Duke of Dirt: The John Waters Thread

[ClassyCo]

John Waters has a reputation of producing some of the worst movies in the history of film. For years, I've liked his movies HAIRSPRAY (1988) and CRY-BABY (1990), and I've seen a handful of his other movies, like POLYESTER (1981), but I'm not too well-versed on him as a whole.

Any fans out there?

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[rayray]

Absolutely a fan as a younger person; I have trouble sitting through his earlier shock-filled work now. I still do love me some Dawn Davenport, though!

 

[ClassyCo]

Absolutely a fan as a younger person; I have trouble sitting through his earlier shock-filled work now. I still do love me some Dawn Davenport, though!

FEMALE TROUBLE was recently released on Blu-ray via the Criterion Collection, wasn't it?​

POLYESTER was probably the first movie I saw of Waters' after HAIRSPRAY. There was a time I went through a kick of wanting to see cheesy movies, and I felt that seeing a Waters film would fit that bill. And it definitely did.

Overall, I don't remember a whole lot about POLYESTER now. I know it was Waters' send-up of "women's pictures" from the '30s and '40s, and that he was very excited that he had gotten Tab Hunter as his leading man. Tab later spoke of the fun he making the movie and how it was odd for him to make love to a 300-pound drag queen. I seem to recall a subplot involving the main character's son being a foot stomper or something. The rest of it, well, just didn't stick.

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[ClassyCo]

It's hard to think about John Waters and not think of Divine, the female impersonator/drag queen that was basically Waters' first movie star. Born Harris Glenn Milstead in Baltimore in 1945, the shy young man met Waters, an aspiring filmmaker, in the mid-'60s. The pair struck up a friendship and they started making low-budget movies together in their spare time. ROMAN CANDLES (1966) was the first Waters film starring Divine, which was quickly followed by EAT YOUR MAKEUP (1968), starring Divine as a highly fictionalized version of former First Lady Jacqueline Kennedy.

Divine's popularity grew, especially after the release of PINK FLAMINGOS (1972), a gloriously trashy movie basically viewed by those involved as "an exercise in poor taste". It was a major hit on the midnight movie circuit, as were films like FEMALE TROUBLE (1974). Over the years, Divine decided to branch out and work with other people. He thought of himself as a character actor, and even appeared in some stage plays, not always in drag. Divine was thrilled at co-starring with his childhood idol Tab Hunter in both POLYESTER (1981) and LUST IN THE DUST (1985), the latter a send-up of the controversial Western DUEL IN THE SUN (1946). In the early-to-mid-'80s, Divine transitioned towards disco and performing his drag act in nightclubs. He also appeared as male characters in movies like TROUBLE IN MIND (1985), where he played mobster Hilly Blue. HAIRSPRAY (1988) was typically viewed as Divine's debut to mainstream cinema, but he died shortly after it premiered.

Any fans?

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[DallasFanForever]

I guess the only movie of his that I’m really familiar with is Hairspray, which I honestly wasn’t a big fan of. Looking at his filmography I’m noticing I haven’t seen anything else he’s done.

 

[ClassyCo]

Hairspray, which I honestly wasn’t a big fan of.

The original HAIRSPRAY is definitely a camp-fest, and you have to be on-board for that type of entertainment to enjoy it. Contrary to popular conception, the original film isn't a musical. Waters himself called it a "dance movie" when he described it. HAIRSPRAY was turned into a musical when Broadway adapted it, and then the 2007 movie was based on the Broadway musical. However, must of the plot stays in tact.​

 

[ClassyCo]

John Waters interviewed on the set of CRY-BABY. He talks about the movie, the casting, and how it felt making a movie without Divine.

 

[ClassyCo]

I re-watched CRY-BABY this morning for the first time in years. I had forgotten how good some of it actually is, and I also forgot just how bad and corny some of it is. To be honest, I actually enjoy the colors and look of the movie, enjoy some the cast and smaller cameos, some of the songs are good, and its very GREASE-esque plot. The story concerns the "squares" and the "drapes" (and the movie will never let you forget that either). It's a good, early role for Johnny Depp.

It's free you-know-where.