055 The Rocky Horror Picture Show (1975)

“IT’S NOT EASY HAVING A GOOD TIME.. EVEN SMILING MAKES MY FACE ACHE.“

This month, we at Retro Grade Podcast decided to cover one of the most beloved cult classics and recognizable LGBTQ+ themed movies of all time, The Rocky Horror Picture Show! Directed by Jim Sharman, written by Richard O’Brien, starring Tim Curry, Susan Sarandon, Barry Bostwick, Patricia Quinn, Nell Campbell and Richard O’Brien themself! Austin is a huge Rocky Horror Picture Show fan, but Jorge has never seen it. Throughout the course of recording this podcast, Jorge has a preference for movies with strong plots, and the musical genre is not exactly his favorite. However, after starting this show, Jorge has watched even more musicals and may actually be a secret music fan. Will he be converted to the House of Rocky during this episode?

We talk about how the movie serves as an homage to the campy sci-fi and horror movies of the 50’s and 60’s, references old Hollywood, glam rock, and classic art, all to tell a very fun movie with catchy music. However, beneath the fun exterior lies a story about a sexual awakening contrasted with the conservative sexual politics from the world the main characters come from, a fictional town in middle America. We talk about how the film can be empowering and inspiring, and also get a modern perspective of how some of the ideas can seen as problematic, and we give our opinions on controversy.

We talk about how the Rocky Horror show was born from the mind of Richard O’Brien, a transgender person in 1972 going through gender dysphoria while trying to be an actor. Without any of the resources (some) people in the LGBTQ+ community have today, Richard unintentionally wrote about what they were going through as a stageplay that turned into something the Library of Congress deemed “culturally, historically or aesthetically significant.” How did The Rocky Horror Picture Show go from box office flop, to the longest running theatrical release for a film of all time?

We get into all of that and so much more! We hope you enjoy this episode as much as we did making it!

You can listen to this episode on:

Spotify: HERE

Apple Podcast: HERE

Stitcher: HERE

Google Podcast: HERE