Jamboree

This is one of those movies made up mostly of acts playing for the screen. But most of them are lightweights or just plain bad! You may want to see it for Fats Domino, Joe Williams, Slim Whitman and Jerry Lee Lewis. There is also the "plot" to get in the way, too. It's about these two singing teenagers...only what they sing is a long way from "rock" and is a total miscalculation as to being included in this movie. They also end up being extremely annoying!

In New York City, Pete Porter and Honey Wynn are fresh-faced performers eager for their big break. Managers start pushing them onto the radio and they become the hot new sweetheart duo.

This would have been interesting if Connie Francis actually play the part of Honey Wynn. I don't know if she's any good as an actress but at least, that would have been historically interesting. At the end of the day, non of the written story is that compelling. Pete and Honey are very white bread. They just about have as much heat... next to non. What is more interesting are the real world music performers and a few familiar faces. I wonder if those local DJs were actually famous. Dick Clark is so young and in the same year, he's going nation-wide with American Bandstand. This is a piece of music history although it's not much of a film.

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.

The non musical stuff'll give the fast forward finger on your remote a real workout and some of the acts are on the forgettable side (i.e. Was Frankie Avalon really THAT bad?) but there are a few gems like Lyman And The Teens, Carl Perkins and, of course, Fats.