“The Rocky Horror Picture Show: A Tribute,” Universal Studios Florida, 2008.
On this date in 1975, cult-classic film “The Rocky Horror Picture Show” premiered in theaters in the U.K. Based on a stage musical called “The Rocky Horror Show,” the film would open in U.S. theaters a few weeks later.
While initially considered a flop, “The Rocky Horror Picture Show” developed a following as an offbeat, audience-participation “midnight movie.” In limited screenings, it has gone on to become the longest-running theatrical release in film history [source].
Dr. Frank-N-Furter and his unconventional conventioneers made their Halloween Horror Nights debut in Orlando’s 2007 event. “The Rocky Horror Picture Show: A Tribute” featured an abbreviated plot and a number of the film’s most popular musical numbers. The show was performed multiple times nightly in the Beetlejuice Graveyard Revue amphitheatre.
Photo by HHN Yearbook.
Fun Fact: In “The Rocky Horror Picture Show,” the character of Riff-Raff was played by Richard O’Brien, the writer of the original stage show’s music, lyrics and book. O’Brien is still working today, and can be heard as the voice of “Dad” in the hit Disney Channel cartoon, “Phineas and Ferb.”