50 Years of The Rocky Horror Picture Show and it’s still as outrageous, bizarre, and brilliant as ever. First premiering on August 15th, 1975, Jim Sharman’s bold vision shocked, entertained and became an inspiration to many worldwide. At the center of it all was Tim Curry as the electrifying Dr. Frank-N-Furter, a performance which became the show’s lifeblood and one of best movie performances of all time. This bizarre, surreal musical has been entertaining audiences for half a century because of it’s offbeat characters, memorable music and quotable dialogue.
For those who somehow haven’t seen it, The Rocky Horror Picture Show is a glam-rock sci-fi horror-musical about sweethearts Brad and Janet, whose car breaks down on the way to their marriage, sending them into the mysterious and sensual world of the Frankenstrine-like monster Frank-N-Furter and his wild mansion. Featuring outrageous characters, spectacular musical numbers, and a tradition of audience participation at theaters, Rocky Horror is a cultural icon and the quintessential cult classic. Whether you’ve been shouting along with “Time Warp!” for years or you’re just about to make your first journey into the lab, these quotes will stick with you for another 50 years to come.
“It’s Not Easy Having A Good Time. Even Smiling Makes My Face Ache.”
– Dr. Frank-N-Furter (Tim Curry)
Frank-N-Furter is the shining star at the center of The Rocky Horror Picture Show and gets many of the movie’s most memorable lines. He’s always telling people to be themselves, but he’s also the grandest of showmen. He’s throwing a nonstop party and pushing everyone to perform. Even the most outgoing people can tire of that sort of performance, and Frank doesn’t always get his way despite constant adoration. That frustration builds until he fantasizes about conquering the world. He utters this quote after petrifying many of his guests and housemates, just before his climactic dance number. It’s the perfect combination of exhaustion, snark, and showmanship.
“Great Scott!”
– Brad Majors (Barry Bostwick)
Long before Back to the Future made it a pop-culture catchphrase, The Rocky Horror Picture Show slipped “Great Scott!” into its campy chaos. The line bursts out of Brad Majors when Dr. Everett V. Scott makes his unforgettable entrance, crashing through a wall in Frank-N-Furter’s lab and careening down a ramp. Brad’s startled reaction says everything about his uptight, by-the-book nature, especially when dropped into a world this bizarre. Dr. Scott, of course, isn’t there for the floor show, he’s searching for his nephew Eddie, unaware of the grim fate that’s already befallen him. It’s a blink-and-you’ll-miss-it moment, but one that shows Rocky Horror was mixing absurdity with sharp character beats long before other films made it cool.
“Hot Patootie, Bless My Soul! I Really Love That Rock N’ Roll!”
– Eddie (Meat Loaf)
Eddie’s role in The Rocky Horror Picture Show is small, but Meat Loaf makes it one of the film’s most explosive moments. Bursting out of a freezer on a motorcycle, he bellows into “What Ever Happened to Saturday Night?”, an amped-up mash note to 1950s rock nostalgia, belted-out to perfection with a saxophone solo thrown in for good measure. The stomping chorus buries itself in your brain from the moment you hear it and has made it one of the most singalongable moments in the film. In terms of the narrative, it’s the last moment of pure joy and rebellion that Eddie experiences before Frank-N-Furter destroys him. It also became a cult favorite for the Rocky Horror Picture Show midnight showings, with some fans dressing up to recreate Eddie’s introduction, sometimes even with motorcycles rolling down theater aisles for full effect.
“Dammit, Janet! I Love You!”
– Brad Majors (Barry Bostwick)
Before The Rocky Horror Picture Show plunges into its world of wild abandon, Brad and Janet are introduced as the picture-perfect suburban couple. Fresh from attending a friend’s wedding, where Janet catches the bouquet Brad seizes the moment to propose. He does it in the most wholesome way possible… bursting into the upbeat song “Dammit, Janet.” The chorus, “Dammit, Janet, I love you,” quickly became one of Rocky Horror’s most recognizable lines. While playful, it also hints that Brad might have a little more fire beneath his polite exterior, a spark that will ignite later in the film as he’s pulled into Frank-N-Furter’s anything-goes world. By the end of their one night at the castle, both Brad and Janet will be far removed from this innocent moment, having confronted and embraced desires they never expected.
“Let’s Do The Time Warp Again!”
– The Rocky Horror Picture Show Cast
If The Rocky Horror Picture Show has a single line that transcends the film, it’s this one. “Let’s do the Time Warp again!” is the rallying cry of the movie’s most famous musical number, an absurd, energetic dance sequence that bursts onto the screen early in the story. Sung by a chorus of eccentric Transylvanians, it acts as both a tutorial (“It’s just a jump to the left…”) and an invitation into Rocky Horror’s unapologetically weird world. In theaters around the world, fans leap out of their seats to dance along, making it the ultimate icebreaker for first-timers and a tradition for veterans. Within the story, it’s a moment of pure chaos that sweeps Brad and Janet deeper into the mansion’s madness, and for audiences, it’s the point of no return. Once you’ve done the Time Warp, you’re part of the Rocky Horror family.
“Janet! Dr. Scott! Janet! Brad! Rocky!”
– Dr. Scott, Janet Weiss, Brad Majors, & Dr. Frank-N-Furter (Jonathan Adams, Susan Sarandon, Barry Bostwick, Tim Curry)
The scene comes late in The Rocky Horror Picture Show , when the complicated relationships and tangled motivations finally all come crashing down. Dr. Scott has reached the mansion to find his missing nephew Eddie. Janet is still in a daze from her night with Rocky, Brad is trying to be as much of a leader as he can, and Frank-N-Furter is fighting to get the upper hand on the room again. The shouts of each other’s names becomes a shouting match of sorts, a way for each character to demand attention, the upper hand, or just a way to vent at the craziness that has just built and built and built all night long. This nonsense is just that, but it’s also the point where all the subplots intersect. Lovers, enemies, and surprising connections are revealed in seconds. This exchange of names is both a comedic moment but also, the point where the story heads toward its dramatic end.