Polyester
Directed by John Waters • 1981 • United States
Starring Divine, Tab Hunter, Edith Massey
For his first studio picture, filth maestro John Waters took advantage of his biggest budget yet to allow his muse Divine to sink his teeth into a role unlike any he had played before: Baltimore housewife Francine Fishpaw, a heroine worthy of a Douglas Sirk melodrama. Blessed with a keen sense of smell and cursed with a philandering pornographer husband, a parasitic mother, and a pair of delinquent children, the long-suffering Francine turns to the bottle as her life falls apart—until deliverance appears in the form of a hunk named Todd Tomorrow (vintage heartthrob Tab Hunter). One of Waters’ most hilarious inventions, POLYESTER is replete with stomach-churning smells, sadistic nuns, AA meetings, and foot stomping galore.
-
Polyester
Directed by John Waters • 1981 • United States
Starring Divine, Tab Hunter, Edith MasseyFor his first studio picture, filth maestro John Waters took advantage of his biggest budget yet to allow his muse Divine to sink his teeth into a role unlike any he had played before: Baltimore housewife Fr...
Extras
-
POLYESTER Commentary
This commentary, featuring director John Waters, was recorded for the Criterion Collection laserdisc release of POLYESTER in 1993.
-
John Waters "No Smoking in this Theater" PSA
This PSA was made by Douglas Brian Martin for Nuart Theatre in 1982.
-
John Waters and Michael Musto on POLYESTER
This conversation between director John Waters and critic Michael Musto was filmed in 2019.
-
POLYESTER Deleted Scenes and Alternate Takes
The following footage consists of alternate and deleted scenes from POLYESTER, and until now it was stored in director John Waters' attic for nearly forty years. Allen Perkins of Metropolis Post in New York City, who worked on this project, said, "Handling and scanning these trims was a very tact...
-
Sniffing Out POLYESTER
The following interviews are outtakes from the 2014 documentary I AM DIVINE by Jeffrey Schwarz. They feature actors Tab Hunter (Todd Tomorrow), Mary Garlington (Lu-Lu Fishpaw), and Mink Stole (Sandra Sullivan); film critic Dennis Dermody; casting director Pat Moran and her daughter Greer Yeaton; ...
-
Dreamland Memories
This program features interviews conducted by Criterion in 1993, in which casting director Pat Moran, costume designer Van Smith, art director Vincent Peranio, and actor Tab Hunter reminisce about working together.
-
WJZ-TV "People Are Talking" featuring John Waters, 1981
This television segment aired on WJZ-TV in Baltimore in 1981 and features director John Waters being interviewed during the making of POLYESTER.
-
John Waters in Charm City
Shown on local television in 1981 to promote the release of POLYESTER, this program features an interview with performer Divine, a brief driving tour of the Fells Point neighborhood in Baltimore with director John Waters, and a visit to Edith's Shopping Bag.
-
Edith: Queen of Fells Point
This profile of Dreamlander Edith Massey aired on WJZ-TV Baltimore's Evening Magazine in 1978.
-
Odorama with John Waters
John Waters revisits the first 'odorama' card which was given to audience members to scratch and sniff during early screenings of POLYESTER.
