Somewhere it has been said that the deaths’ of the famous come in threes. That might be, so the passing of Dolly Parton (singer/songwriter, actress), Tim Curry (singer/actor), Jay Maisel (photographer), and Yayoi Kusama (artist) in the latter part of this month has given me some pause.
I know, that’s four famous lost lives.
Although I met Dolly Parton in an exciting moment backstage at the 1978 Ohio State Fair in the form of a brief “hello” and handshake, it is the passing of Tim Curry which moves me the most—in particular his role as Dr. Frank-N-Furter in The Rocky Horror Picture Show (RHPS).
The movie came out in 1975, and flopped. However, upon being released to home video outlets, it broke out just like Dr. Frank-N-Furter throwing off his cape in the early minutes of the movie. As it gained more popularity, movie houses all over the country started showing the film at midnight on the weekends. According to one source, “By the late 1970s, it became a symbol of sexual liberation and self-acceptance, resonating with audiences during that era.”
I was late to the party when it came to attending those midnight, weekend screenings of RHPS. My first viewing of the flick came in the late 70s or very early 80s—probably 1979 or 1980 when I was visiting my family in Ohio between semesters of my undergraduate studies at Arizona State University. The friends that I grew up with in Akron introduced me to the movie one Saturday night in nearby Kent—home of Kent State University.
Sure, it was a bit outrageous in my first viewing since my chums failed to truly explain the movie’s plot before attending, but it was one of those, “Oh Morgan, you’ve got to see this movie!” The reason why I say it was only “a bit outrageous” was that the film wasn’t a stretch from attending the two Queen concerts during my high school years featuring the band’s flamboyant front-man Freddie Mercury. Tim Curry as Dr. Frank-N-Furter in drag was simply an exaggerated version of Mercury. Curry once said, “It was part of the sexual revolution, really. Experiment was in the air and it was palpable. I gave them permission to be who they discovered they wanted to be. I’m proud of that.” I can’t say the film changed any of us, but we were certainly beguiled every time we attended.
To be clear, we were typical Midwestern, straight young men who all came from working, middle-class families—mom’s at home and dad’s at work as tire factory workers, surveyors, plumbers, or mail carriers. And every time I was back for a visit, we’d head to Kent for another midnight screening of the film followed up by a visit to whatever all-night diner we could find in Kent or somewhere along the way home.
For whatever it’s worth, although we saw the movie on countless occasions over some ten years, we were never the fans/groupies who dressed up as RHPS characters, but we were tickled that others were because that made attending all that more exciting, dare I say, “delicious?” However, I think there was one occasion when we brought some toast and rice with us. I’ve always said that Dr. Strangelove is my favorite movie of all time, but I’m confident that I’ve viewed RHPS more… even more than The Wizard of Oz.
I really can’t articulate why we went to this movie so often. If I had to answer the question today, I would chalk it up to the costume imagery of the movie and, for sure, the soundtrack. We were certainly aware of the undertones of homo/bi-sexuality, but whatever discussions we had on this topic, it wasn’t something we obsessed over. Perhaps we were simply a little too naive when it came to anything beyond matters of the heterosexual. For me the film’s music and imagery equaled Jesus Christ Superstar—another film and soundtrack of our youth. Whether it’s The Time Warp, or Sweet Transvestite, I assure you I know all the words to both songs. They are both on one of my Spotify playlists.
In recalling these memories, I have to wonder how this movie would be received today by the same demographic… in places like Akron, or better yet, Powell, Wyoming. One part of me thinks it would be viewed as anything but artistic in its music and costume design. In a time when Christian nationalism is mainstream-to-widespread, my hunch is it would be viewed as lewd and downright wicked. Though I don’t recall, I’m sure there were those back then who viewed it in the same light, but not our little band of straight, young men.
On the surface there would seem to be a great contrast between Dolly Parton and Tim Curry. Yet, beyond the stage, studios, and movie sets, I suspect they had much more in common. Have you ever heard some of Dolly Parton’s off color jokes? I’d even go as far and bet that Parton herself viewed The Rocky Horror Picture Show and loved it.
Don’t get strung out by the way I look.
Don’t judge a book by its cover.
I’m not much of a man by the light of day,
but by night I’m one hell of a lover!
—Dr. Frank-N-Furter