Jailhouse Rock (film)

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Jailhouse Rock
Directed by Richard Thorpe
Produced by Pandro S. Berman
Written by Nedrick Young (story)
Guy Trosper (screenwriter)
Starring Elvis Presley
Judy Tyler
Music by See list
Cinematography Robert J. Bronner
Editing by Ralph E. Winters
Distributed by Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer
Release date(s) October 17, 1957
Running time 96 minutes
Country United States
Language English
Preceded by Loving You
Followed by King Creole

Jailhouse Rock is an American musical film directed by Richard Thorpe, released by MGM on October 30, 1957. The film stars Elvis Presley in his third film and MGM debut,[1] Judy Tyler, and Mickey Shaughnessy. Co-star Tyler was killed in an automobile accident a few weeks after the film was completed, and like Loving You before it, Presley was so upset that he refused to ever watch the completed film.[1] In 2004, this film was selected for preservation in the United States National Film Registry as being deemed "culturally, historically, or aesthetically significant."[1]

Contents

Synopsis

Presley plays "Vince Everett," an ex-convict working in the music industry, and a character analogous to Presley's then public image. After going to jail for a bar fight he did not start, Everett meets Hunk Houghton in prison, and the two men form a bond. Houghton, a washed-up country singer, teaches Everett to play an old guitar, and to sing a few songs.

Upon his release, Everett lands work at night clubs, but not singing. He meets Peggy Van Alden, a record company talent scout, who allows Everett to record a song. They bring his demo to an executive at a small record label, who then records the exact arrangement with one of his established stars. Everett and Van Alden then start their own label to bring Everett's records to the public, and fame, riches, and a film career ensue.

Primary cast

Background

Presley's first film for MGM was also the last film to see him playing an anti-hero character.[1] For its time, Jailhouse Rock was considered scandalous.[1] The idea of a convict being a hero, the use of the word hell to swear, and a scene of Presley lying in bed with co-star Judy Tyler were all considered risque for the audience.[1]

MGM initially wanted to title the film The Hard Way, and then Jailhouse Kid, before settling on the title of the main song.[1] The first scenes to be shot were for the dance sequence to the song "Jailhouse Rock".[1] This erotic, if not homo-erotic,[2] dance sequence is often cited as Elvis's greatest moment on screen.[3] It was choreographed by Alex Romero,[4] who had arranged dance moves that "just weren't working", and after some discussion with Presley and watching how he moved to some of his songs on stage, he was able to incorporate a lot of Presley's own style into the sequences.[1] So impressed with the scene when he paid a visit to the set, Gene Kelly applauded when a run-through of it was performed.[1]

A day after filming began Presley was rushed to the hospital after a dental cap became loose and he inhaled it into his lung.[1] After surgery to remove it and a few days in the hospital he was released. He was able to return to work a few days later.[1] Filming commenced on May 13, 1957 and completed on June 17.[5]

Soundtrack

Jailhouse Rock
EP by Elvis Presley
Released November 1957
Recorded April-May 1957
Genre Soundtrack
Length 10:36
Label RCA Records
Producer Jeff Alexander
Main article: Jailhouse Rock (EP)

Unlike his previous film but like his first movie, a full long-playing album soundtrack was not devised for Jailhouse Rock. Instead, five of the film's six songs were released as an extended-play, seven-inch 45 RPM record on RCA Records, Jailhouse Rock, catalogue EPA 4114, during October 1957. It peaked at #1 on the newly-inaugurated Billboard EP chart.

Recording sessions took place at Radio Recorders in Hollywood on April 30 and May 3, 1957, with an additional session at the MGM Soundstage in Hollywood on May 9 for "Don't Leave Me Now".[6] The title song "Jailhouse Rock" had already been released as a single on September 24, 1957, and went to #1 on the singles chart. The sixth soundtrack song "Treat Me Nice" was not included on the EP, a new recording from September 5 at Radio Recorders instead placed as the b-side to the "Jailhouse Rock" single where it peaked at #18 on the singles chart independently. The writing and production team of Jerry Leiber and Mike Stoller played prominent roles in the making of the soundtrack, writing four of its songs and working with Presley closely in the studio.[7] Other than both sides of the single and "I Want to Be Free," the fourth song by the pair "(You're So Square) Baby I Don't Care" became a minor standard, receiving cover versions by Buddy Holly, Cliff Richard, Joni Mitchell, and Brian Setzer.

"Don't Leave Me Now" had also appeared on the Loving You album, but in a different version from an earlier set of recording sessions. Additional original music for the film was composed by producer Jeff Alexander, and the song sang by the Hunk Houghton character, "One Day," was by Roy C. Bennett and Sid Tepper.

The songs from the EP are available on the 1950s box set from 1992. In April 1997, RCA released a Compact Disc comprising both the feature film and the commercially released versions of the songs from both Jailhouse Rock and his first movie, Love Me Tender.

Personnel

Track listing

Presley and Tyler

Side one

Track Recorded Song Title Writer(s) Time
1. 4/30/57 Jailhouse Rock Jerry Leiber and Mike Stoller 2:26
2. 4/30/57 Young And Beautiful Aaron Schroeder and Abner Silver 2:02

Side two

Track Recorded Song Title Writer(s) Time
1. 5/3/57 I Want To Be Free Jerry Leiber and Mike Stoller 2:12
2. 5/9/57 Don't Leave Me Now Aaron Schroeder and Ben Weisman 2:05
3. 5/3/57 (You're So Square) Baby I Don't Care Jerry Leiber and Mike Stoller 1:51

Reception

The film is most famous for the dance sequence in which Elvis sings the title track while cavorting with other "inmates" through a jail cell block. The sequence is widely acknowledged as the most exciting and best-executed musical scene in any of the 30 Presley narrative movies, and is also credited by some musical historians as being the first prototype for the modern music video. This sequence was also duplicated by Britney Spears during her infamous 2007 MTV Video Music Awards Performance.

Jailhouse Rock ranks 495th on Empire magazine's 2008 list of the 500 greatest movies of all time. [8]

References

  1. ^ a b c d e f g h i j k l Victor, Adam, The Elvis Encyclopaedia, p.269
  2. ^ See Brett Farmer, Spectacular Passions: Cinema, Fantasy, Gay Male Spectatorships (Duke University Press, 2000), p. 86.
  3. ^ Peter Harry Brown and Pat H. Broeske, Down at the End of Lonely Street: The Life and Death of Elvis Presley (1997), p. 124; Billy Poore, Rockabilly: A Forty-Year Journey (1998), p. 20.
  4. ^ Robert Gordon, The Elvis Treasures (2002 Elvis Presley Enterprises), p. 24.
  5. ^ Elvis: Day by Day, p. 106
  6. ^ Jorgensen, Ernst. Elvis Presley A Life in Music: The Complete Recording Sessions. New York: St. Martin's Press, 1998; pp. 89-90.
  7. ^ Jorgensen, op. cit., pp. 90-92
  8. ^ http://www.empireonline.com/500/1.asp

See also

External links

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