Home
search
more | tips
IMDb > Rock Around the Clock (1956)

Rock Around the Clock (1956) More at IMDbPro »

Photos (see all 6 | slideshow)

Overview

User Rating:
5.7/10   313 votes
MOVIEmeter: ?
Up 27% in popularity this week. See rank & trends on IMDbPro.
Director:
Fred F. Sears
Writers:
James B. Gordon (story)
Robert E. Kent (story)
Contact:
View company contact information for Rock Around the Clock on IMDbPro.
Release Date:
21 March 1956 (USA) more
Genre:
Music more
Tagline:
The Music.The Dancing. Rock'n'Roll at its Beginning. more
Plot:
A frustrated big-band promoter runs in to rock-and-rollers Bill Haley and the Comets at a small-town dance... more | add synopsis
User Comments:
Silly but a time capsule of the 1950s more

Cast

  (Cast overview, first billed only)
Bill Haley ... Himself
Rudy Pompilli ... Himself (Comets saxophonist)
Al Rex ... Himself (Comets bassist)
Franny Beecher ... Himself (Comets guitarist)
Johnny Grande ... Himself (Comets pianist)
Ralph Jones ... Himself (Comets drummer)
Billy Williamson ... Himself (Comets steel guitar player)
Tony Williams ... Himself (with The Platters)
Zola Taylor ... Herself (with The Platters)
Herb Reed ... Himself (with The Platters)
David Lynch ... Himself (with The Platters)
Paul Robi ... Himself (with The Platters)
Tony Martinez ... Himself
Freddie Bell ... Himself
Alan Freed ... Himself
more

Additional Details

Runtime:
77 min
Country:
USA
Language:
English
Aspect Ratio:
1.85 : 1 more
Sound Mix:
Mono (RCA Sound System)

Fun Stuff

Trivia:
Filmed in January 1956. more
Movie Connections:
Featured in Coming Attractions: The History of the Movie Trailer (2006) more
Soundtrack:
Mambo Capri more

FAQ

This FAQ is empty. Add the first question.
2 out of 2 people found the following comment useful:-
Silly but a time capsule of the 1950s, 12 January 2008
6/10
Author: Wayne Malin (wwaayynnee51@hotmail.com) from United States

Promoter Steve Hollis (Johnny Johnston) is looking for a new act for teenage audiences. He comes upon Bill Haley and the Comets playing in a small town. They drive the teenagers wild and feature a brother/sister team (Earl Barton/Lisa Gaye) who do some incredible dancing to the music. He signs them up and immediately falls in love with Gaye (and vice versa). However the evil Miss Talbot (Alix Talton) loves Hollis herself. He spurns her so she sets out to to make sure that Haley, the Comets, Gaye and Barton can't get a job.

Really silly stuff with lousy dialogue chockful of 50s slang that just sounds ridiculous now. Everybody is so polite and nice to each other--even the "evil" schemes of Talbot are pretty mild. Also Johnston and Gaye fall in love in seconds! It's pretty creepy though--Johnston is easily old enough to be her father! None of this matters though. This shows Bill Hlaey and the Comets and the Platters performing and that alone makes this a valuable time capsule of the 1950s when rock and roll was starting to get popular. The groups ARE lip syncing to their songs (and pretty badly in the case of The Platters) but still... When the Platters sang "Only You" and "The Great pretender" this movie is just magic. The acting is pretty terrible (Bill Haley especially) but the songs are good, the movie is short and the dance routines between Barton and Gaye are really pretty impressive. Hard to believe that this was banned in some cities in the US when it first came out. In other cases some theatre owners told the projectionist to cut the sound when the music numbers came on! Check out the ending which says "The Living End"! Harmless and kind of fun. I give it a 6.

Was the above comment useful to you?
more

Message Boards

Discuss this movie with other users on IMDb message board for Rock Around the Clock (1956)
Recent Posts (updated daily)User
Ripe for a re release is rockin Clock mike-2620
Never edited? PennyWidmore
more

Recommendations

If you enjoyed this title, our database also recommends:
- - - - -
Bye Bye Birdie I Wanna Hold Your Hand Footloose Trick or Treat Almost Famous
IMDb User Rating:
IMDb User Rating:
IMDb User Rating:
IMDb User Rating:
IMDb User Rating:
Show more recommendations

Related Links

Full cast and crew Company credits External reviews
News articles IMDb Music section IMDb USA section
Add this title to MyMovies

You may report errors and omissions on this page to the IMDb database managers. They will be examined and if approved will be included in a future update. Clicking the 'Update' button will take you through a step-by-step process.