a little intro to my second assignment...

For my assignment, I plan to focus on the character of Harriman F. Spritzer, the President of Ultra Clutch Hairspray and sponsor of the Corny Collins Show in the movie, Hairspray. Using John Street’s article, “Showbusiness of a Serious Kind”, the role of the sponsor can be further examined with Spritzer’s words and actions in the movie as evidence.

Original quote: “Mrs. Von Tussle, Negro Day every day? That chubby Communist girl and kissing on the mouth with possibly parted lips... I assure you, controversy is not what Ultra Clutch wishes to promote.” [In the 2007 movie, it was simply “I want that chubby Communist girl off my show!”]

This quote from Spritzer shows the significance of the sponsor in manipulating the content of the program to achieve their objective. In order to continue receiving funding, the Corny Collins show has to go with his wishes; i.e. portray a “good” image of Ultra Clutch to his – supportive of white superiority, encouraging homogeneity and rejecting any idea of integration.

Additionally, the fact that he asked Tracy to stay on the show after realizing how popular she was with the townsfolk was purely to develop his own agenda: to earn profits and good publicity for his brand of products. The prize is just a tool to him. He uses the prize to shape the perception of people towards his product: that it is trendy. All the “nicest” kids in town use it. So you should use it too if you want to be cool.

He also fired Velma Von Tussle off the show when it was broadcasted live on television that she had messed with the voting system to make sure her daughter, Amber, would win the Miss Hairspray contest. He does not take sides. The only thing that matters to him is the reputation of his product.