Crossroads of Laredo (1996) - The Hunt for Edward D. Wood, Jr.

(1996)
Crossroads of Laredo a.k.a. Streets of Laredo SEARCH EBAY FOR THIS MOVIE (opens new window) Directed by Edward D. Wood, Jr. Written by Edward D. Wood, Jr. & Dolores Fuller (narration) Wood regulars Dolores Fuller (intro only) Duke Moore Don Nagel Edward D. Wood, Jr. Additional cast Bill Ames Kate Flannery (voice) Chuck LaBerge Ruth McCabe Crawford John Thomas Plot Tex (Nagel), fresh from robbing a cowboy (Wood), steals the heart of Barbara (McCabe), winning her away from Lem (Moore), another gunman. After a year of marriage, Barbara realizes that Tex is no good and Lem, determined to do right by Barbara, seeks Tex out and kills him. After the funeral, Lem is strung up to be hanged. Barbara's makes an impassioned plea for his life, declaring him innocent of wrongdoing. Lem is let go, free to seek his hapiness with Barbara by his side. 'Wood'-ness Shot in 1948 over two days, it was still enough to bankrupt Ed's first company, Wood-Thomas Productions. (And apparently lead Ed's parter, Crawford John Thomas, to contemplate suicide. -ed.) It was finally completed (with musical direction and song lyrics by Dolores Fuller) in 1996, the culmination of a long time dream of Thomas'. The film has many Woodian touches, such as visible electric wires, cheap props and horses that keep moving into the shot. But a professional editing job leads to few of Ed's famous continuity errors. The only apparent nod to the acting style of Ed's company of actors is an over-the-top performance by Kate Flannery as the voice of Barbara towards the end. It is perhaps the only misstep in the undertaking. Overall, Fuller's new material fills the story out well and the post-production makes it seem as if the film wasn't really unfinished at all. This is a must have for Ed fans. Best Line unknown File Under Ed Acting, Posthumous, Western VIDEO RELEASES CROSSROADS OF LAREDOThis movie never saw a release on it's own (it's only twenty-odd minutes long). Although not it's original title, as far back as 1992 (in the documentary Flying Saucers Over Hollywood) Crawford John Thomas, the film's producer, referred to it as Crossroads of Laredo. It has only turned up as bonus material on the home video releases of The Haunted World of Edward D. Wood, Jr. This is the VHS release of The Haunted World of Edward D. Wood, Jr. PROS: Only place you will find Crossroads of Laredo on VHS. CONS: The tape's not usually cheap. This is the DVD release of The Haunted World of Edward D. Wood, Jr. In addition to Haunted World's extras, it features a full audio commentary for Crossroads of Laredo. PROS: Lots of extras in addition to Crossroads of Laredo. CONS: If you are not interested in Haunted World it can be pricy for just Crossroads. STREETS OF LAREDOThis is, apparently, the original title of this film, as it was loosly based on the classic song of the same name. Since the film was never completed during Ed's lifetime and only saw release under the title Crossroads of Laredo, this should be considered a working title. N/A All images © their respective owners. Images are used for review purposes only. All other content, including (but not limited to): text, html & original graphics are © Philip R. Frey