Rock Around the Clock (1956)

A frustrated big-band promoter runs in to rock-and-rollers Bill Haley and the Comets at a small-town dance. He quickly becomes their manager and, with the help of Alan Freed, hopes to bring... See full summary »

Director:

Fred F. Sears

Writers:

James B. Gordon (story), Robert E. Kent (story)

Stars:

Johnny Johnston, Alix Talton, Lisa Gaye

Cast

Cast overview:
Johnny Johnston	...	Steve Hollis
Alix Talton	...	Corinne Talbot
Lisa Gaye	...	Lisa Johns
John Archer	...	Mike Dodd
Henry Slate	...	Corny LaSalle
Earl Barton	...	Jimmy Johns
Joe Palma	...	Waiter
Alan Freed	...	Alan Freed
Bill Haley	...	Bill Haley
Bill Haley and the Comets	...	The Comets
The Platters	...	The Platters

Storyline

A frustrated big-band promoter runs in to rock-and-rollers Bill Haley and the Comets at a small-town dance. He quickly becomes their manager and, with the help of Alan Freed, hopes to bring the new sound to the entire country. But will a conniving booking agent, with a personal ax to grind with the manager, conspire to keep the band from making the big time?

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Plot Keywords:

dance | disc jockey | cult film | rock band | rockabilly | 

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Taglines:

The screen's first great rock 'n' roll feature!

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Genres:

Music

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Certificate:

TV-G

Details

Country:

USA

Language:

English

Release Date:

21 March 1956 (USA)

Also Known As:

Al compás del reloj

Box Office

Budget:

$300,000 (estimated)

Company Credits

Production Co:

Clover Productions

Technical Specs

Runtime:

77 min

Sound Mix:

Mono (RCA Sound Recording)

Color:

Black and White

Aspect Ratio:

1.85 : 1

Did You Know?

Trivia

This is the first full-length rock'n'roll movie.

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Goofs

The poster for the Rock and Roll Jamboree later in the movie lists Lisa and Jimmy James as an act. Their names should be Lisa and Jimmy Johns.

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Crazy Credits

Instead of "The End," the movie concludes with "The LIVING End".

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Connections

Referenced in Empire of the Censors (1995)

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Soundtracks

"The Great Pretender"
Written by Buck Ram
Performed by The Platters

User Reviews

A fictional story about the emergence of Rock & Roll onto the teenage U.S. musical scene.

What fun to come upon this 1950s gem on cable TV today! At first I thought I was seeing Debra Paget, but it turned out to be her sister, Lisa Gaye, who played a prominent role in this film and demonstrated real dancing skill. This movie is so special, not only because it showcases rock & roll's important early performers, but also its place in musical time -- right at the pop music transition from the big bands to the much smaller combos. In fact, the term "combo" was apparently not in popular use yet. In the film, these small rock & roll bands are referred to as "combinations" of musicians. And the dancing was a joy to watch! Influences from the Big Band era were still strong as couples did variations of swing and jitterbug with the brand new additions of non-touch formula steps that later led to the Twist, the Mashed Potato and all the rest, right up to the present time when almost no one knows how to dance together as a couple. This film should be required viewing for anyone following the history of post-World War II popular music and the end of the big bands.