Jailhouse Rock (1957)

Directed by

Richard Thorpe

Genre

drama film, prison film, musical film, romance film

Country

United States

Runtime

1h 36m

Rated

NR

Rating

6.3 of 10 from 199 voters

Elsewhere

IMDb

How it feels

A man learns to play guitar while in prison and uses that skill to become a famous musician after his release. The film follows his rise to stardom and the challenges that come with his success.

energeticupbeatnostalgicgrittyoptimisticmusicalearnest

What happens

Jailhouse Rock is a 1957 American musical drama film directed by Richard Thorpe and starring Elvis Presley. Adapted by Guy Trosper from a story written by Nedrick Young, the film tells the story of Vince Everett (Presley), a convict who learns the guitar while in prison and becomes a star following his release. Four of the film's songs were written by Jerry Leiber and Mike Stoller including the title track, which became a highly-praised production number in the film as well as one of Presley's biggest hit singles, spending seven weeks at number one on the U.S. charts. Jailhouse Rock premiered in Memphis, Tennessee on October 17, 1957, and was released nationwide on November 8. It peaked at #3 on the Variety box-office chart and finished #14 for the year, grossing $4 million. The film initially earned mixed reviews, with much of the negative targeted at the unpleasant personality of the character played by Presley. The release was also somewhat overshadowed by the tragic highway death of leading lady Judy Tyler shortly after the film's completion. Presley reportedly was so devastated by Tyler's death that he never watched the film or discussed it. On December 28, 2004, Jailhouse Rock was selected for preservation in the National Film Registry by the Library of Congress, who deemed it "culturally, aesthetically or historically significant." (from Wikipedia, CC BY-SA)

Trailer

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