ROANOKE TIMES
Copyright (c) 1995, Roanoke Times
DATE: Friday, December 29, 1995 TAG: 9512290036
SECTION: EXTRA PAGE: 1 EDITION: METRO
DATELINE: LOS ANGELES
SOURCE: BOB THOMAS ASSOCIATED PRESS
``The Rocky Horror Picture Show,'' the movie that will not die, is getting another lease on life with a Collector's Laserdisc Edition complete with two music numbers cut out of the original movie.
For $125, ``Rocky Horror'' aficionados can thrill to the movie in its pristine form. The FoxVideo package includes the numbers ``Superheroes'' and ``Once in a While,'' as well as a karaoke, 24-carat soundtrack CD, a new book about the film's cult, original trailers and TV spots, a scrapbook and more.
The man who brought ``Rocky Horror'' to the screen is Lou Adler, owner of Ode Records, manager of Carole King, Cheech and Chong and others, and long a power in the music business. He also operates the Hollywood nightclub Roxy, where many rock acts got their starts.
The Roxy is also where the ``Rocky Horror'' phenomenon began. On a recent afternoon, Adler ventured in from his Malibu home to the Sunset Strip club and related the history of the film, an initial flop that he says has earned $150 million. The figure seems inflated, but then what isn't in show business?
It started in 1973, when Adler got a call from actress Britt Eklund, mother of his oldest child. She was living in London at the time.
``She said, `You ought to come over here and look at something that has become the hottest thing in London,''' he recalled.
Eklund was referring to ``The Rocky Horror Picture Show,'' created by Richard O'Brien as a tribute to the horror movie. It had opened in a 60-seat house and created such a sensation that it moved to the 500-seat Kings Road Theater where it was selling out.
Adler's impression of the show? ``One, that the music was really good, lyrically and musically. Also that Tim Curry was overwhelming.''
The producer came, saw and made a deal for rights in the rest of the world - all in one day. Adler brought the show to his newly opened Roxy, where it ran to packed houses for 10 months. Executives from 20th Century Fox came to the show and made a film deal. Next came Broadway.
``It was a disaster as far as the critics were concerned,'' Adler recalled with a grimace. ``We closed in two weeks. It was my fault. I never should have gone to Broadway. It would have been better off-Broadway or off-off-Broadway.
``Also I took the old Belasco Theater and turned it into a nightclub like the Roxy. The critics didn't like that at all.''
Undismayed, Adler took the company to London to make the film. Tim Curry was a must (``I wouldn't have made the movie without him'') as Dr. Frank N. Furter, the transvestite from the galaxy of Transylvania who conducts maniacal experiments. For the innocent couple who blunder into the doctor's bizarre laboratory, Adler chose two newcomers, Susan Sarandon and Barry Bostwick.
As a movie in 1975, ``The Rocky Horror Picture Show'' bombed as badly as it had on Broadway.
``The first preview in Santa Barbara was disastrous; we lost 75 percent of the audience before the film finished,'' Adler remarked. ``The cards [filled out by preview attendees] were more like death threats than anything the studio had seen.
``Most of the executives at the studio backed off completely. It played briefly here in Westwood and in Denver and another place. Mostly we couldn't get it exhibited. The initial failure gave us the incentive to find an alternative.''
Adler and company conceived the notion of midnight screenings. Tests were attempted in New York's Greenwich Village and in Austin, Texas. Attendance grew at the weekend screenings - and the same people were returning.
``Once we had figures, we could go to exhibitors and tell them, `Here's something you can play in addition to your regular schedule; it's extra money coming in.' At one point we were running about 375 theaters a weekend. Now it averages about 225 theaters,'' he said.
Over the years, ``Rocky Horror'' has developed into something more than a midnight screening. Transvestites in Greenwich Village began the trend of dressing up for the events, then others followed suit, appearing in the costumes of their favorite characters in the film.
The movie might be considered a forerunner of the interactive age. In early screenings, audience members began talking back to the actors. This soon became a ritual which differs from city to city. Even though the videocassette has been a constant seller, Adler believes ``the real enjoyment of the movie has to be in a theater.''
Why has the ``Rocky Horror'' mania continued so long?
``The film stays contemporary and has an energy because of the audience,'' Adler replied. ``The participation lines change according to what's happening at that particular time in history.
``Part of the appeal has been a rite of passage - `Now you're 16, you can go see it.' It seems there are enough characters that everyone in the audience can relate to.
``There's also a camaraderie among the people who return week after week; they have a common denominator in `Rocky Horror,' and they have a great party every week.''
LENGTH: Medium: 90 linesby CNB