30 Vintage Photos
Dr. Frank N. Furter with Columbia and Magenta. (1975)
There are cult films, and there are cult films. The cultiest of all cult films has to be The Rocky Horror Picture Show, in which Tim Curry (center) played Frank N. Furter — a self-described “sweet transvestite from Transsexual Transylvania.” This bizarre gender-bending musical (the film version of the successful stage production The Rocky Horror Show) went virtually unnoticed when it opened in 1975 and might have vanished, just another weird movie that flopped. But an executive at 20th Century Fox noted that offbeat “midnight movies” were becoming a thing and arranged to have the film screened at theaters looking to make a little money on the late-night crowd. It proved to be the right movie for the right audience — fans, often in costume, came back week after week to watch, sing along and shout retorts at characters on the screen. The movie’s addictive, ritualistic appeal has kept it in theaters to the present day, making it the longest-running theatrical release of all time.
There are cult films, and there are cult films. The cultiest of all cult films has to be The Rocky Horror Picture Show, in which Tim Curry (center) played Frank N. Furter — a self-described “sweet transvestite from Transsexual Transylvania.” This bizarre gender-bending musical (the film version of the successful stage production The Rocky Horror Show) went virtually unnoticed when it opened in 1975 and might have vanished, just another weird movie that flopped. But an executive at 20th Century Fox noted that offbeat “midnight movies” were becoming a thing and arranged to have the film screened at theaters looking to make a little money on the late-night crowd. It proved to be the right movie for the right audience — fans, often in costume, came back week after week to watch, sing along and shout retorts at characters on the screen. The movie’s addictive, ritualistic appeal has kept it in theaters to the present day, making it the longest-running theatrical release of all time.
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