Rock Rock Rock!

The reason to see "Rock, Rock, Rock," like most 50s quickie rock 'n' roll pictures, is, of course, to see great stars like Chuck Berry, Lavern Baker, The Moonglows and The Flamingos. You also get a fair amount of dreck like Cirino and the Bowties and the insufferable Ivy Schulman. Plus, this picture obviously had a budget lower than the cost of a car. (You can tell that some shots look out of sync.) Then, there's Tuesday Weld with her songs dubbed (not too well) by Connie Francis! Still, the picture is fun and early rock 'n' roll DJ impressario Alan Freed looks like he's having a good time. Of course, it wouldn't last.

If you love rock and roll music then give this one a break. Most of the songs are totally out of sync which is fairly amusing and the story is boy loves girl then blah but what do you expect. There is wonderful music and a lot of the film is devoted to it. Some great dresses too. Tuesday Weld is cute and radiant and innocent and smacks of those childhood dreams that were killed by cynicism and growing old. Its a true fantasy trip that you can let yourself go with a bottle of something tasty. Beautiful scripts that make you feel warm inside. If you want an intellectual film them forget it but if you wan a laugh and a dance then this is your girlie wine drinking evening. It got me dancing in the living room. Love it.

This movie is a riot. It's got the typical 50's music with some excuse for a show put on by Alan Freed, of course. Tuesday Weld plays a real simpleton of a girl who stupidly gets herself in serious 'trouble' at the hands of another equally stupid teenage girl - she lends the other girl money to buy a dress, thinking 100% interest was a fair amount, but the other girl says that rate is so high it's illegal so she isn't going to pay back the money at all. OH MY GOSH! Now Tuesday won't be able to buy her OWN dress for the dance - and she has lost her boyfriend to the other girl, because he loves blue formal gowns like the other girl bought with Tuesday's money. Can you grasp the level of sophistication of this plot? Tuesday also gets her banking advice from the local bank president named - are you ready? - MR. BIMBLE! Is that a scream or what? Maybe the most agonizingly funny part of this flick is the singing by Tommy Rogers. His song "Thanks To You" is so insanely sour and off-key, if you are even the slightest bit 'impaired' you may rupture yourself laughing at it. Some movies are so bad they just stink, but this one is so bad it's entertainingly bad. Highly recommended, but it is NOT a serious look at the 50's. There are some good musical performances which of course were lip sync'd. "Tha-ANKS... to yooo-ooou...." Stop, you're killing me!

If you're a fan of the early days of Rock and Roll, then this is a must see. Rock Rock Rock has one of the best line ups of early rock talent seen in these types of films. Frankie Lymon and The Teenagers do two numbers as do The Moonglows. Also on hand are rare film appearances by The Flamingos and LaVerne Baker. Rock Rock Rock also contains the only film performance by the great rockabilly group, The Johnny Burnette Trio. Singer-songwriter-producer Teddy Randazzo does several songs with The Three Chuckles and is the male lead opposite Tuesday Weld (whose singing voice is over dubbed by a then unknown Connie Francis. The plot however, is unbelievably ridiculous (it centers around a prom dress!) and Tuedsay Weld plays an incredibly DUMB teenager (she thinks 1 percent of a dollar is one dollar). Alan Freed is great though, introducing the acts and you'll hear one of his top tenor sax specialists, Freddie Mitchell. Fast forward through the "story" and head for the musical numbers if you want, but don't miss this one if you love early Rock and Roll!

This essential time capsule musical from the very dawn of Rock and Roll is really beyond criticism. Many other comments bleat about the quality and the story, but really, would you prefer it did not exist? Is "EIGHT MILE" or (groan) "COOL AS ICE"or (double groan) "GET RICH OR DIE Trying'' a better reminder of their music and time in history? Alan Freed should be almost revered for the work he did in promoting rock and roll in the mid 50s and it is because of him this astonishing record of fascinating music acts of 1955/56 exists. Reacting to it as if it was made today is ridiculous. ROCK ROCK ROCK is a complete world unto itself and made with a keen-ness to entertain and elate through some of the essential music stars of the day. It is also charming. Something none of the other three films mentioned above are or could be in the slightest., given their retarded aggression. ROCK ROCK ROCK is fun and a real surprise. A good complimentary film is the 1976 drama "AMERICAN HOT WAX" which is a bio of Alan Freed with spectacular recreations of the 50s and the Brooklyn Paramount days with Freed causing dancing strife with uptight authorities. Believe it or like it or not.