I watched The Rocky Horror Picture Show again the other night and the moment Tim Curry comes down in the elevator stays with me. Instant takeover. Every scene, right from his first walk to his last sung note, is his. Of course, there’s Susan Sarandon as well. Pure gold.
No matter if it’s your very first time or a revisit, this crazy film weaves in science fiction, sex and rock ‘n’ roll.
Find out the very oddest, funniest and most impressive things you’ve (probably) never heard about The Rocky Horror Picture Show.
The reason Tim Curry got cast as Pennywise
Is it truly The Rocky Horror Picture Show if Tim Curry isn’t discussed? Impossible! Although Tim Curry was an experienced TV actor, this film introduced him to the world of theatre and he was brilliant as the transvestite scientist who steals attention before the credits even roll.
The reason was that Curry had played the role before in the 1973 stage show written by Richard O’Brien.
After recording an impressive 2,960 stage performances in London, Tim Curry’s powerful turn in the show made it a given that he would be in the movie.
A person who was powerful in both strength training and singing
It’s actually quite amusing how Curry got his role in the movie and it reflects how much confidence he had early in his career.
I knew about the play because I lived on Paddington Street, off Baker Street and an old gym was just a few doors from where I lived. Richard O’Brien told me he was out looking for a muscleman who could sing after being at the gym. I replied, “Why does the musical have to include his singing?” Improbably enough, John responded by saying that his musical was going ahead and I should get in touch with Jim Sharman. “If we pull this off, it’s going to be tremendous!” was what I remember thinking after I got the script from Tom, said Curry.
He gained weight following the movie, to hide his age.
After Rocky Horror, every household knew Curry and he formed a special following who loved him. For a long time, Curry held back from talking about the movie because he faced many overexcited fans.
He told VH1 that he put on extra weight and looked both chubby and unremarkable. That way, he tried not to be associated with the character of Frank.
Currently, he isn’t shy about talking about the film and thinks it’s a significant experience for teenagers.
Curry stressed in 2015 that no one needs a date to enjoy the movie, because you can find someone new to hang out with there. Consider helping them understand who they are sexually.”
No picnic
Filming this movie was challenging for all the participants. Unlike how lively the stage show became at night, the movie set always kept a businesslike feel. Since there was only five weeks for filming, the whole group had to show up early at the studio every day, especially Tim Curry, because his makeup took four hours. Eventually, he found out that typing up his work was faster than asking others to type it.
The way Meat Loaf made a song his own
There’s always a moment in The Rocky Horror Picture Show when I spot Meat Loaf as Eddie and it always makes me smile. There’s a lot of behind-the-scenes tales about him, but I especially love one in particular.
Richard O’Brien wasn’t sure if Meat Loaf would be able to sing “Hot Patootie – Bless My Soul” at such a fast pace. He gave him the sheet music and said, “You can mess up on a few notes. The London cast has never actually sung every single word correctly.” When the sheet music was handed to Meat Loaf, he read it, quickly answered,“What’s the problem?” and performed it flawlessly the first time.
There was no strategy behind how I arrived.
When Dr. Everett V. Scott smashes through a wall to enter, it’s hard for me to forget that amazing scene. Funnily enough, that big entrance wasn’t in the original plan — the set crew failed to add a missing door in the lab.
Curry was shocked by what the King said.
There are fans of The Rocky Horror Picture Show everywhere in the world — and even Princess Diana was a big fan. While working in Austria, Tim Curry heard that the Princess wanted to meet him. As soon as they dismissed everyone, Diana grinned and suggested that Rocky Horror had “finished my schooling.”
In an interview with Terry Gross on Fresh Air, Curry told how he met King Charles III and Princess Diana following a performance of Love for Love. He can still picture being put at the back of the receiving line. Although Prince Charles said politely that he’d seen Curry on television, Diana’s facial expression in response will never be forgotten. What she shared about the impact of the cult film on her stresses just how much it had impressed her, as a royal.
Sometimes, method acting caused the acting to be a little too real
You may not realize this if you’re a huge Rocky Horror fan, but Barry Bostwick actually hit Susan Sarandon’s hand by smacking it with his fist, purely by mistake. Her reaction?
Really genuine pain. Still, she managed to get her (unintended) payback in the Floor Show by stepping on his foot with her heel. I saw him grimacing in the videos taken onstage? It’s also without doubt 100% genuine. Accidental payback? Here’s a glamorous way to think about it…
Her determination shown by Susan Sarandon
A lot of filming was done in 1974 from the fall through the winter at Bray Studios and at the old English estate known as Oakley Court.
Reports say the place was bitterly cold and did not have anywhere for bathroom breaks. Barry Bostwick, who starred as Brad Majors, says the whole cast was always wet from the leaking castle. Space heaters were used in the “warm room” for the cast to thaw out, but here’s what happened. It turns out, the room caught fire yourself.
Once Susan Sarandon raised her worries, studio executives ignored them. After filming at the pool in a small outfit, she ended up getting pneumonia. O’Brien said actress Steffanie was “shaking with fever” and should have seen a doctor, but she was determined to keep working and her weakened body never caught anyone’s attention during filming.
Speaking of Barry Bostwick, he and Susan Sarandon started dating during filming. Richard O’Brien mentioned it in passing back in 2013.
The unclothed scene almost got cut
Because she was Janet Weiss, this film gave Sarandon many scenes during which she was dressed just in her lingerie. In her musical, Janet goes through a sexual awakening in the scene for ‘Touch-A-Touch-A-Touch Me’ with actor Peter Hinwood, a model in real life.
Of course, Peter was the shyest and quietest man around. “He found it very hard to play the scene with me, I think,” said Sarandon.
Even though Susan Sarandon had no problem appearing nude in previous roles, the filmmakers still wanted her to show everything for this scene.
Even so, they wished she’d take it all off for that well-known song, with Peter Hinwood as Rocky Horror. Sarandon refused to take off all her clothes.
Because of her bold showing, Playboy continued to ask Marilyn to participate in nude shoots for many years. During a 1991 interview, Susan Sarandon said, “I have been in their sights ever since The Rocky Horror Picture Show.”
Susan Sarandon don’t like to talk about the movie
Sarandon said before she took on the role, auditioning for Janet was never an option for her. She paid us a visit to say hello to her pal Tim Curry.
The producers at the music festival spotted her and asked her to have a go. Several good singers had performed, but no one seemed capable of delivering Janet’s jokes. Sarandon at first turned down the part, telling people she’s not that confident about her voice and felt a little scared to sing.
They asked her to sing “Happy Birthday,” and because she agreed, they moved ahead with the rest of the plan. They liked her so much and cast her, but Sarandon wasn’t sure if it was just luck at the time. She speaks negatively about the movie sometimes because she hasn’t been paid royalties from the DVD sales.
Will we get any rain?
The newspaper Janet uses for protection in that scene was made waterproof so it could survive after being soaked many times.
Only one side of the paper — the one Susan Sarandon held — wasn’t wrapped with plastic to maintain a natural look. Most of the paper is dripping with water, but the corner she holds is dry, revealing that part wasn’t really soaked.
After “Over at the Frankenstein Place,” Janet’s cardigan goes from blue to white when she meets Riff Raff.
Another amusing sartorial detail to notice with Janet is something you can see next time you watch the film. At the start, her shoes are black, but when she and Brad get to the lab, they’ve changed on their own to white.
An unanticipated moment while sitting in a wheelchair
At the height of the story, when Magenta and Riff Raff are stealing the castle, Brad and Janet help Dr. Scott from the scene. After the castle takes off in a blast, the camera shows the three lying on the ground in different spots.
Surprisingly, Dr. Scott is lying on a wheelchair that’s been destroyed — even though he was walking just a little while ago.
Confused with an impostor
What Tim Curry noticed when he lived in New York were fans wearing costumes for screenings of The Rocky Horror Picture Show. He decided to call the theater and find out if he could join a showing. People at the theater were eager to meet Tim Curry, but the staff denied it and tossed him out as a fake.
Once Curry proved he was who he claimed to be, the staff apologized, but by then he said he was not going back. Think about how uncomfortable those employees feeling after mistaking the star…
Hey, what do you remember as your favorite parts from The Breakfast Club? Can you think of any funny mistakes or special stories that need to be added to the list? Don’t hesitate to tell us what you think around here!