Rock Around the Clock

Plot synopsis:
Rock Around the Clock tells a highly fictionalized rendition of how rock and roll was discovered. As band manager Steve Hollis observes that big band dance music is failing to draw audiences any longer, he comes across a new sound that piques his interest. While traveling through a small farming town, he attends the local teenage dance and is introduced to rock and roll music and dancing, in the person of local band Bill Haley & His Comets and their associated dancers. Convinced that rock and roll will be the next big thing, Hollis strikes a deal to manage the group and also strikes up a romance with dancer Lisa Johns.
Hollis then turns to agent Corinne Talbot, who handles bookings for nearly all of the venues in which Hollis needs the band to play to gain them exposure. Talbot's primary interest in Hollis, however, is to have him marry her, and she's determined to prevent him from succeeding without his working directly for her agency. First, she books the band into a traditionally conservative venue, expecting them to reject the band's brash new sound. But instead, the dancers there are excited by the music and embrace it enthusiastically. Next, Talbot simply blacklists Hollis and his acts from the venues she controls. But Hollis maneuvers around her by calling in a favor owed to him by disc jockey Alan Freed. The resulting booking in Freed's venue grants the Comets the exposure they need in spite of Talbot's efforts.
Talbot's final play is to agree to sign the group to a three-year contract that will secure their future, but only on the condition that Johns agree not to marry during the term of that contract. Johns agrees to those terms and Talbot launches their career with a national tour, confident that the contract's marriage prohibition will drive a wedge between Hollis and Johns. Once the contract is signed and the tour begins, however, Hollis reveals that he and Johns married quickly during the time it took to draw up the contract.

Tags: cult

Review:
I was a huge Bill Haley fan there at the dawning of the age of Rock & Roll and thoroughly enjoyed this cheaply made little movie.
the original rock'n'roll feature film--great showcase for Bill Haley and His Comets.
Journeyman director Fred Sears (also an actor in many films--I remember him from Charles Starrett westerns) was a good choice to direct this low-budget Sam Katzman-produced quickie, meant to cash in on the rock'n'roll fad and the celebrity of Bill Haley and His Comets.
Sears gets right down to business and features the music throughout--with wonderful (mostly) mimed performances by Bill Haley of his classic early Decca recordings, which still rock out today.
Also seen are the pioneering lounge-rocknroll band Freddie Bell and His Bellboys, who were fine entertainers in the Louis Prima vein and who provided Elvis with Hound Dog. A plot is woven into the film here and there to keep things moving, but the emphasis is on the music.
Haley's friendly persona comes across well in his limited dialogue scenes, and the other characters in his band, such as sax player Rudy Pompilli, are quite animated, capturing a bit of what his live shows must have been like (probably much wilder than this film).
All together, it's an excellent time capsule into the early days of rock'n'roll, and it's a wonderful showcase for the great Bill Haley, who still has not received his due as a music pioneer.
A fictional story about the emergence of Rock & Roll onto the teenage U.S. musical scene..
At first I thought I was seeing Debra Paget, but it turned out to be her sister, Lisa Gaye, who played a prominent role in this film and demonstrated real dancing skill.
This movie is so special, not only because it showcases rock & roll's important early performers, but also its place in musical time -- right at the pop music transition from the big bands to the much smaller combos.
In the film, these small rock & roll bands are referred to as "combinations" of musicians.
Influences from the Big Band era were still strong as couples did variations of swing and jitterbug with the brand new additions of non-touch formula steps that later led to the Twist, the Mashed Potato and all the rest, right up to the present time when almost no one knows how to dance together as a couple.
This film should be required viewing for anyone following the history of post-World War II popular music and the end of the big bands..
They drive the teenagers wild and feature a brother/sister team (Earl Barton/Lisa Gaye) who do some incredible dancing to the music.
He spurns her so she sets out to to make sure that Haley, the Comets, Gaye and Barton can't get a job.Really silly stuff with lousy dialogue chockful of 50s slang that just sounds ridiculous now.
This shows Bill Hlaey and the Comets and the Platters performing and that alone makes this a valuable time capsule of the 1950s when rock and roll was starting to get popular.
The acting is pretty terrible (Bill Haley especially) but the songs are good, the movie is short and the dance routines between Barton and Gaye are really pretty impressive.
Stll, these films give is a good retrospective into the early days of rock and roll.
The Platters, Freddie Bell and the Bellboys and Alan Freed also make appearances and Lisa Gaye is every guys idea of someone they'd like getting caught with in the back of a 53 Hudson.
To really appreciate this film, you have to be a guy/gal who was into pop music when it first came out in 1954 or so---Bill Haley and the Comets were the first group to follow the early fifties sound of Frankie Laine, Johnny Ray, etc., that really had a "bounce" to their music---Elvis soon followed, along with Little Richard, Fats Domino and Pat Boone and the like.
It's also a great reminder of the roots of rock- and-roll (old-fashioned hyphenated spelling intentional), and how far that musical genre has developed in the last (choke) 50 years.
Basically it's a vehicle for rock and roll pioneer Bill Haley and his band, The Comets.
In the very thin story, two square music managers realize that their old type of traditional dance music is dying out in favor of the latest "rock 'n' roll" fad.
When they see Haley and the Comets perform their classic "See You Later Alligator" at a small town dance and witness all the kids dancing up a storm, they decide to try and get this group to play full-time and make it big.
The film's not very interesting when it veers away from the music, but along the way we get several more Bill Haley songs (the famous title hit itself, plus "Razzle Dazzle," "Rock Rock Rock" and others), and we're also treated to The Bellboys.
A couple of small time promoters break away from the big band way of life and stumble across a hot combo that packs a small dance hall.Johnny Johnston, John Archer, Lisa Gaye and Alan Freed star.
On screen musical performances by Bill Haley and his Comets, Freddie Bell and the Bellboys and the Platters make this one of the first feature films that concerns the beginnings of rock 'n' roll.Enjoyable and fun to revisit.
The movie's a good chance to catch R&R's anthem—Rock Around the Clock—done classic style by Bill Haley & His Comets.
The diaphanous plot finds band manager Steve Hollis (Johnny Johnston) having an musical epiphany while attending a small town dance in 'Strawberry Springs', where the kids are rocking and rolling to local band 'Bill Haley and His Comets'.
Haley and crew lip-sync a few good tunes including the titular classic, as do the Platters (including the standard "The Great Pretender") and the Bellboys (a somewhat less remembered act).
There is lots of hip slang, keen music, a bit of S.E.X., and some crazy dancing (especially by Lisa Gaye and Earl Barton).
Steve is intrigued and finds them dancing to the new Rock N Roll with Bill Haley & His Comets.
He sweet talks high powered agent Corinne Talbot but she rejects the new sound for personal reasons.This is one of the first Rock N Roll films.
The first bona-fide rock and roll movie undoubtedly has the look of quick cash-in about it with its formulaic plot, stock characterisations and predictable pauses for musical numbers but it has an identifiable charm about it and at a mere 77 minutes long, certainly doesn't overstay its welcome.Sure, rock and roll really hit its stride a little later with its more direct progenitors like Elvis, Jerry Lee and Little Richard, all of whom make the line-up here of the Comets, Platters and The Bell-Hops seem somewhat tame by comparison, but there's no denying the vigour and freshness of the music itself, even if portly, kiss-curled Bill looks old enough to be the youngsters' pet uncle.The Comets' popularity, like their name suggests, came crashing back to earth soon enough with the rise of the Tupelo Mississippi Flash, but their brand of enthusiastic swinging beat music can still set toes tapping and the band members could certainly put on a show.
Interesting too, to see celebrated DJ Alan Freed in his element, before the Payola scandal engulfed him.The background story of competing managers pushing and pulling over the fates of their rock and rolling protégés just about holds together with Jonny Johnson performing well as the Comets' new manager.
Maybe if the likes of him had managed Presley things might have turned out differently for the movement's biggest star.An interesting and enjoyable document of the changing times, especially for the musical numbers with great accompanying dance routines..
The man who gave rock and roll its anthem Bill Haley and his group the Comets together with the man who was the first disc jockey promoting the new sound Alan Freed are the featured people in Rock Around The Clock, the title of Bill Haley's greatest hit.
He and featured dancers Lisa Gaye and Earl Barton are discovered by Johnny Johnston who is a music booking agent who has realized the era of the big bands is dead and he's a loose ends.
Seeing this and other groups at a local dance makes him realize what the new trend in music is and he looks to hook up with the biggest booking agent around who is an old flame of his Alix Talton.Talton has the most interesting role in the film.
The young folk could just get out of their cars and dance and probably not pay attention to whatever plot the film has.Ironically the man who was searching for that new sound made his living with the old sound.
This is a magic film that captures the excitement of early rock n roll and the people who played it.
The first ever rock n roll film to be made maybe a bit thin on the plot line, but makes up for it with its exciting dance scenes and thumping jumping music.
After its inclusion in the hit film The Blackboard Jungle, the song "Rock Around the Clock" was such a smash hit that B-movie producer Sam Katzman decided to make a movie with that title and have the single's act, Bill Haley and the Comets, perform that one, "See You Later, Alligator" and a few others here.
I wonder if this was the only time the latter group performed their hits, "Only You" and "The Great Pretender" for the big screen.
P.S. While the one other musical act, Tony Martinez and His Band are good too, it's obvious that-as the plot implied-they have a different appeal, possibly to the potential "squares" in the audience.
...and it was not intellectual at the time;people did not listen to the words to the songs,all they wanted to do was dancing.The plot is very thin and almost devoid of interest .A fight between two managers :One of them is in love with Bill Haley and the Comets' dancer .Billy Haley -perhaps because he plays himself,has no love affair like Presley would do.He 's sure a good singer but he is not particularly good-looking.The other manager (a woman) puts a wrench in her colleague's works.Musically,for me ,the two magic moments are the two Platters songs "only you" and "the great pretender".What singers!.
Solid if not altogether dazzling rockumentary concerning Bill Haley and his Comets the subject of a surprisingly good-natured tussle between easy-going promoter (Johnston) and wily talent agent (Talton) who holds a unilateral affection for her old beau.
Talton attempts to stymie the group's ascendancy as a ploy to win back Johnston, but his new girlfriend (the attractive and agile Gaye) is now firmly in the frame to take out marriage honours."Rock Around the Clock" is one of the first of its ilk, documenting the rise of the rock'n'roll phenomenon, and showcasing full length tunes by The Platters and The Comets, loosely bound by the soap-opera storyline.
More a sound stage than a movie as such, it's an opportunity to capture some of the essence of the era painting the music, dancing and stylings as a 'radical' snub of the conservative establishment.The cast is capable; leading lady Talton performs the female tycoon role well, Archer as her right-hand man is durable while affable singer/actor Johnston is a likable if light leading man.
At barely 75 minutes it's compact, and would probably appeal to fans of Bill Haley's Comets or The Platters, both delivering several of their hits from the time..
The plot focuses on Steve Hollis (Johnny Johnston), a music agent/promoter who gets a lesson in what the kids like to dance to, at a small local club, then tries to capitalize on its local popularity by having it go national.
Assorted cha-cha-cha numbers, a jive band, and a youthful dancing duo interested me not at all.By far, the best element of the film, and really the only thing that saves it, is the title song by Bill Haley and the Comets, and the music of the incomparable Platters, with two terrific songs: "Only You" and "The Great Pretender".The film's acting is marginally acceptable.
A music promotor falls in love with one of Haleys dancers, and tries to win her by promoting Rock'n roll.
But what were they doing in a rock'n roll movie ???
A Few Good Numbers, and That's It. In this movie, a lifeless and somewhat ridiculous plot acts as a frame story to showcase some rock-and-roll bands when that kind of music was becoming popular in the 1950s.
But the dancing done by teenagers to rock and roll is alive and well.
They become part of the act with the Comets, the idea being that they will show teenagers at the performances how to dance to rock and roll, to break the ice and get others on the dance floor.
In fact, having that brother-and-sister team dance like that in real life would intimidate ordinary would-be dancers, making it less likely for them to get out on the floor.Unfortunately, most of the songs performed in this movie are not that good, and in several cases, no one dances at all, usually because the beat is too fast, even for professionals.
If it was up to powerful music agent Alix Talton, Bill Haley and the Comets would not have a chance of making it in the business.
On their way home from a gig after disbanding a big band, Alan Freed discovers a small town where Saturday night dance is a big deal, and Bill Haley and the Comets apparently work for vegetables rather than cold hard cash.
Introducing them to Talton, Freed wants to make them stars, but the only gig they get is a literal dance for squares at an all girls school where the stuffy faculty wants no part of the boomin rock and roll industry.
But thanks to Freed and his plan to get them a big gig, Talton's efforts go unsuccessful.While the music here certainly is great, with the Comets performing the title song and other hits and a brief appearance by the Platters, there is something about this it just doesn't swing as far as true history is concerned.
This would be the first of 3 films he would do in 1956.Johnny Johnston in his next to last screen role plays Steve Hollis whose real story as a rock & roll promoter is the loose basis of this movie.
Alix Talton plays Corrine Talbot, a woman business person who is the bank roller for Hollis efforts to promote rock & roll.
This is top shelf early rock & roll with Bill Halley & The Comets doing the title track 3 or 4 different times & a couple of other numbers.
In fact the song had far more playing time in "Blackboard Jungle" then it did in "Rock Around the Clock" never letting up as much as every 10 minutes in the films 101 minutes on screen.The plot has to do with music talent scout Steve Harris, Johnny Johnston, trying to get in on what's to be the new music rage of 1950's by discovering rock & roll while traveling cross country at this out of the way place call Strawberry Springs.
Needing someone to promote Haley and his Comets to make the big time, New York City, Steve gets in touch with his former lover top talent and music promoter,the biggest on the East Coast, Connie Talbot, Alix Talton.Connie agrees to promote the group only if Steve comes back to her and picks up where the two let off: As boy and girlfriends.While this is all going on the 40 year old Steve falls in love with the barley out of her teens dancer and the person who introduced him to Bill Haley Lisa Jones, Lisa Gaye, that really complicates matters even more then they already were.
So much more that Connie feeling spurned by Steve for a girl young enough to be his daughter starts a guerrilla war campaign against him, in order to put him Bill Haley and the Comets out of business, that as times goes by in the movie gets really ugly.Of course Steve knowing what to expect from the vindictive Connie is ready for her and in the end not only get her to promote his group,the Comets, but a number of other rock & roll groups like the Platters and Freddie & the Bellhops as well.
Steve does that by him together with Lisa tricking Connie into thinking that he was still available, or single, to her when he fact he wasn't!Besides the silly May to December love story plot the movie does have a number of exciting rock & roll song numbers in it including it's title song "Rock Around the Clock" that with the exception of the opening credits seems to have trouble being sung straight through in it being interrupted, especially in the films final and stirring sequence, every time it's being played.
In the end even Connie comes to see the light in what an effect rock & roll music is having not only in the USA but overseas at well with even Queen Elizabeth II, this in fact really happened, wanting to have a private screening of the film at Buckingham Palace.
Shrewd big band manager Steve Hollis (a solid performance by Johnny Johnston) and his easygoing musician buddy Corny LaSelle (a delightfully engaging turn by Henry Slate) discover the rock'n'roll band Bill Haley and His Comets in a small town and immediately realize that their style of music is the next major trend.
Better still, the music acts featured herein really deliver the bouncy and stirring goods: Haley and His Comets cut loose with such classic tunes as "See You Later, Alligator" and the terrific titular gem, the Platters impress with the transcendent double whammy of "Only You" and "The Pretender," Freddie Bell & His Bellboys come through with several jaunty finger-snapping ditties, and Tony Martinez adds a little spice with his tasty Latino numbers.