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Author Topic: Rocky Horror Question
Paul Goulet
Master Film Handler

Posts: 347
From: Rhode Island
Registered: Jan 2000


 - posted 04-02-2004 11:45 AM      Profile for Paul Goulet   Author's Homepage   Email Paul Goulet   Send New Private Message       Edit/Delete Post 
Has anyone had midnight shows for "Rocky Horror"? Good?,Bad?, or just UGLY? all comments would be appreciated!

Paul Goulet

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Gracia L. Babbidge
Jedi Master Film Handler

Posts: 709
From: Bowdoin, Maine
Registered: Aug 2000


 - posted 04-02-2004 11:48 AM      Profile for Gracia L. Babbidge   Author's Homepage   Email Gracia L. Babbidge   Send New Private Message       Edit/Delete Post 
Messy!

We were still finding rice on the floor months later!

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Randy Stankey
Film God

Posts: 6539
From: Erie, Pennsylvania
Registered: Jun 99


 - posted 04-02-2004 12:25 PM      Profile for Randy Stankey   Email Randy Stankey   Send New Private Message       Edit/Delete Post 
When I was in high school, my friends and I used to go to Rocky Horror because it was something fun and silly that teenagers could do on a Saturday night. We never learned all the lines but we went and had fun anyway.

After a while, people would go just because you could throw stuff in a movie theater. People who went there to be "serious" would sit in the front. Idiots who just wanted to throw shit would sit in the back. A while after that, people in the back started throwing shit at the people in the front. It went down hill after that. It ended up being nothing more than a free-for-all. The theater(s) stopped showing it shortly after that. I don't believe there has been even ONE showing of Rocky Horror since then. I don't think any self-respecting theater manager/owner in this town would even consider taking a chance on that film.

If you "know" the demographics of the audience in your area and you think you are reasonably assured of getting an audience that will participate in the movie rather than just throwing junk and misbehaving I don't see any reason why you shouldn't do it.

Be forewarned! You WILL need to have extra staff on hand:

1) Crowd control and security. Even with the best audience demographics, you're bound to get at least a few A-Holes who will ruin it for everybody else if you don't keep a sharp eye on them.

2) Clean-up. 'Nuff said.

3) It's a good idea to have a few people there, in costume, who stand up in front and act as "group leaders". I'm sure you'll get a lot of people who know the lines and the cues when they should do stuff. (When to throw the rice, for instance.) However, not everybody who comes will know. Heck! I don't remember how to do the "Time Warp" anymore. It's good to have people there to refresh/teach the audience.

I guess the overriding decision is whether all the extra money you spend will be made up at the box office and/or concession stand.

Properly planned and executed, there's no reason why a small college theater couldn't do Rocky Horror and have a good time of it. If it was me, I'd be checking student IDs at the door, though!

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Derek Miner
Film Handler

Posts: 10
From: Clearwater, FL, USA
Registered: Apr 2004


 - posted 04-04-2004 12:27 AM      Profile for Derek Miner   Author's Homepage   Email Derek Miner   Send New Private Message       Edit/Delete Post 
Here in Tampa, FL, they do an annual show at (of all places), the historical Tampa Theater. This is a beautiful classic movie house which is constantly being restored. It amazes me that they still do this year after year, considering they get over 1,000 people throwing stuff everywhere each show (and they've sold out two shows for a couple years now). There's also a cast in the nearby town of St. Petersburg Beach at a small little place called Beach Theater. I haven't been out to their show, but I've soured on Rocky Horror a bit since I realized that you can never get the jokes the people in the audience toss out at the film, because it's a constant shouting match between four or five different comments at once.

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Jack Ondracek
Film God

Posts: 2348
From: Port Orchard, WA, USA
Registered: Oct 2002


 - posted 04-04-2004 12:35 AM      Profile for Jack Ondracek   Author's Homepage   Email Jack Ondracek   Send New Private Message       Edit/Delete Post 
MANY years ago, we ran it at an indoor I opened, then closed. It started very strong, filling the place twice a week. Eventually, the novelty dropped off, & we abandoned the sinking ship.

The picture's on video & has been on cable. I don't know if the passion exists anywhere now, but it's sure tapped out here.

Back then, the prints weren't all that great, either... and Fox took half the boxoffice.

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Derek Miner
Film Handler

Posts: 10
From: Clearwater, FL, USA
Registered: Apr 2004


 - posted 04-04-2004 12:18 PM      Profile for Derek Miner   Author's Homepage   Email Derek Miner   Send New Private Message       Edit/Delete Post 
Fox did a new batch of prints in 1990 (with stereo sound for the first time). I suppose they will still occasionally strike new prints - The Tampa Theater show here in 2002 was a brand new print.

Since they went back and made a 5.1 mix for DVD, I really wish they'd strike new Dolby Digital prints. The stereo soundtrack from 1990 was almost universally loathed by fans of the film. The DVD version is many times better.

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Rachel Craven
Madam Moderator

Posts: 2190
From: Pensacola, FL
Registered: Dec 2000


 - posted 04-04-2004 07:07 PM      Profile for Rachel Craven   Email Rachel Craven   Send New Private Message       Edit/Delete Post 
We did it at Hollywood Hits in Danvers, MA every month with a live cast. All people going to the show got a pat down before entering the theater, there was no throwing of items (except popcorn, but you had to buy that!) allowed. It worked out pretty good because instead of throwing stuff people basically got a strip show. It wouldn't have worked without the live cast though! [Big Grin]

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Mitchell Dvoskin
Phenomenal Film Handler

Posts: 1869
From: West Milford, NJ, USA
Registered: Jan 2001


 - posted 04-04-2004 07:57 PM      Profile for Mitchell Dvoskin   Email Mitchell Dvoskin   Send New Private Message       Edit/Delete Post 
The biggest problem with the 1990 stereo track is that it must be played in stereo, since they mixed a lot of sound and dialog specifically to come from the rear channel. When played in mono, a lot of the dialog and sound is diffused and muddled.

/Mitchell

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Dan Lyons
Jedi Master Film Handler

Posts: 698
From: Seal Beach, CA
Registered: Sep 2002


 - posted 04-04-2004 10:15 PM      Profile for Dan Lyons   Email Dan Lyons   Send New Private Message       Edit/Delete Post 
Here is the story of what has happened to the RHPS audio through the years. This page helped get the DVD released with the original mono soundtrack back in place.
RHPS sound track info

The 5.1 was mixed off the mono. The stereo soundtrack now only exists on old VHS copies and the current theatrical prints. [uhoh]

Danny

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Luciano Brigite
Master Film Handler

Posts: 277
From: Sao Paulo, SP, Brazil
Registered: Jan 2002


 - posted 04-04-2004 10:30 PM      Profile for Luciano Brigite   Email Luciano Brigite   Send New Private Message       Edit/Delete Post 
I've been wondering what makes this movie so.. umm.."special"
I have heard about it a few times, most of them here and I'm curious about it.I've been trying to find it on dvd too but didn't find it on reg.4 yet. (can't play reg1 or any other).I wanna see it but no luck in finding it until now..

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Aaron Sisemore
Flaming Ribs beat Reeses Peanut Butter Cups any day!

Posts: 3061
From: Rockwall TX USA
Registered: Sep 1999


 - posted 04-05-2004 02:08 AM      Profile for Aaron Sisemore   Email Aaron Sisemore   Send New Private Message       Edit/Delete Post 
Luciano, to be perfectly honest, save for the catchy songs and lavish set design/art direction the movie as a standalone entity plain SUCKS.

Having seen RHPS for the first time in a virtually empty theatre in 1983, I too wondered what all the hype and hoopla was about...

Then I ran the film (carbons and changeovers) later the same year to a sold-out house, complete with the Berkeley live cast , and it became a completely different movie once all the audience participation and live cast stuff happened.

I was hooked from then on [Smile]

If you can find a screening of RHPS that features a live cast, by all means GO and see it!

-Aaron

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Derek Miner
Film Handler

Posts: 10
From: Clearwater, FL, USA
Registered: Apr 2004


 - posted 04-05-2004 02:19 AM      Profile for Derek Miner   Author's Homepage   Email Derek Miner   Send New Private Message       Edit/Delete Post 
I also got some notice from the Rocky Horror fans for trying to help get a new sound mix on my own site:
http://minerwerks.tripod.com/ew/rocky/rocky.html

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Bryan J Arseneau
Film Handler

Posts: 10
From: Toronto, ONTARIO, CANADA
Registered: Aug 2003


 - posted 04-05-2004 03:04 AM      Profile for Bryan J Arseneau   Email Bryan J Arseneau   Send New Private Message       Edit/Delete Post 
Having run RHPS over 5000 times here in Toronor
*Clean up was a mess (Confittee)
*was R for the longeat time
*Line up around the block
*It is still running here, about 1 time a month , they now throw rice have a great time , and all the straight, by, gay, transgendered and whatever have a great time.
If you are in Toronto and it is playing at the Bloor, come and have a good time

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Luciano Brigite
Master Film Handler

Posts: 277
From: Sao Paulo, SP, Brazil
Registered: Jan 2002


 - posted 04-06-2004 12:43 AM      Profile for Luciano Brigite   Email Luciano Brigite   Send New Private Message       Edit/Delete Post 
Well, I'll keep looking for it here on dvd. most of people from cd/dvd/video stores I ask about this movie looks at me with the "what the heck is he talking about" face [Frown]
Only two people knew a very little about it but never saw it for sale. only place I'd get it,by order,wanted my arm and half a leg for it grrr..
I don't know if this movie got to the big screen here or if it did,maybe didn't go well since any of the old time theatre people from where I am remembered about it.asking about it at the film depot only turned out into aonother "duh?" and a "try finding out who distributed it and giving them a call" wich I did and was left waiting 'til the line droped.
but I'll get it someday [thumbsup]

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Bryan J Arseneau
Film Handler

Posts: 10
From: Toronto, ONTARIO, CANADA
Registered: Aug 2003


 - posted 04-06-2004 02:51 AM      Profile for Bryan J Arseneau   Email Bryan J Arseneau   Send New Private Message       Edit/Delete Post 
Here in Canada. it is 20Th. Centery Fox.
As far as I know it is avaible now on DVD (in Canada)
Remember this opemed in 1977 and is still going
Can be FUN but can also be a lot of work

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