Let's Rock! (1958)

For a number of reasons I was prepared to dislike this movie. But in fact I found it a pleasant diversion and at times even charming, especially the little "getting acquainted" stroll down New York streets. Crooner LaRosa steps into his acting role in surprisingly skillful fashion and in other circumstances might have had a successful lightweight career. But I don't think his early appeal ever really recovered from accusations that he had dodged service in the Korean War or from his highly publicized run-in with TV impresario Arthur Godfrey. Bubbly Phyllis Newman adds a lot of personality and charm. Too bad, in my little book, that she made a career on TV instead of in movies where that sparkle could have been spotlighted. Also, Conrad Janis makes an effective, smooth-talking show business agent and foil for LaRosa. In fact, I learned quite a bit about the business side of the old record industry from the intelligent, non-sappy screenplay. To me, the musical acts are a matter of taste, but the revue does give later generations a chance to catch Danny & the Juniors' chart-topping rendition of "At the Hop", a true R&R classic. Yes indeed, R&R did pretty much replace ballads among teens and kill off popular TV shows like Your Hit Parade, a traditional Saturday evening staple. But it did revitalize a record industry clearly in need of new direction. Off hand, I can't recall a single popular ballad singer who made a successful transition to R&R, as LaRosa's character is trying to do here, but I could be wrong. Anyway, the movie remains an entertaining little window into a period when popular music was undergoing wrenchingly revolutionary change.

Archaeologists of pop music need to see this film, especially as it was made so early and is specifically about the early days of rock and roll. It was released in 1958, but shot in 1957, and one of the characters in the film says: 'Rock and roll has existed for two years now.' If you have your fast-forward button safely in your hand, so that you can whizz through the appalling ballads of Julius LaRosa and some of the other terrible numbers such as the Tyrones, and some boring parts of the story, this film repays watching. It is chiefly notable for including film of Danny and the Juniors performing the number one hit of 1957, 'At the Hop'. By 1958, kids were no longer using the word 'hop', and were embarrassed by it, because it was 'last year's word', and they didn't wish to be thought to be behind the times. But this song was played for years because it is particularly lively and catchy, and it still figures in the Golden Oldies today. Danny and the Juniors look like awkward bank clerks standing there inert in their suits and ties, singing unconvincingly 'let's go to the hop'. No spangle-wear had yet appeared in pop, at least not in this film. Another famous song in the film, sung by the Royal Teens, is the musically uninteresting 'Short Shorts'. It is sung in a whining monotone, like a group of spoilt brats squawling to mamma that 'we like short shorts', and that is exactly how it was received. At that stage, before drugs had come in, kids thought the most extreme behaviour was for girls to show their legs and whine to their parents about it. Short shorts came out in 1956. I know that because my older Cousin Betty was a model and was on magazine covers in them, and never stopped talking about them. Short shorts were brought back a decade later, at the end of the 1960s, as 'hot pants'. The finest musical number in the film, and the only sophisticated one, is Della Reese singing 'Lonelyville'. She was Nina Simone before Nina Simone was. The story is not as boring as you might imagine for such a cheaply produced kids' picture whose purpose was to promote rock and roll music to 16 year-olds. There are some interesting scenes where the head of a music label lays it on the line to a singer's manager about the economics of pop music, how ballads are out, and says of rock and roll 'this is what the sixteen year-olds are buying' and anybody who won't record it will be 'dropped from the label'. Roy Hamilton, who died tragically aged only 40, is shown in the film recording two songs. He was one of the top singers of those days, with a personality like Harry Belafonte, and a smile always on his face. He had come out of the gospel tradition and had a properly trained voice. Ironically, for the theme of this film, Roy Hamilton was famous for singing ballads, and later singers such as the Righteous Brothers copied him but made an over-the-top pastiche out of his style. Paul Anka is shown aged 16 singing a pop number so badly, one cringes. At that age, every note he sang was out of tune, and he was absolutely terrible. He got it together later. Phyllis Newman is very sweet and fetching in the role of the songwriter girl in the story. Because she has ideas and wants to talk about them, Julius LaRosa can only categorize her as 'a kook'. At that time, girls won't supposed to think. There are some nice location scenes of New York City. The film could be worse, and considering its significance, it is what it is.

Julius LaRosa portrays Tommy Adane, an acclaimed singer of ballads whose popularity has passed with the recent rock and roll craze. His manager (Conrad Janis) desperately tries to get his career recharged by having the apprehensive Tommy give in and record some rock music. The first question I have is: if this is a movie that's promoting the new rock and roll music, why do we have to suffer through a few of LaRosa's schmaltzy ballads? Anyway -- there's still the famous "Short Shorts" song, one tune from Paul Anka, some cool stuff by Roy Hamilton, and the choice moment of the film where Danny and the Juniors perform their classic hit, "At the Hop". I also liked some nice shots of New York's Central Park in the '50s. **1/2 out of ****

Obviously this isn't a rock and roll movie except for rare exceptions. More like a Frank Sinatra wanna be and couldn't be. Check out Phyllis Newman anyway. Most of the real rock is buried under a morass of retro "ballad" stuff. And don't miss Wink Martindal as a young Dick Clark lookalike;)