George Kuchar

Born: 1942-08-31

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.


Placeholder

Bongwater

as Homeless Man
Released: 1998-04-18

David is an artist and a pothead. He's fallen in love with the beautiful and sexy Serena, and...

Movie page

Metropolitan Monologues

as Himself
Released: 2000-01-01

The New York City summer is fueled by the sultry emanations of hot air that tumble off the...

Movie page

He Stands in a Desert Counting the Seconds of His Life

as Self (archive footage)
Released: 1986-02-22

A film collage tracing the story of the lives, loves, and deaths within the artistic community...

Movie page

Hold Me While I'm Naked

as uncredited
Released: 1966-04-23

Presented as loosely autobiographical, Hold Me While I’m Naked centres on the tribulations of an...

Movie page

Divine Trash

as Self
Released: 2000-03-31

The life and times of Baltimore film maker and midnight movie pioneer, John Waters.

Movie page

365 Day Project

as uncredited
Released: 2007-12-31

This exhibition focuses on Jonas Mekas’ 365 Day Project, a succession of films and videos in...

Movie page

The Craven Sluck

as Morton
Released: 1967-12-21

A desperate, married woman meets a mysterious man who she blatantly desires. Through some twists...

Movie page

Jack Smith and the Destruction of Atlantis

as Self
Released: 2007-04-11

In this entrancing documentary on performance artist, photographer and underground filmmaker...

Movie page

True Blue and Dreamy

as uncredited
Released: 1974-01-01

"A surreal meditation on a cigarette billboard using a very strange ballerina as an allegory for...

Movie page

Screamplay

as Martin
Released: 1985-11-01

A talented writer, Edgar Allen, arrives in Hollywood with big dreams but is quickly pulled into...

Movie page

Law of Desire

as uncredited
Released: 1997-01-01

The story of Trelita, a Chicana sex worker with an abusive boss and a dead boyfriend (who she...

Movie page

Coven of the Heathenites

as Self
Released: 2008-01-01

A summer sojourn is fleshed out for maximum solar exposure in this video travelogue of sun, sea...

Movie page

The Mongreloid

as Himself
Released: 1978-09-21

A man, his dog, and the regions they inhabited, each leaving his own distinctive mark on the...

Movie page

It Came from Kuchar

as Self
Released: 2009-09-22

It Came from Kuchar is the definitive, feature documentary about the legendary, underground...

Movie page

Sins of the Fleshapoids

as Prince Gianbeno
Released: 1965-01-04

One million years in the future, the human survivors of a nuclear war are served by robots...

Movie page

Underground New York

as Self
Released: 1968-01-01

A rare behind-the-scenes view of the exploding New York “underground” in the late sixities, a...

Movie page

Dingleberry Jingles

as Self
Released: 1994-01-01

In Dingleberry Jingles, George discusses all things Christmas with his cat, attends a wedding,...

Movie page

Taboo: The Single and the LP

as uncredited
Released: 1980-01-01

Blend of documentary and domestic melodrama featuring a series of sexually charged vignettes...

Movie page

Sparkle's Tavern

as Mr. Pupik
Released: 1985-06-01

Siblings hide their ownership of a bordello from their mother. When she is visited by a man who...

Movie page

Secrets of the Shadow World

as Himself
Released: 1999-08-31

This three-part mini-series explores the mysterious and the mundane in a splash of digital...

Movie page

500 Millibars to Ecstasy

as Himself
Released: 1989-01-01

The dark and sloppy side of touring college towns with your work. An internal expose of external...

Movie page

Gastronomic Getaway

as uncredited
Released: 1991-01-01

Writes Kuchar, "The magnificent Mono Lake becomes the centerpiece for this car trip through...

Movie page

Galaxie

as Himself
Released: 1966-09-03

In March and April of 1966, Markopoulos created this filmic portrait of writers and artists from...

Movie page

Oh Hi Anne

as Himself
Released: 2017-01-01

An epic tale of love and loss. Made using voicemails the Kuchar brothers left on her home...

Movie page

Big Joy: The Adventures of James Broughton

as Self
Released: 2013-03-09

A chronicle of the iconoclastic life of gay poet, filmmaker, and spiritual visionary James...

Movie page

Confessions

as uncredited
Released: 1972-03-15

Curt McDowell has a confession for his parents. Preserved by the Academy Film Archive in 2015.

Movie page

The Creeping Crimson

as uncredited
Released: 1987-10-31

A short film by George Kuchar.

Movie page

The Hairy Horror

as Himself
Released: 2009-01-01

A chance encounter with a sober student reveals the mystery of a woodland wonder that has left a...

Movie page

Maggots and Men

as uncredited
Released: 2009-06-21

A utopian re-visioning of the Kronstadt Uprising of 1921, featuring film history's first cast of...

Movie page

Boggy Depot

as Damon
Released: 1973-01-01

Two men hypnotize their roommate and attempt to force him to fall in love.

Movie page

Bill's Hat

as uncredited
Released: 1967-01-01

"The whole film are non-art portraits of people in which they do what they want with this hat –...

Movie page

The Inmate

as Himself
Released: 1997-01-01

The splendor of a mountain lake is clouded by the musings of a brain in memory mode. The head...

Movie page

The Butchered Beefcake

as uncredited
Released: 2011-01-01

This video diary visits two sites that exhibited Kuchars visual works this past year,...

Movie page

Swamp

as Uncle George
Released: 1990-01-01

Swamp uses the soap opera format to play with the structure and expectations of the family...

Movie page

Scarlet Droppings

as Himself
Released: 1991-08-01

Taped in Normal, Illinois, during the height of autumn, a snapshot of a young girl triggers a...

Movie page

Nudes: A Sketchbook

as uncredited
Released: 1974-01-01

A series of vignettes illustrating sexual fantasies.

Movie page

Point 'n Shoot

as Himself
Released: 1989-01-01

A lavish home is visited, shutters click, bottoms are exposed, water splashes and a welcome...

Movie page

Peed Into the Wind

as uncredited
Released: 1972-01-01

“PEED INTO THE WIND smears across the screen like one of those dirty underground comic books....

Movie page

Weather Diary 1

as Himself
Released: 1986-01-01

George Kuchar travels to Oklahoma in search of tornadoes, spends most of his time watching TV...

Movie page

Kiss of the Veggie Vixen

as Self
Released: 1990-01-02

A portrait of Marion Eaton, film and stage actress, etched with a green thumb and a brown nose.

Movie page

Weather Diary 3

as uncredited
Released: 1988-01-01

Set in and around a Reno motel, the tape records George's growing friendship with a young...

Movie page

Supercell

as Himself
Released: 2004-01-01

Clouds abound in this short meditation on vaporous masses that flow across the borders of our...

Movie page

A Night with Gilda Peck

as uncredited
Released: 1974-01-01

A vehicle for the talented Mrs. Kathleen Hohalek, as the tenant of the Pyramid Penthouse, with...

Movie page

Domain of the Pixel Pixies

as Himself
Released: 1998-01-01

Sort of a portrait of the videomaker Anne McQuire, who surfaces midway from this waterlogged...

Movie page

3 Stories About Evil

as uncredited
Released: 2008-03-26

A very black mix of comedy about relationships, the media, children's beauty pageants, sex...

Movie page

Burnout

as Himself
Released: 2003-01-01

A metropolis awash in electrical overdrive crashes in the heat of summer and sends a Bronxite...

Movie page

Chigger Country

as uncredited
Released: 1999-01-01

Pastures filled with the bounty of a meateater's fantasy fill the screen with bellows of bovine...

Movie page

Video Album 5: The Thursday People

as uncredited
Released: 1987-01-01

The comings and goings of the late underground filmmaker, Curt McDowell—and the people and...

Movie page

The Warming of the Hell House

as Self
Released: 1990-01-01

A trip across the bay to Concord yields a harvest of non-fruit-like beings who celebrate a...

Movie page

Urchins of Ungawa

as uncredited
Released: 1994-01-01

In a garden of roses and memorabilia from darkest Africa, a man and woman ponder the joy of...

Movie page

Electrocute Your Stars

as uncredited
Released: 2004-01-01

In this dream portrait, George Kuchar travels through snow confetti, strobe flashes and...

Movie page

Rocky Interlude

as Himself
Released: 1990-01-01

A trip to a barren landscape of jagged peaks and deep crevasses becomes a playground for an...

Movie page

River Windows

as uncredited
Released: 1966-01-01

"A film counterpointing the hard reality of the present with the fantastic actuality or...

Movie page

Calorie Cottage

as uncredited
Released: 2010-01-01

Encompassing both Thanksgiving, Christmas and the exploding New Year's Eve celebrations, this...

Movie page

George Kuchar: The Comedy of the Underground

as Himself
Released: 1983-04-01

A documentary portrait of filmmaker George Kuchar conducting a tour of his apartment where he...

Movie page

Rainy Season

as uncredited
Released: 1987-11-19

Thanksgiving in California is the setting in which the viewer experiences "the depression...

Movie page

Meet The Kuchar Brothers

as uncredited
Released: 2006-01-01

Provides a rare glimpse into the world of George and Mike Kuchar, underground filmmaking...

Movie page

Beaver Fever

as Hunk
Released: 1974-01-01

A short comedy by Curt McDowell. Preserved by the Academy Film Archive in 2015.

Movie page

Award

as Himself
Released: 1992-01-01

A behind-the-scenes look at the man behind the trophy and the poisons that taint an otherwise...

Movie page

Delectable Destinations

as uncredited
Released: 2010-01-01

This time, the call of the west sends Kuchar packing to Oregon, California and Arizona. You too...

Movie page

Foto Spread

as Self
Released: 1991-01-01

A photographer comes to my home to take pictures and gets a lensful. His mouth and his shutter...

Movie page

Arizona Byways

as Self
Released: 2001-01-01

A cactus-strewn desert becomes the backdrop for this series of filmic stopovers. Great natural...

Movie page

Eat My Makeup!

as uncredited
Released: 2010-04-10

With George Kuchar, Marie Losier, Jason Livingston, Paul Shepard. Five winsome damsels picnic on...

Movie page

Going Nowhere

as Himself
Released: 1992-01-01

Writes Kuchar: "It was my 50th birthday this year (1992) and my friend's birthday, so I explored...

Movie page

Xmas 1986

as Himself
Released: 1986-12-25

"In Xmas 1986, George Kuchar’s mother Stella has come to stay with him for the holidays. After a...

Movie page

A Passage to Wetness

as uncredited
Released: 1990-01-01

An island. A mountain. A City of Angels who scoop up the pellets dropped by other winged creatures.

Movie page

Tummy Ache Times

as uncredited
Released: 2010-01-01

It's the season of joy once again and this video depicts the tasty and the troublesome in big,...

Movie page

Migration of the Blubberoids

as uncredited
Released: 1989-01-01

"The whiteness of winter cannot bury the blubbery things that splash and frolic among the frozen...

Movie page

Vintage Visits

as uncredited
Released: 2010-01-01

Another edition to Kuchars weather diary series, this particular one has more social intercourse...

Movie page

The Shadow Glass

as uncredited
Released: 1976-01-01

The Shadow Glass is roughly based on Ewers' 'Student of Prague'. It concerns a young man who,...

Movie page

Portrait of Ramona

as uncredited
Released: 1971-01-01

This movie was made mostly in Brooklyn during some very hot and empty evenings. Since the...

Movie page

Pictures at an Exhibitionist’s

as uncredited
Released: 1989-01-01

A wide-ranging look at pictures I collect on my walls and in my head. A look at pictures I...

Movie page

The Nutrient Express

as uncredited
Released: 2010-01-01

A trip to Winnipeg introduces the viewer to moments of Canadian cuisine and to the easily...

Movie page

Portrait of Genie

as Himself
Released: 2008-01-01

An ex-student of mine opens up in the privacy of her home and shows me her etchings...

Movie page

Andy Warhol's Unfinished Symphony

as uncredited
Released: 1975-01-01

A clarification of the '60s and its plastic society; taking archetypes of the American landscape...

Movie page

Sherman Acres

as Ira
Released: 1992-01-01

A drama in six episodes involving psychological breakdowns, marital showdowns, and messy...

Movie page

Song of the Whoopee Wind

as Himself
Released: 2005-01-01

A California Christmas season ushers in an array of holiday visuals designed to feed the hunger...

Movie page

Vault of Vapors

as uncredited
Released: 2009-01-01

One of Kuchars weather diary series out in Oklahoma. The tone is wistful, the surroundings wispy...

Movie page

Webtide

as Himself
Released: 2010-01-01

Once again a seaside serenade of sloshing oils and simmering scallops fills the crannies of Cape...

Movie page

Cellar Sinema

as uncredited
Released: 1994-01-01

A descent into the blackness of the projected image and the curators who flick the switches and...

Movie page

That Woman

as Barbara Walters
Released: 2018-08-06

That Woman uses as source material the original Barbara Walters interview with Monica Lewinsky,...

Movie page

Uncle Evil

as Himself
Released: 1996-01-01

The young and the innocent at the mercy of a palpable presence oozing menace and scarlet-stained...

Movie page

Water Sports

as Himself
Released: 2007-01-01

A trip to the Marin headlands at the Golden Gate of San Francisco Bay headlines this video...

Movie page

Fill Thy Crack with Whiteness

as uncredited
Released: 1989-01-01

A music-filled tour of Christmas good cheer overtakes this gastronomically oriented excursion...

Movie page

Cult of the Cubicles

as Himself
Released: 1987-01-01

Writes Kuchar: "It's New York in the summer and I set out to track down some high school friends...

Movie page

The Kingdom By The Sea

as Himself
Released: 2002-01-01

The spirit of poets permeates the space/time occupied by an assortment of dinner engagements...

Movie page

Snap 'n Snatch

as Himself
Released: 1990-01-01

A sort-of music video that focuses on and under young women and men engaged in focusing video...

Movie page

Season of Sorrow

as Himself
Released: 1996-01-01

Ice falls from the sky as tears plip-plop onto wall-to-wall carpeting. No degree of renovation...

Movie page

Xmas 1987 New Years

as Himself
Released: 1988-01-01

A sweet and savory journey in the company of George traveling from Christmas to New Years,...

Movie page

Tropical Vulture

as Dean
Released:

Tropical Vulture is a cross-generational project which highlights the artistic influences...

Movie page

Thundercrack!

as Bing / Medusa
Released: 1975-12-29

An eccentric and alcoholic widow hosts a motley assortment of travelers - four men, three women...

Movie page