Rock Rock Rock! (1956)

A young teenage girl (Tuesday Weld) desperately tries to earn enough money to buy a dress for a school rock and roll dance. This early rock and roll feature, the 3rd in a series of 5 ... See full summary »

Director:

Will Price

Writers:

Milton Subotsky (screenplay), Milton Subotsky (from a story by)

Stars:

Alan Freed and his Rock 'n Roll Band, Fran Manfred, Tuesday Weld

Cast

Cast overview, first billed only:
Alan Freed and his Rock 'n Roll Band	...	Alan Freed and his Rock 'n Roll Band
Fran Manfred	...	Arabella
Tuesday Weld	...	Dori
Connie Francis	...	Dori's Songs (singing voice)
Teddy Randazzo	...	Tommy (as Teddy Randazzo of The Three Chuckles)
Jacqueline Kerr	...	Gloria
Ivy Schulman	...	Baby
The Moonglows	...	The Moonglows
Chuck Berry	...	Chuck Berry
The Flamingos	...	The Flamingos
Jimmy Cavallo and the House Rockers	...	Jimmy Cavallo and the House Rockers (as Jimmy Cavallo and His House Rockers)
The Johnny Burnette Trio	...	The Johnny Burnette Trio (as Johnny Burnette Trio)
La Vern Baker	...	La Vern Baker
Cirino and the Bowties	...	Cirino and the Bowties
Frankie Lymon and the Teenagers	...	Frankie Lymon and the Teenagers

Storyline

A young teenage girl (Tuesday Weld) desperately tries to earn enough money to buy a dress for a school rock and roll dance. This early rock and roll feature, the 3rd in a series of 5 starring Disc Jockey and Rock N Roll impresario Alan Freed, includes performances by artist Chuck Berry, La Vern Baker, Frankie Lymon and the Teenagers, The Flamingos, The Moonglows and The Johnny Burnette Trio.

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Plot Keywords:

jukebox musical | teensploitation film | psychotronic film | teensploitation | rock music | 

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Taglines:

FRANKIE LYMON and THE TEEN-AGERS - HEAR them sing "I'm not a Juvenile Delinquent" SEE - Lovely LA VERN BAKER - HEAR her sing "TRA-LA-LA" SEE - The Inimitable CHUCK BERRY - HEAR him sing "YOU CAN'T CATCH ME"

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Genres:

Drama | Music

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Certificate:

Approved

Did You Know?

Trivia

Film debut of Tuesday Weld. NOTE: She turned 13 a few months before this movie was released (she was likely still 12 when it was made). Teddy Randazzo, who plays her boyfriend, was 21 at the time.

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Goofs

Chuck Berry's electric guitar isn't plugged into anything when he performs on TV.

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Quotes

[first lines]
Arabella: [sipping shakes at the malt shoppe] Is Tommy taking you to the school prom?
Dori: He - hasn't asked me, yet.
Arabella: He will. I sure hope I find someone as nice as Tommy.
Dori: Oh, you'll meet him someday.
Arabella: Well, I hope it's before the prom. Are you in love with Tommy?
Dori: Well...
[singing]
Dori: I never had a sweetheart, No Lovers Lane for me! No moonlight rides, No firesides, No romance by the sea, Oh no, that's never happened to me! I never had a sweetheart...

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Connections

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

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Soundtracks

Little Blue Wren
Sung by Connie Francis

User Reviews

Rock before the "black out"

Alan Freed knew that blacks(Negroes then) were the pioneers of the Rock 'n' Role era, and he was not afraid to showcase them. All of the bands, including the white ones, put on a rocking showcase of a pretty good cross section of rock of the time, including "Rock-a-Billy".

The obvious star of this sitcom like plot, however, is a gorgeous Tuesday Weld at age thirteen (It is hard to believe such a beautiful woman was even more beautiful as a child). Who shows a grace and charm that are far beyond those of the other "teenagers" in the movie.

Definitely a highly entertaining historical document of the times.

Details

Country:

USA

Language:

English

Release Date:

7 December 1956 (USA)

Also Known As:

Rock, Rock, Rock

Filming Locations:

New York City, New York, USA

Box Office

Budget:

$100,000 (estimated)

Company Credits

Production Co:

Vanguard Productions (I)

Technical Specs

Runtime:

85 min

Sound Mix:

Mono

Color:

Black and White