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Archive covers restored rock ‘n’ roll films with series

By Laurie Lo

May 19, 2004 9:00 p.m.

To rock ‘n’ roll whizzes, 1955 is recorded as a year
of cornerstones. The movie “Rock Around the Clock”
single-handedly liberated an entire generation’s ears, torsos
and imaginations, inventing the rock ‘n’ roll
movie.

The 1950s ushered with it the rise of the anti-hero and a new
and exciting spirit of change, as 1955 also saw the release of
“Rebel Without a Cause”; teenagers seemed more
rebellious than happy-go-lucky. True to its nature, Hollywood soon
realized that the affluent teenage population could be exploited.
This untapped market proved irresistible both to kids and to the
film industry.

“The so-called rock ‘n’ roll movie became
popular after the movie industry found a new demographic with
teenagers,” said Jonathan Kuntz, an American film history
professor. “These kids had a lot of extra spending money and
were willing to invest.”

The UCLA Film and Television Archive, partnering with Sony
Pictures, hopes to draw greater attention to these films with its
new series “Columbia Restorations: Rock Around the
Clock,” screening eight movie prints that have been restored
by Columbia Pictures. The series is named for the first rock
‘n’ roll film, featuring Bill Haley and His Comets and
their hit song, and will include other notable rockers such as
Little Richard, Paul Anka and Chubby Checker.

“We wanted to get a balanced sample of performers that
added variety to the mix,” said head programmer David
Pendleton. “At the same time, an important criterion for the
chosen movies was that they also had to be historically significant
in that they showed how the genre has developed over
time.”

Take for example the film version of “Bye Bye
Birdie.” More than a rock ‘n’ roll film, the
movie is a satire of the genre and was included mainly for its
visual flair.

Columbia Pictures was the first studio to place real rock
‘n’ rollers in front of the camera and create plotlines
that revolved around the music itself. Additionally, rock
‘n’ roll seemed to be the perfect soundtrack for
teenage love on the screen.

Unfortunately, Hollywood was not ready to present teenagers with
all of the nitty-gritty realities of unadulterated performances by
genuine rockers, so many of the storylines had to be watered down
to be deemed acceptable to general society.

“Many of these films’ plotlines are predictable and
deal with rock ‘n’ roll performers and fans looking for
greater acceptance with generally the older generation,”
Pendleton said. “Nonetheless, the new music is in the films
and teenage audiences radically reacted.”

Though films centered on rock ‘n’ roll many seem
outdated for today’s audiences, Pendleton sees many
similarities with today’s hip-hop culture and its movies.

“Take for example the hip-hop movie, “˜8 Mile.’
In both cases, the music and movie industries are primarily
interested in how to market the particular music through
film,” Pendleton said. “And the main character is
looking for acceptance against authority or society.”

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