Jailhouse Rock (film)

Jailhouse Rock is a 1957 American musical drama film directed by Richard Thorpe and starring Elvis Presley, Judy Tyler, Mickey Shaughnessy, Vaughn Taylor, and Jennifer Holden. Adapted by Guy Trosper from a story written by Nedrick Young, the film follows a young man called Vince Everett (Presley) who is sentenced to prison for manslaughter who is mentored in music by his prison cellmate who realizes his musical abilities. After his release from jail, while looking for a job as a club singer, Everett meets a musical promoter (Tyler) who helps him launch his career. As Everett develops his musical talent and becomes a star, his self-centered personality begins to affect his relationships.
The wife of producer Pandro S. Berman convinced him to produce a film with Presley in the lead role. Berman delegated the casting to Benny Thau, head of Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer, and Abraham Lastfogel, then-president of the William Morris Agency. Berman hired Thorpe, who was known for shooting productions quickly. Before pre-production began, songwriters Mike Stoller and Jerry Leiber were commissioned to integrate the film's soundtrack. In April, Leiber and Stoller were called for a meeting in New York City to show the progress of the repertoire. The writers, who had not produced any material, toured the city and were confronted in a hotel room by Jean Aberbach, who locked them into their hotel room by blocking the hotel room door with a sofa until they wrote the material. Production on Jailhouse Rock lasted from May 13 to June 17, 1957; Presley recorded the soundtrack at Radio Recorders in Hollywood on April 30 and May 3, with an additional session at the MGM Soundstage on May 9. During post-production, the songs were dubbed into the film's scenes, in which Presley mimed the lyrics. The dance sequence to the film's title song is often cited as "Presley's greatest moment on screen".
Jailhouse Rock premiered in Memphis, Tennessee, on October 17, 1957, and was released nationwide on November 8, 1957. It peaked at number three on the Variety box office chart, and reached number 14 in the year's box-office totals, grossing $4 million. The film initially earned mixed reviews, with most of the negative reception directed towards Presley's persona. In 2004, the film was selected for preservation in the National Film Registry by the Library of Congress, who deemed it "culturally, aesthetically or historically significant."
Category:Films