Despite the fact that I was a teenager in the early-1980's, for some reason I can easily sit through 1960's movies, including this one. For the first time, the undeclared prince of puke is allowed to direct a movie that isn't shown to a fringe audience. This was the final movie of Divine, the debut of Ricki Lake, and the only time Lake ever looked good -- and she looked fabulous, even with her hair ironed. John Waters made the right decision when he turned down Divine's request for a dual role as Tracy and Edna Turnblad. Somehow, Corny Collins' assistant Tammy(Dreamland veteran Mink Stole) seemed like a pre-cursor to Kevin Smith's "Silent Bob." Also, the fact that Amber Von Tussle(Colleen Fitzpatrick) was willing to dance to a song like "Shake a Tailfeather," against her mother's wishes gives me a sense that her character might not be as much of a bitch if it weren't for her parents.
As Motormouth Maybelle, Ruth Brown kicks a$$ as a soul DJ with a hidden(?) agenda -- Wiping out segregation in Metropolitan Baltimore. When she introduced Gene Pitney's "Town Without Pity," you knew she was directing it at those who still insist on the false policy of "separate but equal."
One of the most hilarious moments was the cartoon-like segment where Prudy Pingleton (Joanne Havrila) enters a black neighborhood to 'rescue' her daughter Penny from the arms of her black boyfriend Seaweed, foolishly thinking she was "snatched" by those "natives." A much more subtle aspect is that one of the reporters interviewing the Governor of Maryland was Buddy Deane, the real-life inspiration for Corny Collins.
As mainstream as it was, looking back on it you'd never think anyone else but John Waters could make a movie like this. It's unfortunate that the real-life incidents Waters based portions of it upon didn't turn out as happily as they did here, but like all storytellers, he can make things better than they really are. I did get a sense though during one of the dance sequences that Penny Pingleton(Leslie Ann Powers) didn't exactly like dancing with Seaweed, and was actually more interested in Link. Maybe that was why she was only in one movie, but I suppose we'll never know unless Powers tells us herself.
As Motormouth Maybelle, Ruth Brown kicks a$$ as a soul DJ with a hidden(?) agenda -- Wiping out segregation in Metropolitan Baltimore. When she introduced Gene Pitney's "Town Without Pity," you knew she was directing it at those who still insist on the false policy of "separate but equal."
One of the most hilarious moments was the cartoon-like segment where Prudy Pingleton (Joanne Havrila) enters a black neighborhood to 'rescue' her daughter Penny from the arms of her black boyfriend Seaweed, foolishly thinking she was "snatched" by those "natives." A much more subtle aspect is that one of the reporters interviewing the Governor of Maryland was Buddy Deane, the real-life inspiration for Corny Collins.
As mainstream as it was, looking back on it you'd never think anyone else but John Waters could make a movie like this. It's unfortunate that the real-life incidents Waters based portions of it upon didn't turn out as happily as they did here, but like all storytellers, he can make things better than they really are. I did get a sense though during one of the dance sequences that Penny Pingleton(Leslie Ann Powers) didn't exactly like dancing with Seaweed, and was actually more interested in Link. Maybe that was why she was only in one movie, but I suppose we'll never know unless Powers tells us herself.