The Lady in Question Is Charles Busch (2005)

User Rating:

7.0/10   

Directors:

John Catania
Charles D. Ignacio

Writers:

John Catania (writer)
Charles D. Ignacio (writer)

Genre:

Documentary | Biography

Plot Keywords:

Gay Interest | Homosexual History | Character Name In Title

Awards:

1 win

Cast

Charles Busch	...	Leading Lady
Eric Myers	...	Leading Man
Elizabeth Busch-LeNe	...	Sister #2
Margaret Busch	...	Sister #1
Carl Andress	...	Director / Best Friend
Julie Halston	...	Sidekick
Arnie Kolodner	...	Male Lead
Andy Halliday	...	Childhood Friend
Kenneth Elliott	...	Director
Theresa Aceves	...	Ingenue
Katherine Carr	...	Stage manager
Edward Taussig	...	College Roommate (as Ed Taussig)
Jeff Melnick	...	Manager (as Jeffry Melnick)
Bina Sharif	...	East Village Friend
Billy Wheelan	...	Silent Film Actor
Mark Rucker	...	Film Director
B.D. Wong	...	Himself
Michael Musto	...	Himself
Paul Rudnick	...	Himself
Rosie O'Donnell	...	Herself
Boy George	...	Himself
Kathleen Turner	...	Herself
rest of cast listed alphabetically:
Tom Aulino	...	Vampire Lesbians of Sodom (archive footage)
Shirl Bernheim	...	The Allergist's Wife (archive footage)
Robert Carey	...	Vampite Lesbians of Sodom (archive footage)
Dante Di Loreto	...	Himself (archive footage)
Linda Lavin	...	The Allergist's Wife (archive footage)
Michele Lee	...	Herself (archive footage)
Jason Priestley	...	Himself (archive footage)
Tony Roberts	...	The Allergist's Wife (archive footage)
Meghan Robinson	...	Vampire Lesbians of Sodom (archive footage)

Directed by
John Catania
Charles D. Ignacio

Writing credits (in alphabetical order)
John Catania		writer
Charles D. Ignacio		writer

Produced by
Doug Bella	....	co-executive producer
Laverne Y. Berry	....	co-executive producer
John Catania	....	producer
Richard Davis	....	associate producer
Craig Hagelin	....	co-executive producer
David Hunt	....	co-executive producer
Charles D. Ignacio	....	producer
Gil Neary	....	co-executive producer
Daryl Roth	....	executive producer
Robert Stein	....	producer: Newsreel

Cinematography by
Dane Lawing
Tim Newman
Peter Scheer

Film Editing by
Jon Baskin		(co-editor)
John Catania
Charles D. Ignacio

Costume Design by
Michael Bottari		(co-costume designer)
Ronald Case		(co-costume designer)

Makeup Department
Louis Braun	....	makeup artist (as Louis F. Braun)

Art Department
B.T. Whitehill	....	graphic designer

Sound Department
Karen Gehres	....	sound recordist
Ryan Kennedy	....	sound recordist
Mark Maloof	....	sound recordist
Witek Rosowski	....	sound recordist (as Vitek Rosonski)
John Wiggins	....	sound designer

Camera and Electrical Department
Micah Eisenmann	....	gaffer (as Micah Eissenmann)
Steve Harris	....	camera operator
Niels Melo	....	camera operator
Joseph Parlagreco	....	additional photography

Costume and Wardrobe Department
Michael Bottari	....	costumer
Ronald Case	....	costumer

Editorial Department
Jillian Buckley	....	color correction
Kierra Chase	....	additional editor
Brian A. Kates	....	editorial consultant

Other crew
Sherry Alwell	....	transcriptor
Justen Bennett-Maccubbin	....	production assistant (as Justen Michael Bennett-McCubbin)
Laverne Berry	....	legal services
Charles Busch	....	source: photographs
Alton Christensen	....	technical consultant
Marissa Ignacio	....	assistant to producers
Wellington Love	....	publicist
Melinda Matlin	....	rights and clearances
Dona Ann McAdams	....	source: photographs
Robin Platzer	....	source: photographs
Rocky Schenck	....	source: photographs
Ande Whylande	....	source: photographs

Production Companies

• Two Lions Productions LLC (USA)

Distributors

• Lions in Limbo (2006) (worldwide) (all media)

Runtime:

USA:90 min

Country:

USA

Language:

English

Color:

Color

Company:

Two Lions Productions LLC

Movie Connections:

Features Marnie (1964)

A joy to see an old friend and a must-see for those who haven't yet had the pleasure....

I was delighted to find this film now on Netflix . . . It was a true pleasure from start to finish . . . but then for me, it was something of a trip down memory lane . . . having lived in NYC in the 80s, I well remember the Limbo Lounge where Busch's Limbo players got their start. I saw most of his plays during the 80s and each one was sheer joy.

This film told me much more about Busch than I had known and all of it was fascinating--to me at least. There is a lot of footage from the early Limbo productions. How great it is that somebody had the presence of mind to record them. I laughed back then and I laughed again seeing the archival videos of those wonderful productions like Vampire Lesbians of Sodom and Coma. They capture the energy of the times, the cheesy ambiance, and the subversive subtext of Busch's dialog.

For me, Busch's two films (Die, Mommie Die! and Psycho Beach Party) were a little disappointing. I loved (and had expected) the manic over-the-top quality of his plays which is dialed way down for the films . . . Not to say that the movies aren't over the top, but compared to the stage shows, they're positively sedate. Either way, if you liked his movies or didn't, this documentary will help explain the "back story."

If you have the slightest interest in gay cinema and gay art/theater, this is a must-see.