Ed Wood Wednesdays, week 240: Has the cocktail lounge from Plan 9 finally been found?

Don Davis is blinded by the light.

Ladies and gentlemen, a controversy is currently brewing in the world of Ed Wood. Controversy? Ha! Too weak a word! I should say a tempest! I've not seen the equal of it. Even now, while we're chatting here so enjoyably, a fierce debate rages in Ed Wood fan forums across the internet, turning friends into enemies and vice-versa. (Well, actually, the topic is limited to one Facebook group and the discussion has been quite civil, but humor me.) 

At issue is one particular location—a humble yet intriguing cocktail bar—from Ed's most famous film, Plan 9 from Outer Space (1957). Has the bar been found? Has it not been found? Is it unfindable? Is knowledge knowable? Does a Chinese chicken have a pigtail?

Way back in 2018, I wrote an article about a long-gone L.A. night spot called the Mocambo that appeared prominently in Plan 9 as part of a montage in which UFOs are spotted in various places across America. In that article, I mentioned that there was a scene in Plan 9 in which Wood associate Don Davis staggers out of a seedy-looking cocktail bar and sees flying saucers hovering over Hollywood, much to his bleary-eyed astonishment. The bar's street number, 4092, is clearly visible, but narrator Criswell doesn't bother telling us which street this is supposed to be. Knowing very little of Los Angeles geography, I incorrectly guessed it to be Sunset and left it at that.

Ed Wood Wednesdays: The Wood Collaborator Odyssey, Part 24 by Greg Dziawer with Mike Hickey

A headshot of Casey Larrain.

Casey Larrain strikes a pose circa 1981.

This week, we turn our attention to Casey Larrain, the winsome brunette actress who memorably appeared with Ed Wood in several films in the late 1960s and early 1970s. I will let my friend Mike Hickey introduce Ms. Larrain:

I'd first noticed Casey Larrain acting opposite Ed Wood in the notorious Love Feast (1969) and Nympho Cycler (1971). The more I saw of her in other movies, the more curious I became about her. Curious enough that when I heard she lived less than an hour from me, I looked her up and gave her a call. After some communication she agreed to meet with me for an interview. Wow!

On the day I drove to Chatsworth to meet with her, I became increasingly nervous. It can be awkward meeting new people under usual circumstances, let alone with me asking her the kinds of questions I was going to ask.

We ended up speaking for a couple of hours and had a really nice talk. She was very open to talking about anything I asked her about. I, of course, asked her about working with Ed Wood and Joe Robertson. She told me stories about doing scenes with John Holmes, which I had no idea had ever happened. I was also glad I got to tell her how great I thought she was playing a British snob in Joe Robertson's Lord Farthingay's Holiday (1972).

Since meeting Casey that day, we've kept in touch quite often. I've visited a few times to have items from my Casey collection signed by her. My wife and I have even attended a few of her annual Boxing Day parties! She's very cool, very with it, and just a great person. I'm glad to know her.

I had known for a while that Mike Hickey had connected with Casey. Then, late last summer, my friend Rob Huffman—who had previously interviewed Casey—introduced me to her. We finally talked in September and have had many exchanges since. A special thanks to Casey for supplying heretofore unknown details about her life and work.

Ed Wood Wednesdays: The Inaugural Wood Summit by Greg Dziawer

Here's the story... of a guy named Eddie...

Late last year, I had the idea to gather some of my friends and colleagues in the world of Woodology for a discussion about Ed Wood's life and work. On Sunday, January 3, 2021, we made that idea a reality, talking for an hour and a half by Zoom. Besides myself, the panelists that afternoon included: film archivist Keith Crocker, humorist and performer Mike H, author James Pontolillo, and the founder of this blog, Joe Blevins.

Our conversation was far-ranging and touched on myriad aspects of Ed Wood's life and career, from his 1950s films to his extensive work in pornography in the 1970s. We also shared items from our personal Wood collections, including some astonishing artifacts from the past. And we discussed our own histories with Ed Wood -- what drew us to his work and why we continue to be fascinated with him today.

The entire conversation has now been uploaded to YouTube. Be sure to check out the description box beneath the video; it contains links to the panelists' numerous other projects.

I am grateful to all the panelists, who literally spanned from coast to coast. 

• Joe Blevins - coauthor of Dad Made Dirty Movies

• Keith Crocker - director of The Bloody Ape

• Greg Dziawer - co-producer and co-writer of Dames & Dreams

• Mike H - whose latest album is available on transparent blue vinyl

• James Pontolillo - author of The Unknown War of Edward D. Wood, Jr.