''Rock, Pretty Baby'' is a 1956 American

comedy Comedy is a genre of dramatic works intended to be humorous or amusing by inducing laughter, especially in theatre, film, stand-up comedy, television, radio, books, or any other entertainment medium. Origins Comedy originated in ancient Greec ...

musical film Musical film is a film genre in which songs by the Character (arts), characters are interwoven into the narrative, sometimes accompanied by dancing. The songs usually advance the plot or develop the film's characters, but in some cases, they serv ...

directed by

Richard Bartlett Richard H. Bartlett (8 November 1922 – 11 June 1994), also known as Dick Bartlett, was an American film director, director and film producer, producer in film and TV. He also acted and wrote. He is best known for his low budget features in th ...

and starring

Sal Mineo Salvatore Mineo Jr. (January 10, 1939 – February 12, 1976) was an American actor. He was best known for his role as John "Plato" Crawford in the drama film '' Rebel Without a Cause'' (1955), which earned him a nomination for the Academy Award ...

John Saxon John Saxon (born Carmine Orrico; August 5, 1936 – July 25, 2020) was an American actor who worked on more than 200 film and television projects during a span of 60 years. He was known for his work in Westerns and horror films, often playing ...

and

Luana Patten Luana Patten (July 6, 1938 – May 1, 1996) was an American actress who appeared in films produced by Walt Disney Pictures, such as ''Song of the South'' (1946), ''Fun and Fancy Free'' (1947), and ''Melody Time'' (1948). Later in life, she pl ...

Plot

Young musician Jimmy Daley (Saxon) needs to come up with $300 to purchase the electric guitar he wants. He pawns his law books, to the disappointment of his father (Platt), a doctor whose goal is for Jimmy to become a lawyer. Jimmy's jealous nature results in a ruckus at a party and $150 in damage to a neighbor, which Dr. Daley insists his son pay. His girlfriend Joan Wright (Patten) learns that a battle of the bands has a cash prize. Jimmy and his group end up losing the contest, but he earns the respect of his dad.

Cast

as Angelo Barrato *

as Jimmy Daley *

as Joan Wright * Edward C. Platt as Thomas Daley Sr. M.D. *

Fay Wray Vina Fay Wray (September 15, 1907 – August 8, 2004) was a Canadian-American actress best known for starring as Ann Darrow in the 1933 film ''King Kong''. Through an acting career that spanned nearly six decades, Wray attained international r ...

as Beth Daley *

Rod McKuen Rodney Marvin McKuen ( ; ; April 29, 1933 – January 29, 2015) was an American poet, singer-songwriter, and composer. He was one of the best-selling poets in the United States during the late 1960s. Throughout his career, McKuen produced a wide ...

as 'Ox' Bentley * John Wilder as 'Fingers' Porter * Alan Reed Jr. as 'Sax' Lewis *

Douglas Fowley Douglas Fowley (born Daniel Vincent Fowley, May 30, 1911 – May 21, 1998) was an American movie and television actor in more than 240 films and dozens of television programs. He is probably best remembered for his role as the frustrated m ...

as 'Pop' Wright
Bob Courtney
as 'Half-Note' Harris *

Shelley Fabares Michele Ann Marie "Shelley" Fabares (; born January 19, 1944) is a retired American actress and singer. She is known for her television roles as Mary Stone on the sitcom ''The Donna Reed Show'' (1958–1963) and as Christine Armstrong on the sitc ...

as Twinky Daley * Susan Volkmann as Carol Saunders * Caryl Volkmann as Claire Saunders * April Kent as Kay Norton * Sue George as Lori Parker *

Walter Reed Walter Reed (September 13, 1851 – November 23, 1902) was a United States Army, U.S. Army physician who in 1901 led the team that confirmed the theory of Cuban doctor Carlos Finlay that yellow fever is transmitted by a particular mosquito ...

as Mr. Reid * Glen Kramer as Bruce Carter * Johnny Grant as Johnny Grant * George Winslow as Thomas Daley, III

Production

The film was announced in June 1956, under the title ''Crazy Love''. Luana Patten had been a child actor then stopped working at age 14 to concentrate on school. After several years she told her agent she wanted to act again and she was cast in ''Rock Pretty Baby''. She signed at $650 a week. The contract had options for another seven years. Universal tried to exercise it and Patten sued to get out of it. Filming started July 1956. It was also known as ''The Living End'' before being titled ''Rock Pretty Baby''. Before the film came out, Al Daff of Universal said the movie "is not an important picture but it will gross more than many multi million dollar pictures."

Release

and John Saxon were sent out on a promotional tour on the launch of the film. Universal signed George Winslow to a two picture a year deal over five years on the basis of his performance in the movie. ''Variety'' said it "should emerge a box office winner." ''Filmink'' called it "a jaunty, energetic teen film, with a surprisingly hot late-night beach kissing scene between Saxon and co-star Luana Patten. It became a sleeper hit for Universal."

Sequel

In May 1957 Universal announced they would make a sequel '' Summer Love''.Saxon Starred in New Teen-age Salute; Jan Harrison Term-Pacted Schallert, Edwin. Los Angeles Times 1 May 1957: B11

References

External links

*{{IMDb title, 0049683
''Rock, Pretty Baby''
at

TCMDB Turner Classic Movies (TCM) is an American movie-oriented pay-TV network owned by Warner Bros. Discovery. Launched in 1994, Turner Classic Movies is headquartered at Turner's Techwood broadcasting campus in the Midtown business district of ...

1956 films 1956 musical comedy films American musical comedy films American black-and-white films Films directed by Richard Bartlett Films scored by Henry Mancini Universal Pictures films 1950s English-language films 1950s American films English-language musical comedy films