Rocky Horror Picture Show
This article is not intended to be a comprehensive review of the Rocky Horror Picture Show. The film (and play) is well-covered on the web and in various other media. This article is intended to serve as an introduction and summary. For a complete listing of cast and credits, please see the IMDB link at the end of this article.
The Rocky Horror Picture Show is a 1975 film, produced by Michael White, directed by Jim Sharman, starring Tim Curry, Susan Sarandon, Barry Bostwick, Richard O'Brien, Meat Loaf and others, and distributed by Twentieth Century Fox. It is a film adaptation of the stage musical The Rocky Horror Show, written by Richard O'Brien.
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Genre and Meaning
If there is only one thing to be agreed upon, it is that The Rocky Horror Picture Show should not be taken too seriously. Although the story line is a tragedy in the classical sense, it's a fun film to watch. There's lot of music, dancing, costumes, eye candy for those of any persuasion, humor, and the story is easy to follow. There are a couple of awkward scenes, a couple of grotesque scenes, and a couple of scenes depicting violence. There are some brief sex scenes but they are tastefully presented. Some very brief female frontal nudity appears in the "floor show" scene.
The film is often interpreted as a satire or spoof on the low-budget horror films of the 1950s and early 1960s.
The film had dismal first and second run releases. The popularity of the film began in 1976 when midnight showings began in several major cities that it became a cult classic.
At the time of this writing, The Rocky Horror Picture Show holds the all time record for the longest continuous theatrical release in the United States.
Plot Synopsis
Countless very detailed summaries exist on the web. The complete dialogue for both the film and stage versions can be easily obtained with a web search. This is only a brief summary.
The story line begins with protagonists Brad Majors and Janet Weiss attending the wedding of their friends as honor attendants. Brad proposes to Janet, she accepts, and the two take off to share their joy with Dr. Everett Scott, a former science teacher, in whose class the two first met.
As night falls, Brad's car develops a flat tire, and the two set out walking in search of a telephone to call for help. They come upon a castle and become entrapped in a bizarre celebration hosted by Dr. Frank-N-Furter ("Frank"), who has just created a humanoid monster dubbed Rocky.
Dr. Scott, now with a government agency in charge of investigating UFOs, appears at the castle in search of his lost nephew, Eddie, who was kidnapped by Frank to be used as raw materials for creating Rocky. A dinner scene occurs, during which a dark secret about Dr. Scott's background is revealed, and the remains of Eddie are discovered to be hidden under the tablecloth.
A floor show is presented, with most of the cast (including Dr. Scott in a wheel chair) performing a few song and dance numbers.
Riff Raff and Magenta suddenly appear and announce that they are taking over and that the entire castle is to be beamed back to a distant planet. Frank resists and is killed by Riff Raff's laser gun. The earthlings are allowed to leave prior to the beam-up and they are last seen lying disoriented on what was the castle lawn.
Musical Numbers
(In order of sequence in the original release of the film.)
"Science Fiction-Double Feature"
"Dammit Janet (I Love You)"
"There's a Light (Over at the Frankenstein Place)"
"Time Warp"
"Sweet Transvestite"
"Sword of Damocles"
"Charles Atlas Song (In Just Seven Days I Can Make You a Man)"
"Hot Patootie – Bless My Soul, aka Whatever Happened to Saturday Night"
"Touch a Touch a Touch Me"
"Eddie's Teddy"
"Planet Schmanet Janet"
"Rose Tint My World"
"Don't Dream It, Be It"
"Wild and an Untamed Thing"
"I'm Going Home"
"Super Heroes" (abridged version)
Live Casts and Audience Participation
Depending on location, the film is currently usually presented weekly, biweekly, monthly, or on special occasions such as the weekend nearest to Halloween.
In most locations where the film is regularly shown, a volunteer "cast" of fans acts out the scenes in the front of the theater along with the film. Several local casts have elaborate props, based upon those used in the film.
Members of the audience interact with the film and the local cast in two ways. First, props, appropriate to the scene, are used to punctuate the film. Examples include:
- Confetti - thrown during the opening wedding scene.
Trivia and Miscellanea
The overture (Science Fiction, Double Feature), presented during the opening credits, is sung by Richard O'Brien and lip-synced by Patricia Quinn, who played the character Magenta in the film.
The customary and expected Twentieth Century Fox logo is presented at the very beginning of the film. However, instead of the expected trumpets, Alfred Newman's fanfare is rendered on a honky-tonk piano.
Although filmed, the song Once In A While, which appeared in the stage version, is omitted from all known releases of the film.
Only a snippet of the song Super Heroes, which appeared in its entirety in the stage version, appears in the earlier releases of the film. Most later releases include the entire song.
Some of the characters (Frank, Riff Raff, Magenta) appear in various roles during the opening wedding scene.
