Shock Treatment (1981)

Shock Treatment (1981)

In director Jim Sharman's and 20th Century Fox's satirical comedy-musical - the bizarre film was a follow-up or parallel film (not an official sequel) to Sharman's (and British co-writer/actor Richard O'Brien) own previously-directed science-fiction musical-comedy horror film The Rocky Horror Picture Show (1975) - a cross-genre hybrid featuring transvestites from outer space in a spooky house.

Earlier efforts in 1978 to create a true sequel to 'Rocky Horror' ended up with a reworked script titled 'The Brad & Janet Show.' It failed to ignite the Fox executives, so lyricist O'Brien decided to retain the songs he had written (and presented in MTV-styled musical numbers within the film), while the film's main concept was again morphed, rewritten and revised. The fact that it wasn't a sequel was hinted at by one of its taglines:

"It's not a sequel... it's not a prequel...it's an equal."

The plot of this dark, sinister, and critical spoof of reality TV shows, corrupt studio executives and suspicious mental health treatments in hospitals, was about two married, reality-TV show audience members. They were the same two principal male and female characters from the 1975 film: Brad Majors (Cliff DeYoung in a dual role) and Janet Weiss (Jessica Harper who had previously starred in Brian de Palma's cult rock musical Phantom of the Paradise (1974)). The setting for the story resembled a giant TV studio (DTV), not a strange Transylvanian castle.

The couple were split up by the machinations of the wealthy, mysterious, and maniacal DTV studio executive and major sponsor (also a fast-food kingpin) after an appearance on his game show Marriage Maze - the female was groomed to become a reality TV superstar, while her husband was strait-jacketed, drugged and institutionalized (as part of a jealous, vengeful plan). The entire TV studio encompassed the town of Denton, USA, using the town's residents as permanent studio audience participants. Others in the town served as the shows' stars, cast and crew in a number of live broadcast reality-TV and game-shows, including "Denton Dossier," "Marriage Maze," "Dentonvale," "Happy Homes," "Faith Factory," and "Good Morning Denton." Its main tagline was: "Trust me, I'm a doctor."

Although the previous 1975 film over time became a popular cult hit after repeated midnight movie showings (with audience participation), this PG-rated film fizzled at the box office. Foregoing a first-run theatrical release, its grand opening on midnight on Halloween night in 1981 was at NY's Waverly Theater, birthplace of the Rocky Horror cult. Cult film aficionados were not in favor of seeing an un-original, pre-fabricated sequel (it was vilified as "Mock Rocky"), especially since the roles of Brad and Janet were replaced with new performers, and Tim Curry (as mad scientist Dr. Frank-N-Furter) was absent.

On a budget of 3ドル.5 million, it was a major flop, possibly because most cult-film audiences dismissed or ignored it, and it never experienced a come-back, even after being released on home-video. The Stinkers Bad Movie Awards - a lesser-known organization (compared to the Razzie Awards - to honor films that deserved being dis-honored with Golden Raspberry Awards for the 'worst' films in the industry), presented Shock Treatment with two Stinker Awards (from five nominations) - Worst Sequel, and Worst On-Screen Hairstyle (Barry Humphries).

Since its release decades ago, the prescient plot about reality TV has been reevaluated and seen with a new perspective, and the film has been credited with being ahead of its time by clearly foretelling the rise of reality television (game shows, medical soap operas and family sit-coms), social-media influencers, media manipulation, and the obsession with fame and celebrity status. This cult film also predated The Truman Show (1998) by over 15 years.

• the film opened with digital title credits (moving across the screen from right to left), in front of a still shot of the back of an important, unidentified figure smoking a cigar, and a Texan-accented Narrator explaining how the figure - a studio executive and a fast-food tycoon (later identified as TV executive Farley Flavors) in the small town of Denton - was dissatisfied with life and feeling incomplete without a "beautiful girl" - she had married someone else:
  • (voice-over) "Once upon a time, in a town not far from yours, there lived a real fast guy. His life was fast. His friends were fast. Even his food was fast. But he was still not satisfied. He wanted to share his fast philosophy with someone else - a beautiful girl. The trouble was she was in the arms of another man"
• a neon billboard was presented hanging above the audience seating area of a large network studio (DTV - or Denton Television), advertising: "DENTON - HOME OF HAPPINESS" over its heart-shaped logo; behind the sign's logo was the studio's main control room with a bank of monitors and an unidentified studio executive (functioning like the Wizard of Oz behind a curtain); one of the studio's employees entered and then exited from an upper-floor dressing room, descended circular stairs, walked across the main stage, and signaled for the opening of the studio's large main doors to admit the awaiting studio audience members (residents of the town of Denton), who rushed inside to take their seats for the opening number of the TV talk show: "DENTON DOSSIER"

• the show's opening dance-song anthem ("Denton U.S.A.") was a tribute to the sanitized, traditional, safe, and old-fashioned small-town rural life in Denton - perfect for fulfilling the American Dream; it was presented by smiling, joyful cast-members on stage: ("You'll find happy hearts And smiling faces And tolerance for The ethnic races In Denton..."); two cheerleaders (in patriotic red/white/blue outfits) with pom-poms danced to proclaim Denton's wholesome values, as the audience happily joined in and sang-along
• the boring, dry-witted talk show was hosted by newly-divorced, red-headed Betty (née Munroe) Hapschatt (Ruby Wax) and older Judge Oliver Wright (Charles Gray), the town's leading social scientist; both were seated behind a desk with their name-plates

• during their talk show, local reporter and film-maker Neely Pritt (Betsy Brantley), who was making a documentary for DTV about an upcoming new show, spoke to two old friends of hers in the audience - a newly-married couple: Janet (née Weiss) Majors (Jessica Harper) and her neurotic and hapless husband Brad Majors (Cliff De Young, in a dual role); the couple had returned to their hometown of Denton that seemed to have been taken over and completely transformed by the television studio; Neely asked the two about appearing on DTV's new game show sponsored by fast food magnate and studio executive Farley Flavors (also Cliff De Young): "Come for 'Marriage Maze'?"
• the 'Denton Dossier' was interrupted by a Farley's Fast Food commercial that emphasized the 5 F's - with a circular logo of F's presented by a teacher to her class of young students - ("Farley Flavors' fabulous fast foods feed and fortify families for a fabulous future"); after their brief talk show, the two hosts went off together to Kirk's Korner - the film studio's coffee and donuts vendor to gossip and watch the next show
• the next back-to-back show after "Denton Dossier" was "Marriage Maze" - a kind of therapy session for couples - hosted by allegedly blind Bert Schnick (Barry Humphries), an unusual individual with sunglasses and a blind-man's thin white cane; he spoke with a thick Viennese accent; Bert entered the "Marriage Maze" set that was revealed to have three entrances: "Happy Home," "Home Base," and "Rest Home"; even before starting his own show, Bert introduced the next night's brand-new show "Faith Factory" - with host Ralph Hapschatt (Jeremy Newson) (Betty's philandering ex-husband) and his dumb-blonde "vivacious" co-host and girlfriend Macy Struthers (Wendy Raebeck)
• on the first-ever episode of "Marriage Maze," Brad and Janet (thought by Judge Oliver (off-stage) to be an "ideal couple" who represented the town's "old values") had been chosen as the show's inaugural contestants; host Bert ominously introduced them: ("Would the first couple who seem to have made a hash of their marriage and cooked their goose step this way please?"); Janet urged the reluctant Brad to join her, as they were positioned on stage in "Him" and "Her" seats on either side of Bert; as Janet introduced herself, studio executive Farley Flavors (Cliff DeYoung in second role) swiveled his chair around from viewing a bank of monitors in his office to intently observe the game-show's set (De Young's portrayal was designed to imitate Jack Nicholson); his silhouette was visible in the large neon billboard's red heart-shaped logo
• the show was pre-programmed to sensationalize and break up the recent rocky marriage of Brad to Janet; Janet was pressured to admit that there were problems between them, and Bert cruelly labeled Brad as unfit to be married: "Let's face it, Janet. Brad's an emotional cripple...It looks like 'Rest Home' for this stupid old marriage, eh?"; Bert prescribed "treatment" for him at the town's mental hospital (insane asylum) known as Dentonvale; it was also the title of DTV's popular medical-hospital soap opera show "Dentonvale" (similar to General Hospital); the facility was run by neuro-specialist siblings - the two stars of the reality show: Dr. Nation McKinley (Patricia Quinn) and Dr. Cosmo McKinley (Richard O'Brien, the film's co-scripter); the two had been brought over from Europe where they had a very popular TV series together
• with the audience's support (via a cue card in large letters DENTONVALE), it was determined that Brad had to be whisked away to Dentonvale to be treated in order to improve his marriage; Brad refused: ("I'm not going"), but Janet objected and insisted: "What do you mean, you're not going? You'll ruin the show...I am sick of being humiliated by you! Bert's right. You're going"; the show was interrupted by an advertisement via song - an ode to rampant materialism: "Bitchin' in the Kitchen (or Cryin' in the Bedroom All Night)" - in which both Brad and Janet participated by calling out each of the commercial's kitchen appliances and products during the verses: (Brad) - blender, toaster, refrigerator, knife sharpener, trash can, percolator; (Janet) - micro-digital awaker (electric clock), shower curtain, toothpaste, and depilatator
• after the song, male nurse orderly Ricky (Rik Mayall) arrived to take Brad away in a wheelchair for a "routine checkup"; as the audience applauded, Bert announced: "The subject is committed. As are we all"

• in the next DTV show - the medical-hospital soap opera known as "Dentonvale," Brad and Janet were special guests for an episode about Brad's arrival; at the hospital's admitting office (with padded walls), Brad and Janet were greeted behind a desk by the two McKinley doctors - Dr. Cosmo McKinley and Dr. Nation McKinley - suspiciously-close siblings wearing identical green uniforms, and by Nurse Ansalong (Little Nell) - the girlfriend of orderly Ricky; Brad objected to his incarceration; without signing any contract (Nurse Ansalong advised Janet to sign the next day, to get the first day free), Janet followed as Brad was delivered to the padded "Terminal Ward"
• back at the studio for another round of "Marriage Maze," Janet's parents Emily Weiss (Darlene Johnson) and Harry Weiss (Manning Redwood) were the next set of contestants; they were answering a "30 Second" quiz question posed by Bert ("that eternal showbiz wiz") about Brad's family background to assess his "mental instability"; the Weiss' were offered a "surprise prize" (a vacation stay in another of DTV's reality shows known as "Happy Homes" - an idealized suburban home with a "new dream kitchen") if they were able to assess Brad's psychological fitness, and split up his marriage to Janet; the parents concluded - and answered correctly - that Brad was regressing into childhood ("infantile regression") - and were winners of the jackpot prize; they were ushered off the stage to "Happy Homes"; they were becoming obsessed with fame and fortune, to the detriment of their daughter and son-in-law
• meanwhile, Bert met with the McKinley doctors in Dentonvale to inform them about the sale (and new sponsor) for their "Dentonvale" show; it had been taken over by studio boss Farley Flavors (the fast-food tycoon of "Five Flavors") - the man behind the studio sign; Bert urged them to endorse Flavors' new TV reality-talk show titled "Faith Factory" - a popular new hip-psychology therapeutic movement

• in the padded walls of the "Terminal Ward," the drugged-up Brad was encased inside a giant circular bird-cage with black bars, as Janet sang to him the sad ode: "In My Own Way" about how she still loved him, but marriage might not be for them: ("But if it should mean That the party is over You should know that I still love you You should know that I still love you You should know that I still love you In my own way")
• Janet was greeted by her mother in "Happy Homes" - where in a dream kitchen, she joined her parents who were the show's stars (as a happily-married suburban couple with numerous product placements), and Janet was their guest-star; Janet's bigoted, ultra-patriotic, right-wing father Harry practiced with a golf putter, and lamented Janet's marriage to her unstable, orphaned "weirdo" husband Brad; Janet reminded her father that the boy he had recommended for her to marry (Danny Slepstrini) turned out to be gay (with a group of "Mexicans")
• the ultra-conservative Harry then sang about the virtues of being a traditional and stable male: "Thank God I'm a Man" (with trios in the studio audience joining in) while he mowed his ideal, fake astro-turf green lawn with golf clothes: ("...A man should wax a car Fix a fuse and tend a bar A man should like his brow to be wet with sweat And should know the right occasions To indulge in tax evasions A man should know the settings that his spark plugs get Faggots are maggots Thank God I'm a man"); the song ended with the closing of his white garage door embedded with a US Presidential Seal
• meanwhile, the two hosts of "Denton Dossier" - Judge Wright and Betty Hapschatt, conversed together in their bright-red "Research Lab" office; the two suspected Farley Flavors' many flashy DTV shows were part of a major take-over "conspiracy" to promote his new show "Faith Factory" and to replace and close down their show - (Judge: "His 'Faith Factory' is being financed by an entire nation's indigestion")
• also at the same time in the dining room on the set of "Dentonvale", Bert was busily convincing the two McKinleys that Farley's intent was to promote Janet (his "girl next door" and secret love) to stardom with his new show; although Janet and the McKinleys were reluctant about Bert's warning of Farley's 'take-over', a TV videotape played on an episode of the show persuasively changed their minds
• the videotaped TV recording starred Farley (in a white tuxedo with a red carnation), in which he presented his pitch: "We're gonna package and sell some mental health to the nation with my dream of the girl next door"; Farley sang: "Farley's Song" - joined by the Dentonvale staff members and Janet, about his plans to seek universal fame with Janet as his super-star: ("...And if you're waiting for greatness to shake hands with you You'd better daydream your life away I've only wanted one thing and that's for sure...We're gonna shoot for the moon We're gonna play high noon We're gonna take on the entire human race...You're looking at an ace")
• Janet was flattered after being recruited and chosen for the role: ("Well, Farley Flavors is fairly flattering"), but also taken aback by the idea of being Farley's "girl next door" on his new show "Faith Factory" - she only wished to see Brad; she was directly dissuaded: "Quite frankly, he hates you...Brad is harboring deep feelings of hostility towards you, Janet," and easily convinced to change her mind and help them in seeking high-ratings: "Maybe I can"
• in preparation for the next day's premiere show of Farley Flavors' "Faith Factory," Janet was expected to promote it with "an early start tomorrow for (her) debut on the breakfast TV show 'Good Morning Denton'"; Bert required Janet to stay overnight in the Dentonvale dormitory to be up bright and early
• separate padded dormitory bedrooms at Dentonvale were visible from two vantage points: the Judge and Betty were perched on a gantry above Studio B watching "the stately pleasure home," while a tracking shot along the outer brick wall of the Dentonvale institution peered through the windows (with venetian blinds) as everyone bedded down; Ricky was sleeping with Nurse Ansalong, while Janet and Bert took single rooms, and the two McKinley siblings were together; the room shared by the McKinleys revealed that they were incestuous; as everyone settled down, the song "Lullaby" was delivered by the Dentonvale staff members and Janet: ("Night, night. It's time for bye-byes, It's been a great day Thanks a heap Now it's time For everyone To go to sleep")
• the next morning at 6:45 am, Bert awakened and peered into Janet's room, asking: "Are you decent, Janet?"; fraudulently blind, he was caught by Dr. Nation 'peeping' on Janet in the shower (seen in silhouette behind a curtain); Brad had spent the night seated in the cage, and was now bound in a strait-jacket and gagged; wrapped in a white robe, Janet met with Dr. Cosmo in the wardrobe room, where he caressed her mirror image and complimented her: "Look at yourself. You're beautiful. The most desirable creature that ever walked" - and suggested that she could help awaken Brad's feelings (and all of Denton's residents) by her appearance on "Good Morning Denton" - "Farley's given you that chance. You can use the 'Breakfast Show' to knock Denton dead....Everybody needs you"

• Janet agreed to a complete wardrobe make-over as she joined Dr. Cosmo, Bert, and Dr. Nation to sing the lively number in the dressing room: "Little Black Dress" where Cosmo had just fashioned a black dress for Janet's debut: ("...But when it's time to be discreet There's one thing you just can't beat And that's a strapless backless, classical little black dress"); Janet modeled the dress in front of giant gold letters spelling out her name: ("Well, first you go rip, rip, rip Then you go snip, snip, snip Then you whip in a zip, zip, zip And split it up to the hip, hip, hip")
• wearing the slinky and sexy black dress, Janet descended the circular stairway from the dressing room, to be welcomed onto the studio stage (in front of the awakened and prepped audience) for her spot on "Good Morning Denton"; from another viewing point in the studio, the disbelieving Betty spitefully told Oliver how Janet was taking their place: "I knew it"; blonde co-host Macy Struthers introduced the new star: "Fabulous. The golden. The very wonderful..." - and the two cheerleaders rhythmically chanted: "Janet -- Janet -- Janet -- Janet -- Janet"
• the self-obsessed Janet sang to the audience about her newfound stardom and fame ("Me of Me") on the stage floor immersed with fog: ("There's just the two of me Alone at last together We've got the luck so far We are my lucky star (echo) Star, star, star, star, star, star, star, star...I am my destiny I'd never lie to me I'd be willing to die pour moi I'll pray every day to me And here's what I'd say to me This is the me of me"); the stage's columns collapsed as she finished the song after grabbing a musician's guitar and riffing the last few lines:: ("Me me me, look at me!"); the audience wildly applauded, and Farley Flavors was exuberantly pleased; it was announced that Janet could later be seen on "Faith Factory"; Oliver and Betty realized they were finished: "Janet's on the Breakfast Show, Brad's committed to a nowhere series, and we've been written out"
• bolstered by her new stardom, popularity, and the phenomenon that she was becoming as an overnight sensation, Janet boasted that she had provided just the right medicine to cure Brad and make herself more desirable: "It seems I'm his medicine, so we're off to give him another spoonful"; Janet's parents were non-plussed by all of the attention their transformed daughter was receiving as they listened to vendor Kirk's uncensored praise of her sexiness: ("Janet was a knockout!...Yeah, she was terrific. Sexy!...At the same time fresh, untouched, you know")
• in the newest episode of "Dentonvale," Janet (still wearing her black-dress) visited her incarcerated and gagged husband Brad, declaring how she was full of herself: "Hi, Brad. I've just come to tell you how fabulous I am"; Janet's parents were outraged and flabbergasted by her attitude and near-naked costuming, and they questioned the quack doctors - the McKinleys - about the harsh treatment and multiple druggings that Brad had received; Janet would not defend Brad: "It's for his own good!" even though her parents were concerned: "Brad doesn't need to be trussed up like a turkey"
• the film's title song "Shock Treatment" sung by the ensemble was to assure the Weiss' that Brad was being treated humanely, and that they were competent doctors - although they were administering shock treatments: ("You need a bit of Ooh, shock treatment Gets you jumping like a real live wire"); Polaroid pictures were taken of the singers (with a blue-flash) whenever they mentoned the words: "SHOCK TREATMENT!" and the singers-dancers paraded around Brad's circular cage; watching from afar, Judge Oliver and Betty were suspicious of the 'blind' Bert's ability (now that he had been 'cured') to lead the samba-dancers: "The blind leading the blind"
• the next show on the schedule for DTV's newest star Janet was a rehearsal for "Faith Factory"; as Janet rushed off to freshen up, her sparse words for interviewer-documentarian Neely about what she represented were simply: "Sanity For Today"; however, Janet was starting to become full of herself, dismissive of Brad ("that emotional cripple") and intoxicated by her own instant success; in front of a make-up mirror, she asserted:
  • "You know, I'm getting awfully sick of hearing about that emotional cripple. I've got a lot going for me, you know. I'm goin' places. I'm gonna be someone. I'm gonna win my way into the lives and hearts of the people even if I have to kill to do it. I'll make the pathetic little crumbs love me. I don't even know why I'm wasting my time here with you. I should be with my people"
• the egotistical and narcissistic Janet left the company of the McKinleys and marched onto the balcony to be with her adoring chanting crowds outside the dressing room; Nation handed Janet a pink mixed-cocktail drink (laced with sedative drugs) and announced: "This is Janet. She's a phenomenon"; Janet sang a few lines of "So if you're looking for a standard to which you can aspire Then, baby Look at me Whoa-oh," before collapsing; the McKinleys knew that Janet was becoming unmanageable, and they had to control her and make her compliant

• Janet experienced a surreal red, green and blue neon-dream told via song: ("Looking For Trade"), in which she strolled through the town of Denton (in a pool hall, an arcade, and onto the street) looking to trade sex with some "young blood" on a cul-de-sac or dead-end street: ("I'm lookin' for trade I need some young blood...I need it now...I'm like a dog in the heat I'm like a kid with no toys I wanna get those boys Oh, I can't be delayed I'm looking for trade I'm lookin' for love"); from his Dentonvale asylum cage, Brad joined her in the dream and begged her for the opposite - for love ("I'm lookin' for love") and how they might be able to restore their relationship; in the arcade, Janet sang to her reflection: "Oh, we're all livin' like there's no tomorrow And the way things are goin' that's probably true But without you and me, Sis the world would fall to pieces," and those in her dream regarded her as their savior and "the chosen one": "Our raving savior - that's you!"
• meanwhile, Judge Oliver and Betty had become sympathetic to Brad's plight; in the wardrobe room, they grabbed white lab coats as the Judge expressed their wariness about the manipulative and sinister Farley Flavors, his DTV network, and his new show:
  • "It's imperative we get Janet out of Farley's fast fingers and Brad out of that hellhole before they both disappear forever"
• in preparation for the debut of the "Faith Factory" show, Farley was also being fitted in his finest clothes for a "date," while the Dentonvale staff, Bert, the new show's co-hosts, and Janet's parents also donned white medical (doctor' and nurse) outfits and uniforms (with white hats emblazoned with a red "F" and stethoscopes) with the imprint of Janet's slogan "Sanity For Today" on the front; the chorus sang about their new look in the production number: "Look What I Did to My Id": ("We may look like we're phony medics But we took our look from a book by Frederick's Oh, look what I did to my id, kid Look what I did to my id")

• by now, Janet had partially sobered up, and was being fed more pills and prepped in a back-stage dressing room, as the audience was being warmed up with cheers for "J-A-N-E-T"; during the confusion, Betty snuck into DTV's computer room and did a look-up on "McKinley" - she was astonished to learn that the McKinleys were not doctors, and had been operating with alias names around the world - they were merely "character actors" or con-artists; she also looked up "Farley Flavors" on microfilm - and discovered that Farley and Brad were actually orphaned twin brothers who were separated when their parents died; Twin One Farley was a "downtown adoption," while Twin Two Bradley was an "uptown adoption"; obviously, Farley's intentions all along were to jealously steal Janet away from Brad
• before the taping of the live debut "Faith Factory" show, Janet's punk band (Oscar Drill and the Bits) of her supportive groupies (led by Oscar Drill (Gary Shail)) played an opening live musical performance (with a "suburban garage sound") of "Breaking Out" ("...I've been a lifetime on deposit And that's a long time in the closet And if you say to me How was it It was hard takin' that heartbreakin' Godforsaken route But I'm Buh-buh-buh-buh, buh-duh Breakin' out")
• during their rousing musical set, Judge Wright (with help from Betty's hairpin to pick the lock) broke Brad out of his locked Dentonvale cage to take him to "a family reunion"; meanwhile, in the studio control room, Farley was being interviewed by documentary film-maker Neely, surrounded by his Dentonvale staff as he promoted his new star Janet: "And she represents everything our customers want: innocence, decency, and the illusion of a happy ending....And behind her image, take-away therapy will thrive under the capable hands of two great ethical intellects operating on the frontiers of medical science"; everyone toasted to the expertise of the two McKinley doctors and to the work of Bert Schnick; everyone was dismissed with Farley's command: "Let's get this show on the road!"
• however, Neely stayed behind for one more on-camera question for him: "We've heard rumors that you're going to unveil more than just a new series tonight. Is this true?"; Flavors admitted that Neely was correct -- "We're planning on putting sanity back on the national menu" with an integral part to be played by local girl and rising star Janet Majors
• as Brad was rescued and dragged out of Dentonvale, the Judge and Betty explained recent revelations to Brad - about how Flavors (Brad's orphaned twin) had "resented" him for many years, and Janet represented "everything he was denied"; their intent was to bring him face-to-face with Farley to confront him, about trying to destroy Brad's life out of jealousy, with a plan to seduce Janet with stardom on national television
• Farley's latest show "Faith Factory" was already in progress (backed by two giant two photo blow-ups of Farley and Janet on stage), and the heavily-drugged, "speechless" Janet was being crowned "Miss Mental Health" - and was seemingly being prepped to be Farley's bride!; Janet was presented with the keys to a new car: ("an almost brand-new, ultra-deluxe, eight-cylinder convertible, complete with radio, tape deck, washable seat covers and many, many extras") from the show's major sponsor - Irwin Lappsy (Barry Dennen), President of Lappsy Auto; Bert was called onto the stage to introduce the person who had given him sight - Farley Flavors; the studio exec. spoke about "the first step of defiance," the slogan "sanity and vanity," the start of "something big," and Janet's "beautiful face"
• suddenly, Judge Wright and Betty thrust Brad onto the stage - he crashed through Janet's blown-up photo; Brad defiantly identified himself to Flavors as "your twin brother! And your accuser!"; Janet - who had come to her senses - angrily declared that she had never signed Farley's contract or consent forms
• the two twin brothers began a confrontational vocal duel, known as the "Duel Duet": ("You're a dead-end deadbeat nowhere mister With a kisser like a Mississippi alligator sister..."), while chasing after each other down white-padded corridors in fog and shouting accusations at each other; Farley threatened Brad: "Well, the best thing you could ever do Is die," while Brad countered: "You're a failure A malformation in the guise of many An also-ran"
• after the song ended, Janet snapped out of her haze and joined Brad's side, as Farley (who accused Brad of being insane) ordered both of them out (plus the Judge and Betty) after the "unfortunate incident"; as the TV audience shouted and gestured: "Out, out, out!", the ousted foursome were locked up in the red Denton Dossier office; Farley bragged about and promised: "You see, the way we got rid of that dirty little dish is the way we're going to put the rest of our house in order"; Farley replaced Janet with the show's blonde co-host Macy Struthers as his new "Miss Mental Health"
• the mesmerizing and unctuous Farley invited the entire TV studio audience (and those on stage) to follow him to Dentonvale, to be committed and incarcerated in the name of "mental health" and "sanity": ("And remember, sanity today is a springboard to the hygienic tomorrow. Now will you follow me down the DTV trail to Dentonvale?"); the "fast food giant" forcefully kissed Macy (as a "seal of approval" of her new title) and then enticed everyone to don straitjackets (the black and white striped jackets were handed out to everyone in plastic-wrapped packages) as they proceeded into Dentonvale

• locked inside the Denton Dossier office, the foursome sang "Anyhow, Anyhow" as Brad and Janet were reunited - and kissed: ("We're gonna do it no matter how the wind is blowing We're gonna do it anyhow anyhow"); Betty picked the door's lock, allowing the four to escape and to continue performing the number in the audience seating area and on-stage; meanwhile, the newly-committed straitjacketed patients (the entire town) were caged and locked up in Dentonvale where they were singing a reprise of "Denton U.S.A."

• back in the deserted studio, the foursome rode off in the hot-wired convertible earlier presented to Janet by the show's sponsor; the band members forced open the large studio doors before all of them drove away from Denton into a fog; the studio door shut behind them
• the film's final voice-over reminded the viewers: "The sun never sets on those who ride into it" - it was accompanied by another view of the Denton neon billboard-logo hanging above the audience (that opened the film); it was indeed - as Farly had earlier stated, "the illusion of a happy ending"