This Saturday and Sunday, for Father’s Day weekend, Arena Cinelounge Sunset will present FREE screenings of Rock Around the Clock and Rumble on the Docks. Both films feature the band Freddie Bell and The Bellboys. Arena Cinelounge owner Christian Meoli pays tribute to the memory of his late father, Jerry Mayo (one of the Bellboys), by offering free screenings of these movies this weekend.
Rock Around the Clock. Music/Comedy. Directed by Fred F. Sears. Written by Robert E. Kent and James B. Gordon. Produced by Sam Katzman. From Columbia Pictures. (Black-and-white, 1956, USA, 77 minutes, not rated) Starring Bill Haley and The Comets, The Platters, Freddie Bell and The Bellboys, Tony Martinez, Alan Freed, Johnny Johnston, Alix Talton, Lisa Gaye. The big-band era is over, and rock n’ roll will be the next big thing. Promoter Steve wants to break out Bill Haley and The Comets nationally. Agent Corinne, jealous of Steve’s love for dancer Lisa, tries to thwart him. But you can’t stop the power of rock n’ roll! This is the FIRST feature-length rock n’ roll movie. The real attraction here, of course, is the music which includes six songs by Bill Haley and His Comets including the title song (played twice), “See You Later Alligator,” and “Razzle Dazzle.” There are also appearances by The Platters performing their hits, “The Great Pretender” and “Only You,” Freddie Bell and His Bellboys play “Giddyup Dingdong” and “I’m Gonna Teach You How to Rock,” and Tony Martinez and His Band brings a Spanish influence to the mix with renditions of “Mambo Capri,” “Sad and Lonely,” and “Codfish and Potatoes.” Sat. June 15 at 3:00. Sun. June 16 at 2:00.
Rumble on the Docks. Crime. Directed by Fred F. Sears. Written by Jack de Witt, Lou Morheim. Based on a novel by Frank Paley. Produced by Sam Katzman. (Black-and-white, 1956, USA, 82 minutes, not rated) Starring James Darren (his first starring role), Robert Blake, Freddie Bell and The Bellboys, Laurie Caroll, Michael Granger, Jerry Janger, Timothy Carey, Don Devlin. A corrupt union leader takes a young teen gang leader under his wing. Eventually, the youth wises up to the fact that his benefactor is no good (just as the kid’s estranged father had warned him), and finds himself threatened by both waterfront thugs and a rival gang. Freddie Bell and The Bellboys perform “Get the First Train Out of Town,” the obligatory rock and roll tune in the film. Producer Sam Katzman snapped them up after Rock Around the Clock and quickly cast them here as well. According to some sources, the relatively unknown Elvis Presley saw The Bellboys performing the Big Mama Thornton song “Hound Dog” in Las Vegas in 1955 and became inspired by their movement and style. Presley made a hit of the song in 1956, just a couple of months prior to the release of Rumble on the Docks.
Sat. June 15 at 4:25. Sun. June 16 at 3:30.