MAILA NURMI ("VAMPIRA") – A native of Finland, Maila was discovered by show business impresario (and Elizabeth Taylor’s favorite husband) Mike Todd. She made her Broadway debut along with Mae West in "Catherine Was Great". Subsequently brought to Hollywood by director Howard Hawks to be "a new Bacall", it was her creation of the television horror-show hostess "Vampira" that made her famous and earned her an Emmy nomination. Her fifteen minutes in Edward D. Wood, Jr.’s "Plan 9 From Outer Space" has created a large cult following for her and "Vampira". Her friendships with Orson Welles and James Dean are revealed and detailed in "Haunted World".

 FILMOGRAPHY: "Sullivan’s Travels" (1941); "If Winter Comes" (1947); "Plan 9 From Outer Space" (1959); "Too Much Too Soon" (1958); "The Beat Generation" (1958); "The Big Operator" (1959); "Sex Kittens Go to College" (1960); "I Passed for White" (1960); "The Magic Sword" (1962); "James Dean: The First American Teenager"; "Bungalow Invader" (1980); "Population: One" (1984). Television: "Vampira"; "The Tonight Show"; "Tom Duggan Show"; "Joe Pyne Show"; "Steve Allen Show"; "A Current Affair".

 Nominated for Emmy Award, "Outstanding New Personality", 1954
 

!

DOLORES FULLER

 FILMOGRAPHY: "It Happened One Night" (1934); "Mesa of Lost Women" (1952); "Glen or Glenda?" (1953); "Jail Bait" (1954); "Bride of the Monster" (1956); "Outlaw Women"; " Body Beautiful"; "13^th Man"; "Blue Gardena" (1953); "Lost Island"; "Girls in the Night" (1953); "Campus Capers"; "The Moonlighter" (1953); "Playgirl" (1954); "This is My Love" (1954); "Night Music"; "The Opposite Sex" (1956). As a Songwriter: "Blue Hawaii" (1960); "Roustabout" (1964); "It Happened at the World’s Fair" (1963); "Fun in Acapulco" (1963); "Kissin’ Cousins" (1964); "Girl Happy" (1965); "Spinout" (1966); "Easy Come, Easy Go" (1967); "Clambake" (1967). Television (as a performer): "Queen For a Day"; "Chevy Playhouse Starring Dinah Shore"; "Danny Thomas Show"; "Bob Hope Specials"; "Superman"; "Streets of San Francisco".
 
CONRAD BROOKS – In 1948, Conrad arrived from Pittsburgh, along with his brother Henry Baldereski, to try his luck in Hollywood. They wanted to make their own western, but Ed Wood took over their attempted film and directed it himself. He performed in all five of the Wood-directed films, making him one of the most prominent cult figures from the classic era of the "B" movies. This distinction has led him to many appearances in such contemporary films as "Bram Stoker’s Dracula", "Darkman", and "Lionheart". Inspired by the do-it-all-yourself filmmaking of Ed Wood, Conrad made his own short film, "Mystery in Shadows", in 1961.

 FILMOGRAPHY (PARTIAL): "Glen or Glenda?" (1953); "Jail Bait" (1954); "Bride of the Monster" (1956); "Plan 9 From Outer Space" (1959); "Night of the Ghouls" (1959); "Sinister Urge" (1961); "Mystery in Shadows" (1961); "Patty Hearst" (1988); "Lionheart" (1989); "Darkman" (1990); "Bela Lugosi: Yesterday and Today" (1992); "On the Trail of Ed Wood" (1992); "Bram Stoker’s Dracula" (1992); "Puppetmaster II" (1992); "Ed Wood" (1994); "Misfit Patrol" (1994); "Deadheads" (1997).
LORETTA KING – Returning to the big screen for the first time since 1956, the still beautiful Loretta King recounts her version of the misadventures with Ed Wood in the making of the 1956 camp classic "Bride of the Monster". She was appearing as Galatea in the Bernard Shaw classic "Pygmalion" in Hollywood when two women agents introduced themselves and said they would like her to meet a young producer-writer-director. According to King, when she met the young Ed Wood, he told her she "looked right for the part" (legend has it that she offered to finance the film in return for the lead). "Not so," declares King. "I didn’t invest anything in the movie, and Ed Wood didn’t ask me to. I was paid a regular salary for my role." She recounts how Ed would shoot part of a scene, then "he’d tell us to keep working while he stepped out. We kept going with no director, sometimes for hours. That’s a strange way to make a movie." Born in Arizona, Loretta appeared on stage in "Desk Set" with June Havoc, "Mr. Roberts" with Marshall Thompson, and "Sabrina". Her television credits include a regular appearance on "NBC Theater", and "Cameo Theater". She co-starred with Tom Tryon on the NBC live telecast of Edgar Allan Poe’s "The Fall of the House of Usher".
 
THE REVEREND DR. LYNN LEMON – A former Baptist minister here in Los Angeles, Dr. Lemon is a most unique character in the story of Edward D. Wood, Jr.: He organized his fellow ministers into financing "Plan 9 From Outer Space" in order to make money from the exploitation picture so they could make Biblical epics, especially the story of turn-of-the-century evangelist Billy Sunday. Dr. Lemon and his Baptist syndicate lost almost all of their money, but never lost faith in their fellow church member Edward D. Wood, Jr. Dr. Lemon also appears in the film as the minister giving Tor Johnson’s eulogy.

 FILMOGRAPHY: "Plan 9 From Outer Space" (1956); "Invasion of the Bee Girls" (1973)
 
BELA LUGOSI – Perhaps the greatest horror star of all time, Bela Lugosi is synonymous with the role of "Dracula", which he first created on the Broadway stage in 1927. Born in Hungary, he became an accomplished actor there in both theater and the new medium of moving pictures. After distinguished service as captain of an infantry regiment in World War I, he came to America in 1921 and quickly established himself as an actor, starring in many theater productions such as "The Red Poppy" and "Bluebeard". After creating the sensual and terrifying "Dracula" on Broadway, he toured in the role for over three years. In 1931, he filmed "Dracula" for Universal Pictures, and overnight became one of the studio’s top attractions. Other classic screen portrayals include "Murders in the Rue Morgue", "The Black Cat" and "White Zombie". Later, when searching for work in the 1950’s, he met Ed Wood and starred in "Glen or Glenda?", "Bride of the Monster" and "Plan 9 From Outer Space"; he died (in 1956) prior to completion of the latter film, forcing Ed to use his chiropractor as Bela’s double to complete the film. Bela Lugosi is featured in the documentary via two rare film interviews: The first took place in 1931, a week after he completed shooting "Dracula"; the second shortly before his death in 1956. The interviews illuminate the soul of the man who stands at the center of the Ed Wood story.

 STAGE (PARTIAL LISTING): "Anna Karenina" (1911); "Caesar and Cleopatra" (1918); "Othello" (1918); "The Red Poppy" (1922, Broadway debut); "Dracula" (1927); "Ed Sullivan’s Stardust Cavalcade" (1940); "Arsenic and Old Lace" (1948). FILMOGRAPHY (PARTIAL LISTING): "Dracula" (1931); "Murders In the Rue Morgue" (1932); "White Zombie" (1932); "Chandu the Magician" (1932); "The Black Cat" (1934); "The Raven" (1935); "Mystery of the Marie Celeste" (1936); "Ninotchka" (1939); "Son of Frankenstein" (1939); "The Wolf Man" (1941); "The Body Snatcher" (1945); "Bela Lugosi Meets a Brooklyn Gorilla" (1952); "Glen or Glenda?" (1953); "Bride of the Monster" (1955); "Plan 9 From Outer Space" (1956).
 
BELA LUGOSI, JR. – The only son of Bela Lugosi (and his fourth wife, Lillian Arch), Bela Lugosi, Jr. met Ed Wood when he was a teenager, and for the first time appears on camera to discuss his father and his experiences with the eccentric filmmaker. Mr. Lugosi also opened his archives to the filmmakers, permitting for the first time use of a very rare taped interview of Ed Wood discussing working with Bela Lugosi, Sr. making "Glen or Glenda?" and "Plan 9 From Outer Space". Today Mr. Lugosi is a successful attorney in Los Angeles.

PAUL MARCO ("KELTON THE COP") – A native of Hollywood, Paul Marco has been performing since he was five years old. He made his film debut opposite Linda Darnell in "Sweet and Lowdown". Part of the group of friends very close to Edward D. Wood, Jr., Paul created the character "Kelton the Cop" and appeared as the bumbling officer in three Wood films: "Bride of the Monster", "Plan 9 From Outer Space", and "Night of the Ghouls." Today Paul enjoys a large cult following.

 FILMOGRAPHY (PARTIAL LISTING): "Sweet and Lowdown" (1944); "Hiawatha" (1952); "Bride of the Monster" (1955); "Plan 9 From Outer Space" (1956); "Night of the Ghouls" (1959); "The Young Savages" (1961); "My Soul Runs Naked" (1965); "Ed Wood" (1994).
NORMA McCARTY – Forever to have the distinction of being the woman who married Edward D. Wood, Jr. (and only stayed with him a few weeks after), Norma worked long and hard in the business, starting as a receptionist for MGM and later working at Republic Pictures, where she began to do bit parts. Jolted by the secret Ed and Bela Lugosi would reveal to her after her marriage, Norma left the business for over then years. She later returned to do supporting parts on television. Here for the first time Norma reveals the secret and her deep feelings for the iconoclast filmmaker.

 FILMOGRAPHY (FEATURES ONLY): "Plan 9 From Outer Space" (1956)

MICHAEL McCARTY – If Ed had had a son, it would have been Michael McCarty. Here, for the first time, Michael reveals his close relationship with Ed, which extended beyond his mother’s separation from the filmmaker. He also introduces to the public for the first time "Willy", the ventriloquist dummy that he and Ed would play with for hours, and he shares his terrifying first meeting with Bela Lugosi.

MONA McKINNON – A native of Pomona, California, Mona was introduced to Ed Wood when she and then-recently divorced Dolores Fuller shared a house in Monterey Park. Mona’s first interest in entertainment came when she wrote, directed and performed a children’s radio show in the 1950’s. It was Dolores who encouraged her to appear in "Jail Bait". She later also appeared in "Plan 9 From Outer Space". Heard (for the first time anywhere) in "Haunted World" is a taped interview of Mona recalling working with Ed on his movies.

 FILMOGRAPHY: "Jail Bait" (1953); "Mesa of Lost Women" (1956); "Plan 9 From Outer Space" (1956).

JOE ROBERTSON – A former Marine buddy of Edward D. Wood, Jr., Joe Robertson appears on the screen for the first time to share some of his entertaining adventures with Ed, and to limn for us the incredibly bravery the man exhibited in hand-to-hand combat with the Japanese in the South Pacific. A native of Brooklyn, Joe started out his show-biz career as an accountant on such early TV shows as "Burns and Allen". While a movie producer, Joe hired Ed to write scripts for him. Joe is an accomplished and highly-regarded film editor, and has written two textbooks on editing techniques for several of the leading film schools.

 FILMOGRAPHY (AS A PRODUCER): "The Crawling Hand" (1963); "The Slime People" (1962); "Agent for Harm" (1966); "Love Feast" (1969); "Café Flesh" (1980); "Dr. Caligari" (1989).

LYLE TALBOT – A native of Texas, Lyle Talbot is one of the most recognizable and fondly-remembered character actors from the golden age of movies. Perhaps best known as Ozzie Nelson’s next door neighbor Joe Randolph on TV’s "The Adventures of Ozzie and Harriet", Lyle Talbot received an Oscar nomination for one of his first films, "One Night of Love", in 1934. He has appeared in over 140 films, including "High School Confidential", "City of Fear", and "Sunrise at Campobello". One of Edward D. Wood’s best friends, he appeared in three of his films: "Glen or Glenda?", "Jail Bait" and "Plan 9 From Outer Space". At the astonishing age of 92, Lyle Talbot granted his first inteview ever about his friendship with Edward D. Wood, Jr., and reveals a few surprises.

 FILMOGRAPHY (PARTIAL LISTING): "Big City Blues" (1932); "Klondike" (1932); "Life of Jimmy Dolan" (1933); "20,000 Years in Sing Sing" (1933); "Fog Over Frisco" (1934); "Mandalay" (1934); "One Night of Love" (1934); "Go West, Young Man" (1936); "Mexican Spitfire’s Elephant" (1942); "Are These Our Parents?" (1944); "Vigilante" (1947); "Joe Palooka in Winner Take All" (1948); "Parole, Inc." (1949); "New Adventures of Batman and Robin" (1949); "Atom Man Vs. Superman" (1950); "One Too Many" (1950); "Sea Tiger" (1952); "Glen or Glenda?" (1953); "Jail Bait" (1954); "There’s No Business Like Show Business" (1954); "Mesa of Lost Women" (1956); "Plan 9 From Outer Space" (1959); "Sunrise at Campobello" (1960).

 NOMINATED FOR AN ACADEMY AWARD, BEST SUPPORTING ACTOR, 1934

CRAWFORD JOHN THOMAS – One of the first to meet Ed Wood in Hollywood, "C. J." actually grew up in Hollywood, his house at one time buttressing the legendary "Intolerance" sets built by D. W. Griffith. His father was the film actor and singer Jack Thomas, who enjoyed an illustrious carerr as both an actor and writer in the silents and the "talkies". He appeared with such stars as Betty Grable and Lucille Ball in "Old Man Rhythm", and worked with John Barrymore. Crawford was eighteen when he met Ed Wood and was cast opposite him as the lead in the play "The Blackguard" at the Gateway Theater (C. J. played the villain, Ed played the sheriff and Dolores Fuller played the heroine). Ed and C. J. formed Wood-Thomas Productions in 1947, to make commercials for the new medium of television. When C. J. received an inheritance, Ed convinced him to spend it all on a film idea he had just written a few days before, "Crossroads of Laredo". The film was shot in two days. C. J. later joined the Marines, letting Ed Wood’s first film gather dust in a vault in Hollywood. The completely restored "Crossroads of Laredo" will debut in 1998.

 FILMOGRAPHY (AS A PERFORMER AND PRODUCER): "Crossroads of Laredo" (1948); "Those About to Die" (1954). RADIO AND TELEVISION: Five television commercials for Wood-Thomas Pictures (1947); "Marines in Review" (1953-54). STAGE CREDITS (AS A PERFORMER): "Uncle Vanya", "Biography", Shaw’s "Candida", Robert Benchley’s "The Treasurer’s Report", "The Male Animal", "Love in Strange Places", "Our Hearts Were Young and Gay".
 
HARRY THOMAS – Born in the District of Columbia, Harry came to Hollywood by way of a tramp steamer, decided to stay, and started in the business by acting in bit parts. He worked on stage and in radio while a Marine. Subsequently he began to study the art of motion picture make-up, and became one of the busiest and most creative at his craft. His work appeared in such diverse films as Cecil B. DeMille’s "The Ten Commandments", Roger Corman’s "Little Shop of Horrors", and Sam Fuller’s "The Naked Kiss". He also had the distinction of creating "the Mole People" for early TV’s "Superman Vs. The Mole People". A longtime friend of Edward D. Wood, Jr., Harry worked on four of his films. Harry passed away after the filming of his interview for "Haunted World".

 FILMOGRAPHY (PARTIAL LISTING): "Catwomen on the Moon" (1953); "Glen or Glenda?" (1953); "Killers From Space" (1954); "Project Moonbase" (1953); "Monster From the Ocean Floor" (1954); "Jail Bait" (1954); "New York Confidential" (1955); "The Ten Commandments" (1956); "Voodoo Woman" (1957); "Frankenstein’s Daughter" (1958); "Night of the Ghouls" (1959); "Little Shop of Horrors" (1960); "Woman Hunt" (1962); "Terrified" (1963); "The Naked Kiss" (1964); "Raiders Beneath the Sea" (1964); "She Freak" (1967). TELEVISION: "Superman"; "The Munsters"; "Star Trek"; "Ironside" (Pilot); "Perry Mason" (Pilot).

 GREGORY WALCOTT - A native of Wilson, North Carolina, he hitchhiked his way out to Hollywood in 1949. His real name was Bernard Mattox, but he changed it upon arriving here. He went on to become a highly-regarded supporting actor, appearing in more than half-a-dozen Clint Eastwood films and also in Steven Spielberg's theatrical directorial debut, "The Sugarland Express". He appeared in only one Edward D. Wood, Jr. film - "Plan 9 From Outer Space" - as a favor to producer (and fellow Baptist) Ed Reynolds. This one appearance has haunted him ever since.

FILMOGRAPHY (PARTIAL LISTING): "Red Skies of Montana" (1952); "Above and Beyond" (1953); "The Court Martial of Billy Mitchell" (1955); "Mister Roberts" (1955); "Plan 9 From Outer Space" (1959); "The Outsider" (1962); "Captain Newman, M.D." (1963); "Joe Kidd" (1972); "The Last American Hero" (1973); "The Sugarland Express" (1974); "Thunderbolt and Lightfoot" (1974); "The Eiger Sanction" (1975); "Midway" (1976); "Norma Rae" (1979); "Tilt" (1979).
 
DAVID WARD - Born in New Rochelle, New York, David came to Hollywood in 1956 and made his screen debut in "Sunrise at Campobello". He was one of Edward D. Wood, Jr.'s closest friends in his later years, and is a vital witness to Ed's tragic downfall. Still active in films today, he was most recently seen in Diane Keaton's "Unstrung Heroes".

FILMOGRAPHY (PARTIAL LISTING): "Sunrise at Campobello" (1960): "Ada" (1961); "It's a Mad, Mad, Mad, Mad World" (1962); "The Greatest Story Ever Told" (1965); "Radioactive Dreams" (1984); "Sweet Dreams" (1985); "Stitches" (1985); "Iron Eagle" (1986); "Soul Man" (1986); "Native Son" (1986); "Murphy's Law" (1986); "The Morning After" (1986); "Runaway Train" (1986); "The Disorderlies" (1987).