Rock Music on Film (Musicals)
Viewer's Guide 1955-86 by Linda Sandahl
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- DirectorArthur PennStarsArlo GuthriePatricia QuinnJames BroderickA cinematic adaption of Arlo Guthrie's classic story-song.
- DirectorFloyd MutruxStarsTim McIntireFran DrescherJay LenoThe story of Alan Freed, the pioneering disc jockey who was instrumental in introducing and popularizing rock 'n' roll in the 1950s.
- DirectorRalph BakshiStarsMews SmallRon ThompsonJerry HollandThe story of four generations of a Russian Jewish immigrant family of musicians whose careers parallel the history of American popular music in the 20th century.
- DirectorNeal IsraelStarsHarvey KormanFred WillardPeter RiegertIn a story told in narrative flashbacks, a young TV consultant is hired by the President of a bankrupt USA to organize a telethon in order to prevent the country from being repossessed by wealthy Native Americans.
- DirectorLance ComfortStarsDavid HemmingsSteve MarriottJohn PikeA family inherits a seaside hotel and has trouble filling it up until their son's rock group begins packing 'em in. This film was one of several British films from the mid-sixties which offered the added inducement of a guest appearance by Jerry Lee Lewis.
- DirectorLennie WeinribStarsEdd ByrnesChris NoelRobert LoganEdd Byrnes tries to get an ethnic-music-studies grant to buy instruments for his rock and roll group, the Wigglers. College-finance-committee members Chris Noel, Gail Gilmore, Mikki Jameson and Brenda Benet uncover the scam and tear up the check, but the Wigglers play a Long Beach, California custom-car show in drag and win first prize. The Supremes do "Come to the Beach Ball with Me" and "Surfer Boy;" the Four Seasons sing their 1964 hit "Dawn;" the Hondells sing Brian Wilson's "My Buddy Seat;" the Righteous Brothers do "Baby What You Want Me to Do;" and the Walker Brothers cut loose with "Doin' the Jerk." Gary Kurtz of "Star Wars" fame was the assistant director.
- DirectorWilliam AsherStarsFrankie AvalonAnnette FunicelloDeborah WalleyFrankie, DeeDee, and the gang meet singing sensation Sugar Kane in a publicity stunt; they all get introduced to skydiving and get caught up in love.
- DirectorWilliam AsherStarsRobert CummingsDorothy MaloneFrankie AvalonA bearded anthropologist studies the habits of swingin' American teens while they enjoy the summer surfing, loving, and partying at the beach.
- DirectorEdmond T. GrévilleStarsDavid FarrarNoëlle AdamChristopher LeeAn impetuous teenage girl becomes involved with Soho's beatnik and striptease scenes to spite her staid architect father and her French ex-stripper stepmother.
- DirectorPaul WendkosStarsDick ClarkVictoria ShawMichael CallanA new high school teacher tries to help troubled students and falls in love with the principal's secretary.
- DirectorWill CowanStarsWilliam ReynoldsAndra MartinGogi GrantYoung man just out of college tries to persuade his father, who owns a record company, to start signing up rock 'n' roll acts.
- DirectorWilliam AsherStarsFrankie AvalonAnnette FunicelloMartha HyerA millionaire sets out to prove his theory that his pet chimpanzee is as intelligent as the teenagers who hang out on the local beach, where he is intending to build a retirement home.
- DirectorRichard MarquandStarsStephen MacKennaRod CulbertsonJohn AltmanAn account of The Beatles during the Hamburg years, their signing with Brian Epstein and their inevitable rise during the early sixties.
- DirectorNorman TaurogStarsElvis PresleyJoan BlackmanAngela LansburyAfter arriving back in Hawaii from the Army, Chad Gates defies his parents' wishes for him to work at the family business and instead goes to work as a tour guide at his girlfriend's agency.
- DirectorJohn LandisStarsJohn BelushiDan AykroydCab CallowayJake Blues rejoins with his brother Elwood after being released from prison, but the duo has just days to reunite their old R&B band and save the Catholic home where the two were raised, outrunning the police as they tear through Chicago.
- DirectorPaul HenreidStarsRay CharlesTom BellMary PeachRay Charles attempts to help a down-on-their-luck boozing family whose son is blind. He wants to finance the recovery of his eyesight, but the family is afraid of what might happen if something goes wrong.
- DirectorMarcelo EpsteinStarsLorenzo LamasVicki FrederickCameron DyeChilly is just a guy from the streets with a talent for break-dancing. When his wicked moves catch the eye of an industry pro, Chilly finds his dreams of fame and fortune coming true, for better or for worse.
- DirectorJoel SilbergStarsLucinda DickeyAdolfo QuinonesMichael ChambersA struggling young jazz dancer meets up with two break-dancers. Together they become the sensation of the street crowds.
- DirectorBrian GibsonStarsPhil DanielsHazel O'ConnorJon FinchA rock singer is determined to rise to the top of the profession, letting nothing stand in the way of that goal.
- DirectorSteve RashStarsGary BuseyDon StroudCharles Martin SmithThe story of the life and career of the early rock and roll singer, from his meteoric rise to stardom, to his marriage and untimely death.
- DirectorNancy WalkerStarsRay SimpsonDavid HodoFelipe RoseA pseudo autobiography of disco's The Village People.
- DirectorRoger CormanStarsSusan CabotBrian G. HuttonDavid J. StewartA movie about a rundown nightclub on a carnival pier and it's owner's love for the club's star who has eyes for someone else.
- DirectorLee SholemStarsTommy KirkDel MoorePeter DuryeaA group of swingin' teens take time out from having fun in the sun to try to foil a group of crooks searching for a stolen scroll.
- DirectorPatrick McGoohanStarsRichie HavensLance LeGaultSeason HubleySet in the American Southwest, Othello is a wandering evangelist who happens onto Iago's remote commune.
- DirectorWilliam A. GrahamStarsElvis PresleyMary Tyler MooreBarbara McNairAs an incognito nun tries to help a doctor clean up an inner-city ghetto, the pair grow closer with time.
- DirectorArthur H. NadelStarsElvis PresleyShelley FabaresWill HutchinsThe heir to an oil fortune trades places with a water-ski instructor at a Florida hotel to see if girls will like him for himself rather than for his father's money.
- DirectorAlbert ZugsmithStarsSteve AllenJayne MeadowsWalter WinchellSociology prof's survey on youth lifestyle raises hackles when sex questions surface; reporter gets anonymous tip, prof's past emerges.
- DirectorDavid ButlerStarsBobby VeeJackie DeShannonEddie HodgesStandard boy-girl malt shoppe doings, with a free speech on campus sub-plot dropped in.
- DirectorGene NelsonStarsRoddy McDowallDebbie WatsonGil PetersonA young, millionaire rock promoter decides to create a new boy/girl duo team for his teen TV dance show by teaming up an ambitious go-go dancer and a has-been pop star and presenting them to the public as a new romantic pair.
- DirectorDuncan WoodStarsFreddie GarrityBernie DwyerDerek QuinnA well-named Scout troop played by a real life pop group jumps through good turn-hoops, but keeps landing in the soup.
- DirectorJeremy SummersStarsWilliam LucasKenneth CopeGeorge MikellAn ex-con manages a top band in the UK, and he wants to re-enter the crime scene.
- DirectorFred F. SearsStarsBill Haley and the CometsBill HaleyAlan DaleA disc jockey tries to prove to teenagers' parents that rock 'n' roll is harmless and won't turn their kids into juvenile delinquents.
- DirectorOscar RudolphStarsChubby CheckerGene ChandlerVic DanaMany twist-dancers meet to prepare for the TV variety show "The Twist." While the special is still in the production stages, jealousies lead to problems--and a whole lot of dancing.
- DirectorNorman TaurogStarsElvis PresleyAnnette DayJohn WilliamsWhen singer Guy Lambert goes on tour in Europe, he is pursued by two beautiful women, bumbling jewel thieves, and a mysterious killer.
- DirectorMario BavaStarsVincent PriceFabianFranco FranchiDisgraced SIC agent Bill Dexter teams up with bumbling doormen Franco and Ciccio to stop Dr. Goldfoot from using his bikini-clad robot girls to blow up high-ranking NATO generals.
- DirectorJohn RichStarsElvis PresleyDodie MarshallPat PriestNavy frogman, Ted Jackson (Elvis Presley), balances his time between twin careers as a deep sea diver and nightclub singer. During a dive, Ted spots sunken treasure and returns with hope to retrieve it.
- DirectorJohn CarpenterStarsKurt RussellShelley WintersBing RussellBiographical movie about the famous rock singer Elvis Presley.
- DirectorJames HillStarsJohn LeytonMichael SarnePeter Birrell1964 musical starring John Leyton, Mike Sarne, Freddie and the Dreamers, Ron Moody, Liz Fraser, Nicholas Parsons and Danny La Rue. A group of high-spirited teens find friendship, love and music.
- DirectorVal GuestStarsLaurence HarveySylvia SymsYolande DonlanSleazy talent agent Johnny Jackson discovers teenager Bert Rudge singing in a coffee house. Despite Bert's protestation that he really is only interested in playing bongos, Johnny starts him on the road to stardom. The deal they cut, however, is highly exploitative of the young singer, and their relationship begins to go bad.
- DirectorAlan ParkerStarsEddie BarthIrene CaraLee CurreriA chronicle of the lives of several teenagers who attend a New York high school for students gifted in the performing arts.
- DirectorSidney PoitierStarsJohn Scott CloughDon FranklinTamara MarkEight small-town teens travel to New York City for a one-in-a-million shot at stardom in a national dance competition.
- DirectorMichael D. MooreStarsRoy OrbisonSammy JacksonMaggie PierceNear the ending days of the Civil War, a group of Confederacy spies traveling under guises of musicians are tasked to steal a shipment of gold. Anything goes wrong, one spy (Roy Orbison) has a bullet-shooting guitar handy - just in case.
- DirectorJeremy SummersStarsGerry and the PacemakersMona WashbourneGeorge A. CooperGerry and Fred Marsden, Les McGuire, and Les "Chad" Chadwick portray themselves in a romp through the early-1960s Liverpool Beat Scene. Art students by day and musicians by night, the boys' big break comes by winning a local talent contest. But first, they must retrieve their instruments, which have been mistakenly carried to the airport.
- DirectorSidney HayersStarsCliff RichardHank B. MarvinBruce WelchCliff Richard and the Shadows arrive in a small Spanish town for a concert when a U.S. plane accidentally drops a mini-bomb on it. The Shadows look for the bomb to return it.
- DirectorRichard LoncraineStarsDon PowellJim LeaNoddy HolderLight the Rock n' Roll spark with a Flame in the guise of Dave, Noddy, Jim and Don and their showcase of the rise and demise of rock band Flame.
- DirectorDon SiegelStarsElvis PresleyBarbara EdenSteve ForrestWhen fighting breaks out between two cultures in West Texas, the mixed-blood Pacer tries to act as a peacemaker, but the "flaming star of death" pulls him irrevocably into the deadly violence.
- DirectorAdrian LyneStarsJennifer BealsMichael NouriLilia SkalaAn 18-year-old female amateur dancer who performs nightly at a dancing bar, and works as a welder during the day, dreams of joining the Pittsburgh ballet school.
- DirectorGordon DouglasStarsElvis PresleyArthur O'ConnellAnne HelmA family of ragtag vagabonds sets up a makeshift home on a Florida beach after becoming marooned there, prompting an uptight local bureaucrat to attempt to evict them.
- DirectorRichard ThorpeStarsConnie FrancisPaula PrentissDany RobinFour women have adventures when they follow the Navy men they love to Italy.
- DirectorHerbert RossStarsKevin BaconLori SingerJohn LithgowA city teenager moves to a small town where rock music and dancing have been banned, and his rebellious spirit shakes up the populace.
- DirectorDavid DruryStarsJames AubreyNicholas GecksKaren ArcherA lonely young boy idolizes his local priest. An old acquaintance of the priest shows up one day, and the boy learns that his idol isn't exactly what he seems to be--it turns out that many years before, the priest had betrayed his friend, and now his friend has come back for revenge.
- DirectorFrederick De CordovaStarsElvis PresleyDonna DouglasHarry MorganA riverboat singer with a weakness for gambling wants to find his lucky redhead, but his girlfriend Frankie is not amused.
- DirectorRichard ThorpeStarsElvis PresleyUrsula AndressElsa CárdenasA yacht owner's spoiled daughter gets Mike fired, but a boy helps him get a job as singer at Acapulco Hilton etc. He upsets the lifeguard by taking his girl and 3 daily work hours. Mike's also seeing a woman bullfighter.
- DirectorRoger CormanStarsBob CorffElaine GiftosBud CortA gas is let loose upon the world that kills anyone over 25 years old.
- DirectorSidney MillerStarsMary Ann MobleyJoan O'BrienNancy SinatraA college co-ed tries to balance her time writing songs and dealing with her publisher who tries to pursue her.
- DirectorDon WeisStarsTommy KirkDeborah WalleyAron KincaidA corpse has 24 hours to mastermind a good deed without leaving his crypt, to go "up there" and have his youth restored.
- DirectorWilliam J. Hole Jr.StarsJody FairRuss BenderHenry McCannHot rods, monsters and rock'n'roll... In this teen-oriented picture, a gang of greasers hole up in a reputedly haunted mansion after getting evicted from their clubhouse.
- DirectorFrank TashlinStarsTom EwellJayne MansfieldEdmond O'BrienA gangster hires a down-and-out press agent to make his airheaded girlfriend a singing star.
- DirectorBoris SagalStarsElvis PresleyShelley FabaresHarold J. StoneA Chicago mobster hires a rock'n'roll singer and his band to keep an eye on his daughter during Spring Break in Fort Lauderdale, Florida.
- DirectorCharles F. HaasStarsMamie Van DorenMel TorméRay AnthonySilver is a troubled teenage girl sent to a Catholic reform school, where she has trouble fitting in.
- DirectorNorman TaurogStarsElvis PresleyStella StevensJeremy SlateWhen he finds out his boss is retiring to Arizona, a sailor has to find a way to buy the Westwind, a boat that he and his father built. He is also caught between two women: insensitive club singer Robin and sweet Laurel.
- DirectorWilliam WitneyStarsNoreen CorcoranMartin WestLinda MarshallThe girls of Alpha Beta need to raise $10,000 in two weeks to save the sorority house. Among their schemes to raise the funds are a beauty contest, a newspaper puzzle, and a baking contest. But when three guys hit the beach with love on their minds, bragging that they know the Beatles, the girls plan a concert with the Fab Four as the main attraction.
- DirectorPeter WebbStarsPaul McCartneyJohn BurgessBryan BrownPaul McCartney's recording of his new album is complicated by the fact that the master tapes of his recordings are missing.
- DirectorPaul LandresStarsAlan FreedJimmy ClantonSandy StewartRock-n-roll promoter Alan Freed holds a talent search to develop a new rock star, then must find the elusive, mystery contestant (Jimmy Clanton) who doesn't know he has won.
- DirectorDavid GreeneStarsVictor GarberLynne ThigpenKatie HanleyAn adaption of the musical, in a modern-day song-and-dance recreation of the Gospel of St. Matthew.
- DirectorDon SharpStarsLee PattersonMary SteeleTerry DeneA young couple expand their coffee bar to include a record shop and a recording outlet, to help a young singer, and to cash in on the start of the rock and roll era.
- DirectorRobert Hartford-DavisStarsKenneth ConnorTerry ScottFrank ThorntonBizarre sixties fable resembling Romeo and Juliet, but instead of Montagues and Capulets, there are two musical communities, one who like rock and roll and one who like ballads, who become reunited through the love between a couple who love across their grouping. It features little furry puppets called Gonks.
- DirectorWilliam FriedkinStarsSonny BonoCherSonny & CherSonny and Cher spoof many Hollywood classic movie scenes.
- DirectorRandal KleiserStarsJohn TravoltaOlivia Newton-JohnStockard ChanningGood girl Sandy Olsson and greaser Danny Zuko fell in love over the summer. When they unexpectedly discover they're now in the same high school, will they be able to rekindle their romance?
- DirectorKen ShapiroStarsKen ShapiroRichard BelzerChevy ChaseA collection of skits that make fun of 1970s television, featuring early appearances by Chevy Chase and Richard Belzer.
- DirectorMilos FormanStarsJohn SavageTreat WilliamsBeverly D'AngeloClaude Bukowski leaves the family ranch in Oklahoma for New York where he is rapidly embraced into the hippie group of youngsters led by Berger, yet he's already been drafted. He soon falls in love with Sheila Franklin, a rich girl but still a rebel inside.
- DirectorRichard LesterStarsJohn LennonPaul McCartneyGeorge HarrisonOver two "typical" days in the life of The Beatles, the boys struggle to keep themselves and Sir Paul McCartney's mischievous grandfather in check while preparing for a live TV performance.
- DirectorPerry HenzellStarsJimmy CliffJanet BartleyCarl BradshawWishing to become a successful reggae singer, a young Jamaican man finds himself tied to corrupt record producers and drug pushers.
- DirectorGene NelsonStarsElvis PresleyMary Ann MobleyFran JeffriesAmerican singer Johnny Tyronne is enlisted by sinister forces to assassinate an Arab king--and falls in love with that very king's daughter.
- DirectorBob RafelsonStarsPeter TorkDavy JonesMicky DolenzThe Monkees frolic their way through a series of musical set pieces and vignettes containing surreal humor and anti-establishment social commentary.
- DirectorAndy WarholStarsGerard MalangaMario MontezJack SmithEgotistical faded star Hedy Lamarr visits a plastic surgeon to be transformed into the "14-year-old girl" she believes herself to be. She is then caught shoplifting by Mary Woronov and is put on trial, with Tavel as the judge and her five ex-husbands the jury. Hedy remains self-centered and detached throughout, posing and primping and bursting out renditions of "I Feel Pretty" and "Young at Heart."
- DirectorRichard LesterStarsJohn LennonPaul McCartneyGeorge HarrisonSir Ringo Starr finds himself the human sacrifice target of a cult, and his fellow members of The Beatles must try to protect him from it.
- DirectorGreg GarrisonStarsJoey DeeThe StarlitersJo Ann CampbellThe rise, fall, and resurgence of the Peppermint Lounge nightclub is chronicled. The sons of the Peppermint Lounge nightclub owner nearly topple the club's initial success by redesigning the place, then realize their mistake.
- DirectorArthur LubinStarsPeter NooneKarl GreenKeith HopwoodBritish beat group Herman's Hermits, on tour in the USA, is offered an opportunity to have a spaceship named after the group. Several people seem to care whether it happens or not.
- DirectorDel TenneyStarsJohn LyonAlice LyonAllan LaurelSea creatures created from radioactive sludge terrorize a beach community.
- DirectorLew LandersStarsJohn AshleyJody FairGene VincentKid who wants to enter his car in the drag races joins a rock band to make enough money to do it.
- DirectorWilliam AsherStarsAnnette FunicelloDwayne HickmanBrian DonlevyFrankie, on naval-reserve duty in Tahiti, doesn't trust Dee Dee to stay faithful, so he hires Bwana, a witch doctor, to help. Bwana conjures up a floating bikini, "stuffs" it with Cassandra, and sends her to distract advertising executive Ricky from Dee Dee.
- DirectorJohn GillingStarsWilliam BendixAnthony NewleyAnne AubreyA rock'n'roll idol is drafted into the wrong regiment.
- DirectorTaylor HackfordStarsRay SharkeyTovah FeldshuhPeter GallagherBased on the life of rock promoter/producer Bob Marcucci, who discovered, among others, Frankie Avalon and Fabian.
- DirectorNorman TaurogStarsElvis PresleyJoan O'BrienGary LockwoodMike and Danny hitch a ride to the World's Fair in Seattle after the sheriff seizes their crop duster biplane to cover Danny's gambling debts. Mike looks after the driver's 7 y.o. niece at the fair, where he meets a cute nurse.
- DirectorStephanie RothmanStarsDeborah WalleyTommy KirkBobby PickettMale chauvinist Mike attempts to get an intelligent burgeoning feminist Delilah into his harem. When she resists, Mike then poses as his brother Herbert, but in the process falls in love with Delilah.
- DirectorDon SharpStarsTommy SteeleMichael MedwinAngela DouglasTommy Steele stars as a talent-spotter at a recording company who determines to organize a concert featuring all the most up-to-date singers and bands, in order that the orphanage where he was brought up be saved from closing. In HD.
- DirectorDouglas HickoxStarsFrankie VaughanLance PercivalWilliam RushtonA fantastic musical romp through the West End of London in the company of Lance Percival and his fat friend, Willie Rushton. In HD.
- DirectorRichard LesterStarsHelen ShapiroCraig DouglasJohn LeytonTwo teens organize a jazz festival despite objections from the mayor.
- DirectorKenneth HumeStarsBilly FuryMichael MedwinAmanda BarrieA fast-moving comedy with Billy Fury, who plays himself in the film. The story reveals his great love of animals, and it features his own racehorse, Anselmo. Also featured are several of Billy's own dogs. Watch for the dances!
- DirectorRichard ThorpeStarsElvis PresleyJudy TylerMickey ShaughnessyAfter serving time for manslaughter, young Vince Everett becomes a teenage rock star.
- DirectorRoy LockwoodStarsFats DominoJerry Lee LewisJimmy BowenPete Porter and Honey Wynn become overnight sensations as a romantic singing duo. But what will become of their budding love affair when their feuding, back-stabbing managers persuade them to go solo?
- DirectorRichard FleischerSidney J. FurieStarsLaurence OlivierNeil DiamondLucie ArnazThe son of a Jewish Cantor must defy the traditions of his religious father in order to pursue his dream of being a popular singer.
- DirectorNorman JewisonStarsTed NeeleyCarl AndersonYvonne EllimanFilm version of the musical stage play, presenting the last few weeks of Christ's life told in an anachronistic manner.
- DirectorDerek JarmanStarsAdam AntRichard O'BrienIan CharlesonQueen Elizabeth I travels 400 years into the future to witness the appalling revelation of a dystopian London overrun by corruption and a vicious gang of punk guerrilla girls led by the new Monarch of Punk.
- DirectorArthur DreifussStarsJo MorrowJack JonesBrian DonlevyWhile in New York to select her coronation wardrobe, Princess Ann is photographed dancing with Riff Manton, son of impoverished producer George Manton. A dress designer, Balenko, gives Riff a large commission when Princess Ann buys her wardrobe from him and Riff uses the money to help his father produce a hit show, a Juke Box Jamboree.
- DirectorGordon FlemyngStarsMark WynterCherry RolandAlan CaddyWith an election approaching, the two major political parties in England work desperately to capture the enthusiasm of teenagers, who have been granted the right to vote. When the prime minister cuts the quota of musical programs permitted on television, teenagers Mark and Cherry lead others youngsters in forming their own political party, which successfully utilizes popular recording artists in helping to win the election.
- DirectorPhil KarlsonStarsElvis PresleyGig YoungLola AlbrightAfter completing his military service, Walter Gulick takes a job as a sparring partner at a gym, the owner of which sees potential in Walter as a professional fighter and takes him under his wing.
- DirectorMichael CurtizStarsElvis PresleyCarolyn JonesWalter MatthauA troubled youth's singing sets New Orleans rockin'. With a sweet girl to love him and nightclubbers cheering, it seems he will shake off his past and head for the top. But will a mobster and his man-trap moll snare him in a life of crime?
- DirectorGordon HesslerStarsPeter CrissAce FrehleyGene SimmonsKISS, a rock band made up of superheroes, battles an evil inventor who has plans for destruction at a California amusement park.