August 27, 2026
Cult movie fans are in mourning this week with the passing of actor Tim Curry at the age of 80. The Englishman played roles that ranged from the 1996 MUPPET TREASURE ISLAND to the creepy clown Pennywise in the 1990 production of IT. However, the guy did take on some normal roles such as the nervous Dr. Yevgeni Petrov in the film HUNT FOR RED OCTOBER and Cardinal Richelieu in the THREE MUSKETEERS. But the heck with all those normal roles! For people like me and few other strange children on the 1970’s, Tim Curry was and will always be Dr. Frank-N-Furter from THE ROCKY HORROR PICTURE SHOW! Indeed, it takes a real man to wear a corset, fishnet stockings, and a garter belt. Curry’s role as the Sweet Transvestite from Transsexual Transylvania made an impact on midnight movies that inspired cult movie fans and scared the heck out of normal people for decades! In all reality, the movie was terrible, but it was so terrible that it was cool, if that’s possible. I saw a clip of Curry at a Rocky Horror Picture Show anniversary party addressing the faithful with, “I’m glad to see there are people in the world who are weirder than me!” I have to wonder if the guy wore more makeup as Pennywise or Frank-N-Furter.
Regardless of Curry’s stage and screen work, the first time I ever saw him was on some pre-MTV music video show that was on TV back in the late 1970’s. Here was Tim Curry singing the song I DO THE ROCK. I had no idea who this guy was belting out the words, “I do the rock! It’s stimulating!” I kind of dug it though, and later on I bought his greatest hits CD. Yes, Tim Curry had a greatest hits album, and I consider his version of the Beatle’s tune I WILL as one of my favorite covers of a Beatle song. R.I.P. Tim Curry.
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