’s overall vision, while acknowledging the laughs found in Ed’s overripe dialogue, nonsensical stories, half-baked production values, and penchant for stock footage. But while Wood’s early projects were both earnest and engagingly ridiculous, his later (often pseudonymous) gigs became increasingly uninspired and embarrassing, with our authors justifiably ripping apart pathetic ‘70s-era smut like NECROMANIA. Rounding out this terrific book are ten interviews, including actor/stuntman Gary Kent (who played caveman Olaf in the Wood-scripted ONE MILLION AC/DC), ED WOOD screenwriter Larry Karaszewski, author Rudolph Grey, director Aris Iliopulos (I WOKE UP EARLY THE DAY I DIED), and THE NYMPHO CYCLER starlet Casey Larrain.” -- Shock Cinema