# Rocky Horror Picture Show - WTF?? **URL:** \ **Category:** Cafe Society\ **Created:** [January 5, 2005, 10:25pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/rocky-horror-picture-show-wtf/283285 "2005-01-05T22:25:00Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 4
**Author:** ![LifeOnWry](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/96bed5/32.png) [@LifeOnWry](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/LifeOnWry)\ **Post date:** [January 6, 2005, 11:21pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/rocky-horror-picture-show-wtf/283285/61 "2005-01-06T23:21:48Z")
> [@Sample\_the\_Dog](#): > > No one I knew “back in the day” actually studied the stuff, as I hear of some folks doing now. And most of the people who dressed up just did it as a lark with clothes they ran across in thrift shops or old things from their closets. When that book and the audience “partici… (say it!)pation” album came out, it ruined a lot of the fun for the regulars at the Biograph. Instead of lines that had sort of naturally evolved and a crowd that was there to hang out and have fun, what we got was a mess o’ teenage girls who kept yelling, “NO HE’S NOT SHE’S GOT SYPH” like little automatons over everything. While I appreciate the history and proprietary feeling of the official fan club from New York, their way is not the only “right” way. We quickly christened the group the “Sal Piro Lesbian Choir” and subsequently ignored them until they went away. ---
**Author:** ![Padeye](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/a9a28c/32.png) [@Padeye](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Padeye)\ **Post date:** [January 6, 2005, 11:26pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/rocky-horror-picture-show-wtf/283285/62 "2005-01-06T23:26:06Z")
I didn’t get introduced to it until after high school when my brother took me a few times. I wasn’t a hardcore fan but always had a blast when I went. TheLadyLion and I went as Eddie and Columbia to a halloween party two years ago, when I “officially” proposed to her. At least Eddie is the only male character who doesn’t end up in suspenders and fishnets 😃 ---
**Author:** ![jayjay](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/jayjay/32/6765_2.png) [@jayjay](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/jayjay)\ **Post date:** [January 6, 2005, 11:32pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/rocky-horror-picture-show-wtf/283285/63 "2005-01-06T23:32:52Z")
> [@Padeye](#): > > I didn’t get introduced to it until after high school when my brother took me a few times. I wasn’t a hardcore fan but always had a blast when I went. TheLadyLion and I went as Eddie and Columbia to a halloween party two years ago, when I “officially” proposed to her. At least Eddie is the only male character who doesn’t end up in suspenders and fishnets 😃 He does, however, end up in the entree. Six of one, half a dozen of the other… 😃 ---
**Author:** ![Otto](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/o/bbe5ce/32.png) [@Otto](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Otto)\ **Post date:** [January 7, 2005, 12:06am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/rocky-horror-picture-show-wtf/283285/64 "2005-01-07T00:06:26Z")
> [@Scumpup](#): > > One could; but, it would be an asinine and invalid comparison. Really? Costumes: Catholics, check; RHPS fans, check Props: Catholics, check; RHPS fans, check Memorization of scenes and responses: Catholics, check; RHPS fans, check. Conspiring to rappe children on an organizational level since at least 1975, when RHPS was released: Catholics, check; RHPS fans, not so much Maybe the asinine and invalid words here are being put forth not by those who enjoy RHPS but by someone whose overt hostility and shit-flinging is threatening to turn a lively and pleasant thread into one that been hijacked by a… Well, let me stop there, as this isn’t the Pit. ---
**Author:** ![Scumpup](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/ce73a5/32.png) [@Scumpup](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Scumpup)\ **Post date:** [January 7, 2005, 12:57am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/rocky-horror-picture-show-wtf/283285/65 "2005-01-07T00:57:47Z")
Otto, Look, dood, if you want to validate your life through a bad movie/stage show, that’s on you. Even as a an athiest, though, I think comparing RHPS to the Catholic Church is a bit of a stretch. Get a grip on things, pal. ---
**Author:** ![Sample\_the\_Dog](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/8797f3/32.png) [@Sample\_the\_Dog](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Sample_the_Dog)\ **Post date:** [January 7, 2005, 1:04am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/rocky-horror-picture-show-wtf/283285/66 "2005-01-07T01:04:41Z")
> [@Scumpup](#): > > Get a grip on things, pal. “Look in your hand – the shape of things to come.” “There must be 50 ways to love your lever.” ---
**Author:** ![C\_K\_Dexter\_Haven](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/b2d939/32.png) [@C\_K\_Dexter\_Haven](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/C_K_Dexter_Haven)\ **Post date:** [January 7, 2005, 2:12am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/rocky-horror-picture-show-wtf/283285/67 "2005-01-07T02:12:09Z")
> [@](#): > > Conspiring to rappe children on an organizational level since at least 1975, when RHPS was released: Catholics, check; RHPS fans, not so much **Otto** , such gratuitous slurs against any particular religion has no place on our Message Boards. You might find a way to argue that it is appropriate in the Pit; I wouldn’t want to get into that discussion with you, but it certainly doesn’t belong in Cafe Society. And you know it. Cease and desist. **Scumpup** , you’re on the borderline of insulting other posters. You can insult the work of art/entertainment all you want, but drawing conclusions about the life styles, emotional stability, or whatever of enthusiasts is not permitted in this forum. You want to flame the people who play at Rocky Horror, go to the Pit and do so. But not here. ---
**Author:** ![DKW](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/dkw/32/3118_2.png) [@DKW](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/DKW)\ **Post date:** [January 7, 2005, 4:11am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/rocky-horror-picture-show-wtf/283285/68 "2005-01-07T04:11:43Z")
I’m in luck…I saw this for the first time ever a few days ago, so I _finally_ can comment. (It was a rental; I don’t have the patience for TV movies anymore.) See, I heard one of the songs a few days before Christmas…I think it was Time Warp…when the arcade played it over the sound system for some reason, and that brought up memores of when this _other_ arcade played this and what I presumed were other songs from the move (they weren’t, BTW), and I got really curious as to how this could’ve _become_ an audience participation megahit in the first place…well, I guess you had to be there… Anyway, I wasn’t expecting a classic, and I was well aware that a lot of things that were shocking in 1975 would barely elicit an eyebrow twitch today. I knew that it’d be low-budget, cheesy, and goofy. When it was over, I was…puzzled. Not that it eventually turned to audience participation; that’s the only thing that kept it alive, for crying out loud. Not that it easily lent itself to participation. Put a bunch of corny, gaudy characters in a wild setting with only the barest whisper of a plot, and the improv practically writes itself. Not that it wasn’t very entertaining on its own…that became pretty obvious about a third of the way through. (Interesting footnote…when a station announced it would be showing RHPS for the first ever time on television in Hawaii, fans of the movie _protested_, because it’s not supposed to be viewed on its own. Y’know, when the people who love the movie the most admit that it can’t stand on its own merits, that’s a pretty good sign that it’s bad.) No, what puzzled me the most was that I’ve _never_ heard about this happening with any other movie. Hasn’t any other studio, any other director thought about making a movie on the cheap for the express purpose of getting the viewers involved? We’ve heard about this being the most successful AP movie of all time…well, where are the others? Oh, and I didn’t regret renting the DVD…yeah, watching it alone in my room wasn’t much fun, but I liked all the primers on what I should’ve been doing, seeing the real fans act it out was a revealing experience, and all the bonus commentary and info was fun as well. You shouldn’t rent it for the _movie_, but for all these fun extras that make it a complete experience. Wait, did I just say that? 😃 ---
**Author:** ![Sample\_the\_Dog](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/8797f3/32.png) [@Sample\_the\_Dog](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Sample_the_Dog)\ **Post date:** [January 7, 2005, 4:24am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/rocky-horror-picture-show-wtf/283285/69 "2005-01-07T04:24:56Z")
> [@DKW](#): > > We’ve heard about this being the most successful AP movie of all time…well, where are the others? Glasgow. [The Sound of Music v Rocky Horror](http://www.rockyscot.com/otherpages/som.htm). Tickets, get yer tickets! ---
**Author:** ![blackhobyah](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/41988e/32.png) [@blackhobyah](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/blackhobyah)\ **Post date:** [January 7, 2005, 11:04am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/rocky-horror-picture-show-wtf/283285/70 "2005-01-07T11:04:40Z")
> [@Maxxxie](#): > > So… please explain to me: WHY? Why do people like this show? And WHY WHY WHY is it the sort of thing that bears watching over and over and over again? Two words: “Tim Curry”. Sigh. ---
**Author:** ![YWalker](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/y/6f9a4e/32.png) [@YWalker](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/YWalker)\ **Post date:** [January 7, 2005, 1:58pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/rocky-horror-picture-show-wtf/283285/71 "2005-01-07T13:58:01Z")
The other neat thing about Rocky Horror is the guffaw I get every time I see one of the stars in a serious role somewhere else. Tim Curry, Barry Bostwick, and Susan Sarandon are all very talented and have had excellent careers elsewhere. But I remember being very, very amused when I saw “Brad” starring in a mini-series as George Washington, and I think that Frank-n-Furter starred as a very proper butler (nanny?) in a sitcom. ---
**Author:** ![Zebra](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/z/c0e974/32.png) [@Zebra](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Zebra)\ **Post date:** [January 7, 2005, 2:46pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/rocky-horror-picture-show-wtf/283285/72 "2005-01-07T14:46:01Z")
RHPS is one of the many things that have been improved by having young women walk around in their underware. Some people may enjoy having the young men walking around in their underware so YMMV. ---
**Author:** ![jayjay](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/jayjay/32/6765_2.png) [@jayjay](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/jayjay)\ **Post date:** [January 7, 2005, 3:01pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/rocky-horror-picture-show-wtf/283285/73 "2005-01-07T15:01:00Z")
> [@YWalker](#): > > I think that Frank-n-Furter starred as a very proper butler (nanny?) in a sitcom. Both! It was the abysmal remake of _Family Affair_, and Curry was Mr. French. Of course, he’s also been Pennywise the evil clown in _It_, Darkness in the Tom Cruise fantasy vehicle _Legend_, Gomez Addams in the straight-to-video 2nd sequel to the Addams Family movies, _Addams Family Reunion_, and the overbearing manager of the Plaza Hotel in _Home Alone II_. ---
**Author:** ![cbawlmer](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/71e660/32.png) [@cbawlmer](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/cbawlmer)\ **Post date:** [January 7, 2005, 6:45pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/rocky-horror-picture-show-wtf/283285/74 "2005-01-07T18:45:11Z")
> [@jayjay](#): > > Both! It was the abysmal remake of _Family Affair_, and Curry was Mr. French. > > Of course, he’s also been Pennywise the evil clown in _It_, Darkness in the Tom Cruise fantasy vehicle _Legend_, Gomez Addams in the straight-to-video 2nd sequel to the Addams Family movies, _Addams Family Reunion_, and the overbearing manager of the Plaza Hotel in _Home Alone II_. He also has a supporting role in the current release _Kinsey_. Not all of his resume is crap, just most of it. ---
**Author:** ![TellMeI\_mNotCrazy](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/tellmei_mnotcrazy/32/3419_2.png) [@TellMeI\_mNotCrazy](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/TellMeI_mNotCrazy)\ **Post date:** [January 7, 2005, 6:49pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/rocky-horror-picture-show-wtf/283285/75 "2005-01-07T18:49:49Z")
He also happened to do an excellent job voicing Hexxus in Ferngully. ---
**Author:** ![Tracy\_Lord](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/ec9cab/32.png) [@Tracy\_Lord](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Tracy_Lord)\ **Post date:** [January 7, 2005, 7:11pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/rocky-horror-picture-show-wtf/283285/76 "2005-01-07T19:11:36Z")
And as Long John Silver in _Muppet Treasure Island_! (I’m totally serious. Apologies to Mr. Depp, but I think that Curry’s Silver was the best portrayal of a Pirate Pirate in the last twenty-five years. Arrrrr!) ---
**Author:** ![Sample\_the\_Dog](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/8797f3/32.png) [@Sample\_the\_Dog](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Sample_the_Dog)\ **Post date:** [January 7, 2005, 7:11pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/rocky-horror-picture-show-wtf/283285/77 "2005-01-07T19:11:46Z")
Let us not forget Tim as Reverend Ray Porter in the Cohen brothers’ **Pass the Ammo**. This flick doesn’t get a lot of good reviews, but I got a big kick out of it. “Bubba, fetch your momma another mortar.” ---
**Author:** ![Otto](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/o/bbe5ce/32.png) [@Otto](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Otto)\ **Post date:** [January 8, 2005, 4:39pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/rocky-horror-picture-show-wtf/283285/78 "2005-01-08T16:39:19Z")
> [@DKW](#): > > No, what puzzled me the most was that I’ve never heard about this happening with any other movie. Hasn’t any other studio, any other director thought about making a movie on the cheap for the express purpose of getting the viewers involved? We’ve heard about this being the most successful AP movie of all time…well, where are the others? TSOM aside (and from what I know it’s predominately a singalong and the other AP aspects aren’t really sustained) there will never be another movie AP cult like RHPS because the conditions that allowed it to come into being won’t ever be replicated. What megaplex owners are going to give a small struggling movie the time to find an audience? The evolution of AP also has to be IMHO an organic process. Attempts to force it aren’t going to work. I have a book on midnight movies (called oddly enough _Midnight Movies_ by Hoberman and Rosenbaum) which discusses the obvious next candidate for AP cult status, the RHPS sequel _Shock Treatment_. Sal Piro, cheerleader of the RHPS cult, was given the chance to see ST and help with publicity. He watched the film five times, liked it, loved the music but felt no compulsion to call any audience responses. Fox execs wanted to know from him how they could get people to dress up and so on, and Piro rightly explained to them that it can’t be forced. ---
**Author:** ![LifeOnWry](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/96bed5/32.png) [@LifeOnWry](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/LifeOnWry)\ **Post date:** [January 8, 2005, 4:53pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/rocky-horror-picture-show-wtf/283285/79 "2005-01-08T16:53:01Z")
I had a book called Cult Movies (I think) that talked a lot about audience participation. There are a ton of movies that develop “cult” followings, but RHPS is unique in the scope of the participation. **Otto** - I like Shock Treatment, too. Silly, silly, silly, but fun! ---
**Author:** ![Maxxxie](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/f14d63/32.png) [@Maxxxie](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Maxxxie)\ **Post date:** [January 8, 2005, 10:22pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/rocky-horror-picture-show-wtf/283285/80 "2005-01-08T22:22:57Z")
There’s a _sequel_? :eek: Oh, the humanity! [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/rocky-horror-picture-show-wtf/283285.md?page=3) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/rocky-horror-picture-show-wtf/283285.md?page=5)