Shake, Rattle & Rock!

The premise of this film seems to have been inspired by the trials of real-life DJ Alan Freed and his attempts to bring Rock 'n' Roll to the mainstream despite protests by many of the older generation. Mike "Touch" Connors plays the role based on him and the opposition consists of Douglass Dumbrille and Margaret Dumont-both veterans of Marx Brothers movies. They, along with Sterling Holloway and other familiar character actors, provide some comic counterpoint in the proceedings. Fine musical performances by Fats Domino, Big Joe Turner, Tommy Charles, and Annitta Ray. Director Edward L. Cahn helms a zippy 75-mimute B-feature to its natural end, which wasn't surprising to me since I knew he made some good-and not so good-Our Gang shorts at M-G-M during its latter stage in the '40s. Oh, and the leading lady is Lisa Gaye who I remember being in Rock Around the Clock from a few years previous. So on that note, Shake, Rattle, and Rock! is worth a look for anyone interested in both the vintage musical performances and the amusing character turns throughout. P.S. Since I always like to cite players from my home state of Louisiana, here it's Fate Domino from New Orleans.

It seems like there have been lots of movies portraying stuffy adults not caring for rock 'n' roll, or even considering it evil. In that respect "Shake, Rattle & Rock!" is nothing new. But the movie makes no pretense about just being an excuse to have fun. And anyway, how can you not like seeing Fats Domino? The plot has a TV show host (Mike Connors) hiring teen delinquents for his show to prove that they can change their ways through rock 'n' roll. Sure enough, the straight-laced senior citizens want to outlaw this new music.

Obviously, there are some scenes in this movie that will probably make us cringe in the 21st century. Aside from the footage of the African dance treated as subhuman, there's no racial mixing in the bands. But as long as we understand that, the movie's really cool. It's another reminder that - contrary to what the staid old people would have us believe - rock 'n' roll will live forever! And I even think that I could see up some of the girls' dresses...

Also starring Sterling Holloway and Margaret Dumont (of the Marx Brothers' movies).

Before he was "Mannix" Mike Conners was billed as 'Touch' Conners and did this little 50s exploitation flick, that he would probably love to forget. It's the old saw about the older generation trying to put a halt to R&R, and the kids proving that it is just good, clean fun, as the jitterbug, black-bottom, etc. Somehow Sterling Hollaway (Waldo from "The Life of Riley") just doesn't measure up as the jive talking, smooth hipster, done so well in the 50s by Edd (Kookie) Byrnes. Fats and a few other groups that have since passed into obscurity perform some prehistoric tunes and the acting is sophomoric at best. A good one to watch-only if you are in the midst of a tremendous battle with your significant other or suffering a severe tooth-ache.

The characters in this film are all caricatures, exaggerations of contemporary archetypes. With its juvenile sense of humor, it's a common characteristic of many drive-in B-movies of its day--like the silly beach films that would soon follow---but this film is a very amateurish production, in part due to its extremely low budget.

The music in the film deserves a better showcase.

The story is about a teen hangout called the Black Eagle Club, where troubled youths can channel their time into wholesome pursuits. The guys who run it also promote a local TV dance show where the kids listen to early rock and roll and swing dance.

A group of older adults mobilizes to stop the dancing and the music on grounds that such teenage activities lead to bad behavior. Of course the jitterbug has already been around since the thirties, so the issue is a little dated, but some adults really were concerned about the influence of Elvis, who had already been on the national scene for a few years. Fats Domino, and Big Joe Turner (who had also been around since the thirties), are featured in the film, though they are already somewhat passé by 1956.

The best moments of the film are the upbeat musical sections, like the boogie woogie, and the talented dancing. Petticoats fly as Rosie and Carlos, especially, take to the floor. But most of the music is not presented in its best light.

The worst aspects of the film are the canned laughter and the ridiculous portrayal by Sterling Holloway, who is supposed to be a jive-talking hipster. The dialogue he is given is embarrassing and annoying. There is also another actor doing an impersonation of Sheldon Leonard in a performance that adds nothing to the story.

In the end, the film features an on-air showdown between the blue-nosed adults and the teens that is supposed to be an actual legal procedure to determine which side is justified.

This golden oldie film, while somewhat shallow in the plot category, is nothing more than just plain entertainment. It consists mainly of good fifties rock n roll music by original artists of the day which really makes the film a joy to view. Also, unlike most of the teenage films of that time, some scenes show kids who are genuine teenagers rather than 20 or even 30 something adults pretending to be teens. This really adds a touch of quality to the movie. Besides the music, the anti-rock n roll adults add to the enjoyment as well. Although their respective rolls may have been intended to be mainly villainous, they come across as so ludicrous in their actions that they are truly funny. This is a movie for fun and enjoyment and not to be taken seriously.