Glen or Glenda? (1953)

Ed Wood directed probably the worst movie ever made, Plan 9 From Outer Space, and this one runs a close second. A transvestite in real life, Wood often appeared on-set in women's clothing to direct his pictures and this film, one of his earliest, has appearances by him in front of the cameras as the star of the film, Glen, under the pseudonym 'Daniel Davis'. The film itself tells the simple story of Glen who longs to tell his girlfriend Fuller about his need to dress and become Glenda in a pseudo-documentary style.

The ageing (and dope addicted) horror star Bela Lugosi narrates to camera at the beginning and at intervals through the film, spouting lines such as "the big green dragon that sits on the steps and eats little boys".

Wood uses stock footage of lightning strikes, a suicide, shopping for women's clothes, a guest appearance by the devil, bondage scenes, fantasy sequences of accusing throngs, possibly a sex-change operation, and some improbable looking transvestites.

The life of Wood, and some of the choicest scenes from Glen or Glenda? were recreated in the 1994 Tim Burton production Ed Wood with Johnny Depp playing a very likeable Wood (and frankly producing a more believable feminine appearance).

The film's rather hectoring documentary style and jangly music comes over as very dated these days. In effect this is a laboured documentary intended to explain to an ignorant audience the realities of transvestism, but I doubt it converted many disinterested sceptics to be supportive. Nonetheless it's interesting to see that a reassignment operation was already a matter of fact (according to the film's medical expert) in 1953.

Ed Wood played Glen/Glenda as well as writing the script, and Tommy Haynes played Alan/Ann. It's in black and white.

The film was also shown under several alternative titles, namely:

Glen or Glenda: Confessions of Ed Wood;
He or She;
I Changed My Sex;
I Led Two Lives; and
The Transvestite.

HF January 2001

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