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The Unofficial Rocky Horror Callback Script book by Jim Hetzer
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I'll start this review with a little note if I may. This book by Jim Hetzer is very much for The Rocky Horror Picture Show, rather than the touring productions of The Rocky Horror Show we have here in the UK. Shouting out the lines in the book won't work with the show, which has a similar, but different call back culture. For instance callbacks from the Floorshow in the stage productions are generally frowned upon and don't work here in the UK for the stage show. Props don't tend to be used much in the UK stage shows either and some cinemas restrict what you can bring in as well. Always follow their restrictions, or you risk getting thrown out. Having got that small rant out of the way, here's the review. When The Rocky Horror Picture Show first screened in the USA it didn't do very good box office. And then something magical happened. Audiences started shouting back at the screen, dressing as the characters and even performing along as shadow casts. Over the years RHPS has grown into the cult movie it is today and the audience participation that made it such a success has grown with it. Around the world there are several shared callbacks, but there are also topical and location specific lines that have grown over the years for the movie. Jim "Cosmo" Hetzer had collected together many of the USA callback lines in this one book and you get a line by line breakdown of the callbacks and the props used in the screenings. This reminds me of Audience Participation LP that was available many years ago, as some of the lines require a cultural knowledge of the USA. For instance the callback line "What's white and sells hamburgers?" before Brad says "Didn't we pass a castle a few miles back down the road a few miles?" makes no sense unless you know there is a fast food chain in the states called "White Castle". There seems to be a callback for every line in the movie listed which can be a little overwhelming at times but again that is down to the difference between the audience participation in the USA compared to other parts of the world. I'm not complaining, it's just a bit much compared to what we are used to over here, but this is written for the Amercian screenings, so fair enough. A nice book for the collection. Language: (Amercian) English Paperback: 70 pages Asylum Publications Inc. ISBN-13: 979-8987815250 Dimensions: 280mm x 215mm x 7mm Available to order via Amazon in the UK, we paid around £14 early April 2025. Click to Purchase from Amazon.co.uk

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