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To Wong Foo Thanks for Everything, Julie Newmar Cast & Crew

  • Wesley Snipes Wesley Snipes as
    Noxeema Jackson
  • Patrick Swayze Patrick Swayze as
    Vida Boheme
  • John Leguizamo John Leguizamo as
    Chi-Chi Rodriguez
  • Stockard Channing Stockard Channing as
    Carol Ann
  • Blythe Danner Blythe Danner as
    Beatrice
  • Arliss Howard Arliss Howard as
    Virgil
  • Jason London as
    Bobby Ray
  • Chris Penn as
    Sheriff Dollard
  • Melinda Dillon as
    Merna
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To Wong Foo Thanks for Everything, Julie Newmar Wiki

Premiere: September 8, 1995

Type: Movie

Genres/Tags: Comedy

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Swayze earned a nomination for the "Best Performance by an Actor in a Motion Picture - Comedy/Musical" Golden Globe Award, and Leguizamo garnered a "Best Performance by an Actor in a Supporting Role in a Motion Picture" Golden Globe nomination.

Miss Understood

The opening and closing scenes were filmed in New York City featuring dozens of New York's local drag performers and underground stars in small roles or as featured extras. Included in the mix were RuPaul, Joey Arias, Lady Bunny, Miss Understood, Candis Cayne, Flotilla DeBarge, Clinton Leupp a.k.a. Miss Coco Peru, and Quentin Crisp. The three stars had previously spent some time in the local drag scene while researching their roles. The ending scene of the movie, the anticipated Miss Drag Queen USA contest, was actually filmed at The John S. Phipps Estate in Old Westbury, New York, now colloquially known as Old Westbury Gardens. Much of the rest of the film was shot in Loma, Nebraska, as well as nearby Lincoln and Omaha.

Robin Williams also has a cameo early in the film as the queens' friend John Jacob Jingleheimer Schmidt. Julie Newmar, an iconic figure to the main characters, also makes a cameo appearance as does supermodel Naomi Campbell, although it is not clear whether the latter is playing herself or not.

- PLOT - After entering a local "drag queen of the year" contest in New York City, Noxeema Jackson (Wesley Snipes) and Vida Bohemme (Patrick Swayze) win a trip to Hollywood to take part in an even bigger, national drag queen contest. Before they depart, Vida persuades Noxeema to take along the inexperienced 'drag princess' Chi-Chi Rodriguez (John Leguizamo) as their protégé (the duo initially refer to Chi-Chi as a simple "boy in a dress" rather than as a fully-fledged drag queen). In order to do this, they trade in their airplane tickets for cash and buy a stylish but old Cadillac convertible with money given to them by John Jacob (Robin Williams) and the three of them set off for Los Angeles by car.

While on the road they are pulled over by homophobic and racist Sheriff Dollard (Chris Penn), who tries to sexually assault Vida. He discovers Vida is not female, and in the confrontation, Dollard is knocked unconscious. The ladies think he is dead, and they hurry off and leave him behind. While recovering from the incident at a rest stop, their car breaks down. A young man, Bobby Ray (Jason London), from the nearby small town of Snydersville happens by and gives them a ride, where they take refuge in a bed & breakfast owned by Carol Ann (Stockard Channing) and her abusive car repairman husband, Virgil (Arliss Howard).

The three ladies remain trapped in the town for the weekend as they wait for the replacement spare part for their car to arrive. While there, they are confronted by the town's small-mindedness, though none of it centers on their gender as everyone believes them to be female. Chi-Chi is nearly gang raped by a group of roughnecks, but is saved by Bobby Ray. The ladies are ecstatic to find vintage fashions from the 1960s in the town's clothing store, along with its young, awkward, stuttering store clerk. Vida gives him a copy of her book on Diana Vreeland to inspire him.

Noxeema, along with the group of women, are later disrespected by the same roughnecks that attempted to attack Chi-Chi. Fed up, Noxeema handles the situation in a typically New York manner and teaches their ringleader a lesson in manners. Vida, Noxeema, and Chi-Chi do what they can to be positive and they set out to improve the lives of the townspeople. This includes makeovers and assistance in organizing the annual "Strawberry Social" event.

Meanwhile, Sheriff Dollard is ridiculed by his colleagues, who believe he was beat up by a woman. He goes in search of the drag queens with a list of places to look entitled "Places for Homos", which reads: (1) flower shops, (2) ballet schools, (3) flight attendants' lounges, (4) restaurants for brunch, and (5) antique shops.

Vida, meanwhile, becomes acutely aware of Carol Ann's abuse at the hands of her husband Virgil and, shortly thereafter, the three queens overhear Virgil giving Carol Ann a beating. Vida decides to intervene and beats up Virgil before throwing him out of the house. The next day Virgil runs into Sheriff Dollard at a bar and the two realize that the newcomers to town are the same people Dollard has been searching for. They head back to Snydersville and Dollard insists the townspeople turn over the drag queens.

The townspeople, who now realize the true gender of their new friends, begin to protect them. One by one they step up and confront Dollard, each one claiming to be a drag queen, a la Spartacus. Dollard is humiliated and flees. The Strawberry Social commences with everybody dressed in vibrant red outfits for the party. Shortly after, Carol Ann repairs their car and the ladies are finally able to leave Snydersville, though by now they are slightly saddened to leave behind their new friends. They eventually make it to Los Angeles where Chi-Chi, after having received many tips from Vida and Noxeema during their ordeal, wins the title of Drag Queen of the Year. Fittingly, the crown is presented by Julie Newmar herself.

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