Rocky Horror Shows His Heels
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Rocky Horror Shows His Heels is the original first draft screenplay treatment for Shock Treatment. It was written in 1978 by original The Rocky Horror Show and The Rocky Horror Picture Show author Richard O'Brien. In terms of plot continuity it was also far more cohesive with the plot of the original movie, unlike Shock Treatment or the aborted Revenge of the Old Queen. The basic premise of this script was abandoned after the production hit a couple of snags. First, it was learned that Tim Curry balked at the idea of reprising the role of Dr. Frank-N-Furter. Second, Jim Sharman, director of the original Rocky Horror Picture Show, was resistant to do something he felt he'd already done. Sharman expressed interest in doing something similar but different. At this point the basic story was dumped. O'Brien, however, felt he had spent a great deal of time working on the songs and music. As such, he was not ready to abandon them. He corrected this problem by creating a new story around the existing songs. This evolved into a script titled The Brad and Janet Show.
At present copies of this script are very rare and more than likely in the hands of private collectors. But there is a summary version, in the form of notes from a then studio reader at Twentieth Century Fox at the time the script made its rounds. These notes can be found at both Rocky Horror Picture Show and Shock Treatment web sites.
Given the extreme similarity between this plot and that of Revenge of the Old Queen, and the high number of songs used in the "proper" sequel Shock Treatment, many have theorised that this outline is a complete hoax[citation needed].
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[edit] Plot
Rocky Horror Shows His Heels picked up roughly nine months after the events of the first movie. Brad and Janet's marriage has hit the skids after it is learned she is pregnant. Questions concerning the identity of the child's father circle both their lives. Is it Brad's? Frank's? Rocky's? Also during the beginning it was learned that both Brad and Dr. Scott have turned homosexual as a result of their experiences. Brad leaves Janet in high heels to the song Bitchin In the Kitchen and goes to live with Dr. Scott.
It is then also learned that when the castle took off for the planet Transexual in the galaxy of Transylvania, the swimming pool was left behind in the crater the castle left, and inside were the bodies of Frank and Rocky. After months of stasis Rocky's body revives and he pulls out the corpse of Frank-N-Furter, while singing Breaking Out, a little worse for wear and still quite dead. It is at this point Rocky spots Brad and Dr. Scott at the crater doing experiments on its radiation. When they leave, Rocky trails them by foot back to Dr. Scott's cabin.
Back at the cabin, as Dr. Scott and Brad discuss the day's events, peace is shattered: Rocky crashes through a window cradling the mold-encrusted body of Frank. He then begins to mime to Brad and Dr. Scott to bring Frank back to life. Scott, having studied some of Frank's data, agrees. He then concocts a rejuvenating formula made from the blood of Rocky, Brad and himself. Electroshocks (to the tune Shock Treatment) wipe away all signs of mold during reanimation.
Frank is delighted to be alive again. He is even more thrilled at the notion he may have a son. After putting his three charges to bed, Frank contacts all his other Earthbound Transylvanians to inform them of a party to celebrate his return.
The next morning Frank learns Janet has gone into labor and given birth to her child, a boy. To the tune Little Black Dress, Frank and his growing group of followers head over to the hospital where Frank immediately takes charge of the child and claims him as his own, much to the chagrin of Janet and her over-macho dad (Thank God I'm a Man). Frank announces that tonight's party will also celebrate the birth of his son. A special prize will go to the best costume. Frank and his followers then circle the town spreading "fairy dust" that converts the uptight citizens of Denton, USA into raving Transylvanians. Janet's Mom, Dad, a cop, and a nurse get ready for the party, too (Look What I Did To My Id).
At the party, a song on the jukebox reminds Frank of his old nemesis, Eddie. As he goes into song about the ex-delivery boy (He Lived and Died for Rock-N-Roll), Frank suddenly collapses. The reanimation fluid Dr. Scott concocted was incorrect. Frank must have eleven pints of virgin blood to survive. Brad embarks a mercy mission to collect the blood.
Meanwhile at the hospital, Janet is given an injection of sedatives by her two doctors. It is then they reveal themselves to be Riff-Raff and Magenta, Frank's old servants who murdered him in cold blood. The brother and sister pair tell Janet her baby is dead and turn her loose, dazed by drugs.
At the same time Brad locates a youth gang, Oscar Drill and the Bits. He tells them the plight of the local alien celebrity and they agree to help. After another blood donation, Frank is again in high spirits. Between Frank's singing and Brad's dancing the crowd is worked into a frenzy. At this high point Janet bursts into the room. Janet expresses her undying love for Frank. Frank scorns her ovations and states his only interests are with his son.
Janet, now determined to hurt Frank, tells him the baby is dead. At this point Frank begins to dissolve again. It seems one of the youths wasn't a virgin. Enraged, Frank begins to chase after the young unchaste lad. In doing so, however, his spell over the people of Denton evaporates. He is only prevented from being killed by Brad, Dr. Scott, and Rocky. In return the three are nearly beaten to death by the angry mob and the rest of the Transylvanians flee.
Outside, the decaying Frank is greeted by Riff-Raff and Magenta. Riff-Raff holds a pitchfork laser. Magenta holds the baby. There is a brief exchange which ends with Riff-Raff lasering Frank, killing him for a second time.
At this point Janet appears, having dodged the angry mob. Riff-Raff and Magenta tell Janet a baby needs a mother's love and offers for her to come with them. Janet accepts. Then, as the ambulance departs for the future, the baby's rock-n-roll cooing clearly show the child is Frank's.
Some of the script's themes were parodies of such films as Invasion of the Body Snatchers, The Thing from Another World and Rosemary's Baby.
[edit] Songs
- "Overture"
- "Bitchin' in the Kitchen"
- "Breaking Out"
- "Electroshocks"
- Untitled song to tune of Little Black Dress
- "Thank God I'm a Man"
- "Look What I Did to My Id"
- "He Lived & Died for Rock 'n Roll"
- "You're Looking at an Ace"
- "I'm Goin' to See My Baby"
- "Duel Duet"
- "Anyhow, Anyhow"
- "Me of Me"
There are more songs that may or may have not been included in Shock Treatment.
"Bitchin' in the Kitchen", "Breaking Out", "Little Black Dress", "Thank God I'm a Man", "Look What I Did to My Id", "You're Lookin' at an Ace", "Duel Duet", "Anyhow, Anyhow", and "Me of Me" are all Shock Treatment songs.
[edit] Differences between this and Shock Treatment
- Most Shock Treatment songs are within this film including: Look What I Did to My Id, Breaking Out, Thank God I'm a Man, and Bitchin' in the Kitchen.
- Some characters - Harry and Emily Weiss, Oscar Drill & The Bits - are in Shock Treatment.
- Dr. Scott has been re-written as Bert Schnick for Shock Treatment.
[edit] Future Possibilities
It has been rumored that in his spare time Richard O'Brien is working on a new sequel in the form of an all-new play, tentatively titled Rocky Horror: The Second Coming. O'Brien has commented the new play would feature a pregnant Janet and the question of who the child's father is would play a major role in the story. He also leaked that the revival of Frank-N-Furter would be pivotal to the play's plot as well. If this is true it would seem O'Brien is updating his original work. At present though there are no immediate plans to produce this play.
[edit] Trivia
While Tim Curry stated he would not return as Frank-N-Furter, he initially expressed a desire to return in some fashion. It was then that O'Brien wrote the role of Farley Flavors for Curry in The Brad and Janet Show. When it was learned Barry Bostwick wouldn't be able to participate Curry backed out of the project. While Curry felt he could play Farley he did not think he could impersonate an American accent well enough to portray Brad.
Up until Shock Treatment, Dr. Scott had been included in all scripts. Only when it was learned Jonathan Adams did not wish to return was the part rewritten into the character Bert Schnick.
In the original version, Janet was a secondary character. This is ironic considering that when the producers contacted Susan Sarandon about returning for the film her starting price had risen to $250,000 as a result of her increased celebrity. As the film's inital budget was only slated to be around 4 million dollars the producers declined and hired Jessica Harper instead.
In the online version of the script for Revenge of the Old Queen, there is a scene where Riff-Raff, under the Queen's orders, returns to the crater to retrieve Frank-N-Furter's remains. He is dismayed when he learns a housing tract called "Happy Homes" is in place over the site. "Happy Homes" was also the name of Brad and Janet's housing project in Rocky Horror Shows His Heels. It was later reused as the title of a soap opera in Shock Treatment.
