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Reviews
Rock Around the Clock (1956)
A fictional story about the emergence of Rock & Roll onto the teenage U.S. musical scene.
What fun to come upon this 1950s gem on cable TV today! At first I thought I was seeing Debra Paget, but it turned out to be her sister, Lisa Gaye, who played a prominent role in this film and demonstrated real dancing skill. This movie is so special, not only because it showcases rock & roll's important early performers, but also its place in musical time -- right at the pop music transition from the big bands to the much smaller combos. In fact, the term "combo" was apparently not in popular use yet. In the film, these small rock & roll bands are referred to as "combinations" of musicians. And the dancing was a joy to watch! Influences from the Big Band era were still strong as couples did variations of swing and jitterbug with the brand new additions of non-touch formula steps that later led to the Twist, the Mashed Potato and all the rest, right up to the present time when almost no one knows how to dance together as a couple. This film should be required viewing for anyone following the history of post-World War II popular music and the end of the big bands.
Satan Never Sleeps (1962)
Contrived ending is creepy.
THIS REVIEW CONTAINS A SPOILER. This is a film with good acting, fine visuals and generally good writing. I do wonder about the editing and the contrived ending. Actor Weaver Lee, in his first important role, was placed in the impossible position of trying to make this character believable. He had to make us believe that he was a brainwashed communist so cruel as to have tortured those who loved and raised him and to have raped an innocent young girl. He is allowed to grind his teeth slightly when he watches his parents shot, presumably the beginning of his disillusionment with Communism. Then Mr. Lee has to make us believe that he is suddenly completely changed after seeing the result of his rape, a son. Perhaps Weaver Lee's career might have been furthered had he been allowed at least some kind of transition to make this character believable. Though this is a story of the triumph of good over evil -- and there is no doubt as to who is good and who is evil -- this one character is allowed to get away with atrocity after atrocity completely unpunished. Instead, he is rewarded with the girl, a son and a presumably free and happy future life. Not a mention of his hideous acts or any kind of payment therefor. In the context of this film, that ending gave me the creeps.