# Travolta in drag?????? **URL:** \ **Category:** Cafe Society\ **Created:** [June 29, 2007, 1:46pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/travolta-in-drag/409917 "2007-06-29T13:46:36Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 2
**Author:** ![Otto](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/o/bbe5ce/32.png) [@Otto](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Otto)\ **Post date:** [June 30, 2007, 4:33am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/travolta-in-drag/409917/21 "2007-06-30T04:33:01Z")
[QUOTE=Marley23] But he hangs out with Tom Cruise, who is a huge tool. [/QUOTE] Not that huge, if _All The Right Moves_ is to be believed. ---
**Author:** ![boggle](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/848f3c/32.png) [@boggle](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/boggle)\ **Post date:** [June 30, 2007, 5:49am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/travolta-in-drag/409917/22 "2007-06-30T05:49:56Z")
You guys are funny. ---
**Author:** ![Fiver](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/f/e274bd/32.png) [@Fiver](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Fiver)\ **Post date:** [July 1, 2007, 5:46am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/travolta-in-drag/409917/23 "2007-07-01T05:46:27Z")
[QUOTE=Marley23] But he hangs out with Tom Cruise, who is a huge tool. [/QUOTE] Do Travolta and Cruise actually hang out? I’ve never heard that they’re friends, notwithstanding the shared religion. ---
**Author:** ![Mesquite-oh](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/a183cd/32.png) [@Mesquite-oh](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Mesquite-oh)\ **Post date:** [July 1, 2007, 6:37am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/travolta-in-drag/409917/24 "2007-07-01T06:37:13Z")
Lemme get this straight: someone decided to make a movie based on a play that was based on a movie? Has that been done before? Sounds stupid to me. Hairspray the movie wasn’t done that long ago, it still comes on cable a lot. ---
**Author:** ![boggle](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/848f3c/32.png) [@boggle](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/boggle)\ **Post date:** [July 1, 2007, 7:13am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/travolta-in-drag/409917/25 "2007-07-01T07:13:59Z")
And who does the wonderful Pia Zadora part? (Lets get naked and smoke!) ---
**Author:** ![Kamino\_Neko](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/kamino_neko/32/34_2.png) [@Kamino\_Neko](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Kamino_Neko)\ **Post date:** [July 1, 2007, 7:19am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/travolta-in-drag/409917/26 "2007-07-01T07:19:15Z")
[QUOTE=Mesquite-oh] Lemme get this straight: someone decided to make a movie based on a play that was based on a movie? Has that been done before? [/QUOTE] Yes. Twice, at the very least. The first I can think of is Little Shop of Horrors, but it may not have been the first. The Producers is a more recent example. Those are the two I can think of off the top of my head, but I have a nagging feeling there’s at least one more I should know about that’s just not coming to mind. ---
**Author:** ![Walloon](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/w/fbc32d/32.png) [@Walloon](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Walloon)\ **Post date:** [July 1, 2007, 7:36am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/travolta-in-drag/409917/27 "2007-07-01T07:36:57Z")
[QUOTE=Wile E] If the “tradition” of having a man play the part is meant as an homage to Divine, I think she must be spinning in her grave over Travolta. [/QUOTE] Divine preferred to be called “he”. He wore drag only when he was being paid. ---
**Author:** ![Walloon](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/w/fbc32d/32.png) [@Walloon](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Walloon)\ **Post date:** [July 1, 2007, 7:39am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/travolta-in-drag/409917/28 "2007-07-01T07:39:09Z")
[QUOTE=Tengu] Those are the two I can think of off the top of my head, but I have a nagging feeling there’s at least one more I should know about that’s just not coming to mind. [/QUOTE] Fellini’s _Nights of Cabiria_ —\> _Sweet Charity_ (Broadway musical) —\> _Sweet Charity_ (movie musical) ---
**Author:** ![Charlie\_Tan](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/charlie_tan/32/12582_2.png) [@Charlie\_Tan](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Charlie_Tan)\ **Post date:** [July 1, 2007, 7:41am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/travolta-in-drag/409917/29 "2007-07-01T07:41:09Z")
Isn’t theretalk about making a movie from Spamalot? I did a search on IMDb but it doesn’t show up there, so maybe I’m just imagining having read that. ---
**Author:** ![Otto](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/o/bbe5ce/32.png) [@Otto](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Otto)\ **Post date:** [July 1, 2007, 2:13pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/travolta-in-drag/409917/30 "2007-07-01T14:13:49Z")
[QUOTE=Mesquite-oh] Lemme get this straight: someone decided to make a movie based on a play that was based on a movie? Has that been done before? Sounds stupid to me. [/QUOTE] _Chicago_ started out as a series of newspaper articles/short stories that became a play in 1926 that became two films (_Chicago_ in 1927 and _Roxie Hart_ in 1942) that became a stage musical in 1975 that became a film in 2002. ---
**Author:** ![Otto](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/o/bbe5ce/32.png) [@Otto](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Otto)\ **Post date:** [July 1, 2007, 2:16pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/travolta-in-drag/409917/31 "2007-07-01T14:16:33Z")
[QUOTE=Walloon] Divine preferred to be called “he”. He wore drag only when he was being paid. [/QUOTE] According to John Waters’ book “Shock Value” Divine prefered “shim.” ---
**Author:** ![Kamino\_Neko](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/kamino_neko/32/34_2.png) [@Kamino\_Neko](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Kamino_Neko)\ **Post date:** [July 1, 2007, 2:59pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/travolta-in-drag/409917/32 "2007-07-01T14:59:32Z")
[QUOTE=Otto] _Chicago_ started out as a series of newspaper articles/short stories that became a play in 1926 that became two films (_Chicago_ in 1927 and _Roxie Hart_ in 1942) that became a stage musical in 1975 that became a film in 2002. [/QUOTE] That’s the one I was trying to remember! Thanks, that would have driven me mildly nuts. ---
**Author:** ![Abby\_Emma\_Sasha](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/e68b1a/32.png) [@Abby\_Emma\_Sasha](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Abby_Emma_Sasha)\ **Post date:** [July 1, 2007, 3:17pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/travolta-in-drag/409917/33 "2007-07-01T15:17:23Z")
In the stage version of “Chicago” the character of Mary Sunshine is traditionally played by a male impersonating a woman. In the stage version of “Hairspray” the role of Edna Turnblad is traditonally played by a male impersonating a woman. The key element here , I think, is that the actors are not trying to _be_ women but are acting a female part. I’m not sure how to spell this out, in a way it is a hommage to Divine, but it is more than that. The actors who have played the role(Divine, Harvey Fierstein, Micheal McKean) are essentially playing themselves but in a maternal role. No one says that a heterosexual can’t play the role, he just has to be the right actor. To me, Travolta is just all wrong. He is insisting on playing this role as a some glamorous drag queen and that is so not what Edna is about. If the studio heads were really savvy they would have hired Harvey Fierstein to reprise his role from the award winning musical and that would have put more butts in the seats. Hey, maybe I’m wrong and the film will be a hit, but I kinda doubt it. You’re taking a great Broadway hit show and making it mediocre. It sucks because I love Hairspray. Go get the original cast recording , you will not be dissapointed. ---
**Author:** ![Walloon](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/w/fbc32d/32.png) [@Walloon](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Walloon)\ **Post date:** [July 1, 2007, 5:08pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/travolta-in-drag/409917/34 "2007-07-01T17:08:06Z")
The stage musical _Chicago_ comes directly from the stage play _Chicago_ by Maurine Dallas Watkins, not from either of the movie adaptations of the stage play. ---
**Author:** ![Walloon](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/w/fbc32d/32.png) [@Walloon](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Walloon)\ **Post date:** [July 1, 2007, 5:11pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/travolta-in-drag/409917/35 "2007-07-01T17:11:10Z")
[QUOTE=Abby\_Emma\_Sasha] To me, Travolta is just all wrong. He is insisting on playing this role as a some glamorous drag queen and that is so not what Edna is about. If the studio heads were really savvy they would have hired Harvey Fierstein to reprise his role from the award winning musical and that would have put more butts in the seats. Hey, maybe I’m wrong and the film will be a hit, but I kinda doubt it. You’re taking a great Broadway hit show and making it mediocre. [/QUOTE] All these opinions, yet, you admit you _haven’t_ seen the movie. :dubious: ---
**Author:** ![Abby\_Emma\_Sasha](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/e68b1a/32.png) [@Abby\_Emma\_Sasha](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Abby_Emma_Sasha)\ **Post date:** [July 1, 2007, 6:14pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/travolta-in-drag/409917/36 "2007-07-01T18:14:44Z")
[QUOTE=Walloon] All these opinions, yet, you admit you _haven’t_ seen the movie. :dubious: [/QUOTE] Yep, I admit have not seen the movie, yet I have an opinion. Catch me later when I have seen the movie. ---
**Author:** ![Wendell\_Wagner](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/w/8491ac/32.png) [@Wendell\_Wagner](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Wendell_Wagner)\ **Post date:** [July 1, 2007, 7:28pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/travolta-in-drag/409917/37 "2007-07-01T19:28:27Z")
Marley23 writes: \> . . . he is divorcing Kelly Preston. Cite? Neither Wikipedia nor IMDb mentions anything about an impending divorce. I don’t recall any news story about this either. ---
**Author:** ![Khadaji](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/k/9e8a1a/32.png) [@Khadaji](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Khadaji)\ **Post date:** [July 1, 2007, 7:56pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/travolta-in-drag/409917/38 "2007-07-01T19:56:07Z")
[QUOTE=Wendell Wagner] Marley23 writes: \> . . . he is divorcing Kelly Preston. Cite? Neither Wikipedia nor IMDb mentions anything about an impending divorce. I don’t recall any news story about this either. [/QUOTE] I’m pretty sure it was a joke, to imply that she is his beard and he is getting rid of his beard. ---
**Author:** ![well\_he\_s\_back](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/w/3ab097/32.png) [@well\_he\_s\_back](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/well_he_s_back)\ **Post date:** [July 1, 2007, 8:35pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/travolta-in-drag/409917/39 "2007-07-01T20:35:27Z")
Travolta recently came out with a buncha quotes indicating that guns don’t cause school shootings - anti-depressants do. In other words he is as big a Scientologist wackjob as Tom Cruise. a good reason to boycott the film, I’d say. Just my humble opinion of course ---
**Author:** ![Walloon](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/w/fbc32d/32.png) [@Walloon](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Walloon)\ **Post date:** [July 1, 2007, 9:10pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/travolta-in-drag/409917/40 "2007-07-01T21:10:33Z")
Travolta’s opinion is not without some factual evidence. The antidepressant Luvox, which has been linked to violent and suicidal behavior, was found in Eric Harris’ system during an autopsy after the Columbine shootings. Kip Kinkel, the 15-year old Oregon student who opened fire in his school cafeteria in 1998, had been on the antidepressant Prozac. Jeff Weise, the Red Lake Indian Reservation school shooter from 2005, was under the influence of Prozac. The _Times_ reported that Virginia Tech shooter Cho Seung-Hui was taking a psychoactive medication. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/travolta-in-drag/409917.md?page=1) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/travolta-in-drag/409917.md?page=3)