A Poughkeepsie native and film director responsible for \u201cthe worst movie ever made\u201d will be celebrated at the Bardavon 1869 Opera House tonight.<\/p>\n
The Bardavon \u2014 an anchor of downtown Poughkeepsie \u2014 will host the launch of a fundraising campaign for a statue in honor of Ed Wood Jr. Wood\u2019s 1959 science-fiction film, \u201cPlan 9 from Outer Space,\u201d has been called \u201cthe worst movie ever made.\u201d Wood, however, crafted a lasting legacy for himself as a cult figure, inspiring such celebrities as director Tim Burton and comedian Bobcat Goldthwait.<\/p>\n
In addition to screening \u201cPlan 9 from Outer Space,\u201d the Bardavon will host a meet-and-greet in its lobby with actors portraying two characters who appear in the film \u2014 Vampire Girl and Inspector Clay \u2014 and will feature a panel discussion. Sculptor Patrick Pigott also will be on hand. Proceeds from tonight\u2019s event will be donated to the statue initiative.<\/p>\n
An online campaign to raise $60,000 for the project, through the fundraising website www.kickstarter.com, is scheduled to get underway Saturday. The project gained momentum after an article about Wood and the statue appeared in the Journal in May, with Goldthwait and others, from across the country, contacting the Journal about the statue. A location for the statue has yet to be determined.<\/p>\n
In speaking of Wood\u2019s legacy, Joe Mendillo of Poughkeepsie could have been talking of the statue campaign he launched.<\/p>\n
\u201cIf you believe in something strong enough and want to make it happen strong enough, you\u2019ll make it happen,\u201d said Mendillo, who also goes by the name, \u201cJoe Netherworld.\u201d \u201cThat\u2019s Ed Wood\u2019s legacy. He dared to dream.\u201d<\/p>\n
According to the Internet Movie Database, the setting for \u201cPlan 9 from Outer Space\u201d is California, where \u201c… an old man (Bela Lugosi) grieves the loss of his wife (Vampira) and on the next day he also dies. However, the space soldier Eros and her mate Tanna use an electric device to resurrect them both and the strong Inspector Clay (Tor Johnson) that was murdered by the couple. Their intention is not to conquer Earth but to stop mankind from developing the powerful bomb \u2018Solobonite\u2019 that would threaten the universe. When the population of Hollywood and Washington, D.C., sees flying saucers in the sky, a colonel, a police lieutenant, a commercial pilot, his wife and a policeman try to stop the aliens.\u201d Vampire Girl is portrayed by Vampira.