A/V CLUB THEATER SPECIAL: RAY HARRISON’S ‘ALL ABOUT ALICE (1972)’ & ‘WHAT REALLY HAPPENED TO BABY JANE (1963)’

The 1960's spawned an entirely new generation of underground filmmakers, thanks to more access to home equipment, cheaper film stock, and loads of people with something to say. In no other subculture was the world of amateur movies more prominent than the LGBTQ+ community. The east coast rode the wave of art house cinema from the likes of Paul Morrisey and Andy Warhol, while the west coast had Ray Harrison and The Gay Girls Riding Club! This group of miscreants would meet on Sundays for brunch and maybe go for a ride. But what they really loved to do was make spoofs of the campiest films of the day. "What Really Happened to Baby Jane?" (1963) and "All About Alice" (1972) are two standouts of the many movies they made together. It's a world of drag before drag was commonplace and camp before camp was cool!