Rocky Horror

[bcla]

The UC Theater in Berkeley (not really part of the University of California) showed it for midnight screenings for over 22 years.

http://www.theuctheatre.org/about/history/

It was mostly a revival house, and they had flyers advertising one-night or sometimes multi-night showings of different movies and some short-film festivals. When I mentioned it to someone, the response was that "UC" stood for "unclean".
http://www.rockyhorror.com/participation/showtimes_venueinfo.php?vid=108

 

[E&Cmom]

Never seen it in the theatre. I was really slow at seeing it. I was 5 when it came out and the first time I saw it was about 4-5 years ago. I watched it since they were doing it on Glee and I thought I should actually see the movie.lol. Had Time warp stuck in my head.

 

[Gumbo4x4]

Went to a midnight showing once & it was kind of a letdown. The fanatics were real sticklers for doing everything "just so".

A couple years earlier, there was a 1-night-only showing at the theatre by my college. I recall consuming 3 1/2 bottles of Boones Farm & easily being one of the more sober people in the entire packed theatre. It "rained" the full duration of the movie & during the actual "rain scene", it became a torrential downpour. One guy had an umbrella, so I ran down & dumped a jumbo popcorn bucket of water in his lap. The theatre erupted in cheer! Wasn't until an hour after the show that I found out I doused a friend of mine LOL.

Probably the most fun I've ever had

 

[RedAngie]

lots of places ban props now

I'm not surprised. Even by the early 80s, some theatres were out of hand with the overuse of props and audience members creating mayhem unrelated to the film.

It just got to be too much for me anymore. I liked the late 70s days when just a few select inner members of the clique got to dress up and perform. Not six different Frank'n'furters, eight Magentas, seven Riff Raffs, and three dozen Transylvanians dancing the Time Warp in front of the screen. That excess ruined it for me....RUINED it, I say!!!

 

[DeaverTex]

I've never seen it in the theater, and by now I've got this perverse sense of pride that I never have. We did rent it once when my son was going to join the in-theater cast at a movie theater in Austin. The only think I could think was that it's got to be about the show and participation, because the movie just bites. But Tim Curry is great, as usual.

 

[Tiggeroo]

watching it at home on tv would kind of be pointless. It really is about the participation

 

[Colleen27]

I've probably only seen is a dozen or so times in actual theatres, mostly in the late 90s, but my BIL was part of a cast that performed it in a nightclub which was even better than the theatres - the screen was smaller but we had props. And booze. Good times.

 

[Babs Johnson]

LOL, I watched RH last week. It is running on cable. Tim Curry is so good. I have to see him come down that elevator.

I went in the 70's a couple of times. I did not dress up or bring anything, just enjoyed the show.

That scene with Frank n Furter in the descending elevator is awesome!!

I'm not surprised. Even by the early 80s, some theatres were out of hand with the overuse of props and audience members creating mayhem unrelated to the film.

It just got to be too much for me anymore. I liked the late 70s days when just a few select inner members of the clique got to dress up and perform. Not six different Frank'n'furters, eight Magentas, seven Riff Raffs, and three dozen Transylvanians dancing the Time Warp in front of the screen. That excess ruined it for me....RUINED it, I say!!!

Yes, I have to agree with this. I saw it about a dozen times during college, Fall 77 thru Spring 81. It was a great experience in the late 70s, then it got too popular, and all those people getting dressed up and "performing" were a distraction. It seemed most of them were there to scream "Look at me" rather than watch the film.

About 1985 some friends and I saw a mainstream film that started about 1030pm. After it ended, we snuck into the neighboring theatre in the multiplex showing Rocky Horror. The experience had disintegrated so dismally we walked out after 10 minutes.

watching it at home on tv would kind of be pointless. It really is about the participation

Yeah, I saw it on TV about 10 years ago. It's just not the same without a crowd. But a fairly well behaved crowd that participated by lighting cigarette lighters, shooting water pistols, throwing rice, and shouting rude, crude, and lewd remarks to the action on the movie screen. Not a crowd of idiot wannabe actors trying to be stars of their own show.

 

[mamacatnv]

Saw a stage production in Austin, TX recently - we were able to buy a prop package - I took my teen DD and her BFF
It was awesome - I was never a real fan of the movie although I did see it several times in the early 80's when I was in my late teens
The stage show was just great, we loved it!

 

[bdcp]

Saw it in a theater in 1979 while we were in college. We (DH and I were dating) went to the midnight show with friends who had been several times before. We had the props and used them. The theater was packed as it was every weekend. I've since seen it at home and it is not the same. It seems stupid when you watch it on tv with just a couple of people. The crowd really makes the difference.

 

[EMom]

I saw it countless times between the late 70s to early 80s. I talked a good many people in my senior class into going over the course of a few months and some loved it, others hated it. Sometimes I'd dress up, other times I wouldn't. The first time I saw it was on Halloween night. A large group at a football game invited us and we had NO idea what it was about. We thought it was an actual horror show. It was Halloween night, so the fact that people were dressed up didn't seem odd. When the huge red singing lips appeared on the screen, we had our first clue. My friend wanted to leave immediately, but I wanted to stay. I was hooked. I love Tim Curry.

We have the DVD and watch it every Halloween. It has both the US and British endings, which are a bit different. I like watching it at home fine. Sooooo many people had begun to dress up and act it out that it was less about the movie and more about THEM. And I really didn't care about them. I was there for the movie.

 

[DeaverTex]

After rereading the posts here, I'm of the opinion that Rocky Horror thing is a group of people trying to recapture their youth, and that never works. I'm afraid that being in the theater while the "show" was going on would just infuriate me, because I go to the movies for the movies. Not to watch a bunch of attention-seeking wannabes making fools of themselves. (I make a fool of myself often enough without trying to; I don't need to make any special effort.)

 

[Julie's Haircut]

I saw it about 6 or 7 times circa 1980-83. I agree with some of the others, a few people getting dressed like the characters and acting out the scenes were OK, but then it got ridiculous. Half the audience wanted to BE the show. Very distracting. I wanted to see the FILM, not those bozos.

 

[low-key]

I saw it around 25 times also from 78-83ish.

me to, Its like I dont even know that guy anymore

 

[Cantw8]

I'm ashamed to say, I have never seen it. It just doesn't look like anything that would appeal to me

 

[low-key]

I'm ashamed to say, I have never seen it. It just doesn't look like anything that would appeal to me

 

[Cantw8]

 

[BrinkofSunshine]

After rereading the posts here, I'm of the opinion that Rocky Horror thing is a group of people trying to recapture their youth, and that never works. I'm afraid that being in the theater while the "show" was going on would just infuriate me, because I go to the movies for the movies. Not to watch a bunch of attention-seeking wannabes making fools of themselves. (I make a fool of myself often enough without trying to; I don't need to make any special effort.)

Or it could be people, you know, just trying to have fun. Generally everyone in the theater is into it too, and are also participating, so nobody is making a fool of themself; or at least, everyone is making fools of themselves together.

RHPS has always been my favorite movie- not because I think it's a cinematic masterpiece, but more of a nostalgic love for a film that kind of defined my adolescence. Luckily my local movie theater still does midnight showings every other weekend with a full cast

 

[Patch'sD]

Saw it back in the 70's at a place called the Uniondale Mini Cinema. Place was about Drugs, Drugs, Drugs, and maybe some Rock and Roll.

 

[PK Disney Dork]

I played Riff Raff in a professional production of The Rocky Horror Show (the actual live stage musical) for two years. The best gig I've ever had! We played to standing room only every night and we're treated like rock stars by the fans.