Review of Jailhouse Rock (1957) by Jacob M — 20 Oct 2013

When looking at the greatest performers who ever lived, one who would definitely be near the top of the list is Elvis Presley, the "King of Rock and Roll." While I was born long after his death in 1977, I do strongly believe that Elvis's music is pure gold in the development of rock music. "The King" also succeeded well in the film world, with his most famous film being the one I'm about to review, Jailhouse Rock, named after the awesome song about a "warden who threw a party in the county jail". And while the story is clichéd and sometimes cheesy to experience, Jailhouse Rock is a fun Elvis film, and is an entertaining look at the development of celebrity stardom.

In Jailhouse Rock, Elvis plays Vince Everett, a young, tough, and "dangerous" country boy who ends up in prison after accidentally killing a man in self-defense. In prison, Vince develops a bond with cellmate and former country singer Hunk Houghton (Mickey Shaughnessy), who suggests Vince that he should perform in the prison show. When that goes over well, Vince decides to perform for a living, and after being released from jail sentence, he teams up with music expert and attractive Peggy Van Alden (Judy Tyler) to achieve success in the music industry. After a failed attempt at making a hit, the two decide to form their own record company, and there, Vince goes huge in the market, but his fame cause Vince to go overboard in his wealth and attitude.

Obviously we know how the story is going to end, cause the film stars the great Elvis Presley, where he becomes a singing sensation and becomes a nicer man. This is a very predictable story, and in a couple of places, becomes very goofy at times, especially in a scene involving Elvis in a "life-threatening" situation with his voice. I didn't feel moved here cause I already knew how it was going to end even without watching it. But why do I still give it a fresh score? Well, it's the personality of the great rock icon that makes Jailhouse Rock an enjoyable film and not a disappointing failure like Kissin' Cousins was.

When watching Jailhouse Rock. I was surprised at the rough side of Elvis in this one. When watching some of his other films, like Kissin' Cousins, Elvis portrayed a nice man who has plenty of charm to impress women and always sung in places of love. Here, Elvis plays a selfish and greedy man who takes advantage of women, is obsessed with money, and only cares about himself. What fascinated me about Elvis's performance is that while he played a rude and selfish celebrity, I was still impressed with Elvis's personality and charisma presented on screen. Also impressive is Judy Tyler's role as the love interest. She may not be the greatest actress in the world, like Ingrid Bergman or Judy Garland, but Tyler managed to act well with Elvis in the cheesy, predictable moments I mentioned earlier. It's sad that she died not too long after production cause I felt she would have had a strong career after this film.

What makes Jailhouse Rock different from other musicals, particularly Elvis films, is that all the songs are performed either on stage or in the studio, kind of similar to the musical numbers in the even more excellent film Yankee Doodle Dandy. It's these songs that makes Jailhouse Rock worth watching, and make Jailhouse Rock the entertaining film it is. Songs include the catchy "Treat Me Nice", the fun "You're So Square", the awesome ballad "Don't Leave Me Now", and of coarse, the excellent title number, "Jailhouse Rock", featuring awesome choreography that Elvis staged himself! It's easily the most fun sequence in the whole movie, and makes the whole film worthwhile, even for non-Elvis fans who can't stand the lip-motions, the hip-shaking, or the vocals.

While the story is very goofy in places and extremely predictable about a man's rise to stardom after serving time in prison, Elvis's surprisingly rough and "dangerous" side performance and the musical numbers makes Jailhouse Rock one of the more entertaining Elvis films out there. If you're wondering why Elvis was the excellent entertainer he was, then Jailhouse Rock is the proof of discovery.