Adaptation Thesis

 

Hairspray 1988 version takes place in Baltimore in the early ’60s and includes racial segregation in America at the time. The newer version (2007) is based on the same time period and same issues except with less comedy and more seriousness about integration issues and more dancing shown by African Americans. The most important being who gets the title of Mrs. Hairspray. White (1988) vs. Black female. (2007).

Significant Differences:

1988: Tracy gets accepted in the council of the Corny Collins show right away

2007: Tracy doesn't get accepted right away because she is "too big" and the producer of the show does not want her on-air until he sees more ratings and allows her to stay. 

1988: White women scream at the sight of black people and over dramatisize the behavior of the other "race".

2007: White people are still afraid but not as much.

1988 In the end Tracy won the Title of Mrs.Hairspray and succeeded in getting integration on TV.

2007: Inez Stubbs, Motormouth Maybelle's daughter gets the title of Mrs.Hairspray, and integration still occurs for the first time on the Tony Collins show.

2007:     Black people are performing on the show did the same song “New Girl in Town” as the white girls. They wrote the original but it was sung first by the white females. 

1988 In this version they didn’t include the “negro day” segment as part of the show, it was only mentioned.

2007: Negro Day is canceled by Velma

1988: Negro Day is once a month, the last Thursday of the month.

Although there are major differences in the movie, the overall message remains intact. The major distinction between the two is the portrayal of African Americans and Whites on screen. The female role is handed from white people to African Americans and integration becomes a success in both films. This reflects the changes in society into a more welcoming, less discriminatory way of life.