Polyester
“It’s Scentsational!”
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 Fishpaw turns to the bottle as her life falls apart -- until deliverance appears in the form of a hunk named Todd Tomorrow. Originally screened with "Odorama" scratch and sniff cards so the audience could (at their own risk) smell along with the film.
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Cast
71 people
Divine
Francine Fishpaw
Known for
Pink Flamingos
Hairspray
Tab Hunter
Todd Tomorrow
Known for
Gunman's Walk
War-Gods of the Deep
Edith Massey
Cuddles Kovinsky
Known for
Pink Flamingos
Female Trouble
David Samson
Elmer Fishpaw
Also in
Hairspray
Liberty
Mary Garlington
Lu-Lu Fishpaw
Ken King
Dexter Fishpaw
Mink Stole
Sandra Sullivan
Known for
Pink Flamingos
Desperate Living
Joni Ruth White
La Rue
Known for
Street Trash
Hans Kramm
Heintz
Also in
Homicide: Life on the Street
Liberty
Stiv Bators
Bo-Bo Belsinger
Also in
Tapeheads
Hey! Is Dee Dee Home?
Rick Breitenfeld
Dr. Arnold Quackenshaw
Also in
Jack & the Dentist's Daughter
Hack
Michael Watson
Freddy Ashton
John Waters Director · Michael Kamen Composer David Insley Cinematographer
Worldwide gross $1.1M · Budget $300K · United States release May 29, 1981
Box office
Budget
$300,000
Worldwide gross
$1,120,000
Gross vs. budget
3.7×
Production
New Line Cinema
Production · Studio
Dreamland
Production
Michael White Productions
Production
United States · United Kingdom
Produced in
Languages
Original language
English
Spoken on screen
Chinese · English
Release dates
France · May 20, 1981
Premiere · Cannes Film Market
United States · May 29, 1981
Theatrical
United States
April 16, 2015 · Premiere · Wisconsin Film Festival
Australia
February 25, 1982 · Theatrical
Brazil
April 21, 2026 · Limited theatrical · Museu da Imagem e do Som ("Mostra John Waters 80 Anos")
Canada
July 24, 2013 · Premiere · Fantasia Film Festival
Denmark
October 16, 1981 · Theatrical
Finland
December 18, 1981 · Theatrical
France
October 7, 1981 · Theatrical
September 14, 2013 · Premiere · L'Étrange Festival
Germany
October 30, 1981 · Premiere · Hofer Filmtage
December 11, 1981 · Theatrical · West Germany
Hungary
September 20, 1990 · Theatrical
Iceland
September 11, 1983 · Theatrical
Japan
November 1, 1986 · Theatrical
Netherlands
November 5, 1981 · Theatrical
Poland
February 1, 2013 · Premiere · Tofifest Film Festival
Portugal
September 20, 2014 · Premiere · Queer Lisboa
Spain
May 3, 1982 · Theatrical · Madrid
Sweden
May 2, 1982 · Theatrical
United Kingdom
December 23, 1981 · Theatrical
June 1, 2011 · Premiere · Edinburgh International Film Festival
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Some details come from TheTVDB.