Rock All Night (1957)

Cloud Nine, the local teen hangout, has been taken over by a pair of escaped killers, who hold the local teens hostage. The bartender realizes it's up to him to save the kids.

Director:

Roger Corman

Writers:

Charles B. Griffith (screenplay), David P. Harmon (original story by)

Stars:

Dick Miller, Russell Johnson, Abby Dalton

Cast

Cast overview, first billed only:
Dick Miller	...	Shorty
Russell Johnson	...	Jigger
Abby Dalton	...	Julie
Jeanne Cooper	...	Mabel
Robin Morse	...	Al
Mel Welles	...	Sir Bop
Richard H. Cutting	...	Steve (as Richard Cutting)
Chris Alcaide	...	Angie
Jonathan Haze	...	Joey
Barboura Morris	...	Syl
Beach Dickerson	...	The Kid (as Beech Dickerson)
Clegg Hoyt	...	Marty
Richard Karlan	...	Jerry
Bruno VeSota	...	Charlie (as Bruno Ve Sota)
Ed Nelson	...	Pete

Storyline

A rock and roll film intended for the drive-in, set in a bar where a new singer is auditioning. However, things get complicated when a pair of criminals turn up and take hostages to hold off the police. The payed-off local heavy-guy turns out to be useless, as does a professional boxer, but the situation is resolved by the plucky short guy with a chip on his shoulder (Dick Miller).

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Plot Keywords:

b movie | psychotronic | cult film | rock 'n' roll

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Taglines:

Come see this Rock 'N Roll Riot!

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Genres:

Crime | Music | Drama

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Details

Country:

USA

Language:

English

Release Date:

April 1957 (USA)

Also Known As:

Rock tutta la notte

Company Credits

Production Co:

Sunset Productions (III)

Technical Specs

Runtime:

62 min

Sound Mix:

Mono

Color:

Black and White

Did You Know?

Trivia

Jazz musician Eric Dolphy is seen on screen playing behind The Platters

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Quotes

Al: Why is it everybody is out to see that I lose money? On TV, everybody loves the bartender - they tell him their troubles and everything.
Steve: Would you care to hear my troubles, Al?
Al: I got troubles of my own.

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Connections

Referenced in Hollywood Rocks the Movies: The Early Years (1955-1970) (2000)

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Soundtracks

"The Great Pretender"
Written by Buck Ram
Performed by Nora Hayes

User Reviews

Cheap But Fun Corman Pic

Rock All Night (1957)

** 1/2 (out of 4)

This quickie from AIP is basically two films rolled into one but fans of Corman and his cast of characters will probably find themselves entertained. The first half of the movie is a "rock and roll" picture as we countless musical acts including The Platters doing "I'm Sorry," and "He's Mine" as well as The Blockbusters doing "Rock All Night," "I Wanna Rock Now," and "Rock 'n' Roll Guitar" but the fun doesn't stop there as we get two more numbers. Then, the "other" part of the film takes place as a small group of characters are in a bar when a couple killers break in and hold them hostage while they think of a way to escape the police. It's amazing but this 65-minute flick is mainly just musical acts or filler if you will. The first thirty-five minutes feature non-stop music and between the tracks we're introduced to the characters that will take center stage in the second half. I must admit that I thought the film had a terrific flow to it and it turned out to be much better than I was expecting. For starters, the music itself is very good and it was fun seeing The Platters doing their numbers. I think the low-budget nature of the film hurt especially during the lip-syncing stuff because a lot of times the music isn't matching up with the lips. When the "crime" portion of the film started I think the main joy is seeing Corman regular Dick Miller getting to play the lead and not just the lead but a tough punk. Seeing Miller getting to play a tough guy not scared to fight anyone was very fun simply because you don't get to see that from him very often. I thought Miller handled the part quite well and it was just an all around kick seeing him play the tough guy. Robin Morse is also fun as the owner of the club and Mel Welles plays a "hipster" who is trying to promote a new singer played by Abby Dalton. Fan favorite Jonathan Haze is also on hand. You have to tip your hat to Corman who when bad could be really bad but when he got something right it was usually a lot of fun and he did it for very little money. ROCK ALL NIGHT isn't a masterpiece but it's fun to see the director try to mix two genres together and do it in such little time. The movie flies by without any slow moments so if you enjoy this type of film then it's certainly worth watching.