Jamboree

This is the story of a duo two managers (there's no such a thing since Nelson Eddy and Janette MacDonald,so why not them?) pair in order to make money (Pete and Honey= bank and money).The managers have their own ambitions for their respective protégés and after a big hit ,they urge both of them to go single .Then the heartache begins.

Pete and Honey's songs are rather syrupy and bland but their story takes barely 50 % of the time and the rest is given over to the guests :some of them are exciting indeed:Jerry lee Lewis and his fiery "great balls of fire" Carl Perkins ' "glad all over" and doowop whizz kid Frankie Lymon's "your last chance" are gems .Plus Count Basie and Slim Whitman for jazz and C& W fans.

Elvis Presley didn't make the cut here. But just about every other act from those early days of rock and roll made it into Jamboree. It's like one long version of the old Ed Sullivan show with a plot tossed in between the acts.

The story such as it is involves Paul Carr and Freda Holloway two aspiring singers who are teamed together by their managers Kay Medford and Robert Pastene respectively who are busy playing their own oneupsmanship games.

But you bought a ticket to see and rock and roll show and in 1957 that's what you got here.

So if you are fan of the music of the era, this is your movie.

Here we go again with a virtually Unwatchable, Wretched Hollywood attempt to bring the success of early Rock n Roll to the Screen.

Trouble is they never did get it. They saw this Music as a Threat or at the very Least a Fad and they didn't expect it to get any Respect or Consideration, nothing more than a Novelty or believe it or not, a Communist Plot.

The few good Acts are slipped in and out of other "Respectable" Pre-Packaged Pap and Cornball Crooners. The lead "Actor" Kids Sing more than anybody and they are Presented to Epitomize what was deemed Desirable to all except Juvenile Delinquents and God-Forbid, "Race Record" Fans.

If You can avoid turning it off there will be some Rewards if very Brief. The always Rockin', Jerry Lee Lewis...the Fun Rockabilly Sound of Carl Perkins...Frankie Lymon for some Doo Wop...and the Velvet Voice and R&B Rhythms of Fats Domino.

All of these Greats do only One Song but it is Really-Cool that it was captured on Film. Get out the Cut and Paste Program.

Movies like Jamboree are not really about plot or acting which is just as well since both are pretty feeble.The story is simple to the point of idiocy-two agents played by Kay Medford and Bob Pastine are trying without success to pitch their clients ,a young male and young female singer ,to record companies.They opt to pair them as a duo and success follows but the machinations of Medford drive them apart ,professionally and personally.Will they get back together and find happiness along with fame and fortune? Stick around and you will find out but the only real reason most people will stick with this picture are the scenes depicting pop stars of the day each doing a single number. The footage of the acts is unimaginatively shot but some of the performers make up for this .Jerry Lee Lewis is edgy and manic,while luminaries like Basie ,Domino and Perkins are always worth watching.I was more into the relatively lesser known names like the wonderful Charlie Gracie and Buddy Knox . Watch it for its pot pourri of period acts and ignore the woeful acting of the young leads and its bearable.

Don't watch this for the plot. The acting is so-so.

The music? Cool man, cool.

Lots of acts from the past. Great ones (Fats Domino, Carl Perkins), and good ones you never heard of