Rock-n-roll promoter Alan Freed holds a talent search to develop a new rock star, then must find the elusive, mystery contestant (Jimmy Clanton) who doesn't know he has won.Rock-n-roll promoter Alan Freed holds a talent search to develop a new rock star, then must find the elusive, mystery contestant (Jimmy Clanton) who doesn't know he has won.Rock-n-roll promoter Alan Freed holds a talent search to develop a new rock star, then must find the elusive, mystery contestant (Jimmy Clanton) who doesn't know he has won.
Jo Ann Campbell
- Jo-Ann Campbell
- (as Jo-Ann Campbell)
Harvey Fuqua
- Harvey Fugua
- (as Harvey)
Jimmy Cavallo
- Jimmy Cavallo
- (as Jimmy Cavalio and the House Rockers)
Barbara Wooddell
- Mrs. Harold Arnold
- (as Barbara Woodell)
- Director
- Writer
- All cast & crew
- Production, box office & more at IMDbPro
Storyline
Did you know
- TriviaThis was Ritchie Valens's only screen appearance. Tragically, four months before the film was released, he died in a plane crash that also claimed the lives of fellow rockers Buddy Holly and J. P. Richardson (a.k.a. "The Big Bopper"), and pilot Roger Peterson. "Ooh, My Head", the song Valens sings in this film, was later adapted by Led Zeppelin for their song "Boogie with Stu".
- GoofsA couple of dozen teenagers are outside Freed's studio booth listening to him play Johnny's record. But Chuck Berry, one of the biggest R&R stars at the time, is also standing there--and they're completely ignoring him.
- Quotes
The Flamingos: [singing] When the joint starts jumpin' its almost the break of day...
- ConnectionsFeatured in Super Night of Rock 'n' Roll (1984)
- SoundtracksMY LOVE IS STRONG
Written by Jimmy Clanton (uncredited), Earl King (uncredited) and Cosimo Matassa (uncredited)
Performed by Jimmy Clanton
Courtesy of Ace Records
Featured review
Great Stuff Among the Hollywood Hooey
More Hollywood hooey sweetening the Rock n' Roll pie with honey drippings and vanilla leads to make all this "race record stuff" easy to swallow. Jimmy Clanton was better than Bobby Rydell, Fabian, and Frankie Avalon that didn't have a voice between them. But Clanton was by no means and equal to the talent that he was heading in this movie.
"I don't dig it, but I like it", says the old fogie and that just about sums it up for most of these types of white bread movies that were at least kind enough to put the real rockers and black singers in support. Hollywood never did get it and neither did anyone over 30 in the 50's.
That said, we do have these films to thank for a visual reference and time-capsule that otherwise would not exist. Thanx Alan Freed who is credited as one of the very first disc-jockeys to play real Rock n" Roll on his radio show "Moondawg", no matter their racial pedigree. That's the reason the Rock n' Roll Hall of Fame is in Cleveland (the home of Freed's station).
There is an attempt to overshadow the real stuff with a silly choir boy story and many songs that were at best mediocre Teeny-Bopper Pop, but the real stars are gleaming and cannot be covered by any of this pandering propaganda. We get in limited supply...Chuck Berry, Jackie Wilson, The Flamingos, The Cadillacs, Richie Valens, Eddie Cochran, and some others that are at least palatable.
But it shows its prejudice and the mainstreams preoccupation with suppressing this stuff, when the choir director says about RnR..."lets hope it is just a fad and will be gone by the time you grow up"...and then in the next few minutes dismisses him from the choir for singing a Pop tune while accompanied on the church organ. Most of his generation really thought that this was the Devil's music.
"I don't dig it, but I like it", says the old fogie and that just about sums it up for most of these types of white bread movies that were at least kind enough to put the real rockers and black singers in support. Hollywood never did get it and neither did anyone over 30 in the 50's.
That said, we do have these films to thank for a visual reference and time-capsule that otherwise would not exist. Thanx Alan Freed who is credited as one of the very first disc-jockeys to play real Rock n" Roll on his radio show "Moondawg", no matter their racial pedigree. That's the reason the Rock n' Roll Hall of Fame is in Cleveland (the home of Freed's station).
There is an attempt to overshadow the real stuff with a silly choir boy story and many songs that were at best mediocre Teeny-Bopper Pop, but the real stars are gleaming and cannot be covered by any of this pandering propaganda. We get in limited supply...Chuck Berry, Jackie Wilson, The Flamingos, The Cadillacs, Richie Valens, Eddie Cochran, and some others that are at least palatable.
But it shows its prejudice and the mainstreams preoccupation with suppressing this stuff, when the choir director says about RnR..."lets hope it is just a fad and will be gone by the time you grow up"...and then in the next few minutes dismisses him from the choir for singing a Pop tune while accompanied on the church organ. Most of his generation really thought that this was the Devil's music.
helpful•30
- LeonLouisRicci
- Nov 12, 2012
Details
- Runtime1 hour 15 minutes
- Color
- Aspect ratio
- 1.37 : 1
Contribute to this page
Suggest an edit or add missing content