Talk:To Wong Foo, Thanks for Everything! Julie Newmar

Critical response
From the article:
 * The song "Hey Now (Girls Just Want To Have Fun)" by Cyndi Lauper was included in the film and became an American hit.

OK that song topped the charts in 1983 - it was a hit more than a decade before this movie was made. Gotta love an encyclopedia written by 13 year olds - the world didn't exist before 1993, eh?
 * WOW WOW WOW, you mean you actually KNEW that the song was older?! what do you want, a f***ing medal? W guice 16:07, 11 April 2007 (UTC)
 * And let's not forget, "Hey Now (Girls Just Want To Fun)" is a reggae-flavored rewrite of the original "Girls Just Want To Have Fun", with a nod to "Come and Get Your Love", not simply a re-use of the original on the film soundtrack. Musically, it's a completely different animal, and became a hit in its own right. -- Pennyforth (talk) 15:54, 9 March 2008 (UTC)

Parallels with How to Marry a Millionaire ?
It is funny that nobody notices that the characters in this movie are similar to those of How to Marry a Millionaire, with Swayze obviously playing Lauren Bacall, Leguizamo taking over Marylin Monroe and Snipes (arguably) Betty Grable. I am tempted with adding such a statement (which would then be immediately removed as original research... :-)) Adam Mirowski (talk) 10:19, 23 October 2008 (UTC)
 * I think we're watching different movies.76.123.137.119 (talk) 20:00, 18 January 2009 (UTC)
 * I would have thought comparisons to the earlier The Adventures of Priscilla, Queen of the Desert were far more blatant than any movie about Millionaires. ~ Brother William (talk) 09:25, 15 May 2009 (UTC)
 * I just noticed that about 36 minutes into the movie, Leguizamo says I'm the Latina Marilyn Monroe. Adam Mirowski (talk) 10:06, 19 September 2009 (UTC)

This movie doesn't have any "transgendered" characters
"The drag queens become stranded in the town for the weekend as they wait for the replacement spare part for their car to arrive. Whilst there, they are confronted by the town's small-mindedness, though it does not focus on their transgender identities but rather, their status as females, "

I prefer to copy-edit and can't really do a proper rewrite of this sentence, but it's fully inaccurate. The characters are not transgendered, and should not be referred to as such. They may be transvestites and are accurately described as drag queens. (And these are not the same thing either.) Transgendered persons are (or feel they are) born into the wrong gendered body, and they behave and dress as the gender they believe they are, not the opposite gender. Transvestites dress as the opposite gender, generally because it brings them sexual satisfaction. Drag queens perform dressed as the opposite gender. Can someone please rewrite this sentence to not say that these characters are transgendered? Thanks! Spookiewon (talk) 03:04, 15 January 2012 (UTC)
 * I did my best to address your concerns; it is an awkward sentence and was difficult to tweak. While some may object to the term I replaced transgender with (Genderqueer), and it isn't my favorite term, I blush a little to use it, I think it is the most correct term to use in the situation. I also cleaned up some other issues with the sentence. I could have done more, except I haven't seen the movie in a while and can't remember to what extent the townspeople are actually aware they are men but choose to treat them as women. Mmyers1976 (talk) 16:28, 17 January 2012 (UTC)

From what I remember there was some implication that Patrick Swayze's character was (or was coming to realize that she was) a trans woman, and not simply a gay man in drag. In general I'd like to emphasize that this whole topic is extremely complex. There is a lot of crossover and ambiguity. The terminology was never cut-and-dry, especially back then. Many drag queens who identified/classified as men later came out as trans women, as still happens today. — Preceding unsigned comment added by 2600:1010:B046:958:9552:425E:3ACE:6273 (talk) 07:17, 18 July 2020 (UTC)

Just an FYI that transvestite is an outdated term that many now consider offensive. Squishyg (talk) 03:53, 25 December 2020 (UTC)

New COI editor and the recent edit warring
The editor who instigated the recent edit war has posted at WP:RSN about the issue. I'm adding a citation directly to the film, as the credits verify the inclusion of this song. No-one seems to have been contesting that it appears in the film except whomever added the CN tag, so it seems this would not have been a problem had someone engaged with the new editor in a less haughty manner than warning templates. ᛗᛁᛟᛚᚾᛁᚱPants  Tell me all about it.  16:21, 1 March 2018 (UTC)
 * Note that I have access to the film, and have independently verified the credits. ᛗᛁᛟᛚᚾᛁᚱPants   Tell me all about it.  16:28, 1 March 2018 (UTC)

Agreed... and thanks Blueboar (talk) 19:10, 1 March 2018 (UTC) Blueboar (talk) 19:10, 1 March 2018 (UTC)
 * For the record, it's on Netflix and available in the US if anyone wants to check for themselves. ᛗᛁᛟᛚᚾᛁᚱPants   Tell me all about it.  20:12, 1 March 2018 (UTC)

Changing distributors
Someone keeps making incorrect edits saying Sony/Columbia produced when Universal did. Please ensure this stops. — Preceding unsigned comment added by TPalkovitz (talk • contribs) 01:26, 25 April 2020 (UTC)

Semi-protected edit request on 22 August 2020
First Plot graph, change "they initially refer to him simply as a "boy in a dress" rather than as a fully-fledged drag queen)." to "they initially refer to her simply as a "boy in a dress" rather than as a fully-fledged drag queen)."

Second graph, change "Dollard discovers Vida is not a woman, Vida strikes him, and he is knocked unconscious." to "Dollard discovers Vida is a transgender woman, Vida strikes him, and he is knocked unconscious."

Fifth graph, change "Meanwhile, Sheriff Dollard is ridiculed by his colleagues, who believe he was beaten up by a girl." to "Meanwhile, Sheriff Dollard is ridiculed by his colleagues, for having been beaten up by a girl." or "woman."

I believe it's an open question whether "transgender woman" or "drag queen" is a more appropriate term for the second change, but due to the context (these events describe the characters during a long term road trip during which they were either continuously performing drag, or they were comfortably (although fabulously) merely living as transgender women, although the term was not in popular use at the time. I believe the first and third changes, are, however, correct. 143.59.127.64 (talk) 03:26, 22 August 2020 (UTC)
 * I think we would need to have a discussion on whether to refer to drag queens as the gender they are acting as or as their original gender. It should be noted that not all drag queens consider themselves transgender nor is the converse the same. Then again, this is an article just about something fictional. In the movie, how are the drag queens referred to as? P,TO 19104 (talk) (contribs) 15:31, 22 August 2020 (UTC)
 * I understand the concern, however, "transgender" was not a popular term at the time. The pejorative equivalent "transvestite" was just that. And, again, while the characters were certainly drag queens on stage, we experience them during a road trip, the equivalent of "just being themselves." I referenced that above. Drag queens who are not transgender, like RuPaul for example, would not do a road trip all glammed up. If they're glammed up not on stage, when no one but themselves are watching, I think that suggests these characters were transgender before transgenderism was an accepted term. My point is that whereas one "performs" drag, one "is" transgender. These characters dressed and acted as women without a performative element. — Preceding unsigned comment added by 143.59.127.64 (talk) 22:03, 22 August 2020 (UTC)
 * . Given the concerns raised, I think some consensus is needed before a change like this is implemented. –Deacon Vorbis (carbon &bull; videos) 18:30, 31 August 2020 (UTC)

iconic?
is the photo of Julie Newmar really iconic? or is it totemic? 84.71.45.82 (talk) 10:02, 19 December 2021 (UTC)

Not really
It's mentioned that the Australian Film "The Adventures of Priscilla, Queen of the Desert" was also a 'cross-country road trip' but that's not the case, they were literally going to the center of Australian. Alice Springs was the planned destination and they were not stranded there. — Preceding unsigned comment added by 181.81.71.237 (talk) 21:55, 22 October 2022 (UTC)


 * Better? Spectrallights (talk) 16:11, 13 November 2022 (UTC)