On this day March 1 1985 the Western comedy Lust in the Dust was released in theaters. Directed by Paul Bartel, the film starred Tab Hunter, Lainie Kazan, and Divine, delivering a campy and outrageous take on classic spaghetti Westerns.
The movie followed a gunslinger named Abel Wood (Tab Hunter) who arrives in a small desert town and gets entangled in a chaotic hunt for buried treasure. Along the way, he crosses paths with the over the top saloon owner Marguerita Ventura (Lainie Kazan) and the mysterious and unpredictable Rosie Velez (Divine). Packed with exaggerated performances and cheeky humor, Lust in the Dust became a cult favorite among fans of both Westerns and camp cinema.
The film was a passion project for Tab Hunter, who also co produced it, hoping to recreate the magic of John Waters’ films while paying tribute to classic Westerns. Despite mixed reviews, it performed decently at the box office, grossing $2.5 million, and has since become a midnight movie staple.
80s insight: The title Lust in the Dust was originally rumored to be a potential name for the 1946 classic Duel in the Sun, but it was later used for this comedic send-up instead.
The movie followed a gunslinger named Abel Wood (Tab Hunter) who arrives in a small desert town and gets entangled in a chaotic hunt for buried treasure. Along the way, he crosses paths with the over the top saloon owner Marguerita Ventura (Lainie Kazan) and the mysterious and unpredictable Rosie Velez (Divine). Packed with exaggerated performances and cheeky humor, Lust in the Dust became a cult favorite among fans of both Westerns and camp cinema.
The film was a passion project for Tab Hunter, who also co produced it, hoping to recreate the magic of John Waters’ films while paying tribute to classic Westerns. Despite mixed reviews, it performed decently at the box office, grossing $2.5 million, and has since become a midnight movie staple.
80s insight: The title Lust in the Dust was originally rumored to be a potential name for the 1946 classic Duel in the Sun, but it was later used for this comedic send-up instead.
