Jailhouse Rock (1957) on Netflix
Vince Everett accidentally kills a man in a barroom brawl he did not start and is sentenced for manslaughter. His cellmate Hunk Houghton teaches him guitar and proposes they become partners.
- Netflix3.4/5
- IMDb6.5/1010,895 votes
- Rotten Tomatoes67%
Trailer
Plot summary
Vince Everett works in construction, and a fight in a bar leaves a man dead and Vince sentenced to the state penitentiary for manslaughter. His cellmate Hunk Houghton, a country singer past his prime, shows him guitar chords and gets him a spot on an inmate show carried on national television. Fan letters follow, and Hunk talks him into signing a pact to share the act once both are out. Paroled after fourteen months, Vince takes Hunk's promise of work at a friend's nightclub, but the owner will only hire him as a bar boy. There he meets Peggy Van Alden, who promotes the pop singer Mickey Alba. When the house band rests, Vince takes the stage, a customer laughs at him, and he smashes his guitar and leaves.
Cast
- Tracey Morganas Girl in Booth (uncredited)
- Norm Johnsonas Dancer Jailhouse scene
Did you know?!Facts and trivia about Jailhouse Rock (1957)
Can contain spoilers, watch the movie first.
- The release was somewhat overshadowed by the tragic highway death of leading lady Judy Tyler shortly after the film's completion; Presley reportedly was so devastated by Tyler's death that he never watched the film or discussed it.
- When there was no material to show, Jean Aberbach of the Hill & Range music publishing company locked the songwriters in their hotel room until they had written songs; four hours later Leiber and Stoller had written "I Want to Be Free", "Treat Me Nice", "(You're So Square) Baby I Don't Care", and "Jailhouse Rock".
- During the performance, one of Presley's dental caps detached and became lodged in his lung, and he spent a night in the hospital before filming resumed the next day.
- The film was not listed with the studio's planned releases for the year because it was based on a story by Nedrick Young, a blacklisted writer.
- Presley was not initially pleased with the direction of choreographer Alex Romero, so Romero asked Presley to try his own moves for the final sequence; the scene has often been cited as Presley's greatest musical moment on screen.
- Leiber and Stoller were invited to the recording session of April 30, where they met Presley, who then convinced MGM to cast Stoller as the band's pianist in the film.
