Jailhouse Rock

John Chard

@John Chard

"That ain't tactics honey, it's just the beast in me."

Elvis Presley plays "Vince Everett" who goes to jail after accidentally killing a man in a bar fight. While in the big house he is paired in his cell with Hunk Houghton (Mickey Shaughnessy), an ageing country singer whose best days are behind him. The pair strike up a friendship and Houghton teaches Everett to play the guitar, however, it's apparent that Everett is all about the voice. Recognising this fact, Houghton is quick to strike up a contract with Everett so that once both are on the outside they can make some money in the music industry. Paroled well early into his stretch, Everett meets Peggy Van Alden (Judy Tyler), a record company talent scout, who eventually gets won around by Everett and they record a song. Although there are initial problems with the industry, the song takes off after the pair set up their own record company. But with fame comes internal conflict and Houghton is now released and wanting to call in on his and Everett's prison contract.

Chances are that if you asked a group of film lovers to name an Elvis Presley motion picture, the majority would say Jailhouse Rock. Now that's not to say that is because it's the best film from The King because that would be King Creole or Flaming Star. Or that it's the most fun film of the 31 pictures he made, because that would be Viva Las Vegas. Its standing probably has more to do with the title song than the actual film itself. Which is actually a shame because although Jailhouse Rock is a weak film in many ways, it's also a film where Presley got to play a moody, rebel like character. The like of which we would not see again. This was Presley's third feature length film, and the first for MGM. Shot in black & white by Robert J. Bronner, it's directed by Richard Thorpe and penned by Guy Trosper out of a story by Nedrick Young.

The problems exist within the weak plot that has holes the size of Leavenworth Prison. Characters come and go without any purpose or meaning and Thorp uses shortcuts to keep the film's running time as trim as Presley's waist line was here. Yet to me these are forgivable issues as Presley embraces his rebel with a heart and gives it the full tilt lip snarling treatment. His Vince Everett is the guy that girls want to bed (lots of Elvis bare torso here girls) and the guy that guys want to be. And of course there is also a great set of songs and the choreography to lap up at every other turn. Along with the famous and quite brilliant title song we also get "Treat Me Nice," "Baby, I Don't Care," "I Want To Be Free," "Don't Leave Me Now" and the sublimely tender "Young & Beautiful". The latter of which stops this particular viewer in his tracks and instils a warmth that normally only Judy Garland gives me when warbling over the rainbow. Yes I love this film in spite of its obvious failings.

The sad footnote to the film concerns co-star Judy Tyler who along with her then husband, Greg Lafayette, was killed in an automobile accident a couple of weeks after filming had finished. Thus never even getting to see the film released. Elvis was shattered and is said to have never watched the film as it would have been too painful. So as Elvis sings "Young & Beautiful" it becomes, one feels, a fitting tribute to a young actress cut down in her prime. In 2007 a Deluxe edition of the film was released on DVD, remastered in sound and picture, it's a triumphant release that really does the film justice. For now, Elvis, Judy and those wonderful songs, have never looked or sounded so great as they do now. 8/10

Wuchak

@Wuchak

From con to concert performer

A young construction worker (Presley) is sentenced to a year in the state penitentiary for manslaughter, but wisely takes advantage of his time learning to play guitar better from an inmate who was formerly a county & western performer (Mickey Shaughnessy). After meeting a promoter when he gets out (Judy Tyler) and facing several challenges, he’s a hit.

“Jailhouse Rock” (1957) was Elvis' third movie of the 31 he did, but it was his second starring role. This one has a similar plot to the previous “Loving You,” released earlier the same year, except for the ex-con angle. Despite the flat B&W photography, it’s superior due to the iconic title song performance and the fact that the last act is more compelling.

I’d put it up there with Elvis’ better early flicks, like “Wild in the Country” (1961), "Blue Hawaii" (1961), "Kid Galahad" (1962) and “Roustabout” (1964). It best conveys the charisma that attracted fans by the millions in the 50s-early 60s.

While Judy Tyler and 2-3 other women are certainly lovely, they don’t beat the top females to costar in Presley movies, such as Anne Helm in "Follow That Dream" (1962), Ann-Margret in "Viva Las Vegas" (1964) and Michele Carey in "Live a Little, Love a Little" (1968). I’d cite the ‘banana dancer’ in “King Creole” (1958), but it was only a bit part.

The movie runs 1 hour, 36 minutes, and was shot in Century City & Hollywood, Los Angeles.

GRADE: B

CinemaSerf

@Geronimo1967

The hot-tempered young "Vince" (Elvis Presley) finds himself caught up in a bar-room brawl that has tragic results and sees him sent to jail. There, he is luckily placed with "Hunk" (Mickey Shaughnessy) who is the prison grifter with a penchant for the odd ballad on his guitar. It's the guitar that provides the conduit for the increasingly popular "Vince" and when he's released, he hooks up with the well-connected - and pretty tolerant "Peggy" (Judy Tyler) who manages to get him a recording contract that offers him wealth and stardom. Thing is, he soon finds that's not all it is cracked up to be and his newfound fame might not be enough to compensate for the relationships he's throwing under the bus. Elvis is really just going through the motions here, as is the really quite wooden Tyler and the story is little more than a weakly processional vehicle for the star that mixes a sluggishly developed romance with the eponymous song, along with a couple of other Lieber and Stoller numbers - "Treat Me Nice" and "You're So Square". It does take a swipe at the fickleness and duplicity of the record business but there's not much else to it, and it's quite a long wait til the songs breathe a bit of overly staged life into things.