Rock, Rock, Rock!

Rock, Rock, Rock! is a 1956 black-and-white motion picture conceived, co-written and co-produced by Milton Subotsky and directed by Will Price. The film is an early jukebox musical featuring performances by established rock and roll singers of the era, including Chuck Berry, LaVern Baker, Teddy Randazzo, the Moonglows, the Flamingos, and the Teenagers with Frankie Lymon as lead singer. Later West Side Story cast member David Winters is also featured. Famed disc jockey Alan Freed made an appearance as himself.

The movie has a fairly simple plot: teenage girl Dori Graham (played by then 13-year-old Tuesday Weld, with a credited Connie Francis 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. Jack Collins plays the frustrated dad.

Valerie Harper made her debut in a brief appearance as an extra 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 Frankie Lymon & the Teenagers. This was also Frankie Lymon & the Teenagers' film debut.

Almost every member of the cast was signed to a record label at the time, which was credited along with each star. In 1984, the film entered the public domain in the United States because the claimants did not renew its copyright registration in the 28th year after publication. The film's numerous musical numbers may have been copyrighted separately, however.

Featured Songs
"Rock, Rock, Rock" — Jimmy Cavallo & His House Rockers "I Never Had A Sweetheart" — Connie Francis "The Things Your Heart Needs" — Teddy Randazzo "Rock, Pretty Baby" — Ivy Schulman and the Bowties "Rock & Roll Boogie" — Alan Freed & His Rock & Roll Band w/"Big" Al Sears (saxophone) "I Knew From The Start" — The Moonglows "You Can't Catch Me" — Chuck Berry "Would I Be Crying" — The Flamingos "The Big Beat" — Jimmy Cavallo & His House Rockers "Thanks To You" — Teddy Randazzo (announced as Tommy Rodgers) "We're Gonna Rock Tonight" — The Three Chuckles 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 "Over and Over Again" — The Moonglows "Tra La La" — LaVern Baker "Ever Since I Can Remember" — Cirino & the Bowties "Baby Baby" — Frankie Lymon & the Teenagers "I'm Not a Juvenile Delinquent" — Frankie Lymon and The Teenagers "Won't You Give Me A Chance" — Teddy Randazzo "Right Now, Right Now" — Alan Freed & His Rock & Roll Band with "Big" Al Sears (saxophone)

Why It Rock, Rock, Rocks! (Pun Intended)

 * 1) It shows how Rock 'n' roll was like in the '1950s. Plus, It was also one of the first films to be based on Rock (originally Rock 'n' roll).
 * 2) Catchy soundtrack.
 * 3) It features Frankie Lymon and the Teenagers, The Flamingos, The Moonglows, Teddy Randazzo, LaVern Baker, and even Chuck Berry, who later had fame.
 * 4) The little girl singing "Rock, Pretty Baby" with the Bowties is kinda cute.
 * 5) It was one of the only good films to be distributed by the DCOA, who later distributed the infamous mh:awfulmovies:Plan 9 from Outer Space.
 * 6) It also helped some of the artists' careers grow.
 * 7) Tuesday Weld was only 13 years old when she played an adult role, which is impressive.

The Only Bad Quality

 * 1) It could get boring at times and it mostly focuses on the songs instead of the plot.

Reception
While being a cult classic, It was a success at the box office during release.

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