You Must Remember This

119: Bela and Ed Wood (Bela & Boris Part 5)

Nov 14, 2017
Ask episode
AI Snips
Chapters
Transcript
Episode notes
ANECDOTE

Bela's Vaudeville Dracula Act

  • Bela Lugosi toured as Dracula in a vaudeville act that included him rising from a coffin after screening one of his movies.
  • The show was embarrassing and poorly attended, leaving Bela barely breaking even and feeling his career decline.
INSIGHT

Ed Wood's Passion and Identity

  • Ed Wood was passionate about filmmaking but lacked technical talent, often telling imaginative but poorly executed stories.
  • His fascination with cross-dressing and identity influenced his film Glen or Glenda, reflecting parts of his personal life.
ANECDOTE

Bela as God Figure in Glen or Glenda

  • In Glen or Glenda, Bela Lugosi plays a godlike figure blessing the transformation of the transvestite protagonist.
  • Ed Wood used creative but cheap filmmaking tricks, including a shoe box with holes for lighting effects suggested by Bela's wife Lilian.
Get the Snipd Podcast app to discover more snips from this episode
Get the app