- Mondo Trasho
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Mondo Trasho
VHS coverDirected by John Waters Produced by John Waters Written by John Waters Starring Mary Vivian Pearce
Divine
David Lochary
Mink Stole
Danny MillsMusic by John Waters Cinematography John Waters Editing by John Waters Distributed by Dreamland Release date(s) March 14, 1969 Running time 95 minutes Country United States Language English Budget $2,100[1] Mondo Trasho is a 1969 16mm mondo black comedy film by Baltimore, Maryland filmmaker John Waters starring Divine, Mary Vivian Pearce, David Lochary and Mink Stole. It contains very little dialogue, the story being told mostly through musical cues.
Contents
Plot
After an introductory sequence during which chickens are beheaded on a chopping block, the main action begins. Platinum blond bombshell Mary Vivian Pearce begins her day by riding the bus and reading Kenneth Anger's Hollywood Babylon.
Bombshell is later seduced by Danny Mills, a hippie degenerate "shrimper" (foot fetishist), who starts molesting her feet while she fantasizes about being Cinderella. She is then hit by a car driven by Divine, a portly blonde who was trying to pick up an attractive hitchhiker whom she imagines naked. Divine places her in the car and drives distractedly around Baltimore experiencing bizarre situations, such as repeated visits by the Mother Mary (Margie Skidmore) - during which Divine exclaims, "Oh Mary ... teach me to be Divine". Divine finally takes the unconscious Bombshell to Dr. Coathanger (David Lochary), who amputates her feet and replaces them with bird-like monster feet which she can tap together to transport herself around Baltimore.
Cast
- Mary Vivian Pearce as The Bombshell / Cinderella
- Divine as Divine / Greaser in Alley
- David Lochary as Asylum Inmate / Dr. Coathanger / Voice of Snob #2
- Mink Stole as Homeless Woman / Asylum Inmate / Snob #1
- Danny Mills as The Hippie Foot Fetishist / Prince Charming
- Bob Skidmore as Asylum Personnel / Policeman
- Margie Skidmore as Shocked Mother in Park / The Virgin Mary
- Berenica Cipcus as Evil Stepsister #1 / Asylum Inmate / Dr. Coathanger's Nurse
- Chris Atkinson
- Lizzy Temple Black as The Virgin Mary's Assistant
- Mark Isherwood as The Hitchhiker
- George Figgs as Asylum Inmate / Man in Waiting Room
- Susan Lowe as Asylum Inmate
- Marina Melin as Asylum Inmate
- Rick Morrow as News Photographer
- Mimi Lochary as Snob #2
- John Leisenring as The Shrimper / Prince Charming / Asylum Inmate
- Pat Moran as Dr. Coathanger's secretary
- Bob Walsh as Shocked Laundromat Patron
- Susan Walsh (uncredited) as Shocked Laundromat Patron
- John Waters as Reporter (voice)
- Patricia Waters as Little Girl
- Tricia Waters as Little Girl
Production
Depending on versions of the story; either Waters or the whole crew (except Divine) was either arrested or nearly arrested during production for illegally shooting a scene involving a nude hitchhiker on the campus of Johns Hopkins University.
Title
The film's title refers to a series of semi-related quasi-documentary films that were popular during the 1960s: Mondo Cane, Mondo Freudo, Mondo Bizarro, etc. The title also pays tribute to Mondo Topless, a film by one of Waters' favorite directors, Russ Meyer.
Music
Waters, in a 2008 interview, stated that the songs used in the film were taken right out of his own record collection. Waters says he did not pay the proper licensing fees to use these songs because he could not afford to. It is because of this, Waters says, that Mondo Trasho remains unreleased, as the still unsecured music rights would be too prohibitively expensive to clear.
Reception
Mondo Trasho currently holds a 50% 'Fresh' rating on Rotten Tomatoes.[2]
Waters himself has stated that he does not care for this movie, and claims it should have been a short-film instead of a feature.
References
External links
John Waters Feature films Mondo Trasho (1969) • Multiple Maniacs (1970) • Pink Flamingos (1972) • Female Trouble (1974) • Desperate Living (1977) • Polyester (1981) • Hairspray (1988) • Cry-Baby (1990) • Serial Mom (1994) • Pecker (1998) • Cecil B. Demented (2000) • A Dirty Shame (2004)Short films Hag in a Black Leather Jacket (1964) • Roman Candles (1966) • Eat Your Makeup (1968) • The Diane Linkletter Story (1970)Musical productions Productions Other Studio albums Singles "Born To Be Cheap" · "Native Love (Step By Step)" · "Shoot Your Shot" · "Love Reaction" · "Shake It Up" · "You Think You're a Man" · '"I'm So Beautiful" · '"T Shirts and Tight Blue Jeans" · "Walk Like A Man" · "Twistin' The Night Away" · '"Hard Magic" · "Little Baby" · "Hey You!"Filmography Roman Candles · Eat Your Makeup · The Diane Linkletter Story · Mondo Trasho · Multiple Maniacs · Pink Flamingos · Female Trouble · Polyester · Lust in the Dust · Trouble in Mind · Hairspray · Out of the DarkRelated topics Categories:- 1969 films
- American films
- English-language films
- 1960s comedy films
- American black comedy films
- American satirical films
- Films directed by John Waters
- Black-and-white films
- Independent films
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