Rock 'n' Roll High School (1979)

A group of rock-music-loving students, with the help of the Ramones, take over their school to combat its newly installed oppressive administration.

Director:

Allan Arkush

Writers:

Richard Whitley (screenplay), Russ Dvonch (screenplay),

Stars:

P.J. Soles, Vincent Van Patten, Clint Howard

Cast

Cast overview, first billed only:
P.J. Soles	...	Riff Randell
Vincent Van Patten	...	Tom Roberts
Clint Howard	...	Eaglebauer
Dey Young	...	Kate Rambeau
Mary Woronov	...	Miss Evelyn Togar
Paul Bartel	...	Mr. McGree
Dick Miller	...	Police Chief
Don Steele	...	Screamin' Steve Stevens
Alix Elias	...	Coach Steroid
Loren Lester	...	Fritz Hansel
Daniel Davies	...	Fritz Gretel
Lynn Farrell	...	Angel Dust
Herbie Braha	...	Manager
Grady Sutton	...	School Board President
Chris Somma	...	Shawn

Storyline

Vince Lombardi High School keeps losing principals to nervous breakdowns because of the students' love of rock 'n' roll and their disregard of education. The putative leader of the students is Riff Randell, who loves the music of the Ramones. A new principal, the rock-music-hating Miss Evelyn Togar, is brought in and promises to put an end to the music craze. When Miss Togar and a group of parents attempt to burn a pile of rock records, the students take over the high school, joined by the Ramones, who are made honorary students. When the police are summoned and demand that the students evacuate the building, they do so, which leads to an explosive finale.

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Plot Keywords:

ramones | high school | rock 'n' roll | punk rock | school principal | 

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Taglines:

Will your school be NEXT?

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Genres:

Comedy | Music

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Certificate:

PG

Details

Official Sites:

Roger Corman: The Official DVD Website

Country:

USA

Language:

English

Release Date:

24 August 1979 (USA)

Also Known As:

Disco High

Filming Locations:

Van Nuys High School - 6535 Cedros Avenue, Van Nuys, Los Angeles, California, USA

Box Office

Budget:

$300,000 (estimated)

Company Credits

Production Co:

New World Pictures

Technical Specs

Runtime:

93 min

Sound Mix:

Mono

Color:

Color (Metrocolor)

Aspect Ratio:

1.37 : 1

Did You Know?

Trivia

Joe Dante:  Uncredited, the director as a riot cop with sunglasses.

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Goofs

When Dee Dee yells "Hey pizza! Dig in!" the pizza boxes aren't open yet but in the previous shot with Joey in the foreground, the boxes are already open and the rest of the band are already taking out some slices.

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Quotes

Kate: I don't wanna have fun! I wanna be with Tom!

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Connections

Referenced in Shake, Rattle and Rock! (1994)

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Soundtracks

"Albatross"
by Fleetwod Mac

User Reviews

One of the best cult classics ever!

A must for any punk rocker, this is the movie that made The Ramones a household name back in the early 1980's (when it first appeared on premium cable stations). This was one of the first and best of the American Punk Rock movies, with a cult classic status up there with The Rocky Horror Picture Show. Originally the producers wanted Cheap Trick as the stars, but the release of the "Live At Budakon" album had just made them superstars and too hot an item to be in a low budget movie. Very good luck for the Ramones who were looking to break out of the underground punk rock world and into the mainstream market (which sadly never happened until after the bands demise). The band, Dee Dee especially, always disliked the movie through the 80's but the fans always loved and could recite most of the movie while waiting to get into Ramones shows. This movie, like most classics, is stupid fun with some classic Ramones footage in their heyday. Don't expect more, you won't find it. It's great fun, so enjoy it. Another Allan Arkush classic movie in a similar vein is Get Crazy, featuring Lee Ving from the legendary hardcore punk band Fear.