The Consecration of the Idol "Jailhouse Rock" Third Film 1957

 

The Consecration of the Idol "Jailhouse Rock" Third Film 1957

FROM TUPELO TO MEMPHIS
www.detupeloamemphis.com

The third film Elvis Presley was to make would be one of the best films he was to perform in and with a particularly special film.

The recording of the songs began on April 30 and the filming in May 1957.

The film was particular, because his character would be that of an antihero, this caused a scandal for the society, since his character was a convict, who becomes the hero of a movie story.
Although in the film, Elvis killed a man, he also cursed and in one scene he goes out with the protagonist on a bed. But it was also a kind of challenge about the bad boy reputation of Elvis. But the important thing is that for his fans it was a wonderful film, despite the critics .

The initial project between Colonel Parker and the production company was to give him the title of "The Rock", but later, MGM wanted the film to be called "The Hard Way", then it was renamed "Jahouse Kid" to finally be titled "Jailhouse Rock".
Curiously Elvis used the dressing room that MGM had assigned to Clark Gable, when he replaced the principal photography on May 13, 1957.

Elvis had a new contract to make a film that the Colonel had tapped out of Paramount. The new film would be negotiated with MGM, the contract with Paramount allowed a film to be made outside the production company.It was the first film Elvis would make with MGM.
For this, they did not want the same mistakes that occurred in "Loving you", in relation to the recordings, so that neither Elvis nor the musicians, were overwhelmed to record in two places and so much fatigue. That's why it was requested as a condition to record in only one place and in this way what Elvis and his accompanists had to record, would have a logical schedule so that no one would be exhausted. Everything would be recorded in Radio Recorders for their comfort and above all to be able to have more ease in relation to the production and inclusion in the film.

Four scenes with songs were planned to be included in the film and scripts were sent to all of Hill & Range's principal writers so that they could compose appropriate music.
Leiber and Stoller were very impressed by the profits they had made on the two previous songs recorded by Elvis and were asked for two songs. They were set up in a room in New York, but a joke was played on them by telling them that they would not leave there without having composed four songs. They had also proposed Sid Tepper and Roy Bennet, McCoy and Owens, who had also composed on "Loving You," to do the rest of the songs. Hill & Range would get MGM's approval before sending it to RCA, provided Elvis and the Colonel approved them.

The film had several talents, such as the screenwriter Nedrick Young who had already won an Oscar for "The Defiant Ones", also the composers Leiber and Stoller who were already well known, the producer Par Berman who had 3 Oscar nominations and launched the careers of many artists in Hollywood, etc.
Choreographer Alex Romero, who took advantage of Elvis' natural way of moving to choreograph the sequence of the song "JailHouse Rock". Although he had initially planned a different dance, as Elvis was not a dancer, he had to adapt his movements to the general dance of the sequence. Gene Kelly who was in the studio to see part of the filming, applauded Elvis after seeing the test run of the sequence, he knew it was going to be a hit.
Actually the film was very modern for the time and is considered as a model of inspiration for the music video genre.
Other curiosities of the film, the composer Mike Stoller, appears as a pianist in some cameo and Scotty, Billy and Dj, his musicians also appear in the film.

After finishing the filming, the protagonist Judy Tyler and her husband, would have an automobile accident in which they would lose their lives, for this reason, Elvis would be very sad to see her after the premiere.

He saw it for the first time at a special screening with his parents in Memphis, days before its release.
The success of this film was undoubted, as it reached the third highest box office position in the week of its release and would finish as the fourteenth highest grossing film of the year. The total gross would be around $4 million. It would be re-released in March 1960 to coincide with Elvis' return from the army.

In addition to receiving multiple awards more than three decades after its release. Composers Leiber and Soller received an ASCAP award in 1991, for the song "JailHouse Rock", in 2004 the film was included in the National Film Registry by the National Film Preservation Board, etc.

Another curiosity was that the young dancer and actor in musicals, Russ Tamblyn , visited Elvis, on the night before the shooting of the scene in the penthouse room of the Beverly Wilshire Hotel in Beverly Hills. The two immediately hit it off and were practicing the scene where Elvis was to perform his choreography and would eventually perform his part perfectly.

The number of the song "Jailhouse Rock" is considered the first music video in history. Curiously, Elvis had to wear a wig in some of the moments of the film, when he is in jail.

The critics were contradictory with the film, but there were generally positive comments regarding the quality and the interpretation of Elvis, it would be positive despite a minority that still considered him a scandal.
It would be one of the best films Elvis Presley ever made.

This film would be an open door in his filmography, could be a good direction to follow in their intentions to be an actor and turned to his performance. The result is optimal in his acting and if motivation as well.
"Following the Path of the King..."

TUPELO TO MEMPHIS 79
9 Temp Las Vegas. August 1973
https://go.ivoox.com/rf/90462766

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