The Diane Linkletter Story

MOST Waters fans will think this is hilarious, though you'll meet the rogue who thinks it's in bad taste. But then, criticizing Waters for making a film in "bad taste" is like criticizing a hippie for smoking the herb: it's just what they do.

The short starts out with a creepy recording of Diane speaking at the beginning, and is repeated at the end; the picture is grainy and makes Divine look wild-eyed and insane(yes!). Divine is really, really funny, and even though David Lochary gets a little befuddled on a couple of his lines, he and Bonnie still do a fine job.

I went nuts trying to figure out how I'd see this short for a very long time. Some angel posted it on medicinefilms.com; they say they're John Waters, which makes me both skeptical and desperate.

So... go watch it and decide for yourself.

Made around the time of "Mondo Trasho," this is what Waters calls an "instant movie." He read about Diane Linkletter's suicide in the paper one day, gathered some of his friends, and shot a dramatic recreation of it that same day. In hindsight, this was a precursor to all those "E! True Hollywood Story" specials. It's even in grainy black-and-white, just like those so-called "dramatic re-enactments" we see on TV today. Essential viewing for Waters fans -- the credits alone are worth the effort of tracking it down.

Following the tragic death of Art Linkletters daughter Diane.this sick demented movie was made! I have always loved John Waters films but this one was out of wack! Making fun of a tragedy is not right! No wonder it has disappeared into obscurity!

I hear more people talking about this short film now, than when it was made, or at any time since it's production.

I first saw it when I purchased a VHS tape of Divine's live stage show, "THE NEON WOMAN."

That show was taped on 1960's B+W videotape (NOT the same kind of tape on VHS cassettes) in 1967.

When home video first became available to the public, "THE NEON WOMAN" was published on VHS by the New York Film Annex. To fill out the tape, the NYFA included Waters' short film, "The Diane Linkletter Story." That was more than 20 years ago.

Whether or not you like Art Linkletter, the unvarnished truth of the matter is that he conspired with the Nixon administration (in the latter's "anti-drug" campaign) to allow the public to think that Diane jumped out of that upper-story window to her death, while on LSD. The truth is, she had not taken LSD for over a year before she died, and the drug had absolutely nothing to do with her death. Furthermore, an autopsy showed that she had no drugs, whatsoever, in her body at the time of her death. Stretching the truth (to put it mildly) was a common practice by Nixon and his followers (of which, Art Linkletter was one).

When I first purchased it, I knew that this NYFA-published VHS tape was a special treasure. I don't foresee any possible DVD release of this film coming any time soon, although I would love to see the film made available on disc, so others can see it, and own it.

Perhaps, some day, Waters will be able to get it published on DVD, with an explanation of Art Linkletter's shameful "use" of his daughter's suicide to further right-wing anti-drug propaganda.

The Diane Linkletter Story (1970)

** 1/2 (out of 4)

Art and Lois Linkletter (David Lochary, Mary Vivian Pearce) are waiting on their daughter Diane (Divine) to get home. The parents are worried and once the daughter gets home it leads to a very big argument, which then turns to tragedy.

This short from John Waters was apparently made so that the director could try out a new camera. When viewing it today it perfectly fits in with his bad taste cinema because the names used were real people and the film pretty much spoofs a real event. Art Linkletter was a successful television star and his daughter Diane killed herself. That's pretty much what was re-enacted here.

On a technical level there's nothing ground-breaking here but I actually thought the 9-minute short was at least entertaining. The performances aren't the greatest but they're fun enough in that bizarre John Waters world. After all, you're watching people who would play a big part in PINK FLAMINGOS. Fans of Waters will want to check this out for certain.