For those who like a little "kink" with their classic horror, The Rocky Horror Picture Show stands alone. It's become a classic itself and still plays on stage and on the screen.  The fact is, as you'll read below...

(Note: The author of this article, Jasmine Orr, is a real Rocky Horror fan--and she's only fifteen years old!  It just goes to show that appreciation of classic and cult horror films is restricted to no age group. You can e-mail Jasmine here.)

By JASMINE ORR

When I think of long-lasting horror movies, titles like Psycho, The Thing, Dracula, The Exorcist, or Poltergeist usually creep onto the list.

But what about The Rocky Horror Picture Show?

As a fan, I loved this movie, but some people truly despised the black leather and fishnet hose frolicking transsexuals in it. Everyone has his or her own boundaries of what they think is acceptable in a movie and The Rocky Horror Picture Show crossed them all, including bisexuality, aliens, cannibalism and more. Even though some might label the film obscene and appalling, it still has held many people captivated for decades, and I fell in love with it.

Is it the sheer wackiness of it that thrilled the rebel viewers? Was it that everyone delighted in seeing people make fools of themselves? Were people thrilled to see a new concept in a movie different from what they had ever seen before? Did they fall in love with the characters at first sight? Just why did those tunes stick in everyone’s heads for so long?

ROCKY HORROR HISTORY

Richard O’Brien, (RiffRaff) started it all by writing a play called They Came From Denton High. Michael White, a major theatrical producer from London, read it, and renamed it The Rocky Horror Picture Show. On June 16^th, 1973, the play opened as a six-week workshop in the 60-seat Royal Courts Theatre Upstairs, starring Tim Curry. It was such a success, it went to the 500 seat Kings Theatre. American music producer Lou Adler saw it and bought the American play rights. It opened in the Roxy Theatre in Los Angeles in ’74.

Jointly owned by Lou Adler and Michael White, the film opened for test audiences in September 1975...and bombed. Except for one Los Angeles theater, where the people kept coming back...and singing along. That small participation factor was the only thing that kept the movie from being put back on the shelves and lost forever.

Major studio 20th Century Fox re-opened the movie on April Fool’s Day at the Waverly Theatre as a midnight movie. The owners built the re-release up so much, even playing the sound track in the lobby before the movie started, that it was a huge success.

Rumor has it that the first time that spontaneous acting from an audience member was by Louis Farese, a kindergarten teacher from Staten Island, New York. Dressed as a character, he started doing a pre-movie floor show. People saw this and liked the idea. The notion caught on, and lots of people began to copy him. This was a big thing to do then, for all the die-hard fans that went back to see the film again and again; to really get into it, many people would come in costume and bring their "supplies." Then the show would really get going.

 PLOT OVERVIEW

Brad and Janet, a newly engaged couple, are stranded in a violent storm when their car blows a tire. They go to the nearest (haunted) house, and are invited in out of the storm. (With the wonderfully witty lines "You’re wet." And "Yes--it’s raining.") The master of the house happens to be throwing a party for a troupe of badly dressed individuals who later turn out to be aliens. The master, Frank N. Furter, makes a big entrance and then proceeds to show the naïve couple an extremely interesting, (to say the least) night, including an energetic floor show, various deaths, a few sexual liaisons, and a dramatic Time Warp back home.

NOT A NORMAL THEATRE SHOWING

Although the normal standards for attending a movie at a theater are mostly to keep quiet and don’t throw things, It is the complete opposite when going to RHPS. You were usually expected to bring along a barrage of supplies, including:

• Rice: For the wedding scene.
• Newspapers: For when Janet is walking toward the castle
• Water pistols: To simulate rain.
• Candles or flashlights: (the latter being the safest) for same scene, "there’s a light."
• Rubber gloves: To "snap along" with Frank during and after the creation speech.
• Noise-makers: For end of creation speech.
• Confetti: For when Frank and Rocky approach and disappear into bedroom after the wedding.
• Toilet paper: For when Dr. Scott rolls into play.
• Toast: For when Frank proposes a toast during dinner.
• Party hat: Also for dinner
• Bell: To ring along with the line "did you hear a bell ring" in the "Janet, Schmanet" song.
• Cards: To throw in the air with the line "Cards for sorrow, cards for pain" in Frank’s "I’m Going Home."

THE CHARACTERS

Frank N. Furter: Tim Curry. Frank was a many sided man. (man? woman? Both?) He had a mean, conniving streak, but still had feelings of love for just about anyone who came on the scene. He could go from lover to killer in seconds. He was truly likable at times, and even had the power to make you pity him and convince you he was right for doing things that were so blatantly wrong.

Rocky: Peter Hinwood. An abused, naïve sex toy that can sing but can’t speak, created by Frank for...you know what. He is truly beautiful to behold, as Rocky so modestly puts it himself. He was pitied and loved by Janet but eventually met a King Kong type end in a foolhardy attempt to save his creator.

Janet Weiss: Susan Sarandon and Brad Majors: Barry Bostwick. sweet, wholesome pathetically innocent until they are sucked into the insane world of Frank N. Furter. Newly engaged, happy...and quite the adulterers. They make it through the party...but not without memories.

RiffRaff: Richard O’Brien and Magenta: Patricia Quinn (brother and sister.) and Columbia: Little Nell, or Laura Campbell. Somewhat side characters, but still vital to the movie’s sheer quirkiness. Magenta is a vampish looking woman in a French maid outfit. RiffRaff is a killer, disbeliever, and eventually the new captain of the ship. A tap dancer, Columbia is an ex-lover of Frank’s and isn’t very happy about it, but is now in love with Eddie.

Dr. Scott: Jonathon Adams. A rather small part, but can you forget him dancing in drag in his wheelchair...Eddie’s uncle, he knows more then he should.

Eddie: Meatloaf, or Marvin Lee Aday. Loves Columbia, rock and roll, motorbikes, and eventually gets digested.

WHERE ARE THEY NOW?

Tim Curry: still very much into the acting business. The Rocky Horror Picture Show was his first movie. He is now living in Los Angeles. Discography: Simplicity, (1981), Read My Lips, Fearless, (1979) and The Best Of Tim Curry. Filmography: Congo, Legend, Clue, Pass The Ammo, Fern Gully, The Three Musketeers, Annie, The Addams Family, and more.

Susan Sarandon: Still doing lots of acting. Filmography: Stepmom, Witches of Eastwick, Atlantic City, Thelma and Louise, Lorenzo’s Oil, The Client and so much more.

Barry Bostwick: He has pretty much dropped out of acting. (Surprise fact: he was the one that created the role of Danny Zuko in Grease.) Filmography: Movie, Movie, Megaforce, Weekend At Bernies 2, and a historical mini-series on television (George Washington).

Richard O’Brien: Writing movie scripts and plays, and attending RHPS conventions. His CD Absolute O’Brien was just released in England. He won the "best alien" award in the "Phantom of the Movies" columnist annual video awards. Filmography: Ever After, Dark City.

Patricia Quinn: She just completed a 25-year anniversary tour of the play in Britain. (Bonus fact: Those are her lips that "sing" so much in RHPS.) Filmography: The Outsider, The Chastity Belt, Shock Treatment (the unsuccessful sequel to RHPS), Hawk The Slayer, and more.

Little Nell, Laura Campbell: She is now running her very successful nightclub, "Nell’s." Filmography: Shock Treatment, Jubilee.

Peter Hinwood: He was a model when hired for the role of Rocky, with little or no acting experience. After the show, he shied away from all publicity. Even in the movie, he was not singing his own songs. He is allegedly a successful antique dealer now.

Jonathon Adams: He was mostly known as a stage actor when hired. Now, he is a songwriter, artist, and performs in cabarets.

Meatloaf or Marvin Lee Aday: He acted a lot on Broadway for a while, and is now acting in movies like Black Dog and making more music. Rock on!

Charles Gray: He is now busy doing voice-overs and TV shows in London. He played Blofeld in the James Bond film Diamonds Are Forever. Filmography: The Beast Must Die, Devil’s Bride, Shock Treatment, The Mirror Crack'd and more.

 AND GOING AND GOING AND GOING....

The movie is still playing, videos are still being sold, and fan clubs are still getting more subscriptions. The cult is continuing. Some theaters continue to show the movie and allowing audience participation. Lots of theaters claim to be the first to host audience participation; however, The Waverly story is likely as close as we will ever get to the truth. Live casts still perform the play, some perform along with the movie. At least for now, the people waiting in line to enter the theater are not pelted with eggs--as they used to be in some instances for attending such a movie.

Many people all over the world continue to enjoy the movie, although we may never know exactly why. All we know is that for some time to come, people will still be advocating the film's philosophy "Don’t dream it...do it."

Thanks, Jasmine, for providing this primer on Rocky Horror! If any readers wants the full experience, we suggest you watch Rocky Horror at a "participating" theater--but bring your umbrella!  Cheers!

Article copyright Jasmine Orr.

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