''Rock, Rock, Rock!'' is a 1956 musical

drama Drama is the specific mode of fiction represented in performance: a play, opera, mime, ballet, etc., performed in a theatre, or on radio or television.Elam (1980, 98). Considered as a genre of poetry in general, the dramatic mode has b ...

film conceived, co-written and co-produced by

Milton Subotsky Milton Subotsky (September 27, 1921 – June 27, 1991) was an American film and television writer and producer. In 1964, he founded Amicus Productions with Max J. Rosenberg. Amicus means "friendship" in Latin. The partnership produced low-budg ...

and directed by

Will Price William Lightfoot Price (November 9, 1861 – October 14, 1916) was an American architect, a pioneer in the use of reinforced concrete, and a founder of the utopian communities of Arden, Delaware and Rose Valley, Pennsylvania. Early life Price w ...

. The film is an early

jukebox musical A jukebox musical is a stage musical or musical film in which a majority of the songs are well-known popular music songs, rather than original music. Some jukebox musicals use a wide variety of songs, while others confine themselves to songs perf ...

featuring performances by established

rock and roll Rock and roll (often written as rock & roll, rock 'n' roll, or rock 'n roll) is a genre of popular music that evolved in the United States during the late 1940s and early 1950s. It originated from African-American music such as jazz, rhythm a ...

singers of the era, including

Chuck Berry Charles Edward Anderson Berry (October 18, 1926 – March 18, 2017) was an American singer, songwriter and guitarist who pioneered rock and roll. Nicknamed the " Father of Rock and Roll", he refined and developed rhythm and blues into th ...

LaVern Baker Delores LaVern Baker (November 11, 1929 – March 10, 1997) was an American R&B singer who had several hit records on the pop chart in the 1950s and early 1960s. Her most successful records were " Tweedle Dee" (1955), " Jim Dandy" (1956), and " ...

Teddy Randazzo Alessandro Carmelo "Teddy" Randazzo (May 13, 1935 – November 21, 2003) was an American pop songwriter, singer, arranger and producer, who composed hit songs such as " Goin' Out of My Head", "It's Gonna Take a Miracle", " Pretty Blue Eyes", ...

the Moonglows The Moonglows were an American R&B group in the 1950s. Their song " Sincerely" went to number 1 on the ''Billboard'' R&B chart and number 20 on the ''Billboard'' Juke Box chart. They were inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in 2000. ...

the Flamingos The Flamingos are an American doo-wop group formed in Chicago in 1953. The band became popular in mid-to-late 1950s and are known for their 1959 cover version of "I Only Have Eyes for You". They have since been hailed as one of the finest and ...

, and

the Teenagers The Teenagers are an American music group, most noted for being one of rock music's earliest successes, presented to international audiences by DJ Alan Freed. The group, which made its most popular recordings with young Frankie Lymon as lead s ...

with

Frankie Lymon Franklin Joseph Lymon (September 30, 1942 – February 27, 1968) was an American rock and roll/rhythm and blues singer and songwriter, best known as the boy soprano lead singer of the New York City-based early rock and roll doo-wop group Th ...

as lead singer. Later ''

West Side Story ''West Side Story'' is a musical conceived by Jerome Robbins with music by Leonard Bernstein, lyrics by Stephen Sondheim, and a book by Arthur Laurents. Inspired by William Shakespeare's play '' Romeo and Juliet'', the story is set in the mid ...

'' cast member David Winters is also featured. Famed

disc jockey A disc jockey, more commonly abbreviated as DJ, is a person who plays recorded music for an audience. Types of DJs include radio DJs (who host programs on music radio stations), club DJs (who work at a nightclub or music festival), mobile ...

Alan Freed Albert James "Alan" Freed (December 15, 1921 – January 20, 1965) was an American disc jockey. He also produced and promoted large traveling concerts with various acts, helping to spread the importance of rock and roll music throughout Nor ...

made an appearance as himself. The movie has a fairly simple plot: teenage girl Dori Graham (played by then 13-year-old

Tuesday Weld Tuesday Weld (born Susan Ker Weld; August 27, 1943) is an American actress and model. She began acting as a child and progressed to mature roles in the late 1950s. She won a Golden Globe Award for Most Promising Female Newcomer in 1960. Over t ...

, with a credited

Connie Francis Concetta Rosa Maria Franconero (born December 12, 1937), known professionally as Connie Francis, is an American pop singer, actress, and top-charting female vocalist of the late 1950s and early 1960s. Called the “First Lady of Rock & Roll” ...

dubbed in as Dori's singing voice) can't persuade her dad to buy her a strapless gown and has to get the money together herself in time for the

prom A promenade dance, commonly called a prom, is a dance party for high school students. It may be offered in semi-formal black tie or informal suit for boys, and evening gowns for girls. This event is typically held near the end of the school y ...

. Jack Collins plays the frustrated dad.

Valerie Harper Valerie Kathryn Harper (August 22, 1939 – August 30, 2019) was an American actress. She began her career as a dancer on Broadway, making her debut as a replacement in the musical ''Li'l Abner''. She is best remembered for her role as Rho ...

made her debut in a brief appearance as an

extra Extra or Xtra may refer to: Arts, entertainment and media Film * ''The Extra'' (1962 film), a Mexican film * ''The Extra'' (2005 film), an Australian film Literature * ''Extra'' (newspaper), a Brazilian newspaper * ''Extra!'', an American me ...

seated at the center table during the performance of "Ever Since I Can Remember" by Cirino and the Bowties and can be seen after the performance of

. This was also Frankie Lymon & the Teenagers' film debut. Almost every member of the cast was signed to a

record label A record label, or record company, is a brand or trademark of music recordings and music videos, or the company that owns it. Sometimes, a record label is also a publishing company that manages such brands and trademarks, coordinates the produ ...

at the time, which was credited along with each star. In 1984, the film entered the

public domain in the United States Works are in the public domain if they are not covered by intellectual property rights (such as copyright) at all, or if the intellectual property rights to the works have expired. All works first published or released in the United States b ...

because the claimants did not renew its

copyright registration The purpose of copyright registration is to place on record a verifiable account of the date and content of the work in question, so that in the event of a legal claim, or case of infringement or plagiarism, the copyright owner can produce a cop ...

in the 28th year after publication. The film's numerous musical numbers may have been copyrighted separately, however.

Cast

- Himself * Fran Manfred - Arabella *

- Dori Graham *

- Dori's Singing Voice *

- Tommy Rogers * Jacqueline Kerr - Gloria Barker * Jack Collins - Mr. Graham, Dori's Father * Carol Moss - Mrs. Graham, Dori's Mother * Eleanor Swayne - Miss Silky * Lester Mack - Mr. Bimble * Bert Conway - Mr. Barker *

Johnny Burnette John Joseph Burnette (March 25, 1934 – August 14, 1964) was an American singer and songwriter of rockabilly and pop music. In 1952, Johnny and his brother, Dorsey Burnette, and their mutual friend Paul Burlison formed the band that became ...

- as himself * David Winters - Melville

Featured songs

*"Rock, Rock, Rock" — Jimmy Cavallo & His House Rockers *"I Never Had A Sweetheart" —

*"The Things Your Heart Needs" —

*"Rock, Pretty Baby" — Ivy Schulman and the Bowties *"Rock & Roll Boogie" —

& His Rock & Roll Band w/ "Big" Al Sears (saxophone) *"I Knew From The Start" —

The Moonglows The Moonglows were an American R&B group in the 1950s. Their song " Sincerely" went to number 1 on the ''Billboard'' R&B chart and number 20 on the ''Billboard'' Juke Box chart. They were inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in 2000. ...

You Can't Catch Me "You Can't Catch Me" is a song written and recorded by Chuck Berry, released as a single in 1956. Background The song's lyrics describe racing a souped-up "air-mobile" down the New Jersey Turnpike, then unfolding its wings and taking off. At the ...

" —

*"Would I Be Crying" —

The Flamingos The Flamingos are an American doo-wop group formed in Chicago in 1953. The band became popular in mid-to-late 1950s and are known for their 1959 cover version of "I Only Have Eyes for You". They have since been hailed as one of the finest and ...

*"The Big Beat" — Jimmy Cavallo & His House Rockers *"Thanks To You" —

(announced as Tommy Rodgers)from the movie *"We're Gonna Rock Tonight" —

The Three Chuckles The Three Chuckles were an early American rock & roll group from Brooklyn, New York, United States. Although designated rock & roll by contemporary observers, the sound of The Three Chuckles is closer to vocal pop, in hindsight. They formed around ...

With Teddy Randazzo *"Little Blue Wren" — Connie Francis *"Rock, Rock, Rock" — Jimmy Cavallo & His House Rockers *"Lonesome Train (On A Lonesome Track)" —

Johnny Burnette Trio John Joseph Burnette (March 25, 1934 – August 14, 1964) was an American singer and songwriter of rockabilly and pop music. In 1952, Johnny and his brother, Dorsey Burnette, and their mutual friend Paul Burlison formed the band that became k ...

*"Over and Over Again" —

*"Tra La La" —

*"Ever Since I Can Remember" — Cirino & the Bowties *"Baby Baby" —

Frankie Lymon & the Teenagers The Teenagers are an American music group, most noted for being one of rock music's earliest successes, presented to international audiences by DJ Alan Freed. The group, which made its most popular recordings with young Frankie Lymon as lead ...

*" I'm Not a Juvenile Delinquent" —

Frankie Lymon and The Teenagers The Teenagers are an American music group, most noted for being one of rock music's earliest successes, presented to international audiences by DJ Alan Freed. The group, which made its most popular recordings with young Frankie Lymon as lead s ...

*"Won't You Give Me A Chance" — Teddy Randazzo *"Right Now, Right Now" — Alan Freed & His Rock & Roll Band with "Big" Al Sears (saxophone)

Soundtrack

The soundtrack album, also titled '' Rock, Rock, Rock!'', was released in December 1956 by Chess Records, labeled LP 1425. The soundtrack compilation featured four songs each from only three artists,

, and

. Only four songs on the album ("Over and Over Again", "I Knew From the Stars", "You Can't Catch Me", and "Would I Be Crying") actually appear in the film. ''Rock, Rock, Rock!'' is regarded as the first rock and roll movie to have had a soundtrack album issued.Fred Dellar, "What was the first rock soundtrack album?", ''

Mojo Mojo may refer to: * Mojo (African-American culture), a magical charm bag used in voodoo Arts, entertainment and media Film and television * MOJO HD, an American television network * ''Mojo'' (play), by Jez Butterworth, made into a 1997 film * ' ...

'', #312, November 2019, p.126 The Connie Francis songs "I Never Had a Sweetheart" and "Little Blue Wren" appeared in the film and were also released by MGM Records in 1956 as a Connie Francis single. "Baby, Baby" and "I'm Not a Juvenile Delinquent" by The Teenagers also appeared in the film and were subsequently released as a single by Gee Records.

Production

This was the first feature film collaboration between Milton Subotsky and Max Rosenberg.

Reception

The film was a success at the box office.

References

Sources

*
Dori Anne

External links

* * * {{Amg movie, 41812, Rock, Rock, Rock 1956 films 1950s independent films 1950s musical drama films 1950s teen drama films American black-and-white films American musical drama films American rock music films American teen drama films 1950s English-language films Articles containing video clips 1956 drama films Films directed by Will Price 1950s American films