Home
search
more | tips
IMDb > Glen or Glenda (1953)
Glen or Glenda
Quicklinks
Top Links
trailers and videosfull cast and crewtriviaofficial sitesmemorable quotes
Overview
main detailscombined detailsfull cast and crewcompany creditstv schedule
Awards & Reviews
user commentsexternal reviewsnewsgroup reviewsawardsuser ratingsparents guiderecommendationsmessage board
Plot & Quotes
plot summaryplot synopsisplot keywordsAmazon.com summarymemorable quotes
Fun Stuff
triviagoofssoundtrack listingcrazy creditsalternate versionsmovie connectionsFAQ
Other Info
merchandising linksbox office/businessrelease datesfilming locationstechnical specslaserdisc detailsDVD detailsliterature listingsNewsDesk
Promotional
taglines trailers and videos posters photo gallery
External Links
showtimesofficial sitesmiscellaneousphotographssound clipsvideo clips

Glen or Glenda (1953) More at IMDbPro »

Photos (see all 19 | slideshow)

Overview

User Rating:
3.5/10   3,683 votes
MOVIEmeter: ?
Up 7% in popularity this week. See rank & trends on IMDbPro.
Director:
Edward D. Wood Jr.
Writer:
Edward D. Wood Jr. (story)
Contact:
View company contact information for Glen or Glenda on IMDbPro.
Release Date:
30 September 1995 (Japan) more
Genre:
Drama more
Tagline:
"I Changed My Sex!" more
Plot:
A psychiatrist tells two stories: one of a transvestite (Glen or Glenda), the other of a pseudohermaphrodite (Alan or Anne). full summary | full synopsis
User Comments:
Breathtakingly Bad more

Cast

  (Complete credited 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)
more
Create a character page for: ?

Additional Details

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
more
Runtime:
65 min | 74 min (1982 re-issue) | 68 min (DVD version) | 61 min (cut)
Country:
USA
Language:
English
Aspect Ratio:
1.37 : 1 more
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

Fun Stuff

Trivia:
This film is listed among the Top Ten Best Bad Films ever made in Golden Raspberry Award founder John Wilson's book THE OFFICIAL RAZZIE MOVIE GUIDE. more
Goofs:
Revealing mistakes: The headline on the newspaper at the beginning has clearly been taped on. more
Quotes:
Scientist: Pull the string! Pull the string! more
Movie Connections:
Featured in The 50 Worst Movies Ever Made (2004) (V) more

FAQ

What does Bela Lugosi say about people?
What is Barbara's first hint that Glen is a transvestite?
What does the transvestite's suicide note say?
more
12 out of 21 people found the following comment useful:-
Breathtakingly Bad, 25 December 2006
1/10
Author: Lechuguilla from Dallas, Texas

Sitting in a big wing chair with a huge book in his lap, the one and only Bela Lugosi looks into the camera and, in a dreadful vocal delivery that sounds as if he were mocking a reading of Shakespeare, intones sloooow-ly: "Man's constant groping of things unknown, drawing from the endless reaches of time, brings to light many startling things; (snicker); startling?, because they seem new (Lugosi's eyes now bulging, with raised eyebrows, and mouth sneering, he continues) but most are not new, the signs of the ages" (cue a visual of lightening, accompanied by the sound of thunder which then continues to rumble for an astonishing 86 seconds).

And so begins what is arguably the worst film ever made. This "movie" almost defies description. Told in semi-docudrama style with an unseen narrator explaining the plot ... such as it is ... the story revolves around the vicissitudes of a man named Glen (Ed Wood, Jr.) who cross-dresses; hence the reference to Glenda. The film has no real structure. Instead, it consists mostly of a random assortment of vignettes that may ... or may not ... relate to Glen or to the cross-dressing motif. One long sequence consists of some unknown woman wriggling on a sofa, followed by a man whipping a woman in what we would today refer to as S&M.

Then, at odd moments Bela reappears, for no apparent reason, and babbles more inane dialogue, like: "When he's wrong because he does right, and when he's right because he does wrong; pull the string, dance to that." Huh?

About twenty percent of the film's visuals consist of stock footage, accompanied by a VO that relates to the story motif but not the visuals. Hence, we see stock footage of: bustling city streets, freeway traffic, a thunderous herd of buffalo, and a playground full of kids. But it gets worse. In a film about cross-dressing, we have 58 consecutive seconds of stock footage of a foundry furnace making hot steel, and 84 consecutive seconds of battle scenes from WWII.

Even the simplest items are botched. In one scene we see a newspaper headline that reads "Man Nabbed Dressed as Girl". Underneath the headline, which has clearly been glued or pasted on, the article is about ... taxes. In one of my favorite scenes, an off-screen woman spouts out: "airplanes, why it's against the creator's will", in a voice that sounds like she's just inhaled helium.

Except for the performance of Lyle Talbot, the acting is uniformly horrendous. Production design is cheap looking and drab; (but you gotta love that tacky wallpaper). The editing is sloppy. Most of the background music is suitable only for 1950 style elevators. The B&W cinematography has way too much contrast. And the costumes look like something that came from a thrift store.

This film is so bad it makes "Plan 9 From Outer Space" look like "Citizen Kane", by comparison. I just don't know how one could make a film any worse than Ed Wood's "Glen Or Glenda". But thankfully, it's got Bela Lugosi in it. Every time he opened his mouth, and gazed into the camera with those big, bulging eyes, I about fell on the floor laughing.

Was the above comment useful to you?
more

Message Boards

Discuss this movie with other users on IMDb message board for Glen or Glenda (1953)
Recent Posts (updated daily)User
This movie is not bad weezer-20
Can Editing Be Funny? Sure! buffalonemo
So THAT'S why some guys go bald! WhoWouldKnow
Naked men? Pssage
The 'Dream' Sequence or whatever it is. It rules. snowleopard27
Fake trailer remake silversteak90
more

Recommendations

If you enjoyed this title, our database also recommends:
- - - - -
The Invasion Donnie Darko Ed Wood Big Fish The Living and the Dead
IMDb User Rating:
IMDb User Rating:
IMDb User Rating:
IMDb User Rating:
IMDb User Rating:
Show more recommendations

Related Links

Full cast and crew Company credits External reviews
IMDb Drama section IMDb USA section Add this title to MyMovies

You may report errors and omissions on this page to the IMDb database managers. They will be examined and if approved will be included in a future update. Clicking the 'Update' button will take you through a step-by-step process.