Julia Marchese is a filmmaker, actor, podcaster, cinephile and film programmer living in Hollywood, California. Her first film was the award-winning documentary Out of Print, about the importance of revival cinema and 35 mm exhibition to culture, and she is currently the co-host of the popular horror podcast Horror Movie Survival Guide. She recently crowdfunded on IndieGoGo for her forthcoming Dollar Baby short film I Know What You Need, based on Stephen King’s story of the same name from Night Shift. You can find her on Twitter, Facebook and Instagram at @juliacmarchese.
There is no shortage of movies heavy with nostalgia for a world two decades gone – written from the adult’s perspective of their childhood, natch – and the 1980s dose of 1960s movies was BIG. Off the top of my head, I think about Shag, Peggy Sue Got Married, The Outsiders, Dirty Dancing, Lady in White, Little Shop of Horrors, Heaven Help Us … the list is long, and these are all titles I adored and watched on repeat (as VHS allowed us to!).
Out of all of the titles that come to mind, the one that I boogied to the most was John Waters’ film Hairspray – below is a picture of the exact copy I bought from the video store and watched over and over with glee, alongside its spiritual cousin, The In Crowd, a film I desperately wish I had seen in my childhood, but actually only found out about in my thirties.
The two films were released one week apart – The In Crowd on February 13, 1988, Hairspray on February 26, 1988 (if you lived in Baltimore, though, where Hairspray premiered a week early, you could have movie hopped to see both films back to back on opening weekend!)
Both take place in the early 1960s and each centers around an outsider teen (Ricki Lake’s iconic plus-size powerhouse Tracy Turnblad, and Donovan Leitch’s too-brainy-for-his-own-good Del Green) obsessed with the after school teen dance shows on their local TV stations. Each harbors not only secret killer dance moves, but also crushes on the stars of their respective shows – Jennifer Runyon’s soft-focus Vicky and Michael St. Gerard’s handsome secret rebel with a heart of gold, Link. But, of course, the object of their affections comes with a problematic current girl/boyfriend (Amber Von Tussle and the singularly named Dugan). Can dance bring the longing teens together? Sometimes yes, sometimes no.
My nine-year-old self loved John Waters – of course, all I had seen was Hairspray. I dug his weird characters, the incredible fashion, the deep cut music, the integration, damn-the-man plot, Divine, The Corny Collins Show — all of it. And, of course, the dance numbers.
As I have mentioned in my Talkhouse pieces on Renfield and Rocky Horror Picture Show, my motto is: “Every movie is better with a dance number.” Needless to say, musicals are one of my favorite genre.
I longed to live in this time period where people learned specific dances to specific songs (as much as I love The Electric Slide, it definitely was no Madison!), and I became uber-obsessed with the fashion and hair. I needed my hair to be as big as possible – now – with a gorgeous dress and matching shoes and the eyeliner. He was speaking my language, absolutely. (Imagine my surprise when I saw Pink Flamingos in the video store and thought, “Hey! A John Waters movie I haven’t seen! I love Hairspray!” rented it and brought it over to a slumber party in high school. We were shook.)
As I mentioned in my first article for Talkhouse, I have always inwardly felt like and connected to the underdog/outsider characters, and I loved Tracy’s confidence – she knew she could do it, everyone else just needed to believe in her, too. Her willingness to fight for what she believed in, plus her curiosity and rebellious nature was so appealing to me.
Obviously, as a young child, the racism plot was a bit lost on me, but as I got older I got to experience the film on a different level, and appreciate the layers in John Waters’ film and its read on the 1960s – the glamour of those times, yes, but also the awful segregation and bigotry. Both sides are shown with such honesty and good conscience. A wholesome film from an unexpected source – and yet it keeps the necessary trashy side of Waters we all know and love. Of course a rat would run over Tracy’s shoe as she’s making out in the alley!
The In Crowd, on the other hand, was directed by Mark Rosenthal, who wrote the film with his longtime writing partner, Lawrence Konner. They had many hits together, including another one of my 1980s movie obsessions, The Legend of Billie Jean!
While Tracy is teased for being too plump, Donovan Leitch’s Del is as skinny as they come, but alone in his living room, he dances something fierce and dreams of being a part of The In Crowd! Del is a good boy who does what he is told and hangs with the honor roll kids, but he longs to be wild, free and show off his fly dance moves on local Philadelphia TV sensation Perry Parker’s teen dance show. There’s no segregation-type subplot here, just Del’s longing for the dim-but-sweet Vicky, while of course ignoring his best friend Gail’s longing for him.
In my favorite scene from the film, Vicky’s leather jacketed boyfriend Dugan challenges Del to a sexually charged dance-off in the living room during the thunderstorm in a number that gives me great joy. (See, no need for violence, guys! Just dance it out!)
Both films end on a times-they-are-a-changin’ note – with local Baltimore’s first integrated broadcast in Hairspray, and Gail’s Bob Dylan-esque makeover at the end of The In Crowd. I love that they both highlight a time of formality in dance and in fashion, but also welcome the more free-flowing hippie era that was just around the corner.
When I worked at the New Beverly Cinema, I was lucky enough to program both of these films for two different birthdays.
My Hairspray/Cry-Baby birthday sticks out because it was a costumed sing-and dance-along. I encouraged all audience members to dress in their ’60s best, “feathered” (not ratted!) their hair into the highest beehive they could manage, and get out of their seats to bop along during the movie’s dance numbers. It was my very favorite screening of the film I’ve ever been to, looking up while dancing my heart out and seeing dozens of other people also dancing in the aisle, mashed potato-ing and ponying with abandon, and singing their hearts out. It was truly a delight, and I highly recommend singing and dancing along with the film on your next viewing of Hairspray!
For my The In Crowd birthday screening, I programmed two Donovan Leitch films, so I paired it with The Blob. Imagine my delight when both Donovan Leitch (and his sister Ione Skye!) agreed to come for the screening! A lot of my friends were there, my parents were there, it was my birthday and it was a packed house. Donovan and I were supposed to do an introduction before the film, then do a Q&A afterwards.
I should mention here that I have a HUGE crush on this man. Tremendous. I had listened to his band, Nancy Boy, in college. I had loved him in Cutting Class as a bowling shoe-wearing weirdo, and had seen him sing live (his tribute to Phantom of the Paradise was EPIC) a few times in L.A. My blessing and my curse is that I am 100% transparent – and so though I was trying very hard to keep cool, it was very obvious to everyone that I was very very excited Donovan Leitch was there. I introduced him before The In Crowd began, he came down the aisle to applause, where we were supposed to introduce the film.
Which didn’t happen, because I absolutely short-circuited when Donovan Leitch kissed me.
He just gave me a friendly peck on the cheek, but it wiped my brain completely clear. I had nothing. I stood in front of more than 200 people with a microphone in my hand, and the star of the film standing beside me, but I was blanked out – flushed bright red, mouth agape, eyes wide in terror. It must have been funny, because as the silence spun out he started to laugh, and then the whole audience started to laugh, which broke me somewhat out of my Donovan-induced-trance.
“Uhh … we’ll be back to talk afterwards. Enjoy the movie!”
He clapped me on the shoulder good-naturedly and I ran up the aisle with my tail between my legs – but the movie played really well and I was composed enough by the end of the movie to conduct a completely professional Q&A, but that memory is etched into my brain. (And I actually had a cheek-kiss-blank-out happen twice in my time at the New Beverly – Sam Rockwell had the exact same effect. Can you blame me!?)
The In Crowd isn’t as well known as Hairspray, so I always love to shout it out. The performances are quirky and fun (Joe Pantoliano is having a blast as dance show host Perry Parker, and Broadway Babies Scott Plank and Charlotte D’Amboise are dancing with all they got), the musical numbers are rockin’, and even Charles Dickens gets a shout-out. If you haven’t seen it, give it a watch – as you can tell, it pairs perfectly with Hairspray.
I recently attended the John Waters’ Exhibit at the Academy Museum here in Los Angeles, and it was such a trip to see the costumes and ephemera from his work there up close and in person. I’m glad he is getting the recognition he so well deserves (his experiment in bad taste worked!). He’s an absolute genius, and now that I can mentally fit Hairspray into all of the other works of John Waters that I have now viewed, and have read all of his books with the behind-the-scenes stories, it makes me love the film even more.
Hairspray is the closest to a normie movie John Waters ever got, but I’m so fucking glad those Baltimore trash Watersesque edges are still deeply recognizable. The big budget musical remake of Hairspray holds no interest for me, strangely – I think they shaved those edges off to make it more palatable for a general audience, but I’d rather choke on indie film gristle any day.
LET’S DANCE!
