Introduction
Welcome to my corner! This week, I'm sharing my thoughts on the movie The Rocky Horror Picture Show in honor of Tim Curry who died on Tuesday, August 15, 2026 at the age of 80. He was my favorite actor of all time. Enjoy!
The Rocky Horror Picture Show
The Rocky Horror Picture Show is a 1975 musical comedy film produced by Lou Adler and Michael White, directed by Jim Sharman, and distributed by 20th Century Fox. The film is based on the 1973 musical stage production The Rocky Horror Show, with music, book and lyrics by Richard O'Brien. The screenplay was written by Sharman and O'Brien, with O'Brien also playing the supporting role Riff Raff. The production and horror B movies of the 1930s through to the early 1960s. The film stars Tim Curry (in his film debut), Susan Sarandon and Barry Bostwick. It is narrated by Charles Gray, with cast members from the original Royal Court Theatre, Roxy Theatre, and Belasco Theatre productions, including Nell Campbell and Patricia Quinn.
The film was shot in the United Kingdom at Bray Studios and on location at Oakley Court, a country house best known for its earlier use by Hammer Film Productions. A number of props and set pieces were reused from the Hammer horror films. Although the film is both a parody of and tribute to many kitsch science fiction and horror films, costume designer Sue Blane conducted no research for her designs. Blane has claimed that her creations for the film directly affected the development of punk rock fashion trends, such as torn fishnet stockings and colourfully dyed hair.
Initially the film was largely ignored by critics, but is soon became a hit as a midnight movie, when audiences began participating with the film at the Waverly Theater in New York City in 1976. Audience members returned to the cinemas frequently and talked back to the screen and began dressing as the characters, spawning similar performance groups across the United States. At almost the same time, fans in costume began performing alongside the film. This "shadow cast" mimed the actions on screen, above and behind them, while lip-syncing their characters' lines.
Still in limited release in 2026, 51 years after its premiere, it is the longest-running theatrical release in film history. In many cities, live amateur shadow-casts act out the film as it is being shown and heavily draw upon a tradition of audience participation. The film is most often shown close to Halloween. Today, the film has a large international cult following and has been considered by many as one of the greatest musical films of all time. In 2005, it as selected for preservation in the United States National Film Registry by the Library of Congress as being "culturally, historically, or aesthetically significant."
Plot: In this cult classic, sweethearts Brad (Barry Bostwick) and Janet (Susan Sarandon), stuck with a flat tire during a storm, discover the eerie mansion of Dr. Frank-N-Furter (Tim Curry), a transvestite scientist. As their innocence is lost, Brad and Janet meet a houseful of wild characters, including a rocking biker (Meat Loaf) and a creepy butler (Richard O'Brien). Through elaborate dances and rock songs, Frank-O-Furter unveils his latest creation: a muscular man named "Rocky."
Acting: My favorite title is The Rocky Horror Picture Show for the following actors, if not stated otherwise.
Tim Curry played Dr. Frank-N-Furter, a transvestite alien scientist. As I've written before and will continue to, Tim Curry is my favorite actor of all time, from the stage to film to voice acting. He was able to do it all, with seemingly little effort. I would've loved to see him on stage. I applaud his career and miss him dearly. His four most notable titles include Congo, The Rocky Horror Picture Show, Muppet Treasure Island and Legend. I can't pick a favorite, like I said before, there's too many.
Susan Sarandon played Janet Weiss, Brad's fiancée. Her four most notable titles currently are Thelma & Louise, Dead Man Walking, Stepmom and The Client. I enjoy watching Susan Sarandon act. Thelma & Louise is a second favorite.
Barry Bostwick played Brad Majors, Janet's fiance. His four most notable titles currently include Fantastic Planet (voice dubbing), The Rocky Horror Picture Show, Megaforce and Spin City (television series).
Richard O'Brien played Riff Raff, a hunchbacked handyman and Magenta's brother. His four most notable titles currently are Shock Treatment, Dark City, The Rocky Horror Picture Show and Ever After: A Cinderella Story.
Patricia Quinn played Magenta, a domestic servant and Riff Raff's sister. Her four most notable titles include The Lords of Salem, Shock Treatment, The Rocky Horror Picture Show and Monty Python's the Meaning of Life.
Little Nell played Columbia, a groupie. Her four most notable titles are Shock Treatment, The Rocky Horror Picture Show, Great Expectations (1998) and Pink Floyd: The Wall.
Jonathan Adams played Dr. Everett V. Scott, Frank's rival scientist. His four most notable titles include The Invisible Man (television mini series), The Rocky Horror Picture Show, Star Cops (television series) and The Donati Conspiracy (television series).
Meat Loaf played Eddie, a former delivery boy. His four most notable titles are Wayne's World, Fight Club, The Rocky Horror Picture Show and Formula 51. He may be better known as a musician, but before his death in 2022, he appeared in over 210 titles.
Minor roles were played by Peter Hinwood as Rocky Horror, Frank's creation (Trevor White is uncredited as Rocky's singing voice); Charles Gray as the criminologist, an expert; Jeremy Newson and Hilary Labow as Brad and Janet's newlywed friends Ralph and Better Hapschatt; the guests at both the Hapschatt wedding and Frank's convention consist of Perry Bedden, Christopher Biggins, Gaye Brown, Ishaq Bux, Stephen Calcutt, Hugh Cecil, Imogen Claire, Tony Cowan, Sadie Corré, Fran Fullenwider, Lindsay Ingram, Peggy Ledger, Annabel Leventon, Anthony Milner, Pamela Obermeyer, Tony Then, Kimi Wong and Henry Woolf, as well as an uncredited Rufus Collins.
Background information from American Film Institute (AFI): The working title for the film was the title of the musical stage play, The Rocky Horror Show. According to a Aug 13, 1974 Los Angeles Times (LAT) news item, Rolling Stones lead singer Mick Jagger hoped to play the lead role of "Dr. Frank-N-Furter" in the film, but Tim Curry, who created the role in London, Broadway and Los Angeles versions of the play, was cast, and made his feature film debut in the part. Others who recreated their stage roles were the shadow's creator, Richard O'Brien as "Riff Raff," Patricia Quinn as "Magenta" and Little Nell as "Columbia." Jonathan Edwards, who created the role of the Criminologist on stage, assumed the role of "Dr. Everett Scott" in the film. The film's production notes state that a nineteenth century British chateau served as a location for the film's castle.
The Rocky Horror Show stage show opened in London in Jun 1973 and the film rights were purchased by producer Lou Adler. After a ten month run at the Roxy Theatre in Los Angeles, the show moved to Broadway where it closed after only a few weeks. The stage show and film spoof old Hollywood horror films and musicals including those directed by Busby Berkeley. The grand finale number, in which Frank forces Bard, Janet and Columbia to perform onstage, includes an enormous replica of the RKO Radio logo tower trademark.
Many reviews noted that the film version lacked the freshness and humor of the play and the film did only middling business upon initial release. When theaters began running the film as a late night special, however, the film's reputation grew quickly among college audiences. A Jan 17, 1977 Box articles noted that The Rocky Horror Picture Show had found its niche as a cult film for primarily young audiences who related to the "weird" and "outsider" Transylvanian characters. The article relates that many audience members appeared dressed as film characters and sang aloud with the numbers during the screenings. According to a Jun 22, 1978 Hollywood Reporter (HR) news item, additional night showings of The Rocky Horror Picture Show were added at the Los Angeles Tiffany Theater due to heavy ticket demands. A Jul 19, 1978 LAT articles detailed the continued weekly crowds attending the late night Tiffany showings of The Rocky Horror Show, with many attending in costumes and performing the "Time Warp" number on stage before the film.
A Nov 17, 1978 article in BAM magazine chronicled the developing ritual at late night screenings of the film nationwide where, in addition to many audience members appearing in costume, others used "goods" at certain points in the film, such as throwing rice during the opening wedding, squirting water guns during the rain storm and waving candles or lit matches during "Down at Frankenstein's." The article added that this particular practice had to be modified to waving pen flashlights due to the illegality of having an open flame in theaters. Other paraphernalia used by audiences during screenings included snapping rubber gloves, throwing toast, toilet paper, confetti, and occasionally, hot dogs. The article describes how audiences would often yell out lines of dialogue or "respond" to other lines of dialogue making it difficult for first-time viewers to hear the dialogue.
An Oct 25, 1985 New York Times (NYT) news item marked the tenth anniversary of the film which had been in continual release since its original opening and earned upwards from $60 to $70 million, almost exclusively in late night screenings. An Oct 14, 1990 article in the LAT marked the film's 15th anniversary and labeled it "the most successful cult movie of all time" with similar long-running popularity in England, Australia and Germany. The article noted the film continued to play in 175 theaters across the U.S. and had brought in over $150 million domestically.
Final Thoughts: The Rocky Horror Picture Show is one of my favorite Tim Curry movies. I can understand where the content/genre may not be for everyone, but even so, just try watching it. It is SO GOOD.
My favorite scene was the "Sweet Transvestite" and "Hot Patootie" sequences. I like both of them. They're also my favorite songs on the soundtrack. Though, to be fair, the whole soundtrack is GOLD.
My favorite quote is "Don't Dream it. Be it." —Dr. Frank-N-Furter
Rated: R
Where to watch it: According to Google, The Rocky Horror Picture Show is currently available on Amazon Prime with a subscription. You can also purchase or rent a digital copy for a few dollars. I've also donated a DVD copy of the film to the Emil M. Larson Public Library in Clark for you all to enjoy if you choose to.
