By the time I saw RHPS it had already been 10+ years since its premiere. It was an amazing and joyful experience to see at midnight in an auditorium full of people who were facing a plague that was killing so many of us. I was just coming out. It was a message of fun in a very dark time. There was so much fear. And so much hatred focused on our community. From inside and out. So many people considered us monsters. Rocky Horror gave us a couple of hours when we could be among our people and remember the joy of what it could be to be considered human. That’s what I remember. And that’s why I’ll always be a fan. ❤❤
One of many tradgedies of AIDS(and still is) how many creative people and in the early eighties the USA and UK governments unwillingness to address itm I saw TRHPS early eighties -and disagreed with right wing bigots wilfully ignoring a person issue -not sexuality issue --+in pursuit of their own own power base. Sadly that ringhht wing mentality gone full circle. As to RHPS it still that miracle of all inclusivity.
Thank you for this retrospective. Lovely stuff. I owe Rocky Horror one massive debt of gratitude. I took girlfriends to see the film and live performances whenever Rocky Horror was doing the rounds. So many happy memories of good times, laughter and pleasure. Thank you, Rocky Horror and especially Tim Curry. It turns out, Ladies love Drag Acts, Musicals, Horror and Comedy. Who would'a thunk?
First time watching it was during a Halloween week midnight uncut showing on a local independent station. I was seven, and my mom and I were insomniacs. My mom was skittish throughout but she kept it on that channel because I was laughing so hard. Years after she died, I saw it on video and indeed the old local station had aired it uncut. Still laughing.
It's so damned sad about youtube's moral "outrage" decline over the last few years. Thank you for this tribute to a movie that has brought so much joy.
To this day I tell people that when I was sixteen a man invited me into an Indiana hotel room and showed me something that would change me forever. And then I tell them it was The Rocky Horror Picture Show which makes it a slightly different story...but only slightly. Needless to say I love this review and I'm astounded and thrilled you found some things I didn't know.
Great review of classic stage and movie production. I saw after seeing FAME (80) which a sequence with audience participation is involved but had only heard of , not seen before. Then saw on telly, stage, video dvd blu ray... One of TRHPS elements is that it is none judging in its approach. Tommy came out around same time (costing considerably more) but Rocky horror has not only surpassed it financially but is better remembered and more noteworthy
Since Tommy was an album first I knew and embraced it. I saw Tommy twice in the theater. It di 32,000,000 on a 6,000,000 budget. It was a hit, but more like endless videos, whereas Rocky and his linear story are more relatable to confused teens. I saw Rocky in college but only after our drama club re-enacted the entire play at a party. Eventually I got into a group who would go every week. The toughest part was you had to run to the liquor store before 2am. Because everyone was so amped! Lol
Considering that youtube used to allow the most egregious content, including but not limited to animal cruelty, it's kind of ironic that now they're clutching their pearls over stuff that isn't problematic
All that was before COPPA stepped in. And now with the MAGA Republicans on the warpath and the presidential election just months away, I wonder if any of us have a future with RUclips.
Let's face it--if films like "Rocky Horror" or "To Wong Foo..." premiered today, theaters would get d3@th threats. That is how far back we have gone. I was 13 years old when I first watched RHPS and it helped get me out of my ultra-conservative mindset. I have made so many friends through various theatrical screenings. Is the movie good? Not exactly...but it's about the experience.
A great overview of this one, and spot-on in your serious/silly juxtaposition. I agree that its message goes beyond sexual liberation and into making your own way in the world without fear. ‘Don’t dream it, be it.’
I love how overly dramatic actors are, even when not acting! Susan Sarandon said she got pneumonia from being cold and wet a lot. It's a bacterial infection and has nothing to do with being wet or cold, same with the common cold (viral), which is most likely what she actually had. Seems like whenever an actor gets a sniffle it's pneumonia or influenza or some other horrible debilitating illness that they just amazingly managed to work through without it even showing when other mere mortal non actors are bedridden! 😅
MUST! COMMENT! SO... MANY... RETORTS! I want to do a watch-along with this Post just so I can make all my interjections! (Or should I say 'Partici---pations'???) Will share one fun-fact now... I was actually approached by a local Theater Group sometime ago to play the part of Dr. Scott in their production. (Supposed I shouldn't have been THAT surprised they didn't want me for the part of Rocky!)
I think Science Feature Double Feature is a better song but it is very understated as opposed to Sweet Transvestite From Transylvania. I agree Eric, that especially through it's longevity, you have to look at it through a prism of socio political spectrum. VERY well startedstated and a great video overall. I also would mention that Meatloaf's explosive 1977 album, Bat Out of Hell, lent some life to the longevity and ushered it into cult status of the late 70's and 80's. Sarandon's and Tim Curry's fame as well. Speaking of Curry, there is another little film he did called Time Square that fascinates me as well.
Great Review Eric. I used to think this film was utterly ridiculous when I was a kid, But as I grew up, I finally was able to understand how great it was. I'm going to guess that your next movie review will be about Brainstorm.
Yay! Loved this film. Went to many late night screenings here in Melbourne Australia. Truly was a global phenomenon. Was an active participant in the call and response as well (and could not help doing the Rocky grunt in that little bit you played at the end 😜) On reflection I prefer Science Fiction as a song - Time Warp is fun, it’s a close call.
It is an absurd comedy, watch it as such. I will point out, this movie was never meant for kids. By the way, if you watch the sequel, Shock Treatment, Brad and Janet DO get married.
I first saw Rocky Horror as a dooouuuble-feeeaature with Phantom of the Paradise about 2 or 3 years after they both came out here in Oz. With my then girlfriend now wife. And the mere fact that we did the Time Warp at our wedding shows how much we both loved the show. Notwithstanding the use of Time Warp, my preference has always been the song Science Fiction. And I honestly still prefer Phantom of the Paradise over Rocky Horror, as I did on that night. By a little.
I like to think that Frank-N-Furter survived this movie, moved into another mansion, and... Well you can see/hear the results in the video I made. "Clue: The Movie, Review, Reactions & Recreations". I reprise a few of the Rocky Horror songs, and even bring Brad and Janet back, before their trip to Denton, and Brad's "Shock Treatment". I bring Doc/Professor Plum/Brown along, with other movie mashup characters, all played by me. Yeap including White, Yvette, Scarlet, the cook, Janet, and as the voice of the singing telegram.
I was in high school 80-84 and this was a staple of my experience. Now I'm going to don my grumpy old man "back in MY day" hat. Audience participation has changed. Back then everyone at the theater was on the same script, as it were, more or less, and you could actually hear, understand, and participate in audience call-back. Each theater had it's variation of course, but still. I last went to a show in the early 00s and boy, had things changed. The lights were on, props were largely disallowed, and everyone was shouting their own thing. It was so loud and inchoate I couldn't even here the dialogue of the film. While I'm all for being your own self, there was something to be said about the unity and community of those earlier times. I suppose this is a metaphor for our times, especially in America.
i went to high school, in 91-95'. i could not even begin to imagine that kind of cohesion at a rocky show. and for me, that the chaos was part of the charm. that being said, about 98' i took a "friend" to see it in raleigh and this fool said "where did they find the (short name for jewish people)?" before the line "burning in the fire place". i have never before or since seen been in a rocky show where the only noise was coming from the movie it's self. not a friend anymore.
@@pathevermore3683 Yeah, there was a lot of improve and trial by error and so the "script" did change over time, but you could still understand what people said. If someone shouted out a new line and we all laughed, it was probably going to be adopted in. The advantage was that most of the audience were repeat viewers who only went to that specific theater, so after a time everyone coalesced around the same call-backs. I don't recall any racist or bigoted stuff. If someone had shouted crap like that they'd have been booed out of the theater.
I was one of those kids who saw the movie more times than i can count. I can honestly say that my friends and I never thought of the political messages that the movie espoused. We just thought it was fun to sing, dance, shout, and gawk at the people who dressed up.
Ooh, I hope you also review Shock Treatment someday. It might not be AS good as Rocky, but it really doesn't deserve its terrible reputation. There's still a lot to like there.
"yes, it's stupid. Yes, it's adolescent. Yes, it's puerile." Hell yeah!!! Thank you for confirming my reasons to want to continue seeing it. It surprised me that television networks would even bother doing this one, given their insistence on maintaining some semblance of "family viewing" ... i.e. no full nudity and a minimum of profanity, though I notice that as vicious a show as CRIMINAL MINDS lasted for 15 years (not counting the EVOLUTION continuation) on CBS. (That's not a moral judgement; I watched the entire run.) But stripping ROCKY HORROR (not pun intended) of its racier elements is neutering it to the point of why bother? I understand that there was initially the idea of doing HAIR as a live broadcast, but the same problem would be in evidence, even without the notorious nude scene (something that it not actually in the stage script), so I am actually glad it never came to fruition.
i think objectively the text of the film suffers from time passing and changing sensibilities. as a queer person, i cringe in almost any modern context where the words "transvestite" and transsexual" are used. but i still love it because it was integral in my own journey of self discovery. but this film might just transcend modern sensibilities, it speaks to the outsider in a way that few films do.
Certainly cannot disagree with your analysis of this. Of course "Science Fiction Double Feature" is the better song simply due to all of the references crammed into it for unapologetic geeks to spot. And thanks for mentioning British national treasure Christopher Biggins.
Only a straight person could acknowledge a film's importance to the LGBT community, and then IMMEDIATELY wipe that away and say, "No, no, no. It's about poking fun at puritanism, so we can ALL have some fun". Yeah. Go ahead. Enjoy! We'll just back-off. You're right, it's all about you! (Because there aren't enough "rebellious" movies already for you guys to enjoy!)
By the time I saw RHPS it had already been 10+ years since its premiere. It was an amazing and joyful experience to see at midnight in an auditorium full of people who were facing a plague that was killing so many of us.
I was just coming out.
It was a message of fun in a very dark time.
There was so much fear. And so much hatred focused on our community. From inside and out. So many people considered us monsters.
Rocky Horror gave us a couple of hours when we could be among our people and remember the joy of what it could be to be considered human.
That’s what I remember. And that’s why I’ll always be a fan. ❤❤
One of many tradgedies of AIDS(and still is) how many creative people and in the early eighties the USA and UK governments unwillingness to address itm
I saw TRHPS early eighties -and disagreed with right wing bigots wilfully ignoring a person issue -not sexuality issue --+in pursuit of their own own power base. Sadly that ringhht wing mentality gone full circle. As to RHPS it still that miracle of all inclusivity.
Thank you for this retrospective. Lovely stuff. I owe Rocky Horror one massive debt of gratitude. I took girlfriends to see the film and live performances whenever Rocky Horror was doing the rounds. So many happy memories of good times, laughter and pleasure. Thank you, Rocky Horror and especially Tim Curry. It turns out, Ladies love Drag Acts, Musicals, Horror and Comedy. Who would'a thunk?
First time watching it was during a Halloween week midnight uncut showing on a local independent station. I was seven, and my mom and I were insomniacs. My mom was skittish throughout but she kept it on that channel because I was laughing so hard. Years after she died, I saw it on video and indeed the old local station had aired it uncut. Still laughing.
It's so damned sad about youtube's moral "outrage" decline over the last few years. Thank you for this tribute to a movie that has brought so much joy.
I've read before that Susan Sarandon didn't think she could sing. What was she thinking? She has the voice of an angel. It gives me chills!
Disney now owning Fox makes Frankenfurter a Disney princess.
😂😂😂
shouting quips back at my TV while watching your video!
Love that!
To this day I tell people that when I was sixteen a man invited me into an Indiana hotel room and showed me something that would change me forever. And then I tell them it was The Rocky Horror Picture Show which makes it a slightly different story...but only slightly. Needless to say I love this review and I'm astounded and thrilled you found some things I didn't know.
Great review of classic stage and movie production.
I saw after seeing FAME (80) which a sequence with audience participation is involved but had only heard of , not seen before. Then saw on telly, stage, video dvd blu ray...
One of TRHPS elements is that it is none judging in its approach.
Tommy came out around same time (costing considerably more) but Rocky horror has not only surpassed it financially but is better remembered and more noteworthy
Since Tommy was an album first I knew and embraced it. I saw Tommy twice in the theater. It di 32,000,000 on a 6,000,000 budget. It was a hit, but more like endless videos, whereas Rocky and his linear story are more relatable to confused teens. I saw Rocky in college but only after our drama club re-enacted the entire play at a party. Eventually I got into a group who would go every week. The toughest part was you had to run to the liquor store before 2am. Because everyone was so amped! Lol
5:41 I still remember your old outro where you parodied the old RKO Pictures logo.
I meant to use it on this video, but by the time I got to the end of my editing, I was so exhausted I plain forgot!
Considering that youtube used to allow the most egregious content, including but not limited to animal cruelty, it's kind of ironic that now they're clutching their pearls over stuff that isn't problematic
All that was before COPPA stepped in. And now with the MAGA Republicans on the warpath and the presidential election just months away, I wonder if any of us have a future with RUclips.
Let's face it--if films like "Rocky Horror" or "To Wong Foo..." premiered today, theaters would get d3@th threats.
That is how far back we have gone.
I was 13 years old when I first watched RHPS and it helped get me out of my ultra-conservative mindset. I have made so many friends through various theatrical screenings. Is the movie good? Not exactly...but it's about the experience.
A great overview of this one, and spot-on in your serious/silly juxtaposition. I agree that its message goes beyond sexual liberation and into making your own way in the world without fear. ‘Don’t dream it, be it.’
I love how overly dramatic actors are, even when not acting! Susan Sarandon said she got pneumonia from being cold and wet a lot. It's a bacterial infection and has nothing to do with being wet or cold, same with the common cold (viral), which is most likely what she actually had. Seems like whenever an actor gets a sniffle it's pneumonia or influenza or some other horrible debilitating illness that they just amazingly managed to work through without it even showing when other mere mortal non actors are bedridden! 😅
MUST! COMMENT! SO... MANY... RETORTS! I want to do a watch-along with this Post just so I can make all my interjections! (Or should I say 'Partici---pations'???) Will share one fun-fact now... I was actually approached by a local Theater Group sometime ago to play the part of Dr. Scott in their production. (Supposed I shouldn't have been THAT surprised they didn't want me for the part of Rocky!)
I think Science Feature Double Feature is a better song but it is very understated as opposed to Sweet Transvestite From Transylvania. I agree Eric, that especially through it's longevity, you have to look at it through a prism of socio political spectrum. VERY well startedstated and a great video overall. I also would mention that Meatloaf's explosive 1977 album, Bat Out of Hell, lent some life to the longevity and ushered it into cult status of the late 70's and 80's. Sarandon's and Tim Curry's fame as well.
Speaking of Curry, there is another little film he did called Time Square that fascinates me as well.
Great Review Eric. I used to think this film was utterly ridiculous when I was a kid, But as I grew up, I finally was able to understand how great it was. I'm going to guess that your next movie review will be about Brainstorm.
Wow. I didn't think anybody would get that!
Oh, and I prefer Sci Fi 2F over the Time Warp. It’s a rad, sweeping glam ballad and those get me every time. 😁
Yay!
Loved this film.
Went to many late night screenings here in Melbourne Australia. Truly was a global phenomenon.
Was an active participant in the call and response as well (and could not help doing the Rocky grunt in that little bit you played at the end 😜)
On reflection I prefer Science Fiction as a song - Time Warp is fun, it’s a close call.
It is an absurd comedy, watch it as such. I will point out, this movie was never meant for kids. By the way, if you watch the sequel, Shock Treatment, Brad and Janet DO get married.
I first saw Rocky Horror as a dooouuuble-feeeaature with Phantom of the Paradise about 2 or 3 years after they both came out here in Oz. With my then girlfriend now wife. And the mere fact that we did the Time Warp at our wedding shows how much we both loved the show. Notwithstanding the use of Time Warp, my preference has always been the song Science Fiction. And I honestly still prefer Phantom of the Paradise over Rocky Horror, as I did on that night. By a little.
I like to think that Frank-N-Furter survived this movie, moved into another mansion, and... Well you can see/hear the results in the video I made. "Clue: The Movie, Review, Reactions & Recreations". I reprise a few of the Rocky Horror songs, and even bring Brad and Janet back, before their trip to Denton, and Brad's "Shock Treatment". I bring Doc/Professor Plum/Brown along, with other movie mashup characters, all played by me. Yeap including White, Yvette, Scarlet, the cook, Janet, and as the voice of the singing telegram.
Nice!!
I was in high school 80-84 and this was a staple of my experience. Now I'm going to don my grumpy old man "back in MY day" hat.
Audience participation has changed. Back then everyone at the theater was on the same script, as it were, more or less, and you could actually hear, understand, and participate in audience call-back. Each theater had it's variation of course, but still. I last went to a show in the early 00s and boy, had things changed. The lights were on, props were largely disallowed, and everyone was shouting their own thing. It was so loud and inchoate I couldn't even here the dialogue of the film. While I'm all for being your own self, there was something to be said about the unity and community of those earlier times. I suppose this is a metaphor for our times, especially in America.
i went to high school, in 91-95'. i could not even begin to imagine that kind of cohesion at a rocky show. and for me, that the chaos was part of the charm.
that being said, about 98' i took a "friend" to see it in raleigh and this fool said "where did they find the (short name for jewish people)?" before the line "burning in the fire place". i have never before or since seen been in a rocky show where the only noise was coming from the movie it's self. not a friend anymore.
@@pathevermore3683 Yeah, there was a lot of improve and trial by error and so the "script" did change over time, but you could still understand what people said. If someone shouted out a new line and we all laughed, it was probably going to be adopted in. The advantage was that most of the audience were repeat viewers who only went to that specific theater, so after a time everyone coalesced around the same call-backs.
I don't recall any racist or bigoted stuff. If someone had shouted crap like that they'd have been booed out of the theater.
@@bennett8535 i think the silence did more than any amount of booing ever could.
Timewarp all the way. Back in the 80s, in stuffy old Britain, no party started until they played the Timewarp.
I was one of those kids who saw the movie more times than i can count. I can honestly say that my friends and I never thought of the political messages that the movie espoused. We just thought it was fun to sing, dance, shout, and gawk at the people who dressed up.
Here 🙋🏻♀️ for it 🎉
Ooh, I hope you also review Shock Treatment someday. It might not be AS good as Rocky, but it really doesn't deserve its terrible reputation. There's still a lot to like there.
I plan on it!
"yes, it's stupid. Yes, it's adolescent. Yes, it's puerile."
Hell yeah!!! Thank you for confirming my reasons to want to continue seeing it.
It surprised me that television networks would even bother doing this one, given their insistence on maintaining some semblance of "family viewing" ... i.e. no full nudity and a minimum of profanity, though I notice that as vicious a show as CRIMINAL MINDS lasted for 15 years (not counting the EVOLUTION continuation) on CBS. (That's not a moral judgement; I watched the entire run.) But stripping ROCKY HORROR (not pun intended) of its racier elements is neutering it to the point of why bother? I understand that there was initially the idea of doing HAIR as a live broadcast, but the same problem would be in evidence, even without the notorious nude scene (something that it not actually in the stage script), so I am actually glad it never came to fruition.
"Dream it in your living room...BE it in the theatre!"
i think objectively the text of the film suffers from time passing and changing sensibilities. as a queer person, i cringe in almost any modern context where the words "transvestite" and transsexual" are used. but i still love it because it was integral in my own journey of self discovery. but this film might just transcend modern sensibilities, it speaks to the outsider in a way that few films do.
Scifi or Time Warp = talk about a pick-em. Another Great Vid TUG !
I am commenting before I watch this video. I could be considered severely conservative but I love this movie. Huge Tim Curry fan.
1:03 zactly 💯😂
epic af
cime to chance channel
Certainly cannot disagree with your analysis of this. Of course "Science Fiction Double Feature" is the better song simply due to all of the references crammed into it for unapologetic geeks to spot. And thanks for mentioning British national treasure Christopher Biggins.
LET'S DO THE TIMEWARP AGAIN!
9:40 WTF, the amount of times i bought that movie i feel like i owe her a 20.
It definitely defines the term, "Cult Classic".
Great movie 😊
Lol 😮😮😮😮😮
Could you challenge such restrictions?
Wow! Susan Sarandon complaining about something... who'd a thunk it!?!
Janet !!
Doctor Scott !!
Janet !!
Brad !!
Rocky !!
......... !!
Janet! Dr. Scott! Janet! Brad! Rocky!
I love this movie! Time Warp is the better song.
My mom told me who Lily St. Cyr was...lol...
Only a straight person could acknowledge a film's importance to the LGBT community, and then IMMEDIATELY wipe that away and say, "No, no, no. It's about poking fun at puritanism, so we can ALL have some fun". Yeah. Go ahead. Enjoy! We'll just back-off. You're right, it's all about you! (Because there aren't enough "rebellious" movies already for you guys to enjoy!)