Bronze Age Babies: Discuss: The Rocky Horror Picture Show

Wednesday, October 26, 2011

Discuss: The Rocky Horror Picture Show

13 comments:

david_b said...: The only time I got into it was my first year in college ('81/82). This girl I was dating and her friend wanted to take me, and insisted I 'dressed up'. Well, it only came down to the strategic placement of a few oranges on my person and mascara, but it was fun.

As for the actual movie, it's release in the glam-rock era with the likes of Bowie, Elton, and KISS was an excellent departure from the current rock trends, allowing a great level of artistic flamboyancy to be showcased as never before.

To me, Tim Curry really sold the concept. I often wonder how bad the movie would have been if someone else would have taken his role instead.

What do y'all think..?; October 26, 2011 at 7:22 AM
david_b said...: Oh, and I'm proud to have been one of the few to take in it's sequel, 'Shock Treatment' on it's release in the early '80s.

Bizarre, applauding the effort, yet a big comedown from the original.; October 26, 2011 at 7:24 AM
dogspunk said...: You are right about Tim Curry, no one else could have sold that character, he'd been Frankenfurter since it was a play. I first saw it in '77 or '78 when my parents actually took me. After that, it became something that us nerdy kids went to every weekend. By 1980 I had seen it so many times I just can't enjoy it anymore.

I am going to look up "shock treatment" now...; October 26, 2011 at 1:20 PM
J.A. Morris said...: Generally speaking, I'm a fan.

I've seen about 5 times start to finish, twice with the "crowd" experience (once outdoors, which was very memorable). It's fun, but if you examine it at all with any sort of critical eye, it's not a very good movie. The "plot" is paper thin, just an excuse for (mostly) fun songs.

Having said that, we own a copy (my wife is a bigger fan of RHPS than I) AND a karaoke disc of the soundtrack.; October 26, 2011 at 2:15 PM
starfoxxx said...: During college I worked at a "cinema cafe" where you could eat and drink (alcohol) during second-run and cult movies. Tickets were cheap, the food was okay.

Saturday night was Rocky Horror Night (around midnite, I think). I thought it was neat, but not my thing. A lot of the "theatre" types; i guess they would be goth or emo kids now. I mostly remember that MOST of the ladies that got dressed up in their underwear definitely were NOT the body-types one would enjoy seeing so scantily-clad. But they had fun, so whatever.; October 26, 2011 at 4:30 PM
B Smith said...: Until the midnight screening cult status came along, it was usually screened here on a double bill with Phantom Of The Paradise. A friend (who eventually wound up seeing it hundreds of times) insisted I had to see RHPS, but I liked Phantom better.; October 26, 2011 at 7:15 PM
Fred W. Hill said...: I first saw it with my then sister-in-law (my brother was in boot camp at the time) in 1983 in Palo Alto, CA. I'd first heard about it through the Dr. Demento radio show in the late '70s -- "The Time Warp" was played regularly on the program -- but back then I was a high school kid in a small town that didn't even have a theater, never mind one that played cult movies at midnight. The participation of the audience, many of whom it was obvious had memorized the entire flick, was the best part. Still, although by nature I'm pretty reserved and not really the sort to put on a costume and go wild, I loved the movie itself for it's absurdist elements. Curry was the stand out actor, but I thought the other members of the cast played their roles well enough. Sure, it's a silly farce with a thin plot, but heck I found it fun enough as pure escapism to get the video and watch it every other year or so.; October 26, 2011 at 9:54 PM
david_b said...: Great comments everyone.

As for comments on the lack of an legitimate plot, I figure that's what makes a good 'cult film', like folks mention about 'Magical Mystery Tour', 'Head', 'The Trip', '200 Motels' 'Faster Pussycat' and to some, even '2001'...

It's more the permeating attitude/weirdness, visual presentation, or 'movie-as-art- form' than strong story ideas.

And of course, the endless midnight showings and audience type..; October 27, 2011 at 7:15 AM
Redartz said...: I experiended it ("experienced" seems more appropriate than "saw") a couple times in college. Never in costume, but by the time it was over I was fully decorated with rice and toast crumbs! Like Fred, I heard about it via Dr. Demento. Rocky Horror seemed a perfect night out for a bunch of art school students, and indeed it was.
The movie gave me an appreciation for Tim Curry's talent that continues to this day...; October 27, 2011 at 8:08 AM
J.A. Morris said...: Demento was also my intro the RHPS, looks like we've got a bunch of Dementites and/or Dementoids who are readers of this blog!; October 27, 2011 at 9:05 AM
Joseph said...: Count me as one who was exposed through Dr. Demento.

When I finally got a chance to see it (at 14 or 15), I was mesmerized by the opening credits with 'Science Fiction/Double Feature'. Mostly I thought it was weird then.

Once I saw it in my 20's, I understood it a bit better; though I never had the nerve to join in the audience participation, as fun as it looked. I generally have a very positive memory of it all (that is, until the recent Glee uprising).; October 28, 2011 at 1:24 AM
IADW said...: I like it but you are right - even though its best live with all the crowd involvement - no one does Frank like Tim Curry. When they imitate they usually fail and when they stray to far they usually fail. So many classic lines too.; October 28, 2011 at 5:07 AM
Anonymous said...: One of my favorite movies. Fantastic singing by Tim Curry, great songs all the way through, hilarious and loving tribute to old sci-fi movies.

"Shock Treatment" was also great but ahead of its time. It's all about reality TV of today!; October 31, 2011 at 4:56 PM

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