Wild bloopers and secrets from The Rocky Horror Picture Show
Just the other night, I saw The Rocky Horror Picture Show once more and I remember the moment Tim Curry came out of the elevator. Instant takeover.
Throughout the whole process, he makes every second his own. Then there’s Susan Sarandon. Pure gold.
Regardless of whether you watch it every year or have never seen it, Rocky Horror Picture Show gives you an outrageous mix of sci-fi, sex and music.
These are some of the strangest, funniest and most amazing things you’ve likely not heard about The Rocky Horror Picture Show.
The reasons Tim Curry was cast
Leave Tim Curry out of your talk about Rocky Horror Picture Show? Impossible! Tim Curry had never starred in a theatrical movie before playing Dr. Frank-N-Furter, a role he made his own right from the start.
He got the role in the film because he’d previously played this character in the stage play by Richard O’Brien.
The Rocky Horror Picture Show played in London more than 2,900 times, thanks in large part to Tim Curry’s incredible performance, so including him in the movie version made perfect sense.
Someone strong enough to flex muscles and could sing, too.
It turns out there are some pretty funny details about how Curry got his start in acting at such a young age.
Being on Paddington Street, off Baker Street, I heard about the play as there was a nearby old gym further along.
I bumped into Richard O’Brien in the street and he told me he’d been to the gym searching for a muscleman who could sing. I told him, “I don’t see why you need him to sing” and he responded that his musical would be appearing soon, so I should arrange to speak to Jim Sharman.
I saw the script and I thought to myself, “I hope this can come out right or it will be a breakout hit,” said Curry.
Curry packed on a few pounds after the release of the film because actors often gain weight for roles – to hide
Because of The Rocky Horror Picture Show, Curry became well-known in every home and gathered a dedicated cult of fans. But, for a very long time, Curry did not talk about the movie because of some tough times dealing with overly eager fans.
To VH1, he said he put on extra pounds and appeared “chubby and plain”. That was an article where he tried to separate himself from being Frank.
Now he is happier to talk about it and looks on it as a key milestone for teenagers.
In 2015, Curry explained that you can see the film by yourself on the weekend or with someone and it
won’t hurt to try out different personas in the movie. Make an effort to help your child understand or figure out their sexuality.
No picnic
None of the people involved in The Rocky Horror Picture Show found the shoot to be easy. Instead of the wild, chaotic feeling at the stage show, the movie set was strictly professional.
Because the team only had five weeks to finish the series, they all arrived very early at the studio, mostly to assist Tim Curry, whose incredibly detailed makeup process took a whole four hours each day. In the end, he started doing it alone to cut down on his time spent.
Why Meat Loaf performed the song perfectly
Every time I rewatch The Rocky Horror Picture Show, it’s fun to notice Meat Loaf playing the part of Eddie. There are many entertaining stories behind his scenes, but one of the best ones I like is…
It wasت concerns about the speed of Meat Loaf while singing “Hot Patootie – Bless My Soul.” So, he gave the man the music and said, “Mistakes are to be expected.”
Everyone involved in the London production has made mistakes singing at some point. He scanned the lyrics and easily said, “I get it. What’s the problem?” — and he hit every note just right, without a mistake, on the first rehearsal.
We didn’t mean to arrive so spectacularly.
It’s still a famous scene when Dr. Everett V. Scott comes racing into the movie by blasting through a wall. What happened actually happened by accident; suppose the set team forgot to add a door to the lab when building it.
The speech by the monarch surprised Curry.
The Rocky Horror Picture Show is loved everywhere — and who would guess, the late Princess Diana was a huge fan. What is interesting is that,
while Tim Curry performed in Austria, he heard the Princess wanted to see him. Once she was introduced, Curry reported that Diana gave a “wicked smile” and said Rocky Horror had finished her education.
Curry told Terry Gross in an interview on Fresh Air that he met King Charles III and Princess Diana at a performance of Love for Love. He could recall being sent to the end of the receiving line. While Charles replied in a nice but general way—
mentioning seeing Curry “on television” — Diana’s reaction was something everyone remembered. What Diana said about the cult film confirmed how powerful its effect still was, even for royalty.
When actors became so invested in their roles
Can you imagine, if you’re a regular Rocky Horror fan—during the dinner scene, Barry Bostwick’s smashed fist was meant to land on the side of the table, but he accidently hit Susan Sarandon’s hand instead. Her reaction?
It hurt just as much as any other pain I have felt. Afterward, she got her own payback when she stepped on his toe with her high heel during the Floor Show.
A photo appeared that captured him wincing? Another point to note, it’s also genuine. Love for a good story about accidental revenge—especially with some extra drama.
Susan Sarandon’s strength
Between fall and winter of 1974, principal photography for the film took place mainly at Bray Studios and at the old Oakley Court estate.
The location they filmed in was freezing and lacked any restrooms. Barry Bostwick, who starred as Brad Majors, says he was always wet from the leaking castle. To warm up, the cast retreated to a single “warm room” with space heaters, but here’s the thing… That room had a real fire in it.
After Susan Sarandon mentioned her concerns, executives at the studio ignored them. After finishing the shoot in her tight outfit by the pool, she came down with pneumonia. O’Brien said she was “extremely sick with a high fever” and should have been taken care of by medical staff, but she still insisted on filming in pain.
Susan Sarandon and Barry Bostwick were a couple in real life during the shooting. The writer Richard O’Brien revealed this fact occasionally in 2013.
The scene that got nearly to the point of nudity
The film found Sarandon mostly dressed and mostly undressed, playing Janet Weiss in her many moods. It is memorable for Janet that, during ‘Touch-A-Touch-A-Touch Me,’ she found herself attracted to Rocky, who was still a model in those days.
But Peter was always just the shyest and quietest of us. Speaking about the scene, Sarandon says Baldwin told her: “I think that must have been traumatizing for him to act out with me.”
The filmmakers asked Susan Sarandon to be completely nude, though she had appeared nude in other movies.
Even so, they wanted her to take off all her clothes for that famous Rocky Horror number with Peter Hinwood. Sarandon refused to remove all her clothes.
Still, her bold choice earned Playboy’s attention and for years afterward, editors tried to persuade her to pose for a nude photograph. In 1991, when she was interviewed, she said: “They have kept track of me ever since The Rocky Horror Picture Show.”
Susan Sarandon does not want to discuss the film in detail
Susan Sarandon says she hadn’t planned to take part in auditions for the Janet part. She came by the filming location to say hello to her friend Tim Curry.
At that time, the producers recognized her and asked her if she wanted to take part. They enjoyed listening to good vocalists but none could achieve the required funny effect.
At first, she said no, because she feels more like a person behind the scenes and isn’t really a singer at all.
As soon as she said she would sing “Happy Birthday,” they were convinced and moved forward. Sarandon admits she was lucky to get the part, because everyone loved her in the audition.
She has also spoken about her irritation that no cast member received any money from the DVD sales. Since then, she’s become reluctant to discuss the movie often.
Are we having rain or not?
While Janet protects her head with a newspaper at the Frankenstein Place scene, the props team made sure the newspaper was given a plastic coating so it wouldn’t fall apart after getting wet several times.
Yet, the plastic only covered most of the photo — one corner, held by Susan Sarandon, was not covered to maintain a more natural look. While I can see water coming from the newspaper, the woman’s corner remains dry, suggesting that the prop itself wasn’t really wet.
Uniquely, Janet’s cardigan changes color as the story goes on. It is blue during “Over at the Frankenstein Place,” until Riff Raff makes it turn white after meeting her.
And don’t miss the other enjoyable wardrobe detail that Janet has in the film next time you watch it. At the start, Laura’s shoes are black, but by the time she and Brad are in the lab, they’ve turned white for some reason.
This means your wheelchair twisted by itself.
When the climax arrives and Magenta and Riff Raff organize the castle’s move, Brad and Janet carry Dr. Scott out of the place. The explosion lifts the castle into the air and afterwards, the three are lying scattered around the courtyard..
What’s odd is that Dr. Scott is resting on a wheelchair right now — something he wasn’t using just previously.
Believed by some to be an impostor
When Tim Curry made his New York home, he noticed audiences getting dressed up for The Rocky Horror Picture Show.
Interested, he phoned the theater to ask about seeing one of the screenings. Even though the crowd was looking forward to meeting him, the theater falsely treated Tim Curry like an impostor and kicked him out.
Once Curry showed them who he was, the employees apologized, yet he didn’t want to return. You can only imagine the embarrassment those workers would have experienced.
So which moments from Murder on the Orient Express do you remember most? Is there anything behind the scenes or any funny outtakes you think I should definitely add? You are welcome to comment your views below!