The Rocky Horror Picture Show

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The Rocky Horror Picture Show
Theatrical release poster
Directed byJim Sharman
Written byRichard O'Brien
Jim Sharman (screenplay only)
Produced byMichael White
StarringBarry Bostwick
Susan Sarandon
Tim Curry
Richard O'Brien
Music byRichard O'Brien
Distributed by20th Century Fox
Release dates
14 August, 1975
Running time
100 min
LanguageEnglish
Budget$5,000,000 (estimated)

The Rocky Horror Picture Show (RHPS) (first released in the United Kingdom on 14 August, 1975) is a science fiction-comedy-horror musical film directed by Jim Sharman from a screenplay by Sharman and Richard O'Brien. The film was based on O'Brien's long-running stage production The Rocky Horror Show. After an unexceptional first run, the movie went on to become a blockbuster that continues to play weekly in many theaters (usually at midnight). Fans often attend viewings dressed as characters from the film and respond ritualistically to certain events by throwing food, using props, yelling jokes, dancing, and cheering.

The film stars Barry Bostwick, Susan Sarandon, and Tim Curry. "Little" Nell Campbell, Patricia Quinn, Peter Hinwood, Jonathan Adams, Charles Gray, and Richard O'Brien are featured in supporting roles, while British character actor Christopher Biggins appears in the chorus. Meat Loaf (then almost unknown as a singer - having recorded one obscure album with a fellow cast member from the musical Hair and being part-way through production of his iconic album, Bat Out of Hell) makes a brief appearance for one song. Curry, O'Brien, Quinn, Campbell and Adams were in the original cast of the play, and Meat Loaf joined them when the show originally went to the United States at The Roxy Theatre in Los Angeles.

In 2005, The United States National Film Preservation Board added The Rocky Horror Picture Show to the National Film Registry.

Taglines

  • Action-packed... lotsa larfs & sex... gorgeous gals... thrills & chills... Transylvanian parties... romance.
  • A Different Set Of Jaws.
  • Another Kind Of Rocky.
  • He's the hero -- that's right, the hero!!
  • Give yourself over to absolute pleasure.
  • Let's do the time warp again!
  • Don't Dream it, Be It!
  • Dream it in your living room... Be it in the theater! (1990 15th Anniversary Video Release)
  • A Musical Dream Come True. (UK quad poster)

Plot outline

Template:Spoiler

After a pair of lips sing the opening song ("Science Fiction Double Feature"), the story begins with straitlaced couple Brad Majors (Barry Bostwick) and Janet Weiss (Susan Sarandon) musically pledging their engagement after attending the wedding of their friends, the Hapschatts, at which Janet caught the bouquet (Dammit Janet). Brad and Janet decide to pay a visit to Dr. Everett Scott (Jonathan Adams), their academic mentor and the man who introduced them to each other.

In the next scene, a criminologist (Charles Gray) begins to narrate the story, revealing that the churchwardens are not who they appear and will meet with Brad and Janet later on and concluding with the ominous statement that it would be a night Brad and Janet "would not soon forget." The Criminologist continues the narration at intervals throughout the film, a play on the faux-documentary style of many 1950's and '60's sci-fi movies.

While driving through the rain to Dr. Scott's residence, Brad and Janet are passed by several mysterious motorcyclists. Their car gets a flat tire and, since their spare tire is also flat, they must walk back to a remote castle in the woods in hopes of finding a telephone (Over At The Frankenstein Place). Upon their arrival at the sinister castle they are welcomed by servants Riff-Raff (Show writer Richard O'Brien) and Magenta (Patricia Quinn), and are whisked into a hallucinogenic dance sequence called The Time Warp, one of the movie's trademark songs.

They are then introduced to Dr. Frank N. Furter (Tim Curry), owner of the castle and host of the party, who describes himself as a "sweet transvestite from Transsexual, Transylvania" (Sweet Transvestite). Later, it is revealed that Frank, Riff-Raff and Magenta are in reality aliens from the planet Transsexual in the galaxy of Transylvania. Meanwhile, Magenta and Columbia strip Brad and Janet of their wet clothes leaving them in their underwear. Frank immediately takes a sexual interest in both of them, touching them and making suggestive remarks.

File:Hotpatootie!.JPG
Meat Loaf singing Hot Patootie.

In a dramatic scene reminiscent of many classic Frankenstein movies, Frank re-animates a body he has created, an attractive strongman/playmate named Rocky (Hinwood). Rocky (Peter Hinwood) is initially shell-shocked by his return to life (Sword of Damocles) and attempts frantically to escape, but at length he calms down. Frank forgives him and shows him off to the assembled Transylvanians (I Can Make You A Man), but they are interrupted when Eddie (Meat Loaf), the ex-delivery boy from whom Frank stole half a brain for Rocky, emerges from a deep freeze storage vault on his motorcycle. Eddie (who is also Columbia's lover) chases various characters around the room while belting out a rock and roll anthem (Hot Patootie). Frank, in a combination of jealous rage and annoyance at Eddie's disruptive behavior, murders Eddie with an ice pick. Frank explains to an upset Rocky that it was a "mercy killing," flatters Rocky's physique, and in a reprise of I Can Make You a Man Frank and Rocky perform a mock bridal procession to a specially-prepared boudoir. Frank leaps on Rocky as the curtains close.

Later that night, Frank appears to Janet in the guise of Brad; Janet quickly discovers the ruse but after a token protest eagerly takes Frank to bed with her anyway. Later still, Frank appears to Brad in the guise of Janet; Brad quickly discovers the ruse but after a token protest eagerly takes Frank to bed with him anyway. (The dialogue in both scenes is nearly identical [1]) Afterwards Brad (with Frank asleep in his bed) repudiates Frank's advances and rededicates himself to Janet and his love for her, although she cannot hear this (Once In A While).

Meanwhile Riff-Raff and Magenta, irritated by Frank's distraction with Rocky, Brad and Janet, amuse themselves by watching the seductions on tv monitors and by teasing and tormenting Rocky. When they thrust a burning candelabra in his face Rocky flees, and Riff-Raff and Magenta -- who are allegedly brother and sister -- engage in some very suggestive actions. Rocky, dirty and injured, falls into the arms of Janet who, devastated after seeing Frank and Brad together on one of the monitors and confused by the sexual feelings Frank has awakened in her, seduces Rocky (Touch-A Touch-A Touch Me). Their lovemaking is in turn gleefully spied on by Magenta and Columbia via a monitor in Columbia's bedroom.

File:Patricia Quinn.jpg
Richard O'Brien, Tim Curry and Patricia Quinn in The Rocky Horror Picture Show, settling down to eat Eddie's corpse.

A wheelchair-bound Dr. Scott arrives at the castle; he and Brad reach Frank's laboratory at the same time as Frank, and the three of them find Janet and Rocky in a compromising position ("Janet!" "Dr. Scott!" "Janet!" "Brad!" "Rocky!" "Unh?" "Janet!" "Dr. Scott!" "Janet!" "Brad!" "Rocky!" "Unh?"). During the very awkward formal dinner that follows, Dr. Scott explains that he has come in search of Eddie, his nephew. Dr. Scott is revealed to be a German-accented Government scientist studying UFOs and space travel technology for the FBI, which has led him to inquire into Frank's origins and activities. Frank, perturbed by this discovery and annoyed at Dr. Scott's continued mention of Eddie (referring to this as a "tender subject"), yanks the tablecloth away to reveal Eddie's dismembered body. His guests are horrified to find that Eddie was in fact their main course.

Columbia, who had been in love with both Eddie and Frank, is understandably upset and turns on Frank. Frank tries to seize Janet (Wise Up, Janet Weiss) and a chase scene ensues with all the main characters dashing about the castle. They eventually end up in the laboratory where Frank uses the "Medusa Ray" to turn them into statues (You're A Hot Dog). Frank dresses the statues in feather boas, lingerie, high heels and makeup and positions them carefully on a large stage. He then initiates the Floor Show, during which the characters are released from their suspended situation one by one to sing and dance in a cabaret act (Rose Tint My World / Wild and Untamed Thing). At the conclusion of the floor show, the characters plunge into a huge swimming pool where, with running makeup and sodden feather boas, all begin caressing and kissing each other (Don't Dream It, Be It).

In the midst of this orgy, Magenta and Riff-Raff arrive dressed in outlandish outfits and hairdos (Magenta's resembles that of Bride of Frankenstein) and announce that they are assuming control of 'the mission' and will be returning the castle back to Transsexual. Frank receives this with a melodramatic ballad (I'm Going Home), but Riff-Raff then says that only he and Magenta are returning - Frank is to be executed for dereliction of duty. As Riff-Raff is about to fire, Columbia screams; Riff-Raff kills her with his ray gun, then turns it on Frank. A distraught Rocky, in a scene reminiscent of King Kong, carries Frank's body to the top of a small artificial RKO Radio tower which collapses, plunging them both into the swimming pool and killing Rocky. Riff-Raff and Magenta cause the castle to blast off taking them back to Transsexual (where they will once again freely dance The Time Warp). Brad, Janet, and Dr. Scott are released from the spell of the castle by Riff Raff and Magenta, left lying in an empty field where the castle once stood (Super Heroes). Template:Endspoiler

Rated: R for strong sexual content including dialogue, violence, and language.

Cast

Songs

Box office and theatrical run

The Rocky Horror Picture Show has taken in over $139 million in box office receipts since its release, which makes it the highest grossing movie to have never played in more than 1,000 theatres at the same time. The length of its run in theatres (weekly for over 30 years) combined with its considerable total box office gross is unparalleled by any other film.[1] The original budget for the movie was a tight $1 million. While filming, the crew went over budget, adding to the initial financial failure of the film. Many of the actors earned very little from the movie, both at its initial release and after it became popular.

The Museum Lichtspiele in Munich, Germany has been screening the movie without interruption since September 19th, 1975, and is listed in the Guinness Book of World Records. The theater has a dedicated screening room decorated in the style of the movie. The Oriental Theatre in Milwaukee, Wisconsin, has the longest running United States engagement, having shown the movie since 1977. The Clinton Street Theater in Portland, Oregon, has the second longest running United States engagement and the longest continually-running showing, having shown it almost every Saturday night/Sunday morning at midnight since 1978. The Naro Cinema in Norfolk, Virginia has the third-longest running engagement in the United States and the fourth-longest in the world, having shown the movie continually since spring 1978. The theater currently shows it the second and fourth Friday of every month, in addition to Halloween. The Garland Theater in Spokane, Washington shows it at least twice a month as well as on Halloween.

Critical response

Taken at face value, the film could be considered ground-breaking for its frank (albeit comical) depiction of subjects such as transvestism, homosexuality, cannibalism, voyeurism, adultery, and even incest. In addition, the scripting and design displays the writers' knowledge of the history of cinema even beyond the horror and science fiction film genres; for example, there are references to films as diverse as What's Up, Doc?, Dr. Strangelove or: How I Learned to Stop Worrying and Love the Bomb, Rope, and Triumph of the Will. Nevertheless, the film did not do well initially when released. One reason was probably poor choice of theater placement, with the studio booking the film in socially conservative towns such as Santa Barbara, California.[citation needed]

Cult following

Despite its initial luke-warm critical and commercial reception, the film developed a cult following, becoming a midnight hit at the Waverly Theatre in New York City.[2] People began shouting responses to the characters' statements on the screen. These mostly include melodramatic abuse of the characters or actors, vulgar sex jokes, puns, or pop culture references.

Other audience participation includes dancing the Time Warp, throwing toast, water, toilet paper, hot dogs, underwear, and rice at the appropriate points in the movie (many theatres forbid throwing things that are difficult to clean up, such as confetti or buttered toast). Fans often attend shows dressed up as the characters, while an onstage "shadowcast" will act out the movie in front of the screen. At the now defunct Key Theater in Georgetown, Washington, D.C., the theatre manager would ride his motorcycle down the aisle during Meat Loaf's/Eddie's song, "Hot Patootie." Audience members also use newspapers to cover their heads and squirt guns for rain during the "Over at the Frankenstein Place" musical sequence, and use noise makers during the scene in which Rocky is unveiled. The whole phenomenon got a boost in 1980, with the release of the movie Fame, in which some characters attend a screening of Rocky Horror at the Waverly. At times, the management of the theatres were as much a fan as the audience; for example, one could gain free entry by wearing one's underwear on the outside.

The cast has had very varied responses to the film's cult following. Sarandon, for instance, speaks of the film and its fans with affection, while Hinwood (who played Rocky) is reportedly mortified by his association with the film and has never acted or modeled since. Meat Loaf is somewhat ambivalent about it (saying that he regrets showing the crack of his behind in his one scene) while Curry has claimed that he got so tired of the film's fans throwing themselves at him that he deliberately gained weight and became "chubby and plain". Recently, however, Curry has grown more affectionate toward the film.[citation needed] Barry Bostwick later gained fame playing the mayor of New York City on the hit ABC series Spin City. On some episodes, the mayor can be seen wearing a button that says "I survived Rocky Horror". Quinn is one of the more devoted cast members, having participated in the DVD audio commentary and fan conventions, along with Richard O'Brien.

Sexual slang

  • People who have never seen the show are called "virgins". Often, before the movie starts, a "virgin hunt" is conducted, where the virgins are brought down to the front of the theatre and "have their cherries popped" or participate in ceremonial "virgin auctions". These often include faking orgasms, eating cherries, having a lipstick "v" put on their foreheads, popping balloons between their thighs, dry humping, spanking with a paddle, and condoms.
  • Those who attend the show frequently are referred to as regulars, Rocky "Whore-ers" (an obvious pun on the show's title), or "sluts".
  • Those who have seen the film on video or DVD, but not "live" (those who do not attend the live performance), are called masturbators.

Presentation

What were ad lib responses from the audience are now, in a few locales, as tightly scripted as any screenplay. Audience members who provide "incorrect" or poorly timed responses may find themselves angrily shouted down just as if they were being disruptive in a normal movie. However, creative new lines are usually applauded and even added to the local repertoire.

For example, one popular yell refers to the discrepancy between how the car got a flat tire and how Brad continually states that the car broke down. Every time Brad says "Our car broke down" it is a popular jeer to loudly correct him. Also, a popular yell is to scream "asshole", or "dink" whenever a character says "Brad," and to shout "slut" whenever a character says "Janet."

There have been audience participation albums recorded and scripts published. However, most fans feel that it is preferable for responses to grow organically from the local culture. For example, the audience members in Salt Lake City have utilized frequent references to the Mormon church and Brigham Young University. In most locales, new responses are regularly added to the canon (for example the introduction of references to South Park character Timmy at times when the paraplegic Dr. Scott is in a scene). Additionally, in some areas, the AP lines take note of current events (for example, the use of the name of a recent famous deceased in the line "SHOW ME NAME", when Riff-Raff opens the coffin at the beginning of the Time Warp).

Some arthouse cinemas will have a tradition of regularly playing the film on a particular date, especially Halloween. While the film — and associated live cast performances — are less popular than in its heyday, regular weekend showings can still be found in select American and Canadian cities.

In theatres where the film plays on a regular or semi-regular basis, groups of fans have formed casts. These casts act out the movie on a stage or on the floor in front of the movie scene. While some casts are very laid back, others have become very strict. Many casts require auditions to join in which a prospective member must show that he or she can perform the movie from memory without looking at the screen. Among Rocky Horror casts there is a perpetual quest for "screen-accuracy", meaning that everything from costumes to props to the motions that actors make on stage match the movie exactly.

Audience participation

The 25th Anniversary DVD includes a list of suggestions for audience participation.

  • Asshole and Slut: When the audience hears "Janet Weiss" the audience yells, "Slut!" and when the audience hears "Brad Majors" the audience yells, "Asshole!"
  • Rice: At the beginning of the film is the wedding of Ralph Hapschatt and Betty Monroe. As the newlyweds exit the church, viewers throw rice along with the on-screen wedding guests. During a stage performance, when the name Hapschatt is spoken, they scream out "half-shit!".
  • Newspapers: When Brad and Janet are caught in the storm, Janet covers her head with a newspaper. At this point, viewers do the same thing with their newspapers. The newspaper seen is "The Plain Dealer", a Cleveland newspaper. Many theaters in and around Cleveland have call backs referring to this integrated into their repertoire.
  • Water guns/water pistols: These are used by members of the audience to simulate the rainstorm that Brad and Janet are caught in.
  • Flashlights: During the "There's a light" verse of "Over at the Frankenstein Place," viewers light up the room with flashlights, lighters, etc. Since many municipalities have banned the use of lighters and matches in theaters, cellular phones can be used. (Leading to a new wrinkle on the AP - "Show asshole the phone!")
  • Whore-eating bush: When Janet and Brad come to the mansion, Janet walks into a bush. Right before she does this, the audience yells, "Watch out for the whore-eating bush!"
  • Latex gloves/rubber gloves: During and after the creation speech, Frank snaps his rubber gloves three times. Later, Magenta pulls the gloves off his hands. Audience members snap gloves in sync each time to create a sound effect.
  • Noise makers: At the end of the creation speech, the Transylvanians respond with applause and noisemakers. Viewers do the same.
  • Toilet paper: When Dr. Scott enters the lab, Brad cries out "Great Scott!" At this point, viewers throw rolls of Scott Paper Company toilet paper into the air (and/or at the screen) and scream "Great Scott! Holy Shit!".
  • Confetti: At the end of the "Charles Atlas Song" reprise, the Transylvanians throw confetti as Rocky and Frank head toward the bedroom; viewers do the same.
  • Toast: When Frank proposes a toast at dinner, audience members throw toast or bread into the air (and/or at the screen).
  • Party hat: At the dinner table, when Frank puts on a party hat, viewers do likewise (frequently constructed from the same newspaper that they covered their head with in the earlier rain scene).
  • Paper plates: Also at the dinner table, after Frank pulls off the table cloth, viewers throw paper plates and shout: "Not Meat Loaf again"
  • Bell: During the song "Planet Schmanet," audience members ring bells when Frank sings "Did you hear a bell ring?"
  • Cards: During the song "I'm Going Home," Frank sings "Cards for sorrow, cards for pain." At this point, audience members shower the room with cards.

Shock Treatment, a follow-up to RHPS, was made, but despite its appeal to cult audiences and its campy nature, it has not caught on as well as the original. It features O'Brien, Quinn, Campbell and Gray in different roles and the characters Brad and Janet, played by different actors. Two further films, Rocky Horror Shows His Heels and Revenge of the Old Queen, were written by O'Brien but never filmed. Starting around the year 2000 word on the street had it that between other projects Richard O'Brien was working on a new sequel. However, unlike previous attempts, this was to be a sequel to the original play on which the movie was based and would be performed on stage.

The title Rocky Horror: The Second Coming has been floated as a potential title but O'Brien himself seems conflicted on the issue of what the eventual title would be. O'Brien has stated that the plot would include elements from both Rocky Horror Shows His Heels and Revenge of the Old Queen. Like Rocky Horror Shows His Heels the play would be set nine months after the events of The Rocky Horror Show and would feature a pregnant Janet carrying either Frank's or Rocky's child. O'Brien also leaked that one of the songs would be called "Frankie Phoenix" and that it would illustrate Frank-N-Furter's resurrection. If the play is ever produced and becomes a financial hit, there is the possibility it could take the path of its predecessor and eventually become a film. But, after several false starts, it now looks as if the project may have fallen into development hell.

Two sets of official trading cards have been released. The first, from 1980, features 60 cards. The first ten cards feature a publicity portrait of a cast member (with the tenth card being a group shot of the Transylvanians). Cards 11-59 tell the story of the film with a picture on the front and a brief caption on the reverse. Card 60 is a checklist for the set. The second set, part of the 1995 20th Anniversary celebration, consists of 96 cards. Cards 1-90 again feature publicity stills of the cast (some of them the same stills as the earlier set, re-cropped) and tell the story of the film with more extensive captioning. There is no checklist card. The set also features a three-card subset of Tim Curry in various poses and costumes, with foil imprinting, and a similar Brad and Janet three-card subset. This set was produced by Comics Images.

In 1999, an adventure game called The Rocky Interactive Horror Show was released to much hype but very little success. It was criticized for having a clumsy keyboard-only interface and outdated (2D) graphics. Prior to that a Rocky Horror Show computer game was produced in 1985, for early 8-bit computers including the Commodore 64, Commodore 128, ZX Spectrum and Amstrad CPC. It also received mixed reviews.

As part of the 15th Anniversary celebration, Caliber Press published a comic book adaptation of RHPS written and drawn by Kevin VanHook in 1990. Also for the 15th Anniversary, a four-CD box soundtrack set was released. The set consists of: the original motion picture soundtrack; the Rocky Horror Show original Roxy cast recording; Songs from the Vaults, rare tracks from various cast members, tracks from the Shock Treatment soundtrack and radio advertising spots for the original release; and Rocky Horror International, a collection of tracks from cast recordings around the world along with the previously unreleased film cast recordings of The Sword of Damocles, Once in a While and Planet, Schmanet, Janet. Also included is a 24-page commemorative booklet.

The soundtrack The Rocky Horror Punk Rock Show performed by various punk bands including The Ataris, Tsunami Bomb, Alkaline Trio, Me First And The Gimme Gimmes and others.

The surround mixes themselves did not appear on early prints of the movie. In 1990, for the 15th anniversary of the film, and in conjunction with the film's first U.S. home video release, the audio for the film was remixed from mono into Chace Surround Stereo. The song dubs were replaced by the stereo version of songs from the soundtrack record; thus Rocky's singing voice part is sung by a completely different actor. For the 25th anniversary edition, both the original mono track, and a new 5.1 surround mix (also done by Chace Productions) from the original dialogue/music/effects stems was created, which was far more accurate than the earlier stereo dub.

Richard O'Brien originally intended for the film to be in black and white until Frank's appearance in the lift, the only colour in that particular shot being his red lipstick, but the studio vetoed this in favour of a more conventional look. On the 25th Anniversary DVD, an easter egg function simulates O'Brien's intended vision; the first 20 minutes are black and white, turning to colour when Riff Raff swings open the doorway during the Time Warp, revealing Transylvanians (a la The Wizard of Oz). To activate the easter egg, scroll down to Scene Selection (don't select it) and push the left arrow button on the DVD remote. This should highlight a pair of lips, which, when selected, activates it.

Computer Games

The Rocky Horror Show computer game was produced for early 8-bit computers including the Commodore 64, Commodore 128, ZX Spectrum and Amstrad CPC by the CRL Group PLC in 1985, to mixed reviews. The game involved playing as either Brad or Janet and collecting pieces of the Medusa machine scattered around the castle, in order to free your partner from stone and escape the castle before it blasts off. Meanwhile the other characters in the game can hinder your progress by stealing and hiding your clothes along with what you are carrying. Riff-Raff can kill the player with his laser gun, and Eddie can run the player over with his motorcycle should he thaw out and escape from his freezer.

The Rocky Interactive Horror Show Game was released in March/April 1999 for the PC by On-Line PLC. Similarly to the earlier CRL game, the player plays as Brad or Janet and must rescue their partner from the castle. Unlike the older computer game, its gameplay was more puzzle-oriented, and benefited from the added detail, graphics, and live video sequences that the PC could provide. Despite this, it was criticised for a clumsy user interface and for using two-dimensional graphics, at a time when most games were using 3D.

Trivia

  • Largest showing ever: over 8,000 fans at the Hollywood Bowl in September 2005, featuring Long Beach cast Midnight Insanity, a troupe performing weekly since 1988, currently at the Queen Mary in Long Beach.
  • The entire laboratory set was constructed with access only via an elevator (lift) before the team realized that Doctor Scott would need to reach it extremely quickly in a wheelchair, and that there was no door. This is the sole reason for his bursting in through a brick wall.
  • In the stage musical, Dr. Scott does not have a German accent. The parallel to Stanley Kubrick's character of Doctor Strangelove is easily recognizable, up to and including the attempted Nazi salute. In many theatres, Curry's line referring to his fellow scientist as "Dr. Von Scott" is often followed with people doing the Nazi salute and shouting "sieg heil."
  • Sarandon caught pneumonia after filming the pool scene in the floor show.
  • During the film when Frank-N-Furter (Tim Curry) pulls off the tablecloth revealing the remains of Eddie, the actors did not know what was under the cloth, so their reactions are real.
  • The red lips singing against a black background in the opening song are actually Patricia Quinn's (Magenta), though the song is dubbed over by Richard O'Brien; the sequence was inspired by a painting of a pair of lips in the sky by Man Ray.
  • 31 years after the film's original release, Lima, Perú celebrated its first "audience participation" show. The venue was "El Cinematógrafo de Barranco", an independent arthouse theater in one of the most bohemian districts of Lima.
  • There are many parallels between RHPS and the 1920s Soviet novel Master and Margarita by Mikhail Bulgakov. The personality of the redheaded maid/witch Gella overlaps that of the East European-accented Magenta. Dr. Frank N Furter is very similar to the "magician" Voland who is the Devil in disguise (aiming to cause chaos and break taboos in Moscow). The cat-shaped demon Begemot and the fanged demon Azazello are, in function and to some extent personality, the same as Riff Raff. Janet echoes Margarita - who in the book is "saved" from a cold marriage by adultery with Master, just like Janet gets her "tensions relieved" by Rocky. The "mood" of the movie is the same as the anarchic, absurdist, symbolic novel.
  • During the scene that the song "Dammit, Janet" appears in, there is a Minister and three members of the church present, two of those resembling the people painted in American Gothic. The Minister is played by Tim Curry (Dr. Frank N Furter). The man with the pitchfork was played by Richard O'Brien (Riff Raff). The blonde haired woman was played by Patricia Quinn (Magenta), and the Brown haired woman played by Little Nell (Columbia)

References in pop culture

Because of the proliferation of the film into the mainstream and public consciousness, there have been numerous references to it within other media. Some notable references are listed below:

  • In Fame (1980), Ralph Garcy, Doris Finsecker, and Montgomery MacNeil attend a showing of "Rocky Horror" at the Eighth Street Playhouse in Greenwich Village, during which Doris joins the Time Warpers. Sal Piro, one of the original instigators of the "live performance/audience participation" phenomena and now the Rocky Horror Fan Club president, makes a cameo during this scene as the MC of the "Rocky Horror" performance.
  • In 1980, the late night comedy show Fridays had a skit called "The Ronnie Horror Picture Show," spoofing the election of President Ronald Reagan. The parts were cast to show members of the administration and songs were rewritten using the same melodies, but parody lyrics, describing the Republican "takeover" of the country. This sketch aired only once because the producer protested against the movie being parodied without his permission[citation needed].
  • Tim Curry was the guest host of Saturday Night Live with Meat Loaf as the musical guest in 1981. This show included a sketch with the two together called "Tim And Meat's One Stop Rocky Horror Shop". Eddie Murphy also alluded heavily to Rocky Horror in the show's opening monologue with Curry.
  • In the 1995 A Star is Burns episode of The Simpsons, Dr. Hibbert arrives at a film festival dressed as Frank, mistakenly thinking Rocky Horror was playing.
  • In the 1997 episode "New York and Queens" of The Drew Carey Show, Drew, Kate, Lewis and Oswald dress up for a midnight showing of Rocky Horror, only to find that the theatre no longer shows the movie. In its place, the theatre now plays The Adventures of Priscilla: Queen of the Desert, attended by a costumed Mimi and Mr. Wick. A dance off between opposing fans to the tunes of "Time Warp" and "Shake Your Groove Thing" ensues. The episode ultimately ends with the police coming to the scene of the dance-off. Extras dressed as Rocky fans were cast members of Midnight Insanity of Long Beach, California. Leroy from Fame appears as a Priscilla dancer. The show bought the rights to use the song "Time Warp", but not its dance choreography, which is why the steps seen are not the traditional moves.
  • In some episodes of Spin City, Barry Bostwick, while playing the mayor, sported a pin that read "I survived Rocky Horror".
  • In the Halloween 2000 episode of That 70's Show (Too Old to Trick or Treat, Too Young to Die), Fez appears in a Frank-N-Furter costume through the entire show, even while his leg is broken and is confined to a wheelchair.
  • In the 2002 Gilmore Girls episode "Secrets and Loans...", Lorelai and Rory plan on seeing The Rocky Horror Picture Show (and dressing up as characters Magenta and Janet) to celebrate Rory's high PSAT score.
  • In Connie and Carla (2004), the drag queen duo of Peaches N'Cream perform The Time Warp for an audition at the club.
  • The 2005 Creatures of the Night episode of the CBS series Cold Case involved a murder related to a screening of the movie. Barry Bostwick played serial killer Roy Anthony, who is investigated in the crime.
  • The Oriental Theater in Milwaukee, WI with the cast Sensual Daydreams, is the longest running continual showing of the Rocky Horror Picture Show in the world.

See also

Reference

  1. ^ Rocky Horror atop the list of highest grossing films never to play in more than 1,000 theaters
  2. ^ Beale, Lewis. "John Hughes Versus the Vampires: The Dilemma Of the Midnight Movie", New York Times, June 19, 2005
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