Rock Baby - Rock It

This was a regional Rock 'n' Roll movie from Dallas, Texas, that I just watched on YouTube. While I didn't recognize the musical talent nor most of the songs they sang, I enjoyed each and every of them that was showcased. I also liked a dance a woman did at the end. The plot, such as it is, concerned a group of teens trying to save their dance hangout from being taken over by some corrupt businessmen. Not much to hang a drama on and the acting was mostly squaresville. Good thing there's wall-to-wall music most of the time. I mean, what I heard was-to quote the many times these movies had printed certain words on screen at the conclusion of them during this period counting this one-The Living End! So on that note, Rock Baby - Rock It is worth a look for anyone interested in vintage music acts of the late '50s.

Four Johnny Carroll songs, excellent dancing from the kids and Kay Wheeler.

Worth watching the DVD's commentary track where Kay Wheeler describes the times in those heady rock 'n roll days, Elvis and how underground bopping was. I enjoyed all the music (well the ragtime band was a bit strange)...

I wish the other movie Ms. Wheeler was in, Hot Rod Gang, was available on DVD nowadays. Perhaps someone will piece together some of the best bits from such movies in a 'rockabilly pioneers on film' compilation DVD.

This is both one of the truly terrible films ever shown in a movie theater (?) and an absolutely vital part of rock and pop culture history. It's the local Dallas talent in 57, and the influence of Elvis on one of his most passionate imitators is deeply felt. Then we see some of the local bands, both black and white, get down. Oh yeah, there is a story that has to be about the worst written, acted, and directed things ever put on film. You will roll around on the floor laughing, but these are also just local kids. There is a naturalness to there bad acting that is very authentic. You feel if you were back in that time and place, this is what the people would be like. There is nothing else quite like "Rock Baby, Rock It."

This early rock n roll "extravaganza", looks to have been made one weekend in a school and its gym in Dallas Texas on a wobbly cardboard set masquerading as a 'nightclub' using kitchen chairs and card tables with burger shop tablecloths. It is really cheap. However, the various song and rock acts are interesting, especially the Negro group with the live rooster stepping about on the piano. I kid you not. The set is so tiny, and seeming to be rectangular and very narrow crammed with local kids and their parents, local businesspeople (who probably financed it) seen as extras to crowd out several scenes. Mostly filmed on this one set with a parade of local music groups wailing and jamming (literally), one could not get a more basic excuse for a 50s rock and roll film. I am sure it made plenty of local $ as it is so early in the cycle that it could not help but succeed. Probably a local drive in staple for years. However, today it is pretty tough going...a better seen Corman equivalent is the equally tedious and cheap ROCK ALL NIGHT, which is a similar excuse to film 65 mins of teen angst and rock gangs on the one set. This film ROCK BABY ROCK IT is not very good, but of mild interest because of the cheap but snazzy 50s clothes and the black pop groups. One particular singing pair known as The Belew Twins are terrifying: they look like 11 year old boys who just might be 29 years old; the ventriloquist dummy look with the Brylcreem Happy Days hair. During their set they even team up with equally peculiar twin Funicello style girls, even smaller than them! The boys have a seagull stance when singing and sound like Loretta Lynn. So weird...it is almost worth the struggle through this film to gasp in horror at their moment. In reel life I would not have gone to their Christmas party...imagine what they would do after a few drinks and started a set singing and performing their unique party tricks. I think they would have given those drunken Oz Munchkins a run for the bottle.

Not a bad film for Bad Movie Night. This is very watchable and definitely listenable. The Belew Twins are my favorite act in this. They are the genuine real deal singing harmonies at the beginning and end of their songs. I think the Belew Twins have a certain sexiness that is not the same as The Everly Brothers. The Everlys looked great and sang great, but they would not be likely to sneak into your daughter's room or receive calls on the pay phone next to the urinal. The Belew Twins just have a try-anything-once look that, frankly, is refreshing. They look like the combed and showered boys next door who are out to lose whatever they can by Midnight. I really enjoyed their enthusiasm and lack of shyness when they danced.

The bad guys are funny. The fights are awful. The musical groups and singers and some dancers all come off well. The chicken on the piano or rooster on the spinet was all they could afford for set dressing. The camera work is low budget but adequate. It looked like some of the musicians actually were playing the instruments they held.

I hope The Belew Twins are still around and still performing. I would love to know their story or stories. I hope they recorded Belew Moon of Kentucky.

This is seriously a fun movie to watch if you like the old cars ( when they were new cars ) and the old hair styles and the mobs that couldn't fight. It Belew my mind.