Joe Mendillo of Poughkeepsie, N.Y. has launched a fundraising campaign so his town can have a life-size bronze figure of one of its most famous native sons: low-budget sci-fi director Edward D. Wood Jr. Mendillo tells The Poughkeepsie Journal he’s aware Wood's name is synonymous with bad cinema, thanks to movies like Bride Of The Monster and Plan 9 From Outer Space. Nevertheless, he believes Poughkeepsie's most esteemed former resident (if you don't count Predator actor Bill Duke) still deserves to be honored, because of the inspiring spirit that drove his cult movie career.
"Here's a guy from Poughkeepsie who started as a theater usher, went on to Hollywood, and though he wasn't the most talented guy, he made the most of his life, had an incredible time and we are still talking about him 90 years after his birth," Mendillo says.
The story doesn't indicate whether Mendillo is planning to launch a Kickstarter page to gather donations from outside his hometown. However, if Kickstarter can help Detroit honor RoboCop, it seems like an Ed Wood statue should be no problem.