Jamboree (1957 film)

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Jamboree (known as Disc Jockey Jamboree in the United Kingdom) is the name of a black and white 1957 rock 'n' roll motion picture directed by Roy Lockwood that runs for 71 minutes in mono RCA sound. Its storyline concerns a boy and girl who become overnight sensations as a romantic singing duo who run into trouble when their squabbling managers try to turn them into solo acts. Against this backdrop in cameo performances appear some of the biggest names of rock 'n' roll in the 1950s who appear to have lip-synced to their own recordings.

[edit] Overview

Jamboree is a film that was built upon the popularity of a name which at the time was becoming associated with rock 'n' roll music and it appears to have derived its name from a show starring disc-jockey Alan Freed that began airing over Radio Luxembourg in 1956 (the year before this movie was released). Freed recorded his featured segment while working for WINS in New York City. A great rivalry developed during this time between Alan Freed and Dick Clark who appears in this film. Freed was the pioneer of rock 'n' roll movies (Rock Around the Clock; Don't Knock the Rock; Rock, Rock, Rock), however, Congressional Hearings into payola practices and radio broadasting eventually ruined Freed's career, while Clarke's career continued uninterrupted.

Jamboree was essentially a music film in the manner of music videos that followed many years later on MTV where the storyline was secondary to the musical performances. The acting has been rated as more or less pathetic by people who have seen it and then written a review about it. However, this movie is of historical importance due cameo performances by various musical acts that are featured.

[edit] Featured stars

Included in Jamboree are Frankie Avalon; Jimmy Bowen; Dick Clark acting as the host for a show within the film which was made shortly after first appearing as host of American Bandstand on TV; Fats Domino; Charlie Gracie (who became an even bigger hit in the UK than he was in the USA; Jack Jackson (British bandleader who acted as the disc jockey host of the Decca records show on Radio Luxembourg; Buddy Knox; Jerry Lee Lewis (who belts out "Great Balls of Fire"); Louis Lymon and the Teenchords [1]; Jack Payne (another British bandleader); Carl Perkins (who sings "Glad All Over"); Jodie Sands and Slim Whitman who gathered a tremendous following in Europe.

Carl Perkins (2nd from Left) performing "Glad All OVer" with (L to R) Clayton Perkins, "Fluke" Holland, and Jay Perkins

The films' premise for Perkins' performance, which ostensibly occurs in a studio used by "Pop Records" is that he is "cutting (a record) at 2:30. He rarely ever uses all of his time." Pete and Honey, America's Sweethearts, are to use Perkins' unused time. Perkins was initially reluctant to appear in the film, but do so for the $1,000 it would earn him. He was given the choice of performing "Glad All Over" or "Greats Ball of Fire", and thought "both of 'em was junk", but took "glad All Over", leaving "Great Balls of Fire" for Jerry Lee Lewis. Released as a singles in November along with the movie, Jerry Lee Lewis'"Great Balls of Fire" was number 2 on the national charts for four weeks. Perkins' "Glad All Over" sank without fanfare.."^[1]

Dick Clark is the host of the "second hour" of a "United Charities" Telethon to raise money to fight what is described only as "this dreaded disease". Clark is listed as a dj for WFIL Philadelphia in the credits. Clark introduces a number of disc jockey's from across the US and Canada. These djs then introduce the featured stars. Later in the film djs in Europe: Jack Jackson (ATV) and Chris Payne (BBC) in London, England; Werner Goetze (Bayerischer Rundfunk) Munich, and Chris Howland (Westdeutscher Rundfunk) Cologne, Germany are shown introducing "Pete and Honey" records on the air. Finally, performances are the entertainment at a "Music Operators" convention supper. Music Operators of America was a very influenital group of jukebox owners. In 1950 there were fifty-five hundred jukebox operators servicing four hundred thousand jukeboxs in the US. They bought 150 records a week, while the average phonograph owner bought fewer than 10 per year.^[2]

[edit] References

1. ^ Go, Cat, Go! by Carl Perkins and David McGee 1996 Hyperion Press pages 253-254 ISBN 0-7868-6073-1
2. ^ Hank Williams: The Biography By Colin Escott, Contributor William Macewen, George Merritt. 2004. Back Bay. page 137 ISBN 0316734977

[edit] External links

• Jamboree at the Internet Movie Database