Superstar in a Housedress

Andy Warhol described Jackie Curtis as "A pioneer without a frontier." One of the most audacious of Warhol's superstars, Curtis often appeared in drag without shaving and fashioned costumes out of shredded vintage gowns held together with safety pins. Although most famous as the brainy member of the trio of drag stars in Women in Revolt (1971), Curtis was primarily a stage artist, writing and performing in transgressive works like Amerika Cleopatra, Heaven Grand in Amber Orbit and Vain Victory. She flamed out at an early age, dying of a heroin overdose in 1985 at the age of 38. In this biographical documentary, Curtis's co-workers and friends-including Lily Tomlin, Harvey Fierstein, Penny Arcade and Paul Ambrose-speak of her work and her influence on everything from the glitter rock movement to Lou Reed's song "Walk on the Wild Side." Along with clips from Curtis's Warhol films, this documentary includes never-before-seen rehearsal footage from some of her stage shows.