Myra Breckinridge (1970)

Director:

Michael Sarne

Writers:

David Giler (writer)
Michael Sarne (writer)
(more)

Release Date:

24 June 1970 (USA)

Genre:

Comedy

Tagline:

Meet Myra Breckinridge. You'll Never Forget Her!

Plot:

Myron Breckinridge is waiting for his sex-change operation while a stoned surgeon stumbles into the operating room...

Plot Keywords:

Hollywood | Alter Ego | Talent Scout | Estate | Sex Change

Cast

Mae West	...	Leticia Van Allen
John Huston	...	Buck Loner
Raquel Welch	...	Myra Breckinridge
Rex Reed	...	Myron
Farrah Fawcett	...	Mary Ann Pringle
Roger C. Carmel	...	Dr. Randolph Spencer Montag
Roger Herren	...	Rusty Godowski
George Furth	...	Charlie Flager Jr.
Calvin Lockhart	...	Irving Amadeus
Jim Backus	...	Doctor
John Carradine	...	Surgeon
Andy Devine	...	Coyote Bill
Grady Sutton	...	Kid Barlow
Robert P. Lieb	...	Charlie Flager Sr. (as Robert Lieb)
Skip Ward	...	Chance
Kathleen Freeman	...	Bobby Dean Loner
B.S. Pully	...	Tex
Buck Kartalian	...	Jeff
Monte Landis	...	Vince
Tom Selleck	...	Stud
Peter Ireland	...	Student
Nelson Sardelli	...	Mario
rest of cast listed alphabetically:
Cal Bartlett	...	Acting school student (uncredited)
Thordis Brandt	...	Whip-cracking masseuse (uncredited)
Choo Choo Collins	...	Party guest (uncredited)
Dan Hedaya	...	Patient in Hospital Ward (uncredited)
William Hopper	...	Judge Frederic D. Cannon (uncredited)
Ethelreda Leopold	...	Extra / bridge party guest (uncredited)
Miel Saan	...	(uncredited)
Michael Sarne	...	Acting school student (uncredited)
Michael Stearns	...	Stud (uncredited)
Svetlana	...	Extra (uncredited)
Geneviève Waïte	...	Dental patient (uncredited)

Directed by
Michael Sarne

Writing credits (in alphabetical order)
David Giler		writer
Michael Sarne		writer
Gore Vidal		novel

Produced by
Robert Fryer	....	producer
David Giler	....	producer

Original Music by
John Phillips

Cinematography by
Richard Moore

Film Editing by
Danford B. Greene

Casting by
Michael McLean

Art Direction by
Fred Harpman
Jack Martin Smith

Set Decoration by
Reg Allen
Walter M. Scott

Costume Design by
Theadora Van Runkle

Makeup Department
Edith Lindon	....	hair stylist
Daniel C. Striepeke	....	makeup supervisor
William Tuttle	....	makeup artist

Production Management
William Eckhardt	....	unit production manager

Second Unit Director or Assistant Director
Dick Glassman	....	assistant director

Art Department
Greg C. Jensen	....	set construction

Special Effects by
L.B. Abbott	....	special photographic effects
Art Cruickshank	....	special photographic effects

Stunts
Donna Garrett	....	stunts (uncredited)
Russ McCubbin	....	stunts (uncredited)

Camera and Electrical Department
Thomas Del Ruth	....	assistant camera

Costume and Wardrobe Department
Edith Head	....	costumes: Miss Mae West

Editorial Department
Hugh K. Cummings	....	assistant editor

Music Department
Jeff Alexander	....	orchestrator
Jack Elliott	....	orchestrator
Allyn Ferguson	....	orchestrator
Lyn Murray	....	orchestrator
Lionel Newman	....	conductor
Lionel Newman	....	music supervisor

Other crew
Ralph Beaumont	....	choreographer
Don Prince	....	unit publicist

Production Companies

• Twentieth Century-Fox Film Corporation

Distributors

• Twentieth Century-Fox Film Corporation (1970) (USA) (theatrical)
• Barcino Films S.A. (1976) (Spain) (theatrical)
• Magnetic Video (1980) (USA) (VHS)
• 20th Century Fox Home Entertainment (2004) (USA) (DVD)
• Umbrella Entertainment (2005) (Australia) (DVD)
• CBS/Fox (video)
• Kinowelt Home Entertainment (2006) (Germany) (DVD)

Also Known As:

Gore Vidal's Myra Breckinridge
Il caso Myra Breckinridge (Italy) [it]
Myra - herkkua helmoissa (Finland) [fi]
Myra Breckinridge (Austria) [de]
Myra Breckinridge (Spain) [es]
Myra Breckinridge (France) [fr]
Myra Breckinridge - Die Sexgöttin Hollywoods (West Germany) [de]
To flogero agorokoritso (Greece) [el]

Runtime:

94 min | Spain:91 min (alternate version)

Country:

USA

Language:

English

Color:

Color

Aspect Ratio:

2.35 : 1

Sound Mix:

Mono (Westrex Recording System)

Certification:

Canada:R (Nova Scotia/Ontario) | Germany:12 (re-rating) (2006) | West Germany:18 (original rating) | USA:X (original rating) | Canada:PA (Manitoba) | Finland:K-16 | UK:18 | USA:R (edited for re-rating) (1978) | Australia:M

Filming Locations:

Chateau Marmont - 8221 Sunset Boulevard, Hollywood, Los Angeles, California, USA

Company:

Twentieth Century-Fox Film Corporation

Trivia:

Gore Vidal disowned this screen version of his novel.

Goofs:

Miscellaneous: The sign at the entrance identifying Buck Loner's Academy is placed to be read from inside the campus, not from the street outside as would be necessary in real life to help people find the establishment.

Quotes:

Buck Loner: Oh, that feels real good, honey.

Movie Connections:

Featured in Indie Sex: Extremes (2007) (TV)

Soundtrack:

Five Foot Two, Eyes of Blue

Only In The 60's, Baby!

MYRA BRECKINGRIDGE (4 outta 5 stars) Considering that this is historically considered one of the "worst" movies ever made, I didn't expect I was going to enjoy it... though I was curious to see how bad a train wreck it was going to be. Well, I was simply amazed at how well-done the movie actually is! To be honest, the movie is not for everyone... and I don't even know if I could actually recommend it to casual movie viewers in good conscience... but if you are a fan of truly bizarre and outrageous movies... this one is a must-see. Raquel Welch gives the best performance of her career... really! She never got many decent film roles but in this one she actually got to show that she was more than just a huge, heaving bosom. (Nonetheless, I also maintain that she probably never looked more attractive in a motion picture than she does in this one.) This movie really is a mess in certain respects but there is so much going on and most of it is so entertaining that I didn't mind the incoherence at all. The use of vintage movie clips to "comment" on what's going on in the storyline is brilliant. (The later HBO series "Dream On" also used this technique but I think this movie did it much better.) Rex Reed is perfectly cast as Myron, a gay man who decides on having a sex change (though Reed vehemently insisted throughout filming that he *wasn't* playing a gay man... uh, okay, Rex). Well, Rex turns into Raquel Welch and that's when the fun begins... he/she embarks on a quest to make men and women re-think the roles that society has imposed on them (I think that's sorta kinda supposed to be the point but it does get muddled a lot of the time). Mae West shows up for no real purpose... 76 years old and belting out her most outrageous sexual innuendos ever. (One of the recipients, a young Tom Selleck.) I never really cared much for Mae West in her prime... and was amazed how not-bad she was here! (I also am a bit reluctant to admit that I have been humming the Shirley Temple ditty that opens and closes this movie non-stop since hearing it.) John Huston probably gives one of his worst performances ever... but he's STILL worth watching... now THAT is star power! There are many classic scenes in this movie that will have you shaking your head in disbelief... could you imagine a Hollywood movie *today* that would have a buxom beauty wearing an American flag bikini, strapping on a dildo and using it on an unwilling male? I think not. Only in the 60's, baby!