dougdoepke An early rock musical, now mainly of historical interest. Except for Chuck Berry, most of the musical performers have since faded into recordings of that time. Frankly, I was hoping for more recognizable hits from the period, but I'd be hard pressed to name one. But then, I'm no R&R afficianado. Those swishy big skirts the highschool girls wear did take me back 60 years to my own teenage years. They worked really well for the movie's dance numbers that conveyed the raw teen energy that R&R ignited in an otherwise sedate decade. The story line taking up the middle third is more complicated than expected, but reflects a period when higjh school proms were a really big deal. Fortunately, a captivating 12-year old (!) Weld comes off like an acting pro. I doubt that anyone before or since brought off cute little vixens more charmingly than the unfortunately named Tuesday, (critics of the time refused to take her seriously because of her "silly" name). Here, however, she plays a strictly good girl, who unfortunately does need a tutorial in 2+2. Anyway, it's hard to slap a rating number on a production like this. On the whole, I suspect it's appeal is mainly to fans of early R&R and sentimental oldsters like me. So, for dedicated viewers-- "Take It Away, Mr. Freed!"

LeonLouisRicci Some of the Things that Killed the First Wave of Rock 'n" Roll...Elvis went into the Army…...Chuck Berry got Arrested…...Buddy Holly Died…...The DJ Payola ScandalAfter that, the Second Wave was a Pre-Fabricated Bunch of "White Breads" like Frankie Avalon, Fabian and the Like. There were a Few Things that Highlighted that Musical "Dark Age" like Dion and Phil Spector Records, but when Chubby Checker released "The Twist" and "Mom and Dad" were cutting the Rug, that was just Too Much. Rock 'n' Roll would emerge from the Slumber in 1964 with The Beatles and a New Generation of Kids could, without cringing, "Rock Rock Rock" again.In 1956, the Year that Elvis Presley was at His Most Creative with the Raw Talent Unimpeded and Still His Untamed Self, this Movie hit the Big Screen.Cleveland, Ohio DJ Alan Freed broke "Color" Barriers "On the Air" daring to Play "Race Records", and what was Termed 'Rock 'n' Roll became a "Crossover" Sensation. The Kids Loved it and Their Parents, not to mention, Everyone Over 30 Hated it with a Passion and Despised what it was Saying and who was Saying It.This Movie, and Alan Freed, did what They could to keep with what was Essential to the Music, "Negro" Talent, but were Required to Dilute the Presentation with as Many White Faces as Possible to Lessen the "Shock" of the "Rock" to all its Enemies. So, along with Bona Fide "Rockers", Doo Wop Groups, and Rhythm and Blues, there were No Talent Groups, some with, get this, Bow Ties, that Appeared right Alongside Chuck Berry, The Moonglows, Frankie Lymon, The Flamingos, La Verne Baker, and Johnny Burnette.There are Other Absolutely Atrocious Things in the Film as well that can be Overlooked. So let's Overlook them here.13 Year Old Tuesday Weld, who has a Large Cult Following, is the Star in Her Film Debut, Tuesday's Songs were Dubbed by Connie Francis. She does just Fine.Note...Rest in Peace, Alan Freed

TxMike My public library added DVDs with select older movies, that is where I found this one from 1956. I was 10 when this movie came out, I was not yet a fan of the 1950s music but my three older sisters were. I watched this movie for Tuesday Weld, I fell in love with her as Thalia Menninger in the early 1960s on "The Many Loves of Dobie Gillis" TV Series, but I wanted to see her in an early role. This is her first movie, filmed when she was just 12, just deciding if she wanted to be an actress. It is a very cheesy movie with high-schoolish acting, more reminiscent of three episodes of a 1950s TV series spliced together. It is of course B&W. The romantic story is of a high school boy and a high school girl liking each other, a rival girl trying to split them up, and a dress that will cost either $30 or $45 for the prom. Tuesday Weld is in the lead role as Dori. She has two singing numbers, both dubbed vocally by Connie Francis before she began acting in movie roles herself.The rest of the movie is a musical review hosted by Alan Freed, the man given credit for the term "rock and roll" to refer to the music. He would host televised music variety shows for teens and featuring the most popular bands of the time, just as Dick Clark did a bit later on his "American Bandstand." And one of the guests for the Freed show was Frankie Lymon, 13, with his backup singers the Teens. Lymon was a Michael Jackson style singer and every bit as good as Jackson with his high-pitched young boy voice. I had a big grin when he sang "I'm not a juvenile delinquent." Judged by current movie standards this is not a very good movie, but it is good to understand the musical tastes of the 1950s, and to see the very earliest Tuesday Weld.

FredPoet It's no secret that singer Connie Francis provided the singing voice for Tuesday Weld in the movie, Rock Rock Rock. The songs she sang, "I Never Had A Sweetheart" and "Little Blue Wren", were released by Connie shortly before she finally made a name for herself in 1957 with "Who's Sorry Now". Also prior to that success, Connie's voice could be heard providing the singing voice for Freda Holloway in the 1957 movie, Jamboree. Her co-star, Paul Carr, did his own singing, and even went so far as to have two of the songs released on the Chancellor label (#1007). The song, "If Not For You" was a solo by Paul, while "Who Are We To Say" was a duet with Connie's vocal in the movie. However, on the record, the vocal was done by another singer, Fran Lori.Back to Tuesday... It wasn't until the Fall of 1962 that Tuesday finally proved that she could sing on her own. Or at least she tried. The newly turned 19 year old recorded two sides for the Plaza label (#508) out of Hollywood, California. One side, "Are You The Boy", was a nice mildly uptempo number common to the girl sounds of the day. The flip side, "All Through Spring And Summer" was a mellow, almost Country-fied tune, offering listeners a more true account of just how well Tuesday could sing.Fred Clemens