Made for TV

Made for TV

Multiple channels & personalities collide in a television exorcism.

1984 · 15 min · ★ 10.0 · Drama, TV Movie

Combining Rubnitz’s skillful manipulation of the familiar “look” of TV shows with an extraordinary range of characters, performer Ann Magnuson convincingly impersonates the array of female types seen on TV in a typical broadcast day. From glitzy to drab, from friendly housewife to desperate evangelist, Magnuson is a one-woman universe appearing on every channel, the star of every program—giving her all as the chameleon woman who is always on display.

Directed by Tom Rubnitz · Written by Tom Rubnitz

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Made for TV

Pickle Surprise

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Vandemonium Plus

Vandemonium Plus · 1987

Vandemonium Plus

MovieTV MovieComedy

Ann Magnuson is launched off the back of her boyfriend's motorcycle while doing a bong rip, and into a strange fantasy world airbrushed on the side of a van. Will she make it back to our world in time for the Vulcan Death Grip show?

Pickle Surprise

Pickle Surprise · 1989

Pickle Surprise

A short, hilarious cooking mantra.

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Strawberry Short-Cut · 1991

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A drag queen shares a secret recipe.

Wigstock: The Movie

Wigstock: The Movie · 1987

Wigstock: The Movie

MovieDocumentary

The original documentary on the Wigstock festival, back in the day when it was a much smaller affair in Thompkins Square Park. A full day of peace, love, and wigs…

The Fairies

The Fairies · 1989

MovieComedyFantasy

Based on a tale by Charles Perrault, Tom Rubnitz's The Fairies comes complete with frogs, princes, kind fairies, and evil stepsisters—all costumed à la Rubnitz. Featuring Sister Dimension as the fairy godmother, Michael Clark, and others, the tape playfully illustrates a familiar fairytale moral, as each person gets what they deserve. The evil girl spits up toads, while flowers and jewels emerge from the mouth of Matilda the Good, and a dancing prince carries her away.

The Mother Show

The Mother Show · 1991

The Mother Show

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Hustle with My Muscle

Hustle with My Muscle · 1986

Hustle with My Muscle

MovieMusicComedy

This rapid-montage music video for John Sex’s song “Hustle with My Muscle” portrays the singer as a ladies’ man with ample endowment to share. “Can you handle all the man below my belt?” he provocatively asks.

John Sex: The True Story

John Sex: The True Story · 1983

John Sex: The True Story

MovieDocumentary

A profile of the East Village personality John Sex.

Psykho III: The Musical

Psykho III: The Musical · 1985

Psykho III: The Musical

MovieComedyMusic

Psykho III: The Musical is an intriguing play on the tension between “authentic” and “pop” camp. This celebration of artifice was originally written, directed, and produced by Mark Oates as a stage musical parody following the release of Psycho II in 1983, and was performed at the East Village’s most notorious nightspot — The Pyramid Club. In 1985, after a wildly successful run, Oates reached out to longtime friend and video artist Tom Rubnitz to produce a video adaptation of the stage musical.

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Plastic Rap with Frieda · 1980

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Bump and Grind It · 1986

Bump and Grind It

MovieMusicComedy

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Frieda! (The Movie) · 1980

Frieda! (The Movie)

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Drag Queen Marathon · 1986

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MovieDocumentary

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Undercover Me! · 1988

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Chicken Elaine · 1983

Rubnitz’s short cooking clip showcases a chicken casserole recipe from the kitchen of Elaine Clearfield. All you need is chicken, rice, a packet of Lipton onion soup mix, a can of cream of mushroom condensed soup, and water!

Listen to This

Listen to This · 1992

MovieDocumentary

Listen to This is a fragment of collective memory that finds critical relevance in contemporary Queer discourse. Tom Rubnitz weaves narration, image, and a form of temporality, dislocated from ‘real time’, into a video where artist and AIDS activist David Wojnarowicz’s loss and anger is palpable.

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