A Different Set of Jaws
When released in August 1975 in England, the UK movie poster's tag line was "A Musical Dream Come True". Coinciding with the September US release, the initial advertising campaign in the US for The Rocky Horror Picture Show included the tag-line "A Different Set Of Jaws." The line made reference to Jaws, the wildly popular block-buster that had broken box-office records in the Summer of 1975. The Lips appeared disembodied on a black background, like the opening sequence of the movie, although alternate versions that were shaped in reference to the shark from Jaws were also created. In 1978, when The Rocky Horror Picture Show Original Soundtrack Album was released in the US for the first time, the tag line "a different kind of Rocky" was added, in reference to the 1977 Best-Picture Oscar-winner, Rocky, starring Sylvester Stallone.
The poster was designed by Bill Wallen of Wallen Designs, who also designed the poster for Jaws in 1975, and Rocky in 1976. The original tag line was "A Musical Dream Come True" as referenced on the UK One Sheet, though the initial design was replaced with the more clever Jaws theme, inspired by the lips. Though the opening sequence of The Rocky Horror Picture Show features the lips of Patricia Quinn singing "Science Fiction, Double Feature", the iconic image of The Lips from the promotional posters, newspaper advertising, and other materials were provided by model Lorelei Shark.
Jaws vs Different Set of Jaws:
1975 The Rocky Horror Picture Show One-Sheet
1975 Jaws movie poster
Alternate take of The Lips, cropped to look like Jaws movie poster
Cropped and flopped Lips, cropped to look like Jaws movie poster, from 1975 newspaper ad-mats
Poster announcing the first US LP Release in 1978
Working file velox of the original photo of The Lips
Original, rejected design for US poster
Original UK poster, also used on The Original Soundtrack Album
