The Fairies

The Fairies

1989 · 5 min · ★ 5.0 · Comedy, Fantasy

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.

Directed by Tom Rubnitz · Written by Charles Perrault

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Made for TV

Made for TV · 1984

MovieDramaTV 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.

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.

Strawberry Short-Cut

Strawberry Short-Cut · 1991

Strawberry Short-Cut

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 Mother Show

The Mother Show · 1991

The Mother Show

Produced by Tom Rubnitz in collaboration with Tom Koken and Barbara Lipp, The Mother Show is a tribute to mothers everywhere, starring Frieda, the “living” doll. Frieda asks her mother a series of questions, such as “Mom, are there days when you feel not-so-fresh?” and spells out the meaning of the word “mother.” The tape ends with her endearing pronouncement, “Mom, you’re like a mother to me.”

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.

Plastic Rap with Frieda

Plastic Rap with Frieda · 1980

Plastic Rap with Frieda

In this early Tom Rubnitz, Barbara Lipp and Tom Koken collaboration, "Frieda" performs her rap song with a bevy of dolls as back-up singers and dancers. Features rock-bottom production values and song lyrics by Barbara Lipp and Tom Koken.

Bump and Grind It

Bump and Grind It · 1986

Bump and Grind It

MovieMusicComedy

A glittering, Las Vegas-inspired music video for John Sex’s song "Bump and Grind It". With an outrageous fountain hairdo (by stylist Danilo), Sex sings his catchy pop lyrics, “You gotta put your love behind it/Bump, bump, bump and grind it.” Featuring the Bodacious Ta-Tas and inter-cut with Vegas showgirl footage.

Frieda! (The Movie)

Frieda! (The Movie) · 1980

Frieda! (The Movie)

This first "Frieda" collaboration between performance artists Barbara Lipp and Tom Koken and video artist Tom Rubnitz chronicles Frieda's rise from assembly-line worker in a box factory to singing superstar. Featuring rock-bottom production values and a sound track which includes the Brady Bunch kids' tune "Gonna Find a Rainbow".

Drag Queen Marathon

Drag Queen Marathon · 1986

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MovieDocumentary

A dragumentary about a day in the life of a score of drag queens on the lookout for photo opportunities at Lincoln Center, the Guggenheim Museum, Tiffany’s, and in SoHo. A tripped-out Hapi Phace shares her haiku, and The “Lady” Bunny pouts about the concept of unisex clothes. Also featuring Sister Dimension and Dagmar Onassis.

Undercover Me!

Undercover Me! · 1988

A movie trailer for a non-existent Bond-style spy thriller "coming soon to a mini-mall cineplex near you!" Featuring John Sex, Hapi Phace, Laura Levine, Dany Johnson and The French Twist.

Chicken Elaine

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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