# First photo of John Travolta as Edna in the movie version of "Hairspray" **URL:** \ **Category:** Cafe Society\ **Created:** [September 7, 2006, 4:24pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/first-photo-of-john-travolta-as-edna-in-the-movie-version-of-hairspray/371795 "2006-09-07T16:24:36Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 15\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![Annie-Xmas](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/ecc23a/32.png) [@Annie-Xmas](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Annie-Xmas)\ **Post date:** [September 7, 2006, 4:24pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/first-photo-of-john-travolta-as-edna-in-the-movie-version-of-hairspray/371795/1 "2006-09-07T16:24:36Z")
This role has always been played by a man, but [John Travolta](http://i53.photobucket.com/albums/g52/Hairspray-Movie-Musical/travolta.jpg). Ohmigod! ---
**Author:** ![Ike\_Witt](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/ike_witt/32/283_2.png) [@Ike\_Witt](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Ike_Witt)\ **Post date:** [September 7, 2006, 4:29pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/first-photo-of-john-travolta-as-edna-in-the-movie-version-of-hairspray/371795/2 "2006-09-07T16:29:54Z")
Isn’t Hairspray a movie already? ---
**Author:** ![Annie-Xmas](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/ecc23a/32.png) [@Annie-Xmas](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Annie-Xmas)\ **Post date:** [September 7, 2006, 4:33pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/first-photo-of-john-travolta-as-edna-in-the-movie-version-of-hairspray/371795/3 "2006-09-07T16:33:25Z")
[QUOTE=adam yax] Isn’t Hairspray a movie already? [/QUOTE] It was originally. This is a movie of the Broadway musical. ---
**Author:** ![xnylder](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/x/bbce88/32.png) [@xnylder](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/xnylder)\ **Post date:** [September 7, 2006, 7:37pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/first-photo-of-john-travolta-as-edna-in-the-movie-version-of-hairspray/371795/4 "2006-09-07T19:37:25Z")
It’s not working for me. I realize this is a candid shot, but he isn’t nearly impressive enough. His Edna doesn’t look campy, just shlumpy (if that’s a word). Besides, shouldn’t that be a blonde wig? ---
**Author:** ![Eutychus](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/a3d4f5/32.png) [@Eutychus](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Eutychus)\ **Post date:** [September 7, 2006, 7:54pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/first-photo-of-john-travolta-as-edna-in-the-movie-version-of-hairspray/371795/5 "2006-09-07T19:54:26Z")
Nobody … NOBODY should play Edna Turnblad except for Harvey Fierstein. ---
**Author:** ![Cervaise](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/cervaise/32/16693_2.png) [@Cervaise](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Cervaise)\ **Post date:** [September 7, 2006, 10:29pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/first-photo-of-john-travolta-as-edna-in-the-movie-version-of-hairspray/371795/6 "2006-09-07T22:29:16Z")
Or Divine. ---
**Author:** ![Eutychus](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/a3d4f5/32.png) [@Eutychus](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Eutychus)\ **Post date:** [September 7, 2006, 10:30pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/first-photo-of-john-travolta-as-edna-in-the-movie-version-of-hairspray/371795/7 "2006-09-07T22:30:40Z")
[QUOTE=Cervaise] Or Divine. [/QUOTE] He’s dead, Jim. ---
**Author:** ![lissener](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/lissener/32/6139_2.png) [@lissener](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/lissener)\ **Post date:** [September 7, 2006, 11:08pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/first-photo-of-john-travolta-as-edna-in-the-movie-version-of-hairspray/371795/8 "2006-09-07T23:08:25Z")
[QUOTE=Eutychus] He’s dead, Jim. [/QUOTE] Yes. The point being (speaking for Cervaise here, who I assume will correct me if I misinterpret his meaning) that you could just as easily say the same thing about Divine’s performance; that the ground Fierstein trod was at least as sacred as the ground Travolta treads. ---
**Author:** ![mobo85](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/b19c9b/32.png) [@mobo85](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/mobo85)\ **Post date:** [September 8, 2006, 1:54am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/first-photo-of-john-travolta-as-edna-in-the-movie-version-of-hairspray/371795/9 "2006-09-08T01:54:23Z")
[QUOTE=Annie-Xmas] It was originally. This is a movie of the Broadway musical. [/QUOTE] What, you’ve never seen a movie based on a musical based on a movie before? As far as I know, there has been a grand total of one so far- _The Producers_. ---
**Author:** ![Otto](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/o/bbe5ce/32.png) [@Otto](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Otto)\ **Post date:** [September 8, 2006, 2:04am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/first-photo-of-john-travolta-as-edna-in-the-movie-version-of-hairspray/371795/10 "2006-09-08T02:04:02Z")
[QUOTE=xnylder] His Edna doesn’t look campy, just shlumpy (if that’s a word). [/quote] Edna is schlumpy for about the first half of the first act. > [@xnylder](#): > > Besides, shouldn’t that be a blonde wig? Divine started out in the film as a brunette, and Fierstein on Broadway was a redhead. That said, while I suppose Travolta will do an OK job in the part and while I suppose the participation of a star of his magnitude was required to get the financing I really wish the producers would’ve done the right thing and cast Harvey. ---
**Author:** ![Otto](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/o/bbe5ce/32.png) [@Otto](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Otto)\ **Post date:** [September 8, 2006, 2:05am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/first-photo-of-john-travolta-as-edna-in-the-movie-version-of-hairspray/371795/11 "2006-09-08T02:05:35Z")
[QUOTE=mobo85] What, you’ve never seen a movie based on a musical based on a movie before? As far as I know, there has been a grand total of one so far- _The Producers_. [/QUOTE] You forgot _Little Shop of Horrors_. ---
**Author:** ![xnylder](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/x/bbce88/32.png) [@xnylder](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/xnylder)\ **Post date:** [September 8, 2006, 2:57am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/first-photo-of-john-travolta-as-edna-in-the-movie-version-of-hairspray/371795/12 "2006-09-08T02:57:44Z")
[QUOTE=Otto] You forgot _Little Shop of Horrors_. [/QUOTE] And _Phantom of the Opera_, sort of. (It depends on whether you think the musical draws on the movie, or just on the novel.) ---
**Author:** ![Zebra](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/z/c0e974/32.png) [@Zebra](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Zebra)\ **Post date:** [September 8, 2006, 3:00am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/first-photo-of-john-travolta-as-edna-in-the-movie-version-of-hairspray/371795/13 "2006-09-08T03:00:08Z")
[QUOTE=Otto] You forgot _Little Shop of Horrors_. [/QUOTE] Little Shop was a non-musical movie first, then an off-broadway musical, then a musical movie and then a Broadway musical. Next it will be a straight horror film again. ---
**Author:** ![Otto](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/o/bbe5ce/32.png) [@Otto](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Otto)\ **Post date:** [September 8, 2006, 3:46am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/first-photo-of-john-travolta-as-edna-in-the-movie-version-of-hairspray/371795/14 "2006-09-08T03:46:38Z")
[QUOTE=Zebra] Little Shop was a non-musical movie first, then an off-broadway musical, then a musical movie and then a Broadway musical. [/QUOTE] Um, yeah, so it was a movie based on a musical based on a movie. ---
**Author:** ![Cervaise](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/cervaise/32/16693_2.png) [@Cervaise](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Cervaise)\ **Post date:** [September 8, 2006, 4:48am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/first-photo-of-john-travolta-as-edna-in-the-movie-version-of-hairspray/371795/15 "2006-09-08T04:48:42Z")
[QUOTE=lissener] the ground Fierstein trod was at least as sacred as the ground Travolta treads [/QUOTE] _:: touches finger to nose ::_