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  • Rocky Horror Picture Showing

    The Mall Walkers thread reminded me of this story, but I didn't want to thread jack. This is part Sucky Customers, part Morons in Management.

    Eltf177 mentioned his friend who warned the mall managers what they were getting into with this particular group of mall walkers. A similar kind of warning from me went unheeded many years ago.

    When I was in college, I worked for the school radio station as a DJ. It was more of a club than a paid thing. We put on free movies in what we called the Red Square on campus from time to time. Usually we just projected the movie onto some big sheets we sewed together. However, we'd bought a nice screen we could set up in large open areas that semester. It was very expensive: about $10,000 IIRC.

    The first movie the station manager (a student like me) decided would be shown on the new screen was the Rocky Horror Picture Show.

    The idea was greeted with much enthusiasm by the rest of the staff, except myself.

    Me: Don't do it. Don't show this movie on the new screen. The students will ruin it.

    Manager: No, they won't. It'll be fine! This is a really popular movie.

    Me: Yes, I know. I've seen it and I love it. Have you seen it?

    Manager: Well, no.

    Me: It's a cult classic. It's an audience participation movie. There are places in the movie where people will be throwing rice, water, even eggs at the screen. And don't get me started on the profanity and the vulgarities people will be shouting through the whole show.

    Manager: They won't do that! Our students aren't like that, they wouldn't do something like that. Besides, most of them probably haven't seen it before.

    Me: Are you kidding me? They're kids! Of course they will. A lot of them will have already seen this movie. You're not thinking it through. Please don't use the new screen. Use the sheets, if you must show this movie.

    Manager: You're over reacting. It will be fine.

    Fast forward to movie night. Needless to say, Red Square was packed. Everyone wanted to see the movie. And it didn't take long for things to start flying. The rice started flying as soon as the wedding scene started. Manager stops the movie and sternly warns the students not to throw things at the new screen, and to watch the language. Movie starts playing again.

    We get to the scene where Brad and Janets car breaks down. Cue the water pistols and the newspapers. Campus police stops the movie and issues another warning.

    Movie plays. We get to "there's a light", the candles and flashlights come out, and that's where Campus Police shuts it down. Between the warnings and the vulgarities, everyone was just going apeshit. Eggs, rice, toilet paper, newspapers litter the place after the students (who were about to riot with all the interruptions) file out of the Square.

    Manager: Well, guess it's time to clean up, everybody.

    Me: Have fun with that.

    Manager: What? What are you saying? Aren't you going to help?

    Me: Hell, no. I warned you. I warned you not to show this movie. You wouldn't listen. No way in hell am I cleaning up your mess.

    And I left.

    He was pretty pissed, but he graduated that semester so I just didn't give a fuck.
    They say that God only gives us what we can handle. Apparently, God thinks I'm a bad ass.

  • #2
    Can't say he wasn't warned Seriously, how long was he in this business?
    I'm trying to see things from your point of view, but I can't get my head that far up my keister!

    Who is John Galt?
    -Ayn Rand, Atlas Shrugged

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    • #3
      These Pollyanna-types never, ever listen to the voice of experience or reason; they think everything will be just dandy and are honestly surprised when And they never learn, either. Bet this sort of crap is still happening to him and he has no idea why.

      Good for you not staying to clean up; it's his fault for not listening to you.
      I don't have an attitude problem. You have a perception problem.
      My LiveJournal
      A page we can all agree with!

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      • #4
        Rule no one in any business, hobby, etc.. always listen to the voice of experience. Now that doesn't mean that new things might not be beneficial, but if somebody who has been somewhere/ done something for awhile..they generally know what to expect.

        Heh I will have to post a similar story in sightings. Similar in that the voice of experience was ignored.
        Engaged to the amazing Marmalady. She is my Silver Dragon, shining as bright as the sun. I her Black Dragon (though good honestly), dark as night..fierce and strong.

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        • #5
          Quoth Sapphire Silk View Post
          ... We put on free movies in what we called the Red Square on campus from time to time...
          Evergreen State in Olympia?

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          • #6
            I can understand assuming that, say, a PG-13 movie might not contain a whole lot of violence or cursing or what have you, but this is ROCKY HORROR we're talking about, here. A showing would be considered a failure if it did NOT have a bunch of die-hard fans showing up, throwing stuff at the screen, and performing it...Hell, as soon as it was announced, I'm sure the local fans were giddy with antici-....SAY IT!...-pation!
            "For a musician, the SNES sound engine is like using Crayola Crayons. Nobuo Uematsu used Crayola Crayons to paint the Sistine Chapel." - Jeremy Jahns (re: "Dancing Mad")
            "The difference between an amateur and a master is that the master has failed way more times." - JoCat
            "Thinking is difficult, therefore let the herd pronounce judgment!" ~ Carl Jung
            "There's burning bridges, and then there's the lake just to fill it with gasoline." - Wiccy, reddit
            "Retail is a cruel master, and could very well be the most educational time of many people's lives, in its own twisted way." - me
            "Love keeps her in the air when she oughta fall down...tell you she's hurtin' 'fore she keens...makes her a home." - Capt. Malcolm Reynolds, "Serenity" (2005)
            Acts of Gord – Read it, Learn it, Love it!
            "Our psychic powers only work if the customer has a mind to read." - me

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            • #7
              Quoth EricKei View Post
              A showing would be considered a failure if it did NOT have a bunch of die-hard fans showing up, throwing stuff at the screen, and performing it...Hell, as soon as it was announced, I'm sure the local fans were giddy with antici-....SAY IT!...-pation!
              Agreed. We had a theater here that showed ROCKY HORROR every Friday night for years. I went several times a year just to watch the die-hard fans in their costumes and the antics. It's been said you've not seen ROCKY HORROR unless you've seen it in a theater with hard-core fans...

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              • #8
                Quoth eltf177 View Post
                Agreed. We had a theater here that showed ROCKY HORROR every Friday night for years. I went several times a year just to watch the die-hard fans in their costumes and the antics. It's been said you've not seen ROCKY HORROR unless you've seen it in a theater with hard-core fans...
                Up in Rochester NY I did Janet 260+ times. No body for it now, but I still have the floor show Janet costuming in a box somewhere
                EVE Online: 99% of the time you sit around waiting for something to happen, but that 1% of action is what hooks people like crack, you don't get interviewed by the BBC for a WoW raid.

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                • #9
                  We used to have this, too, when small theaters still existed back in NOLA --- Once a certain major movie chain named after the residences of royalty decided to come to town, all of the non Art House theaters (meaning, everybody but the Prytania) suddenly shut down for good all of a sudden, leaving a movie theater drought for some time...which the royal place was all too happy to fill in. Sadly, there's no way in Hell the big boys would allow a Rocky Horror showing.
                  "For a musician, the SNES sound engine is like using Crayola Crayons. Nobuo Uematsu used Crayola Crayons to paint the Sistine Chapel." - Jeremy Jahns (re: "Dancing Mad")
                  "The difference between an amateur and a master is that the master has failed way more times." - JoCat
                  "Thinking is difficult, therefore let the herd pronounce judgment!" ~ Carl Jung
                  "There's burning bridges, and then there's the lake just to fill it with gasoline." - Wiccy, reddit
                  "Retail is a cruel master, and could very well be the most educational time of many people's lives, in its own twisted way." - me
                  "Love keeps her in the air when she oughta fall down...tell you she's hurtin' 'fore she keens...makes her a home." - Capt. Malcolm Reynolds, "Serenity" (2005)
                  Acts of Gord – Read it, Learn it, Love it!
                  "Our psychic powers only work if the customer has a mind to read." - me

                  Comment


                  • #10
                    Quoth eltf177 View Post
                    It's been said you've not seen ROCKY HORROR unless you've seen it in a theater with hard-core fans AND a fully costumed shadow cast AND FULL props AND massively inappropriate callbacks...
                    As a long time vet of RHPS (I lost my virginity in Sept. of 1978 ) one can NEVER say this movie (except when it first hit the movie theaters in like 1975) was a passively watched movie. EVEN IF there are NO props allowed the callback are MOST of the fun. and even if you are a passive watcher it is JUST SO FUN to watch chaos in motion. THIS is what makes the movie SO MUCH FUN.
                    I'm lost without a paddle and headed up SH*T creek.
                    -- Life Sucks Then You Die.


                    "I'll believe corp. are people when Texas executes one."

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                    • #11
                      We have an art-house theater, but there's no way they'd allow a Rocky Horror showing. Not in my town, it's too sophisticated for that

                      There was a small theater pretty much in the middle of a college area that had dedicated showings on Fridays. Sadly myself and my band of misfits at the time never got a chance to go before the building closed down.
                      "I am quite confident that I do exist."
                      "Excuse me, I'm making perfect sense. You're just not keeping up." The Doctor

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                      • #12
                        Quoth eltf177 View Post
                        Agreed. We had a theater here that showed ROCKY HORROR every Friday night for years. I went several times a year just to watch the die-hard fans in their costumes and the antics. It's been said you've not seen ROCKY HORROR unless you've seen it in a theater with hard-core fans...
                        True that. Went to a midnight showing of it waaay back in the late 80's with a coworker. I'd heard of the film but had never seen it until then. IIRC the audience didn't get too rowdy with the participation.

                        Definitely an experience you don't forget.
                        Human Resources - the adult version of "I'm telling Mom." - Agent Anthony "Tony" DiNozzo (NCIS)

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                        • #13
                          Quoth DGoddessChardonnay View Post
                          True that. Went to a midnight showing of it waaay back in the late 80's with a coworker. I'd heard of the film but had never seen it until then. IIRC the audience didn't get too rowdy with the participation.

                          Definitely an experience you don't forget.
                          That it most definitely was. Prices were usually cheap but were slightly higher for ROCKY HORROR as the extra costs helped cover the extra cleaning up after the showing. It was pretty crazy but never got totally out of control...

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                          • #14
                            Went the first time with my stepson, of all people. My teenaged stepson . . . whose role was Rocky . . .

                            Bit of an education for middle-aged stepmom.

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                            • #15
                              Quoth AccountingDrone View Post
                              Up in Rochester NY I did Janet 260+ times. No body for it now, but I still have the floor show Janet costuming in a box somewhere
                              Magenta here.
                              At the conclusion of an Irish wedding, the priest said "Everybody please hug the person who has made your life worth living. The bartender was nearly crushed to death.

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