Hairspray (1988)

Director:

John Waters

Writer:

John Waters (written by)

Release Date:

26 February 1988 (USA)

Genre:

Comedy | Drama | Music

Tagline:

Baltimore, 1962. The heyday of hair-dos and hair-don'ts, Heartthrobs and hefty girls, hot dates and hip talkers, beatniks and hair hoppers, and one magical potion that keeps it all together.

Plot:

A 'pleasantly plump' teenager teaches 1962 Baltimore a thing or two about integration after landing a spot on a local TV dance show.

Plot Keywords:

Pretty Girl | Fat Girl | Cult Director | Woman Played By Man | Stylized

Awards:

7 nominations

Cast

Sonny Bono	...	Franklin von Tussle
Ruth Brown	...	Motormouth Maybelle
Divine	...	Edna Turnblad / Arvin Hodgepile
Deborah Harry	...	Velma Von Tussle (as Debbie Harry)
Ricki Lake	...	Tracy Turnblad
Jerry Stiller	...	Wilbur Turnblad
Colleen Fitzpatrick	...	Amber von Tussle
Michael St. Gerard	...	Link Larkin
Leslie Ann Powers	...	Penny Pingleton
Clayton Prince	...	Seaweed
Mink Stole	...	Tammy
Shawn Thompson	...	Corny Collins
Ric Ocasek	...	Beatnik Cat (special apperances)
Pia Zadora	...	Beatnik Chick (special apperances)
Joann Havrilla	...	Prudence Pingleton

Also Known As:

White Lipstick (USA) (working title)

Runtime:

92 min

Country:

USA

Language:

English

Color:

Color

Aspect Ratio:

1.85 : 1

Sound Mix:

Ultra Stereo

Certification:

Iceland:L | Australia:PG | Finland:S | UK:PG | USA:PG | Argentina:Atp

Filming Locations:

Allentown, Pennsylvania, USA

Company:

New Line Cinema

Trivia:

The musical Hairspray opened at the Neil Simon Theater on August 15, 2002 and has had 2375 performances as of May 2008.

Goofs:

Crew or equipment visible: As Penny's mom pays off the drunk, a camera shadow falls across her back.

Quotes:

Tracy Turnblad: Mother. You're so fifties.

Movie Connections:

Referenced in Pump Up the Volume (1990)

Soundtrack:

Mama Didn't Lie

Timeless teen satire

Easily John Waters' best flick in terms of writing, direction, and mainstream appeal, it still has great little twisted touches like the rat Tracy kicks mid-makeout with her boyfriend, & her witchy rival's inevitable barf scene at the amusement park her bigoted parents (played by rock stars Sonny Bono and Debbie Harry) own. There's a strong undercurrent about race relations in 1962 Baltimore where the story is set, highlighted by Mrs Pingleton (Joanne Havrila)'s moronic descent into a black neighborhood to 'rescue' her daughter Penny from the arms of her black boyfriend Seaweed & be ridiculed by the residents. This is crosscut with the sheer exhilaration that Tracy & Penny are having dancing with their beaus in a black record shop down the street. Divine is hilarious as both Tracy's mom and the racist owner of the television station which hosts the Corny Collins 'American Bandstand' clone. And the music is fabulous early rock'n'roll, all Brill Building & pre-Motown soul stuff like Lesley Gore & Chubby Checker, with wonderful choreography throughout.