Glen or Glenda

Glen or Glenda
Theatrical film poster
Directed byEd Wood
Written byEd Wood
Produced byGeorge Weiss
Starring
Narrated byTimothy Farrell
CinematographyWilliam C. Thompson
Edited byBud Schelling
Music byWilliam Lava
(uncredited)
Distributed byScreen Classics
Release date
  • April 1953 (1953-04)
Running time
  • 65 minutes
    (director’s cut)
  • 71 minutes
    (producer’s cut)
CountryUnited States
LanguageEnglish
Budget$20,000 (adjusted by inflation: $227,761)

Glen or Glenda is a 1953 American independent exploitation film directed, written by and starring Ed Wood (credited in his starring role as "Daniel Davis"), and featuring Wood's then-girlfriend Dolores Fuller and Bela Lugosi. It was produced by George Weiss who also made the exploitation film Test Tube Babies that same year.[1]

The film is a docudrama about cross-dressing and transvestism, and is semi-autobiographical in nature. Wood himself was a cross-dresser, and the film is a plea for tolerance. It was widely considered one of the worst films ever made upon release. However, it has since been reevaluated and has become a cult film due to its low-budget production values, idiosyncratic style, and early cinematic themes of transgender acceptance.

  1. ^ Weldon, Michael (1983). "The Psychotronic Encyclopedia of Film". Ballantine Books. ISBN 0-345-34345-X. Page 284