Del Shores Looks Back On Making Cult Gay Classic ‘Sordid Lives’
In late 1999, I was walking down Ventura Boulevard in Sherman Oaks with my late producing partner Sharyn Lane after a day of editing Sordid Lives. We passed the Psychic Book Store and decided to go in and get a reading. We weren’t believers, but what the hell? We needed a sign. Something. We had just taken a big risk, had shot one of the first Hi-Def movies for about $500,000 (we raised from mainly friends with money) and quite frankly, we really didn’t know what the hell we were doing. I came from the theatre which had given me opportunities in television as well as a film adaptation of my second
play “Daddy’s Dyin’… Who’s Got The Will?” for MGM. “Sordid Lives” was also based on a hit play, but it was my first time to direct a film, Sharyn’s first time to produce and although we liked our little movie, we weren’t sure anybody else would. It was dark. It was twisted. It was… bizarre.
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The psychic that day told us, “Your film will have a very unusual journey to success,” and she advised us to “be patient.” Good guess? Perhaps. But truer words were never spoken.
It’s been 18 years since my play Sordid Lives opened at Theatre/Theater in Hollywood, 14 years since it played over 20 film festivals, 14 years since the risky platform release that lasted almost three years and 11 years since the DVD was initially released.
The play has had over three hundred productions worldwide, the film won over 20 film festival awards (13 audience) then played theatrically for about a year in Dallas, Fort Lauderdale, Laguna Beach, Provincetown, and it still holds the record for the longest running film in the history of Palm Springs – 96 weeks at The Camelot Theaters. They gave me a star on Palm Canyon Blvd. and if I ever need a dose of self-esteem, I just grab Ann “LaVonda” Walker and we go bar hopping in the desert.
The film spawned a hit series on Logo in 2008 — a prequel — with much of the original film cast, along with Rue McClanahan as the matriarch. The creative experience was heaven, the shoot divine and the critics and viewers loved the show. We were ordered for a second season, but everything came crashing down because of legalities when the producer (not Logo, so please do not blame Logo) decided to not pay the artists their due residuals. The guilds descended, we won all arbitrations, were awarded collectively over $2.5 million in unpaid residuals and penalties. Yay! Not so fast. That was a Friday. On Monday, the producer filed bankruptcy and Sordid Lives: The Series was over.
But, the crazy continues. I never go to a Halloween parade in the gayborhoods across America where I don’t see “Brother Boy”, “Juanita”, “LaVonda” and “Sissy”. Sometimes, a group parades around as the entire cast shouting “Ohhh-kay”, “Woo, hoo”, “Lug Nuts”, “32.09, 32.09, 32.09” and “Do you see my pussy now?” There is even a parrot in Palm Springs that can say “Shoot ‘er Wardell, shoot ‘er in the head.” And yes, I am shocked at the cult status that my little movie Sordid Lives has been awarded.
I’m often asked, “Why do you think Sordid Lives became such a cult phenomenon?” After observing and evaluating, I think I finally know. First and foremost – Palm Springs. That city adopted my movie. Since it is such a gay mecca and tourist destination, the locals shared their pride and joy with anybody who came to visit. Word of mouth was taken back to other cities, so by the time the DVD came out in 2003, there was much anticipation. I’m told that the DVD has now sold over 300,000 units, and with the recent re-release by Wolfe, once again, Sordid Lives is “off and runnin’”.
Another reason I think the movie hit a chord is because people recognize themselves and their families in my “Sordid” family. This was my coming out story, and the characters of “Latrelle” and “Ty” were based on my mom and myself. I thought it was my story, but so many tell me it is theirs too. They have aunts like “LaVonda” and “Sissy”, Moms like “Latrelle” – and everybody knows or wants to be a drunk like “Juanita.”
People also love to share the film. Gays and straights feel comfortable sharing it because it’s not overtly a “gay” film. It’s a film about family with a theme of love and acceptance. I can’t tell you how many letters I’ve gotten where someone showed Sordid Lives to their mom, dad or family and used it as a tool to come out.
And finally, I know that the movie is hysterical. And somewhat touching.
I recently got a letter from a fan who thanked me for the film. This Southern woman, a lesbian, had come out to her mom by showing her the film. After the church scene where Kirk Geiger (“Ty”) comes out in front of his grandmother’s coffin to his mother “Latrelle” played so deliciously by Bonnie Bedelia, the fan paused the movie and said, “Mom. Me Too.” Her mother smiled and said, “Yes, honey, I know. Let’s finish the movie. ” The woman went on to write me that her mother was diagnosed a few years later with terminal cancer. During her last days, her mom told her that
she wanted to watch Sordid Lives every day because she wanted to die laughing.
So yes, it’s been an amazing, unusual ride and I can’t believe that it’s still going. The film was just re-released on DVD /BluRay to much fanfare. And, I have just completed the final chapter of the franchise – a new film called A Very Sordid Wedding — which brings the story into 2014 where gay history is rich during our Equality movement. Much of the cast is back, and we just launched an indiegogo campaign which is off to a great 15K in one week start. If all goes according to plans, we will be shooting in Dallas in May, hoping for a late 2015 release.
So my “Sordid” journey continues. And I am grateful.
Find out how to buy “Sordid Lives.”
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