Movie Description
THE ROCKY HORROR PICTURE SHOW is a magical phenomenon unlike anything ever before seen onscreen. Borrowing largely from cinema's horror conventions, the film begins as an innocent young couple is stranded at the home of a mad scientist who is building the perfect man. The castle is filled with a most bizarre group of characters who worship their master, Dr. Frank-N-Furter, played magnificently by the fabulously sexy Tim Curry, in leather jacket, pearls, fishnet stockings, and heavy makeup. Brad (Barry Bostwick) and Janet (Susan Sarandon) are forced to examine their own sexuality as the voluptuous doctor releases the hidden desires in each of them.
Based on the stage musical by Richard O'Brien (who also appears in the film as Riff Raff), the film comes alive with unforgettable song-and-dance numbers that have come to represent the sexual liberation of the 1970s. The outstanding costuming and makeup, the terrific acting by a group of relative unknowns (Curry, O'Brien, Bostwick, Sarandon, Nell Campbell, Patricia Quinn, Meat Loaf), and the memorable songs ("Time Warp," "Sweet Transvestite") help make THE ROCKY HORROR PICTURE SHOW one of the most bizarrely entertaining and satisfying musicals ever made.
| Credits | | Writer: | Jim Sharman | | Producer: | John Goldstone | | Cast: | Charles Gray, Jeremy Newson, Meat Loaf, Richard O'Brien |
| Details | | Edition: | 25th Anniversary Special Edition | | Sound: | THX Sound |
Notes
Theatrical Release: September 26, 1975.
THE ROCKY HORROR PICTURE SHOW premiered at the Westwood Theatre in Los Angeles on September 26, 1975. The initial release of the film took in less than $300,000.
The film's first official midnight showing was on April 1, 1976, at the Waverly in Greenwich Village. Tickets were three dollars.
Shooting of the film began in London on October 21, 1974, scheduled for six weeks. The shoot lasted 10 weeks.
The musical THE ROCKY HORROR SHOW opened at the 62-seat Royal Court Studio Theatre on June 19, 1973; the cast included Nell Campbell (Columbia), Patricia Quinn (Magenta), and Tim Curry as Dr. Frank-N-Furter. On Halloween night, it moved to the 500-seat Kings Road Theatre. It was a smash hit, drawing the likes of Vincent Price and David Bowie. When the show moved to the Roxy Theatre in Los Angeles in early 1974, Curry stayed with the cast. In L.A. the parts of Eddie and Dr. Scott were played by an aspiring actor-singer named Marvin Lee Aday, also known as Meat Loaf. Attendees in L.A. included Keith Moon, Carole King (dressed as Magenta), and Elvis Presley.
The movie was not released on video until November 8, 1990.
The film cost slightly more than $1 million to make.
The film had grossed more than $150 million in midnight showings by August 1990. It bombed at the box office when it first opened.
Playwright-composer Richard O'Brien was inspired by the androgynous glam rock movement as well as ads for women's lingerie.
O'Brien's original working title was THEY CAME FROM DENTON HIGH.
In February 1996, Susan Sarandon was awarded Harvard University's Hasty Pudding Club award for her performance in the film.
The year 1978 saw the number of prints of the movie showing across the country go from 35 to 202.
Longtime fan club president Sal Piro first saw the film in 1976 with his friend Marc Shaiman; Shaiman went on to write the music for SOUTH PARK: BIGGER, LONGER & UNCUT. As of summer 2000, Piro had seen ROCKY HORROR more than 2,000 times; he also wrote the books CREATURES OF THE NIGHT: THE ROCKY HORROR EXPERIENCE, ROCKY HORROR: CREATURES OF THE NIGHT II, and THE OFFICIAL ROCKY HORROR PICTURE SHOW AUDIENCE PAR-TIC-I-PATION GUIDE.
THE ROCKY HORROR PICTURE SHOW opened and closed without much notice until 20th Century Fox decided to market it as a midnight movie. It quickly exploded into a worldwide cult phenomenon unlike any other in movie history. Screenings became partylike events in which audience participation was half the show. Fans would dress up as all the major characters, scream out every line of dialogue in tandem with the characters, and sing along with every song while squirting water pistols and throwing toilet paper and rice at the screen. The Rocky Horror cult members formed a network almost as tightly knit as that of Grateful Dead fans. The phenomenon began to wane toward the late 1980s, finally prompting 20th Century Fox to release the film on video in 1990--15 years after its theatrical release.
The movie and its back story was the subject of an episode of VH1's BEHIND THE MUSIC.
In 2000 a stage version appeared on Broadway, featuring Joan Jett.
Nell Campbell is listed in the opening credits as Little Nell, and Meat Loaf is listed as Meatloaf.
British scandal queen Koo Stark appears as a bridesmaid in the opening scene.
Richard Nixon can be heard giving a speech on the radio when Brad and Janet get a flat tire at the dead end.
The famous lips that mouth the opening song belong to former Playboy bunny Patricia Quinn, who plays Magenta.
The film marked Barry Bostwick's feature-film debut.
At one point Mick Jagger was interested in playing Dr. Frank-N-Furter, and Marianne Faithful was interested in playing Magenta.
Peter Hinwood (Rocky Horror), whose voice was dubbed in the film, never appeared in another movie and does not grant interviews to discuss what for him was not an experience on which he looks back fondly.
Editorial Reviews
"...This cultural phenom plays surprisingly well at home..."
USA Today - Mike Clark (11/06/1990)
"...[With] quotable B-movie dialogue, sassy visual flair, some ridiculously catchy musical numbers and a killer performance from Tim Curry..."
Total Film - Dan Rider (04/01/2001)
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+!KG2)BLGj1ONh)!~~_7.JPG "The Rocky Horror Picture Show (VHS, 2000, 25th Anniversary Special Edition)")
+!KG2)BLGj1ONh)!~~_32.JPG "The Rocky Horror Picture Show (VHS, 2000, 25th Anniversary Special Edition)")
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