Biography
George Kuchar (August 31, 1942 – September 6, 2011) and his twin brother Mike began making films as teenagers in the 1950s, with 8mm film being their weapon of choice. After shocking their local amateur filmmaking club with their over-the-top stories of lust and angst, they became stars of the NYC underground scene in the 1960s, befriending the likes of Jonas Mekas and Jack Smith. Always working with the constraints of minuscule budgets and nonprofessional actors, the Kuchar’s inspiration comes from classic Hollywood melodrama. Their cheaply made pictures, rather than being held back by lack of funds, blossomed in the shackles of poverty; the garish colors of the cheap makeup and sets were perfectly complemented by the bold color range afforded by Kodachrome reversal stock. The wild (and sometimes the inverse of wild) acting, use of stock music, lack of synch sound, hyperbolic narration, and primitive special effects all combined to make tiny gems unlike anything seen before or since. The Kuchars are cited as major influences by such filmmakers as John Waters, Todd Solondz, and David Lynch.
Directed
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Hold Me While I'm Naked (1966) — Director
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I, an Actress (1977) — Director
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The Mongreloid (1978) — Director
- Tootsies in Autumn (1963) — Director
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A Reason to Live (1976) — Director
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Weather Diary 3 (1988) — Director
- Wild Night in El Reno (1977) — Director
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The Devil's Cleavage (1975) — Director
- Eclipse of the Sun Virgin (1967) — Director
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Cattle Mutilation (1983) — Director
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Ascension of the Demonoids (1985) — Director
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Symphony for a Sinner (1978) — Director
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Route 666 (1994) — Director
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Summer of No Return (1988) — Director
- Pagan Rhapsody (1970) — Director
- Pussy on a Hot Tin Roof (1963) — Director
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Corruption of the Damned (1965) — Director
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Kiss of Frankenstein (2003) — Director
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Forever and Always (1978) — Director
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Cyclone Alley Ceramics (2000) — Director
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Back to Nature (1976) — Director
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The Asphalt Ribbon (1977) — Director
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The Nocturnal Immaculation (1980) — Director
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Gastronomic Getaway (1991) — Director
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Planet of the Vamps (2000) — Director
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A Passage to Wetness (1990) — Director
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The Sunshine Sisters (1972) — Director
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Secrets of the Shadow World (1999) — Director
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Club Vatican (1984) — Director
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Holidaze, 1994 (1994) — Director
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Metropolitan Monologues (2000) — Director
- A Woman Distressed (1962) — Director
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Motel Capri (1985) — Director
- One Night a Week (1978) — Director
- The Power of the Press (1979) — Director
- Anita Needs Me (1964) — Director
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The Cage of Nicholas (1994) — Director
- Prescrition in Blue (1978) — Director
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Yolanda (1981) — Director
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Unstrap Me (1968) — Director
Also appeared in
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Hold Me While I'm Naked (1966)
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Bongwater (1998) — Homeless Man
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Divine Trash (2000) — Self
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Thundercrack! (1975) — Bing / Medusa
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I, an Actress (1977) — Director
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Mary Jane's Not a Virgin Anymore (1998) — Banquet speaker
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Sins of the Fleshapoids (1965) — Prince Gianbeno
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Screamplay (1984) — Martin
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The Mongreloid (1978) — Himself
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It Came from Kuchar (2009) — Self
- Tootsies in Autumn (1963)
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The Craven Sluck (1967) — Morton
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He Stands in a Desert Counting the Seconds of His Life (1986) — Self (archive footage)
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The Secret of Wendel Samson (1966)
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Weather Diary 3 (1988)
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Jack Smith and the Destruction of Atlantis (2007) — Self
- Wild Night in El Reno (1977)
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Confessions (1972)
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Brakhage (1998) — Self (archive footage)
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Sparkle's Tavern (1985) — Mr. Pupik
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Taboo: The Single and the LP (1980)
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Big Joy: The Adventures of James Broughton (2013) — Self
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Born of the Wind (1964)
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George Kuchar: The Comedy of the Underground (1983) — Himself
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Nudes: A Sketchbook (1974)
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Boggy Depot (1973) — Damon
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True Blue and Dreamy (1974)
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Peed Into the Wind (1972)
- Sunset After Dark (1996) — George Kilman
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Beaver Fever (1974) — Hunk
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A Night with Gilda Peck (1974)
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Wieners and Buns Musical (1972) — Forrest
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Electrocute Your Stars (2004)
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Gastronomic Getaway (1991)
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A Passage to Wetness (1990)
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Secrets of the Shadow World (1999) — Himself
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Metropolitan Monologues (2000) — Himself
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Maggots and Men (2009)
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Arizona Byways (2001) — Self
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Foto Spread (1991) — Self