Behind the Music

Season 1, Episode 87

Episode Title: Rocky Horror Picture Show

Air Date: 1999-10-31

Overview:

Inspired by the Fredericks of Hollywood catalog, the Rocky Horror Show stage musical hit London at the height of the glam era, intstantly attracting the likes of David Bowie and Elvis. The subsequent film, starring a na•ve Susan Sarandon as well as Meat Loaf and Tim Curry reprising his Frank N. Furter role, was a box office flop until a young movie exec saw late-night potential in the gender warping rockstravaganza. Thus the midnight madness began: movie theaters around the U.S. were turning into haunted houses of hedonism as audience members found freedom through the film's flamboyant characters and exuberant soundtrack. BTM is doing the time warp again, exploring the phenomenon through interviews with the show's stars and producers; a former seminarian-turned-Artist Pages president; and Dori Hartley, the fan who became a star in her own right. One of many episode highlights is creator Richard O'Brien's solo version of "Time Warp" - unplugged.