This week's L.A. City Beat has a fascinating cover story by Ron Garmon about one-shot auteur and "gay icon," Tom Graeff. After producing, writing, directing, and co-starring in Teenagers From Outer Space, a 1959 cult favorite (lampooned on Mystery Science Theater) that is simultaneously ridiculous and "sensitive" - in a serious adolescent kind of way - Mr. Graeff took out a full page ad in the L.A. Times claiming to be Jesus Christ. He attempted to join the Quakers, was institutionalized, and eventually committed suicide. Needless to say, he never made another film.
Thursday, November 13, 2008
Life and Death of a One-Shot Auteur
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4 comments:
Thanks for posting this. I'm sad to say I've heretofore been totally unfamiliar with this guy, despite my fondness for filmmaker-on-the-skids sagas. Added to which, it re-awakens a theory I've had for a number of years. The worst film artists (Edward Wood, Andy Milligan, etc) often, if not always, lead more darker, compelling lives; albeit from a purely narrative standpoint.
That's an excellent article -- thanks for posting the link.
"Needless to say, he never made another film."
Well, I guess not! He was dead!
There's actually a documentary in production about Graeff, which this piece references indirectly but never mentions outright, I wonder why?
The documentary is also called "The Boy from Out of This World" and is attached to the site tomgraeff.org
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