The Pied Piper of Cleveland: A Day in the Life of a Famous Disc Jockey (1955)

Elvis Presley's first film is a documentary reportedly highlighting concert footage filmed at Brooklyn High School in Cleveland OH, during Sept. 1955, hosted by disc jockey Bill Randle. ... See full summary »

Director:

Arthur Cohen

Stars:

Bill Randle, Franny Beecher, Bill Black

Cast

Credited cast:
Bill Randle	...	Himself
Rest of cast listed alphabetically:
Franny Beecher	...	Himself - The Comets
Bill Black	...	Himself
Pat Boone	...	Himself
The Four Lads	...	Themselves
Johnny Grande	...	Himself - The Comets
Bill Haley	...	Himself
Rudy Pompilli	...	Himself - The Comets
Elvis Presley	...	Himself
Al Rex	...	Himself - The Comets
Billy Williamson	...	Himself - The Comets
Priscilla Wright	...	Herself

Storyline

Elvis Presley's first film is a documentary reportedly highlighting concert footage filmed at Brooklyn High School in Cleveland OH, during Sept. 1955, hosted by disc jockey Bill Randle. Randle, in the 1950s, was as well known as Alan Freed. Due to legal problems over ownership of the film, this movie was only shown in public once, and has yet to be released officially. Universal Studios reportedly still has the negatives in its vaults.

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Genres:

Documentary | Music

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Details

Country:

USA

Language:

English

Release Date:

1955 (USA)

Filming Locations:

Cleveland, Ohio, USA

Box Office

Budget:

$4,000 (estimated)

Company Credits

Production Co:

Universal Pictures

Technical Specs

Runtime:

48 min

Color:

Color

Did You Know?

Trivia

A plaque commemorating the performance at Brooklyn High School was installed by the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame.

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Connections

Referenced in Stage Show: Episode dated 28 January 1956 (1956)

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Soundtracks

"Rock Around the Clock"
Performed by Bill Haley & His Comets

User Reviews

Only showed once

Documentary on the career of Cleveland disc jockey Bill Randle, who was almost as famous as Alan Freed. Pat Boone, Bill Haley and Elvis Presley appear along with members of Haley's Comets. Randle sold the rights in 1992. Polygram International later bought the film, which has yet to be shown in a commercialized release. This was Elvis' first film. He sang "That's All Right," "Blue Moon of Kentucky," "Good Rockin' Tonight," "Mystery Train" and "I Forgot to Remember to Forget," accompanied by Scotty Moore on guitar and Bill Black on bass. Filmed at Brooklyn (Ohio) High School in the afternoon with an evening concert at St. Michael's Hall in Cleveland, October 20, 1955. The Four Lads and Priscilla Wright were also on the bill that night. Presley's first concert north of the Mason-Dixon Line was in February 1955 at Cleveland's Circle Theater. He played there again the following month and also the night before the Brooklyn show. Headliners were Roy Acuff and Kitty Wells.