''Don't Knock the Twist'' is a 1962
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 ...
starring
Lang Jeffries, directed by Oscar Rudolph and produced by
Sam Katzman for release by
Columbia Pictures
Columbia Pictures Industries, Inc., Trade name, doing business as Columbia Pictures, is an American film Production company, production and Film distributor, distribution company that is the flagship unit of the Sony Pictures Motion Picture Group ...
. It is a sequel to the 1961 film ''
Twist Around the Clock'', featuring musical artists including
Chubby Checker
Chubby Checker (born Ernest Evans; October 3, 1941) is an American singer and dancer. He is widely known for popularizing many dance styles, including the Twist, with his 1960 hit cover of Hank Ballard & The Midnighters' R&B song " The Twis ...
.
Plot summary
A large group of
twist dancers meet in preparation for a television variety show called ''The Twist''. While the program is still in its production stages, jealousy leads to problems.
Cast
*
Chubby Checker
Chubby Checker (born Ernest Evans; October 3, 1941) is an American singer and dancer. He is widely known for popularizing many dance styles, including the Twist, with his 1960 hit cover of Hank Ballard & The Midnighters' R&B song " The Twis ...
as Chubby Checker
*
Gene Chandler as the Duke of Earl
*
Vic Dana as Vic Dana
*
Linda Scott as Linda Scott
*
The Dovells as the Dovells
*
Len Barry
Leonard Warren Borisoff (June 12, 1942 – November 5, 2020), known professionally by the stage name Len Barry, was an American singer, songwriter, lyricist, record producer, author, and poet.
Life and career
Born on June 12, 1942, and raised ...
as Len Barry (of the Dovells)
* Mike Dennis as Mike Dennis (of the Dovells)
* Arnie Satin as Arnie Satin (of the Dovells)
* Jerry Summers as Jerry Summers (of the Dovells)
* The Carroll Brothers as the Carroll Brothers
*
Lang Jeffries as Ted Haver
*
Mari Blanchard as Dulcie Corbin
*
Georgine Darcy as Madge Albright
* Stephen Preston as Billy Albright
Critical reception
In their review of the film for
Turner Classic Movies
Turner Classic Movies (TCM) is an American movie channel, movie-oriented pay television, pay-TV television network, network owned by Warner Bros. Discovery. Launched in 1994, Turner Classic Movies is headquartered at Turner's Techwood broadcas ...
, critic John M. Miller wrote that "No matter how trite or inconsequential the plot, every Katzman-produced exploitation musical is invaluable for capturing obscure recording artists of the era in their prime," noting that the "slick pop numbers
f Dana and Scottserve as a reminder that many of the chart toppers of the period were soon forgotten," and that the film "is also one of those Rock movies that emphasize the importance of adults' acceptance of their kids' fads and tastes." A review of the film in
TV Guide
TV Guide is an American digital media
In mass communication, digital media is any media (communication), communication media that operates in conjunction with various encoded machine-readable data formats. Digital content can be created, vi ...
reported that it features "a silly story about preparations for a TV special on the twist and efforts to help a summer camp for orphans; in other words, a way to segue between a dozen musical numbers of varying quality."
Music
Live performances in the film
# "Don't Knock the Twist" -
Chubby Checker
Chubby Checker (born Ernest Evans; October 3, 1941) is an American singer and dancer. He is widely known for popularizing many dance styles, including the Twist, with his 1960 hit cover of Hank Ballard & The Midnighters' R&B song " The Twis ...
# "
Duke of Earl" -
Gene Chandler
# "
Slow Twistin'" - Chubby Checker &
Dee Dee Sharp
# "Yessiree" -
Linda Scott
# "
Little Altar Boy" -
Vic Dana
# "
The Fly" -
Chubby Checker
Chubby Checker (born Ernest Evans; October 3, 1941) is an American singer and dancer. He is widely known for popularizing many dance styles, including the Twist, with his 1960 hit cover of Hank Ballard & The Midnighters' R&B song " The Twis ...
# "Do the New Continental" -
The Dovells
# "
Hey! Bo Diddley" - The Carroll Brothers
# "
Mashed Potato Time" - Dee Dee Sharp
# "
Bristol Stomp" - The Dovells
Soundtrack
# "Twistin'" (Mann-Appell) 2:08
# "
Bristol Stomp" (Mann-Appell) 2:18
# "La Paloma Twist" (Kal Mann) 2:32
# "
Mashed Potato Time" (Sheldon-Land) 2:27
# "
Bo Diddley
Ellas Otha Bates (December 30, 1928 – June 2, 2008), known professionally as Bo Diddley, was an American guitarist and singer who played a key role in the transition from the blues to rock and roll. He influenced many artists, including Buddy ...
" (Bo Diddley) 3:05 (misspelled "Diddely" on cover and label)
# "I Love to Twist" (Mann-Lowe) 2:40
# "Don't Knock the Twist" (Mann-Appell) 2:17
# "Salome Twist" (Karger-Kent) 1:38
# "
The Fly" (
John Madara/
David White) 2:27
# "Smashed Potatoes" (Sheldon-Leon) 2:27
# "Slow Twistin'" (Jon Sheldon) 2:31
References
External links
*
*
*
''Don't Knock The Twist''at
Turner Classic Movies
Turner Classic Movies (TCM) is an American movie channel, movie-oriented pay television, pay-TV television network, network owned by Warner Bros. Discovery. Launched in 1994, Turner Classic Movies is headquartered at Turner's Techwood broadcas ...
1962 musical comedy films
1962 films
American black-and-white films
1962 romantic comedy films
American musical comedy films
Twist (dance)
Columbia Pictures films
1960s romantic musical films
1960s English-language films
1960s American films
Films produced by Sam Katzman
English-language romantic comedy films
English-language romantic musical films
English-language musical comedy films
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