Main Cast: Tab Hunter, Divine, Lainie Kazan, Geoffrey Lewis, Henry Silva
Release Year: 1984
Country: US
Run Time: 87 minutes
MPAA Rating: R
Plot
A controversial spoof on the Spaghetti western (some love it, some hate it), Lust in the Dust features the 300-pound Divine as the inimitable Rosie Velez, riding into view in full drag on a poor donkey as solemn commentary muddles on about the passions that enslave men and women -- and then Rosie, who weighs more than the donkey, is gang-raped by Hard Case Williams' (Geoffrey Lewis) outlaws. Eventually Rosie is rescued by the tough, taciturn cowboy Abel Wood (Tab Hunter), and together they reach the miserable town of Chili Verde where the entire population, not many after all, can always be found at a saloon run by Marguerita Ventura (Lainie Kazan) and her nit-wit bouncer/gunslinger, Bernardo (Henry Silva). Abel soon discovers that the reason why the population is so interested in Marguerita's saloon has nothing to do with hard liquor -- Marguerita and Rosie each have one half of a map of buried treasure tattooed on their backsides, and everyone wants a look at the whole map. That situation introduces rather absurd bedroom farce. Viewers with a very broad if not bawdy sense of humor will most enjoy this earthy exercise in parody. ~ Eleanor Mannikka, All Movie Guide
Cesar Romero - Father Garcia; Gina Gallego - Ninfa; Nedra Volz - Big Ed; Courtney Gains - Red Dick Barker; Woody Strode - Black Man; Pedro Gonzalez-Gonzalez - Toothless Mexican; Daniel Firshman - Clarence; Ernie Shinagawa - Chang
Credit
Walter Pickette - Art Director, Dona Granata - Costume Designer, Michael Schroeder - First Assistant Director, Paul Bartel - Director, Alan Toomayan - Editor, James C. Katz - Executive Producer, Peter Matz - Composer (Music Score), Karen Hart - Songwriter, Walter Pickette - Production Designer, Paul Lohmann - Cinematographer, Leo Napolitano - Cinematographer, John J. Smith - Production Manager, Allan Glaser - Producer, Tab Hunter - Producer, Al Eisenman - Set Designer, Margot Kilbey - Set Designer, Philip John Taylor - Screenwriter
Dance-hall "girl" Rosie Velez (Divine), lost in the desert, is helped to safety by gunman Abel Wood (Tab Hunter). In the town of Chili Verde, at the saloon of Marguerita Ventura (Lainie Kazan), a word of a treasure in gold brings Abel into conflict with outlaw Hard Case Williams (Geoffrey Lewis) and his gang.
Lust in the Dust was Divine's first film appearance not directed by John Waters.
The title comes from the famous production nickname of Duel in the Sun (1946).
John Waters was asked to direct the film but refused because he did not write the script.
Edith Massey was cast in the role of Big Ed, but died shortly after her screen test. Paul Bartel was uneasy about having her in the film because he thought it would look too much like a John Waters film without John Waters.
