A Holy Porn Film Grail Is Found!

Real Boogie Nights is pleased to share some very exciting news that relates to both old-time porn movies as well as the world of cult moviedom. A super-rare and almost unknown movie by the infamous Ed Wood has been uncovered. This is practically a miracle. The news is doubly intriguing as it is closely connected to the recent announcement of the rediscovery of the complete version of another “lost” Ed Wood X-rated movie, which was just given its premiere release in home entertainment form (in this case DVD) by Fleshbot Films.

Ed Wood is of course renowned as the “worst director of all time”, the man behind PLAN 9 FROM OUTER SPACE and GLEN OR GLENDA. Three years ago Wood’s biographer, Rudolph Grey, located three Ed Wood movies of varying degrees of sexual content. If you read Grey’s book, NIGHTMARE OF ECSTASY, you know that as Ed Wood’s Hollywood opportunities dried up, he increasingly turned to sex-themed movies to prop up his flimsy directing career, and that those movies were extremely low budget, and obscure even then.

So on October 19 of this year Fleshbot Films released the first of these “lost” movies -- NECROMANIA -- on DVD, and news articles around the world trumpeted it as the “holy grail” of Ed Wood filmdom, and his “last” movie, directed in 1971, seven years before his alcoholic and poverty-stricken death. Fleshbot is also set to release another Wood sex movie made at the same time, the perhaps unfinished THE ONLY HOUSE. But there was actually a mysterious and near-mythical third Ed Wood porn effort that was said to have been made at that time as well, and apparently called THE YOUNG MARRIEDS. The problem was nobody knew anything about it and nor is there any official record or information. Just try an internet search or look on imdb.com. There is barely a mention anywhere. Even Wood didn’t put it in his well-padded resume.

Well folks, the true Ed Wood Grail, the completing third of the Wood porno trilogy, the elusive and illusive THE YOUNG MARRIEDS, has been found. Yes, a complete print in good condition has been unearthed by an amateur sex movie archeologist (me, that is), proving unequivocally the existence of this movie. And it is, unequivocally, an Ed Wood movie.

This news will likely thrill and amaze Wood aficionados, and it can be hinted that the content of THE YOUNG MARRIEDS will surprise, intrigue, and of course stupefy his legion of admirers. We can suggest at this point that the areas of intrigue include the date of said film, the names Ed used as director and writer, the sexual content in terms of screen time as well as degree of porn-ness, and even the length of the movie. But of course it is the non-surprises that will fascinate and entertain more – the classic elements of Ed Wood as writer-director. That uniquely flat and awkward directing style and the resultant wooden acting, the idiosyncratic dialogue, the un-edited goofs and on-camera gaffes, and the well-known Wood sexuality obsessions finding their way into the film by hook or by crook.

THE YOUNG MARRIEDS is also of great significance historically in the Ed Wood story and will answer as well as ask many questions about his later career, besides providing invaluable insights into other X-rated work that may have been directed by Wood.

While the recent release of the Special Edition DVD of Tim Burton’s biopic ED WOOD followed closely upon Ed Wood’s birthdate of Oct. 10, this announcement of the discovery of another Ed Wood movie comes on the anniversary of his death on December 10, 1978. Burton’s film celebrated the optimism of Ed Wood’s beginning years in Hollywood, while THE YOUNG MARRIEDS was made during his desperate and ill-fated decline.

Nonetheless Edward D. Wood did succeed in the end – he is among the most known of directors in the western world, certainly of non-contemporary directors. Not to mention that his films are actually watched. His movies were not lost, once they were found. And his appreciators will hopefully have the day when they can view this lost, and quite likely truly last Ed Wood film. For now realboogienights.com can at least offer these low-res pics captured off the screen at a private test screening of the film after it had sat on the shelf for the last 20 years and before it was safely archived for the indefinite time being. (Note: the title image was scanned directly from the film and the lighting exaggerates the scratches)

dimitrios otis Dec. 8/04

Ed Wood's Final Film -- Details at #9...

You may have heard that cult film auteur Edward D. Wood, Jr. became involved in movies of an increasingly sexual nature towards the end of his life and career. You also may have heard of the discovery and DVD release of Wood's "last" movie, the sex movie Necromania: A Tale of Weird Love . Fleshbot Films got a lot of press mileage out of the announcement that Ed Wood's "last" movie had been discovered.

But in fact, that catchy "last" label isn't accurate. Ed Wood managed to make one more full-length film after Necromania . I am not faulting Fleshbot - they, along with everybody else didn't know about this real "last" movie by Ed Wood. The movie - titled The Young Marrieds - was more or less a rumour. And no one knew definitively that even if such a movie existed, that Ed Wood wrote and directed it.

But last year a complete print of The Young Marrieds was finally uncovered. And it has been verified with certainty that Ed Wood is the creator of it.

It's amazing to think no one knew for all these years. In fact, if not for a small but crucial event - The Young Marrieds could easily have been lost forever without the world ever knowing Ed Wood poured his heart into another low-low-budget celluloid expression.

The story of The Young Marrieds ' discovery and of the contents of the film itself are fascinating -- so fascinating that the story was secured for publication by a certain New York publishing concern. Therefore, I cannot divulge more at this time or in this place.

Please be patient and await the premiere issue of #9 Devil's Lane , a new cultural magazine under the editorship of Rudolph Grey. In the launch issue -- all will be told!

Dm Otis - 04/05/06