El loco escultor

If you are like me and are interesting in seeing musical acts you can not see anymore like The Platters or The Blockbusters then this movie may be for you. If it doesn't in any way interest you than you might want to steer clear of this one. For this Roger Corman 50s flick is padded with musical numbers. Just think the duration of the movie is 62 minutes and I believe there are 7 songs in it! But it works as it is entertaining to see the acts perform and the pretty thin story isn't bad.

Dick Miller plays a cool cat they call Shorty. The film takes place in Cloud Nine which is a bar and is taken over by two punks (Russell Johnson and Jonathan Haze). Would have been interesting to extend the picture as in get more into the lives of the people in the bar and keep the hostage situation lasting much longer than it does. Seems like it only lasted 10 minutes and I knew the movie was ending soon. Sadly there wasn't much tension on the end. Good to see Miller in a starring role though and he is quite good in it. Screenplay by Charles B. Griffith, Story by Charles P. Harmon.

The title of this Roger Corman flick may be a bit misleading since while there are some songs of popular performers of the day-such as The Platters-being performed in it, it's mostly a story of various types in a bar facing a confrontation of their fears when dealing with a couple of criminals who wander in with the police on their way. Dick Miller is the lead who likes to make insulting statements but also seems to know what each person he meets is like to the point he shows no fear whatsoever to whoever he speaks to like one of the criminals he's dealing with-the one played by Russell Johnson, yes, the later star of "Gilligan's Island" as The Professor. It was quite a surprise seeing him in this role, that's for sure! If you're a frequent Corman viewer, you probably recognized many of his regular supporting cast here. I really enjoyed this one so on that note, Rock All Night is highly recommended.

I watched this on YouTube because the Platters did a couple of numbers. Unfortunately the sound was out of sync through the whole movie, but I just ignored that. The opening was great, when a really cool-looking 1957 DeSoto (I think it was) with fins about as big as they ever got pulled up in front of the bar. I assumed the movie was going to be one of those kid rock festival things, like so many other 'rock' movies of the time, but it turned into a psychological drama. Not what I was looking for, but it was interesting enough that I kept watching. The fact that it was only 62 minutes long helped. It was really surprising to see Russell Johnson, the Professor from Gilligan's Island, as a bad guy. I looked at his credits, and I never realized before what an extensive career he had. As for the movie, I think the fact that it all took place in one spot, the bar, made it more interesting. I was surprised at how much I enjoyed it. I think it could make an interesting play. Retro, of course. Kind of a study of 50's mentality. I'd say that the people's interactions were highly unrealistic, but that's part of 50's mentality - isn't it?

The movie is fun. The atmosphere, setting, acting, characters, and dialogue are well-done. I like the music. At only 100 minutes or so, the movie is more like an episode of a TV show than a movie. There isn't much filler, and the climax comes at the right time.

I think that Al, the bartender, steals the show from Shorty, who gets the protagonist role. As a result, the ending doesn't feel as satisfying as it should. One death scene is poorly executed. I didn't like the conclusion for Julia, the singer. Certain character details and backgrounds are neglected. The plot as a whole relies on several coincidences.

But it's still a decent movie.

Nice individual acting by Dick Miller, Russell Johnson, Jeanne Cooper, and Robin Morse helped make up for a bare bones plot. The biggest problem is the illogical behavior of so many people. First of all, the band complains about being cold but then doesn't go inside to listen to Abbie Dalton sing. Abbie Dalton has a chance to have Sir Bop take her home but chooses to stay in the bar despite the almost psychopathic behavior of Miller. Plus the police don't stick around to get the names and numbers of all the witnesses. Dick Miller is all too willing to use his knife on a guy who just wants him to move his hat but leaves it in his pocket when another guy threatens to kill him. There are probably a couple of others I've forgotten, but the big one is at the end, and I don't think this qualifies as a spoiler because evidently Roger Corman didn't think it mattered, but what about the dead body in the back room? No one even mentions it. And finally, it all wraps up much too quickly and too neatly.