Jailhouse Rock (1957)

Sure, Elvis isn't the best actor in the world, but his persona works well here.The plot involves Elvis, a young man who fights a drunk man in a bar and inadvertently kills him. The man had been accosting a young woman in the bar and Elvis didn't like it and punched him, which led to the brawl. Anyway, Elvis ends up being convicted of manslaughter and is sentenced to 1-10 years in jail. While in jail, he meets Mickey Shaughnessy, a has-been country singer who seems to have been in the clink for a while. Shaughnessy hears Elvis sing and promises to teach him how to play the guitar. He later convinces Elvis to perform in an upcoming inmate variety show which is also televised. After the appearance, Elvis receives gobs of fan letters. Jealous, Shaughnessy arranges to make sure Elvis doesn't receive his fan letters. He then convinces Elvis to sign a "contract" promising to cut him in for 50% of the profits if Elvis becomes a star.After almost two years, Elvis is released from jail, he gets a job at a nightclub where he meets a beautiful young woman, Judy Tyler. Tyler's story is tragic. Just days after completing production on this film, her first big role, she and her husband were killed in a gruesome car accident. She was only 24. I really liked her in this film. She also had a beautiful speaking voice. I think she would have made something of herself in the movie business had fate not intervened. Anyway, after hearing Elvis sing onstage (during an impromptu performance), she convinces him to record a demo for a local record studio. Elvis' song ends up being stolen by another artist and he and Tyler form their own record label to produce his music. Elvis' career takes off and so does his ego.Elvis' character seems to be a bit quick tempered as he hits people frequently throughout the film. I thought that Tyler's character somewhat evened out Elvis' character. If he had a tendency toward being impulsive, she was more level headed and rational. Shaughnessy's character was also interesting as he was a bit of a sleaze but you also felt bad for him as well.The songs in the film were good too, my favorite though being "Jailhouse Rock", which is part of a prison-themed performance planned for the television special that Elvis is to appear in and shows Elvis in all of his glory.Certainly less formulaic than the 60's Elvis films, I really enjoyed this one.

1957 Elvis is perhaps the best Elvis. It's twenty years away from the Fat Vegas years that ended with his tragic death, ten from his failed marriage to "Naked Gun" staple Priscilla, one after his film debut, "Love Me Tender". It shows an Elvis not yet let down by what life had to offer, an Elvis excited by his success and willing to smolder for the camera so long as it pleased his adoring fans. "Jailhouse Rock", his third film and his first for Metro-Goldwyn-Meyer, is a black-and-white musical drama that hardly paints its lead star as a saint. The majority of Elvis' movies altered their then-controversial star into an ersatz Southern gentleman, a good guy so incapable of doing any wrong that all we could do is sit back, appreciate his presence, and savor his musical abilities. "Jailhouse Rock" all but shifts every preconceived notion regarding the star's cinematic persona — here, he is a rough-and-tumble punk with a mean streak and a short attention span when it comes to women. It's easier not to root for him here than it was in "Viva Las Vegas", and that's a problem when a film is so in love with its protagonist that every single character seems to wait on them hand and foot. Missing from "Jailhouse Rock" is the sense of fun his other films carried on their shoulders; his best, 1964's "Viva Las Vegas", was so irresistibly colorful and spry it was impossible not to want to take a vacation in Elvis' Vegas. And even his worst moments (most of his films were bad, so it's best not to talk about them), were frothy, delectable pieces of escapist fluff that turned our frown upside down as they sneakily took George Washingtons out of our wallets. Since "Jailhouse Rock" plays it straight, with its borderline soap operatic drama, we find ourselves less chirpy and more down in dumps, wondering how our beloved King of Rock 'N' Roll can really be a youth capable of manslaughter, how he can be capable of beating up every man who does him wrong, how he can ignore Judy Tyler as she gives him her love and a record deal. I would dramatically cry if I cared more; but a movie as clichéd and hard-bitten as this one doesn't allow such emotions to pour out.Elvis never had much talent as an actor, unlike Frank Sinatra, the previous generation's go- to musical sex fiend, so most of his projects centered on his strengths — and as an actor, those said strengths were limited. He only seemed to shine with a mic in hand or when an Ann-Margret wannabe fell into his arms without much hesitation. Since "Jailhouse Rock" was only his third movie, Elvis' inexperience in the film industry is more clear than it should be; he's so stiff in his non-musical scenes that one can only wish there was a way to give talented people more of a personality when it came to selling themselves on screen. But the musical sequences, as few and far between as they are, burn in the memory. We've all seen the number the film has become famous for, and, in the context of the movie, it harnesses nostalgic power unseen by his other films. I was entertained by "Jailhouse Rock", but, in the end, it pays more attention to its star than the audience interested in its star. It's too bad the star isn't much of an actor. Then we'd have something.

Unlike many of the Elvis films that came later, Jailhouse Rock displays the raw energy that made him a star. He had some good songs to work with and a script that, unlike some others, feels like it was not just constructed around Elvis.I loved the black and white cinematography. The costuming is fun to watch. And best of all is Judy Tyler. After watching this film, I wondered why she did not become a huge star. I was sad to find out that she died shortly after filming.In some of Elvis' later films, he seems to be sleepwalking through the story. In Jailhouse Rock, he seems engaged and the director pulled a strong performance from the young star.

It's generally regarded that "King Creole" is considered to be Elvis's best movie of all his films because of it's high production values & a very strong excellent cast & a great storyline. These first 4 pre-army films captured the significance & rebellion & threat of the rebel Elvis & what he represented & how he was seen by the youth & the establishment in the 1950's as a new Marlon Brando & James Dean."Jailhouse Rock" captures Elvis at his meanest & nastiest & most arrogant & conceited of his pre-army movies."King Creole's" Danny Fisher was tough & likable but "Jailhouse Rocks" Vince Everett is downright despicable. But it has low production values & a mediocre cast which weakens the film to a certain point. It was obviously a low budget B picture that could've been better if it had a bigger budget & better cast like his other 3 movies "Love Me Tender", "Loving You" & "King Creole".But it does make up for it with it's great songs & of course the exciting & spectacular "Jailhouse Rock" dance production sequence which was choreographed by Elvis himself & when he sings "Baby I Don't Care" is classic Elvis at his best."Jailhouse Rock" has a good story & Elvis does some good serious acting in this as well. His dramatic scenes are great & intense & this film packs a punch & it does impact you with different emotions from frustration, sympathy, anger, jealousy, resentment, revenge, happiness & humor to redemption. There is some classic Elvis lines like "Lady I don't know what the hell you're talking about" & "That ain't tactics honey it's just the beast in me". This movie came the closest to what Elvis was really like in real life & he was not the teddy bear everyone thought. Elvis really did get into a lot of fist fights by jealous boyfriends in 1956 & '57. In 1957 Elvis did stand in front of a judge in court for punching a gas station owner in the eye when the owner asked Elvis to clear out while he was signing autographs as he was drawing a huge crowd of fans. The judge threw the case out for not enough evidence to support the charge. Was it art imitating life or the other way around ?? Jailhouse Rock is an all time Elvis Presley classic !! A must see movie & one of Elvis's best !!