Business Card from John Waters’ Hairspray 1987
Since the movie had to be shot in the summer, it was imperative to begin pre-production in early spring. We had to push Buchthal hard for the $100 to buy the business cards to give some credibility when doing casting calls, location scouts, and union negotiations. In a way these were little prayer cards that showed the film would go forward. At that time, it was very unsure and stressed. Buchthal was a complete unknown to us, John hadn’t been able to raise money for a film in five years and this might have been the last chance.
A few weeks after these cards were made, surprising us all, New Line Cinema entered the picture and bought the whole package from Buchthal, guaranteeing the funding. John’s company, Madison Films, handed over the production to New Line, and these cards were discarded.
Read about Robert Maier’s fifteen years working with John Waters in the new book “Low Budget Hell: Making Underground Movies with John Waters.” Available on Amazon.com and booksellers around the world.
