Python Hyena Jailhouse Rock (1957): Dir: Richard Thorpe / Cast: Elvis Presley, Judy Tyler, Mickey Shaughnessy, Dean Jones, Jennifer Holden: Surprisingly engaging and entertaining musical about hard truths. It stars Elvis Presley as Vince Everett who goes to jail when he accidentally kills someone in a bar fight. In prison he meets Hunk Houghton, a country singer who knows the goings on in the joint and allows Everett in on a singing act put on in prison that is airs on TV. When he gets out he encounters Peggy Van Alden, a music promoter who struggles to help Everett get his music out there. When things begin to look up it goes to Everett's head and it divides him from those important to him. Big highlight is the Jailhouse Rock number where Presley stages the familiar energetic tune. Judy Tyler plays Peggy who struggles to balance Everett's career demands with his rapidly declining attitude. Mickey Shaughnessy plays Hunk who allowed Everett to engage his talent in prison before expanding it upon release. Unfortunately Hunk is mistreated and neglected by Everett when he gets out and hopes for favors returned. Dean Jones is seen briefly as a disc jockey who first plays Everett's single and then shows interest in Peggy. Jennifer Holden plays a starlet hooked up with Everett for publicity but she lacks enthusiasm for the tabloid charade. It exists to showcase Elvis and one of his biggest and most memorable hits. Score: 9 / 10

LeonLouisRicci Loving You...Jailhouse Rock...King Creole...Flaming Star.These are the movies that Presley fans can point to without embarrassment. You could also mention Viva Las Vegas, but that was only the best of the all those other cornball clunkers that were used to tame the rebel and put the King out to pasture.Truth be told, Elvis was only really Elvis until he went into the Army. Here we get a chance to see the long haired Hillbilly Cat before he was roped, corralled, and led around like a broken stallion. The sideburns are still there, along with the duck tail cut (although a bit groomed), and the swagger.In the film he gets to brood and act like a jerk (very well done), "take the dogs for a walk...it ain't like I'm asking you to shine my shoes". He flops his head around like a punk, snarls his lip, and talks like a teenage rebel that is ready for a rumble. He uses street slang and always looks cool.And there is that voice. If he had never swiveled a hip or got all shook up, he would have still had that incredible ballad voice that is as smooth as butter and is pure vocal velvet. In this film there are a couple of RnR numbers and a few slow songs and the title diddy is a 20th century icon. Speaking of icons, it is quite a shame that today when you see anyone making reference they are dressed in some God-awful, white studded jumpsuit and that is what passes as Elvis remembered.This movie is a wonderful reminder and a good way to purify those later mid seventies images of a Fallen King. He did make some comeback performances from 1968-to the early 70's that were exciting and a sweet treat for all his fans. But he died tragically, just a few years too late.

Larry41OnEbay-2 JAILHOUSE ROCK was based on a story by Nedrick Young who the next year won the Oscar for best screenplay (The Defiant Ones (1958)) under the pseudonymous Nathan E. Douglas after being blacklisted.Elvis Aaron Presley (was born January 8, 1935 in Tupelo, Mississippi) was an American singer, actor, and musician. A cultural icon, he is commonly known simply as Elvis and is also sometimes referred to as "The King of Rock 'n' Roll" or "The King." Rock and Roll, the phrase came from several sources, Bill Haley and the comets used it in 1954's "Rock Around the Clock," before that it was used in a 1948 rhythm-and-blues hit called "Good Rockin' Tonight." Before that, both rock and roll had sexual meanings in jazz and blues, as in "My Man Rocks Me with One Steady Roll," recorded by Trixie Smith in 1922. Elvis Presley began his career in 1953 as one of the first performers of rockabilly, an up-tempo fusion of country and rhythm and blues with a strong back beat. His novel versions of existing songs, mixing "black" and "white" sounds, made him popular—and controversial—as did his uninhibited stage and television performances. He recorded songs in the rock and roll genre, with tracks like "Hound Dog" and "Jailhouse Rock" later embodying the style. Presley had a versatile voice and had unusually wide success encompassing other genres, including gospel, blues, country, ballads and pop. To date, he has been inducted into four music halls of fame.In the 1960s, Presley made the majority of his 31 movies, most of which were poorly reviewed but financially successful musicals. In 1968, he returned to live music in a television special, and performed across the U.S., notably in Las Vegas. In 1973, Presley staged the first global live concert via satellite (Aloha from Hawaii), reaching at least one billion viewers live and an additional 500 million on delay.Throughout his career, he set records for concert attendance, television ratings and recordings sales. He is one of the best-selling and most influential artists in the history of music. Health problems, drug addiction and other factors led to his death at age 42.JAILHOUSE ROCK was Elvis's third movie, after LOVE ME TENDER (1956), LOVING YOU (1957) then JAILHOUSE ROCK (1957) and KING CREOLE (1958) then the army and G.I. BLUES (1960). Jailhouse Rock was one of his best films and I recommend it.

Spikeopath 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. Reckognising 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 Preseley 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 instills 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