June 20, 2025 The Newspaper Serving LGBT Los Angeles

To Wong Foo, Thanks For Everything! Julie Newmar 25th Anniversary

The cult classic “To Wong Foo, Thanks For Everything! Julie Newmar” hugely popular in the LGBTQ+ community celebrates its 25th anniversary this month. 

To Wong Foo, premiered on Sept. 8th 1995. Having grossed more than $47 million worldwide and snatched the No. 1 spot at the box office for its first two weeks in theaters, “To Wong Foo, Thanks for Everything! Julie Newmar” is revered by many as a drag queen cult classic.

Surprising audiences at the time with an all star cast of Hollywood leading men, Patrick Swayze, Wesley Snipes and John Lequizamo who portray three drag queens (Vida Boheme, Noxeema Jackson and Chi-Chi Rodriguez) on a road trip to Hollywood to take part in the even bigger “Miss Drag Queen of America Pageant”. 

The inspiration for “To Wong Foo” came to writer Douglas Carter Beane in the form of an anti-gay propaganda movie called “The Gay Agenda.” Beane explained, “It was a born-again Christian film, and they actually showed sections of it on television,” he continued, “There was a line in it where they had these drag queens at a pride parade, asking, ‘Do you want these drag queens in your town, America?’ And I thought to myself, ‘Yes! You need these queens. Someone needs to get in there and just shake you up, baby, and show you a little color, dance, life and a little love.”

Beane initially wrote “To Wong Foo” as a play but quickly revised it to a screenplay feeling it did more justice to the script which he finished in just a few weeks.

Sooner than later there was a bidding war between Disney and Steven Spielberg’s Amblin Entertainment for the film. Amblin Entertainment won. Mitch Koin, an out executive at Amblin Entertainment at the time, helped get the script in front of Spielberg, along with Beane’s agent. 

Spielberg needed some help seeing the potential of the script so he enlisted the help of his friend and actor Robin Williams. Beane explained that Williams and Spielberg, who became friends when making “Hook”, were traveling together on a flight when Williams read the script out loud to Spielberg. His cold-reading, first-class performance was so hilarious, it “mesmerized” Spielberg.

The film sauntered its way into the hearts of America but not so much the critics. Roger Ebert gave it two and a half stars, but noted, “The sneak preview audience seemed to enjoy the movie immensely.”

This year, when asked to define the film’s legacy, leading actor Leguizamo simply said, “Love trumps hate and love is love.”

Back in 1995, Snipes said of the film, “It’s about friendship, it’s about tolerance, it’s about trust, and it’s about the appreciation of life, you know? We get preoccupied with all of the hustle and bustle and chaos, that sometimes we forget how beautiful life really is.”

“Too Wong Foo, Thanks For Everything! Julie Newmar” is available on Netflix and Amazon Prime Video. 

Related Posts

(Video) A Plus Tree: A Steward of Urban Forest Management Across Los Angeles

June 18, 2025

June 18, 2025

For More Information, Go to Aplustree.com For More Information, Go to https://t.co/3PhU1J5wOj pic.twitter.com/1AWITi5NFw — Palisades News (@PalisadesNewsLA) June 19, 2025

Pizza Girl Brings Clean, Classic Italian Pizza to West Hollywood’s Sunset Strip

June 18, 2025

June 18, 2025

Founder Caroline D’Amore opens “Pink and Mortar” shop at Hotel Ziggy Pizza Girl is now open at its new brick-and-mortar...

Foodie Week Returns to Westfield Century City With 10 Days of Irresistible Dining Deals

June 18, 2025

June 18, 2025

25 Restaurants Are Serving Up Exclusive Offers, Prix-Fixe Menus,  Limited-Time Treats Westfield Century City is kicking off its annual Foodie...

Supreme Court Upholds Ban on Trans Youth Healthcare, Clearing Path for More State Restrictions

June 18, 2025

June 18, 2025

Advocates Warn Decision Will Embolden Attacks on Transgender Rights Nationwide. The U.S. Supreme Court on Wednesday upheld Tennessee’s ban on...

Trump Administration to Eliminate LGBTQ Youth Crisis Line on July 17

June 18, 2025

June 18, 2025

Advocates Warn Shuttering of 988’s “Press 3” Option Puts Lives at Risk Targeted mental health support for LGBTQ youth is...

Justice Served by the Slice: L.A. Chefs Rally for Pies for Justice Fundraiser

June 18, 2025

June 18, 2025

Sweet, Savory, and Pizza Pies to Support Foster Youth and Civil Rights Chefs and restaurants from across Los Angeles and...

Downtown Santa Monica Goes All Out for Family-Friendly Pride Celebration

June 17, 2025

June 17, 2025

SaMo Pride’s Biggest Celebration: Live Music, LGBTQ+ Vendors, Giveaways Downtown Santa Monica will come alive with color, music, and celebration...

Trump Executive Order Lets VA Doctors Deny Care to Trans Patients or Marital Status

June 17, 2025

June 17, 2025

New VA Policy Tied to Anti-Trans Order May Allow Refusals of Treatment Medical professionals across the Department of Veterans Affairs...

Journalist Files Lawsuit After Being Hit by ‘Less Lethal’ Munition Fired by Sheriff’s Deputies

June 17, 2025

June 17, 2025

LASD Faces Legal Claim After Journalist Wounded at Anti-Ice Rally  Independent photojournalist Nick Stern has filed a civil rights claim...

CAP UCLA’s 2025–26 Season Spotlights Queer Voices, Global Visionaries, and Musical Trailblazers

June 17, 2025

June 17, 2025

The New Lineup Celebrates Boundary-Pushing Performances Across Disciplines The UCLA Center for the Art of Performance (CAP UCLA) has announced...

Cedars-Sinai Seeks Public’s Help Identifying Unconscious Man Found in Beverly Grove

June 17, 2025

June 17, 2025

Man Remains Hospitalized After Being Discovered Near Cedars Sinai Cedars-Sinai Medical Center is asking for the public’s assistance in identifying...

US Marines Temporarily Detain Civilian Near Federal Building in West Los Angeles

June 17, 2025

June 17, 2025

Military Confirms First Known Detention by Active-Duty Troops Deployed by Trump U.S. Marines temporarily detained a civilian near the Wilshire...

Judge Orders NIH to Reinstate LGBTQ+ Health Research Grants Cut Under Trump Policies

June 17, 2025

June 17, 2025

Federal Court Finds Dei-Related Grant Cancellations Unlawful; Ruling Restores Funding Funding for hundreds of medical research projects, including critical studies...

GLAAD and eBay Launch Celebrity Auction for Pride Month, Up for Bid Through June 26

June 16, 2025

June 16, 2025

Exclusive experiences with Shakira, Orville Peck, Andy Cohen, Dylan Efron, and More  GLAAD and eBay have joined forces to launch...

Tyler Malek Celebrates New Ice Cream Cookbook With Sweet Pop-Ups in West Hollywood

June 16, 2025

June 16, 2025

Chef to Appear at Book Soup and Debut Limited-Edition Matcha Sandwich at GGiata Tyler Malek, co-founder and head chef of...