''Final Curtain'' was a 22-minute

television pilot A television pilot (also known as a pilot or a pilot episode and sometimes marketed as a tele-movie), in United States television, is a standalone episode of a television series that is used to sell a show to a television network or other distri ...

written and directed by

Ed Wood Edward Davis Wood Jr. (October 10, 1924 – December 10, 1978) was an American filmmaker, actor, and pulp novel author. In the 1950s, Wood directed several low-budget science fiction, crime and horror films that later became cult cla ...

in 1957. It starred

Duke Moore Duke Moore, (July 15, 1913 as James Moore – November 16, 1976), was an American actor who has the distinction of spending his entire on-screen career in productions by Ed Wood. Between 1953 and 1970, Moore appeared in the following for Wood: ...

as an actor wandering an empty theater after dark, where he is haunted by creepy sounds and eerie sights. The film is narrated by Dudley Manlove. Both Moore and Manlove also appear in Wood's

cult film A cult film or cult movie, also commonly referred to as a cult classic, is a film that has acquired a cult following. Cult films are known for their dedicated, passionate fanbase which forms an elaborate subculture, members of which engage ...

Plan 9 from Outer Space ''Plan 9 from Outer Space'' is a 1957 American independent science fiction-horror film produced, written, directed, and edited by Ed Wood. The film was shot in black-and-white in November 1956 and had a theatrical preview screening on March 15 ...

''. Wood had hoped to use the film as the pilot for a television series he intended to produce called ''Portraits of Terror.'' Some scenes where the actor explores the theater were later inserted into Wood's 1959 film, ''

Night of the Ghouls ''Night of the Ghouls'' is a horror film written and directed by Ed Wood. The film was shot between April and May 1958. Cast member Paul Marco recalled that the film had a preview screening in 1959 at the Vista Theatre in Hollywood, after which ...

'', with a voiceover narration designed to make it fit the story better. For years, the complete version of ''Final Curtain'' was considered a

lost film A lost film is a feature or short film that no longer exists in any studio archive, private collection, public archive or the U.S. Library of Congress. Conditions During most of the 20th century, U.S. copyright law required at least one copy o ...

, until a copy was discovered by Jason Insalaco, great-nephew of actor

Paul Marco Paul Marco (June 10, 1927 – May 14, 2006) was an American actor who often appeared in movies made by Ed Wood, including the "Kelton Trilogy" of ''Bride of the Monster'', ''Night of the Ghouls'' and ''Plan 9 from Outer Space'', in which he playe ...

(who had appeared in several Ed Wood projects). The restored film was premiered at the

Slamdance Film Festival The Slamdance Film Festival is an annual film festival focused on emerging artists. The annual week-long festival takes place in Park City, Utah, in late January and is the main event organized by the year-round Slamdance organization, which als ...

on January 23, 2012 and is now available on DVD.

References

External links

* * 1957 films 1957 television specials Films directed by Ed Wood Films produced by Ed Wood 1950s American television specials 1957 in American television Films with screenplays by Ed Wood Television films as pilots Television pilots not picked up as a series 1950s rediscovered films American television films Rediscovered American films 1950s English-language films {{US-tv-film-stub