Candy Darling

Candy Darling (November 24, 1944 – March 21, 1974) grew up on Long Island not far from transgender pioneer Christine Jorgenson. Feeling gender dysphoria from an early age, Candy impersonated screen idols such as Lana Turner and Kim Novak. Taking trips to Greenwich Village, she befriended Holly Woodlawn, Jackie Curtis, and Jeremiah Newton, and appeared in Off-Off Broadway plays. These included Jackie Curtis’s ”Glamour, Glory and Gold” and “Vain Victory” at La Mama. Candy later acted in Tennessee Williams’s play “Small Craft Warning”.  Coming into the orbit of Max’s Kansas City and Andy Warhol’s Factory, Candy appeared in “Flesh” and “Women in Revolt.” Lou Reed wrote a song about her, “Candy Says”. Her image survives in Peter Hujar’s iconic photograph of Candy on her deathbed. In this film on Artifacts, Ron Link, Samuel Adams Green, Holly Woodlawn, and Jeremiah Newton delve into Candy Darling’s life, legacy, and the indelible impact she left on the world of art and culture.