Category: Movies

Tim Curry on “The Rocky Horror Picture Show” in 1975

Back in 1975 as “The Rocky Horror Picture Show” was opening, Tim Curry discussed his role in the movie on a student TV station.

Tim Curry Rocky Horror Interview

I remember seeing The Rocky Horror Picture Show (1975) for the first time when I was in college. It was in the days before the Internet and videos, so the only way to experience it was at a late-night showing with people throwing water and toast. I had just moved to a city from my small town, and the movie was unlike anything I had ever seen. I was not sure what to make of the movie and Tim Curry’s portrayal of Frank-n-Furter, but it was fun, and I would recapture the experience several times through the years, introducing other friends and family to the unusual moviegoing experience.

For decades, actor Tim Curry avoided discussing his iconic role in the movie. But back in August of 1975 when the movie opened, Curry appeared on STOIC, the Student Television Of Imperial College to discuss the newly released film.

In the video, interviewer Mark Caldwell got Curry to open up about his role as Frank-n-Furter, and Curry discussed how he came up with the accent he uses in the film and whether he would be interested in acting in a sequel. As noted on Open Culture, the young Caldwell does an excellent job and we are lucky to have this video still around.

The video interview, unfortunately, is no longer available for embedding here but you can check it out by going to YouTube.  Check it out there.

In 2005, Curry would once again discuss The Rocky Horror Picture Show during an interview on NPR’s Fresh Air. That interview focused on his role as King Arthur in Spamalot on Broadway.

Did you know that the first midnight showing of Rocky Horror began at the Waverly Theater in New York City on April 1, 1976? For more trivia, check out “38 Freaky Facts About The Rocky Horror Picture Show.”

What is your favorite memory of “Rocky Horror”? Leave your two cents in the comments.

  • Doing “The Time Warp” Since 1975

    • 19 Celebrity Cameos That You Might Have Missed

    Glenn Close Hook

    This video from Cracked captures nineteen celebrity cameos that you may have missed while watching some of your favorite films, videos, etc. You may have caught some of them, but others were hard to catch — like Glenn Close as a man in Hook (1991) — unless you know about them in advance.

    Were these celebrity cameos fun additions to the movies or a waste of talent? Check it out.

    What is your favorite celebrity cameo in a film? Leave your two cents in the comments.

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    Laurel and Hardy on Film In the 1950s

    While we all know Laurel and Hardy from the prime of their careers around approximately 1926-1945, they also made some rare appearances after 1950.

    Laurel Hardy 1956

    We are used to seeing Stan Laurel and Oliver Hardy as relatively young men in films from the prime of their career together that spanned 1926-1945. By chance, both did appear as even younger men in the movie The Lucky Dog (1921), although it was before the two became a team. But what about the end of their main careers? As for after the 1926-1945 period, following the main years of their career together, the two men did appear together in the 1950s before Hardy passed away.

    Laurel and Hardy’s Last Feature Film

    Their last feature film together was an Italian-French production called Atoll K, which was released in 1951 and marketed in the U.S. as Utopia and in the U.K. as Robinson Crusoeland. It had been more than six years since Laurel and Hardy had appeared together in their previous film, 20th Century Fox’s The Bullfighters (1945). Below is the trailer for Utopia (1951).

    At the time of the filming of Atoll K/Utopia, the two men were not in good health as the production faced various challenges. Most considered the resulting poorly dubbed film a disaster. If you would like to watch the entire movie, it is available on YouTube.

    Laurel and Hardy on “This is Your Life”

    After Atoll K, around 1954, Laurel and Hardy appeared on the TV show This is Your Life, hosted by Ralph Edwards. The series surprised and honored people by recounting their life and bringing on people who knew them.

    In this episode of This is Your Life devoted to both Laurel and Hardy, the guests included Buster Keaton.

    Home Video from 1956

    Finally, a silent home video captured Laurel and Hardy in 1956 at the Reseda, California home of Stan Laurel’s daughter, Lois. Stan Laurel had been born with the name Arthur Stanley Jefferson on June 16, 1890 in the United Kingdom, so he was around 66 years old at the time of the video. He would live awhile longer until he passed away on February 23, 1965 in California.

    Oliver Hardy, whose birth name was Norvell Hardy, was born on January 18, 1892 in Georgia, so he was around 64 at the time of the home video. Hardy earlier had a heart attack in 1954 and at the time of the video, he only had about a year to live as he passed away on August 7, 1957 in Los Angeles.

    So, check out this 1956 home video from the UCLA archives, which may be the last time the two giants appeared together on film. Even without sound, you can see the spirit of the two men as they look into the camera one last time.

    What is your favorite Laurel and Hardy moment? Leave your two cents in the comments.

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    Batman’s Evolution

    Different Batmans

    Most of us have watched different movies, TV shows, cartoons, and actors take on Batman through the years. But Jacob T. Swinney came up with the idea to revisit the various incarnations in one video, The Evolution of Batman. Beginning with serials from the 1940s, Swinney takes us on an exciting tour through the years.

    Check out The Evolution of Batman.

    The Evolution of Batman in Cinema from Jacob T. Swinney on Vimeo.

    For a list of all of the shows and movies featured in the video, head over to Vimeo.

    What is your favorite version of Batman? Leave your two cents in the comments.

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    100 Cartoon and Film Impressions in Under Four Minutes

    Brian Hull

    Voice artist Brian Hull has put together a video of him doing quick impressions of one hundred (100) cartoon and film characters all in one take. And he does it in less than four minutes.

    Hull put together the video to celebrate reaching 100,000 subscribers on YouTube. The impressions include characters from Disney, Lord of the Rings, SpongeBob SquarePants, The Jetsons, and Dirty Harry. Check it out.



    Leave your two cents in the comments.

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