1980 Spoof of The Rocky Horror Picture Show with Ronald Reagan, The Ronnie Horror Picture Show
In the early 1980s, ABC, trying to capture some of the magic of Saturday Night Live, unleashed a Friday night show aptly named, Fridays. The show aired on Friday nights from April 11, 1980, to April 23, 1982, and brought together some wonderful talent. “Who?” you ask.
People like Larry David, Rich Hall, Michael Richards, and Stuart Pankin just to name a few. They made a lot of interesting comedy during their 3 season run, but one of the oddest and certainly most epic of their comedic offering was a 20-minute spoof of the Rocky Horror Picture Show called, The Ronnie Horror Picture Show.
I have watched a lot of sketch comedy on TV over the years and while many sketches feel like they run 20 minutes long, this is probably the only sketch I have seen that reaches that length on purpose. It was a bold comedy experiment and captivating to watch in retrospect, because not only does it capture some talented folks still at the start of their game, it also captures the political climate at the time.
Time was changing and the folks at Fridays tried to capture the feelings of people who were not too pleased with that fact. The whole thing is very hit and miss, but it is definitely worth watching.
