Jailhouse Rock (1957)

 Jailhouse Rock (1957)

During the 1950’s and 1960’s, rock stars capitalized on their popularity by making feature films starring themselves. Two famous rock stars/bands often did this; The Beatles and The King himself, Elvis Presley. I tried to stay away from these movies because they do not look particularly interesting and I felt like the acting skills would be diminished. As a fan of Elvis’s music, “Jailhouse Rock” is one of his best songs. I felt like perhaps it was time to see his 1957 feature Jailhouse Rock which is widely regarded to as his best film. It is not a complete disaster, but it is also not great. The elaborate dancing sequence with the title song is worth tuning in to because it features unforgettable choreography (from Elvis himself) and of course, the music! That said, the acting is bland, and the story failed to garner my full interest.

 

This production became Elvis’s third film and first studio film with MGM. The film actually was little known heading up to its release because it was based off an original story from blacklisted writer Ned Young. Richard Thorpe was hired to direct the picture because he worked incredibly quick with his pictures and that remained the case here. Original songs were written for the movie such as the title song and “Treat Me Nice.” When this movie finally saw the light of day, it received some backlash. The character played for Elvis is considered to be an antihero, more profane vocabulary was used, and Elvis and his love interest shared a scene together in bed- all very risky moves in the 1950’s. Still, this film became very popular and was a box office success. The choreography and production for the famous scene, which was inspired from classics like Fred Astaire, became a footprint for modern day music videos.

 

The story itself is very simple. Vince Everett (Elvis Presley) is sentenced to a one-year prison sentence after accidentally killing a man in a barfight. His cellmate, Hunk Houghton (Mickey Shaughnessy) used to be a country singer. Hunk took Vince under his wings and taught him everything about the record business. He soon meets Peggy Van Alden (Judy Tyler) who helps with his own label. Soon, fame and money became too much for his ego and he may cast aside the very people who helped him find his success.

 

When it comes to the music and dancing, Elvis is at the top of his game. His dancing skills (which he does for the first time onscreen) is gold. His dramatic acting, however, leaves much to be desired. I hardly bought his character and I got bored of him quickly. He also failed to show much chemistry with everyone else. Thankfully, the music saved him. Judy Tyler does what she can with her role. This film marked her final role because a tragic car accident ended her life. Elvis did not attend the film’s premiere because he was so emotionally wounded. Mickey Shaughnessy was good, but his character felt underdeveloped.

 

Outside of the famous “Jailhouse Rock” sequence, Jailhouse Rock underwhelmed me, mainly because the story/characters did not feel fully developed and Elvis needed to take some dramatic acting lessons. When the music was on, the movie managed to find a groove albeit a very small one. There were some good moments of dialogue. As someone who would never see Elvis live, this is about as close as it gets. His music and dancing is perfection, which saves the film from failure.

 

My Grade: C+