Trivia for
Ed Wood (1994) More at IMDbPro »

• Conrad Brooks, one of Edward D. Wood Jr.'s regulars as an actor, is both a character (portrayed by Brent Hinkley) and an actor (playing the bartender in the scene where Wood meets Orson Welles).
  
  
• This film cost more to produce than all of Edward D. Wood Jr.'s films put together.
  
  
• Tim Burton said that he was drawn to the story because of the similarities between Edward D. Wood Jr.'s relationship with Bela Lugosi and his own friendship with Vincent Price late in the actor's life.
  
  
• The first costumes Colleen Atwood designed for the Ed Wood character were his drag wardrobe.
  
  
• In a scene with Wood and Dolores, the camera angle showing the ceiling is similar to a scene in Citizen Kane (1941). In the very next scene Ed stands in front of a poster for "Citizen Kane".
  
  
• Johnny Depp's (Ed Wood) Hollywood home overlooking his nightclub "The Viper Room" was previously owned by Bela Lugosi.
  
  
• In the early scene in which Ed Wood and his friends look at the review of his play (this is the scene in which he enthusiastically says, "Look, he's got some nice things to say here. 'The soldiers' costumes are very realistic.' That's positive!"), they are looking at a newspaper review in the "Los Angeles Register," at a column entitled "The Theatrical Life by Victor Crowley." The opening paragraphs read: "World War II, a time for brave men with 'guts,' forms the backdrop for 'The Casual Company,' which opened last night in Hollywood. Let me tell you this is definitely a play about 'guts.' It certainly took 'guts' to stage this disappointment. Penned by one Edward D. Wood, Jr., who also has the 'guts' to take credit for directing this foxhole piece, 'The Casual Company' takes place on a barn stage with only rudimentary lighting. ..." Wood really did produce this play, which was based on some of his experiences in the Marines, and which really was a flop.
  
  
• Jeffrey Jones' monologue at the beginning of the film is a play on Criswell's monologue from Plan 9 from Outer Space (1959).
  
  
• It has been estimated that the opening title/credit sequence cost more (in unadjusted dollars) than the entire budget of any of the real Edward D. Wood Jr.'s films.
  
  
• Cameo: [Gregory Walcott] [, who appeared in Edward D. Wood Jr.'s original film Plan 9 from Outer Space (1959), plays the potential backer who introduces Wood (Johnny Depp) to Vampira.]
  
  
• The first film by Tim Burton to not feature Danny Elfman's music score.
  
  
• Michael Lehmann was originally set to direct. Tim Burton was approached to produce and wanted to direct the film as well, but only if this could be his next project instead of Mary Reilly (1996), which he was set to officially sign on to in days. A first treatment of this script was written in six days and Burton accepted. Lehmann moved on to direct Airheads (1994).
  
  
• Wood's line, "They're driving me CRAZY! These Baptists are stupid. Stupid. STUPID!" is modeled on a line from Wood's film Plan 9 from Outer Space (1959), in which Eros says "Your stupid minds! Stupid! Stupid!"
  
  
• The producers requested that George 'The Animal' Steele submit an audition on video for his role as Tor Johnson. Steele made a comedy short and sent that to the producers. A second audition tape was requested. Steele's wife produced and directed the second audition tape which used dialog from the script.
  
  
• George 'The Animal' Steele worked with a dialog coach for three weeks to recreate Tor Johnson's Swedish accent.
  
  
• George 'The Animal' Steele was given heavy shoes with extra weight to help recreate the lumbering walk of the real Tor Johnson.
  
  
• The sweeping music during the epilogue is based on the music from Glen or Glenda (1953).
  
  
• Johnny Depp has said that his characterization of Edward D. Wood Jr. was a mixture of "the blind optimism of Ronald Reagan, the enthusiasm of the Tin Man from The Wizard of Oz (1939) and Casey Kasem."
  
  
• The musical cue when Ed goes to help the suicidal Lugosi (when Lugosi falls in the chair) and Ed is repeatedly watching the film clip of Lugosi smelling the flower is an adaptation of the 2nd Act theme from Swan Lake by Pyotr Ilyich Tchaikovsky, as adapted for the Main Title of Bela Lugosi's Dracula (1931) by Heinz Roemheld. It was also used as the main title for Boris Karloff's original The Mummy (1932).
  
  
• In this film, the footage of Bela Lugosi picking a flower is filmed by Ed outside Lugosi's own house. In reality, the house was Tor Johnson's.
  
  
• One story claims that the decision to film in black and white was made because no one could decide how Bela Lugosi should look filmed in color.
  
  
• Martin Landau's face had to be painted unnaturally white in order for the black-and-white film stock to record it properly.
  
  
• One day Kathy Wood, the wife of Edward D. Wood Jr., visited the set and asked to meet Johnny Depp. That day they were filming a scene where Wood would look really messed up, which made Burton nervous for what Kathy would think of the movie. When Depp exited his trailer she said, "That's my Eddie."
  
  
• Originally developed at Columbia, studio boss Mark Canton and Tim Burton fell out when the former objected to the film being made in black and white. Burton walked off with the project, shopping it around various other studios, until Disney decided to make it through its Touchstone banner.
  
  
• The character of Bela Lugosi continually puts down Boris Karloff and the Frankenstein monster, then later laments that he turned down the role of the monster himself. In reality, Lugosi did play the monster (years after Karloff), in Frankenstein Meets the Wolf Man (1943). Incidentally, he also played the role of Ygor in Son of Frankenstein (1939) against Karloff's final portrayal as the monster.
  
  
• Initially, Bela Lugosi Jr. didn't want to see the film because he thought it wouldn't portray his father correctly, but upon further persuasion he saw the film, and agreed that Martin Landau honored his father in the performance. The two later became friends.
  
  
• Martin Landau's winning of the 'Best Supporting Actor' Academy Award for his portrayal of Bela Lugosi marked the first time in Oscar history that a performer in any category won for playing an actual movie star. A decade passed before this happened again; when Cate Blanchett took the 'Best Supporting Actress' trophy for her portrayal of Katharine Hepburn in The Aviator (2004).
  
  
• Korla Pandit, who plays the Indian keyboard player, was a real-life local Los Angeles TV star in the early 1950s. His show, "A Musical Evening With Korla Pandit", aired on station KTLA in Los Angeles, and consisted of Pandit gazing into the camera while playing the Hammond organ. He never spoke nor smiled. Audiences found this highly intriguing, and the show was a major hit.
  
  
• In the final shot of the epilogue with Criswell in the haunted house, before he retreats into the coffin, he says, "My friends, you have seen these incidents based on sworn testimony. Can you prove that it didn't happen?". These are the real Criswell's closing remarks from Plan 9 from Outer Space (1959). The film was originally supposed to end with Criswell delivering these lines, but his speech was muted when the filmmakers decided to add the epilogue.
  
  
• During the bar scene with Wood, Orson Welles (Vincent D'Onofrio) complains that Universal Pictures wanted him to make a film with Charlton Heston cast as a Mexican, a reference to Touch of Evil (1958). In reality, Welles was first approached by Universal only to act in that film; Heston was the one who insisted that Welles be allowed to direct it, too.
  
  
• Unhappy with Vincent D'Onofrio, Tim Burton had his voice dubbed by Maurice LaMarche.
  
  
• Vampira's line, "He gives me the willies!" was an in-joke reference to the writer's friend's movie The Willies (1990).
  
  
• Danny Dayton's final film appearance.
  
  

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