Rocky horror pictures show is a perennial favorite, one of the few that still plays in some theaters decades after its initial release (though it probably isn’t now). The film bombed when it premiered in 1975, but quickly became the definition of a cult classic. Midnight audience participation and Halloween screenings became the industry in which film pioneered.
Its success is partly due to its great songs and partly to its characters. The remote home of Dr. Frank N. Furter (just one of Tim Curry’s iconic protagonists) is home to a strange and intriguing cast of characters, some of the most famous. the most of which was his servant, Columbia.
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Little Nell
Rocky horror pictures show It has a lot of actors and actresses who have become household names. Unfortunately, not all of them do. Nell Jr. played Columbia in both the original 1973 London musical and the 1975 film.
Nell Jr. reached the pinnacle of her acting career with this film, although she continues to act and sing on stage and screen. She also had a brief stint as a pop singer, recording and releasing albums on A&M Records in the late 70s and early 80s. She was born Nell Campbell in Sydney, Australia.
that outfit
One of Columbia’s most iconic things is her sparkly outfit from the classic song “Time Warp.” The challenge-loving sci-fi cosplayer has made it one of the most popular costumes of the past 40 years, and it’s easy to see why.
The ensemble is embellished with bright sequins and finished with a bright yellow hat and jacket. She has a pink bow and a yellow jumpsuit. Columbia’s contagious, fun energy shows through in this fabulous outfit, one of the few intentionally colorful outfits in the entire film.
faithful servant
Columbia is one of Dr. Frank N. Furter’s many servants, though she is easily the most complicated. She’s basically a team player like Magenta, even though she was once really in love with a good doctor (well, she still is, arguably). She randomly fell into his orbit.
As she puts it in one of her most iconic lines in “Time Warp,” “I’m walking down the street just thinking about it.” Columbia clearly enjoys the psychedelic reality of the house, even though it’s not always easy or fun and games for her.
Eddie!
Columbia falls in love with Dr. Frank N. Furter, but her heart drifts. This is mainly because he dumped her for delivery guy Eddie, as the doctor used to do. To complicate matters further, Columbia also loves Eddie. Everything was going well until Dr. Frank N. Furter cut off half of Eddie’s brain in exchange for a flaming new love.
Actor and singer Meatloaf played Eddie in the 1975 film, though he only made a brief appearance in the film before Dr. Frank N. Furter killed him out of jealousy.
privileged position
Columbia is torn between her privileged position in the family and her own pain. She tells the perfect couple Brad and Janet that visiting the doctor’s secret lab is a “great privilege” that few people have (and neither does she).
Despite the conflict between Columbia, Eddie, and Dr. Frank N. Furter, she remains an integral part of his staff. After Eddie’s death, she continued to work with him and helped prepare for the creation of Loki, who took half of Eddie’s brain for his own. However, it was already starting to bother her.
you are innocent
An insight into Columbia’s personality is her reaction to Rocky. Given her heartbreak for Eddie, it’s natural for her to be hostile or indifferent to him, but she’s very warm. Loki struggles a lot to realize that he is a real lab creature designed for only one thing.
He thinks he’s a monster, but Columbia tells him “you didn’t commit any crime”, one of the best lines in the movie. Her empathy and acceptance reinforce the film’s fundamental respect for LGBTQ people, even if the subtext is buried beneath all the glitz and glamour.
not really evil
All of this in addition shows that Columbia is not quite as crazy as Dr. Frank N. Forte. She wasn’t even that depraved compared to the rest of his staff, including Magenta and Riff Raff. She’s one of the few characters in the movie — she might be the only one — to have an actual arc, and her arc starts to warp when she discovers her body is broken. Eddie’s chopped is being served for dinner.
Dr. Frank N. Furter is only interested in his new toy, but Columbia hasn’t forgotten Eddie or who she is.
pink minecraft
Everything really changed when Dr. Frank N. Furter announced his plan for world domination. Columbia’s shared pain and regret exploded into a confrontation, and she did something she’d never done before: she challenged him. Columbia tells him to treat people like dirt and throw them away like trash.
She laments her pain in the song “Rose Tint My World”, which portrays the character well. Ultimately, this did not lead to any positive outcomes for her or the other employees.
horrible death
After freezing everyone and then freeing them, the plot shifts to everyone. Riff Raff and Magenta organize a coup to bring Dr. Frank N. Furter back to their home planet of Transylvania. In the process, they killed him and Columbia. She is really just an innocent bystander, a victim of his hubris.
She’s actually just one of two characters who die in the movie. The other is Eddie, her destined lover. It’s a sad but funny ending for a character that doesn’t exist in the musical theater scene.
heritage
Columbia was a supplement to the 1975 film, but she has since become an integral part of the film’s presence on the big screen and on stage. She has appeared in subsequent theatrical versions of the show, as well as in the television adaptation.
Boni Enten played her in the 1975 Broadway production. Joan Jett played her in the 2001 Broadway revival. Sophie Linder-Lee played her in 2015’s Live and Ashleigh Ashford played her. There’s even a . in the 2016 remake Delighted Version.