The Girl Can’t Help It (1956)

Tom Miller (Tom Ewell) a washed-out, broken-hearted, alcoholic talent agent is hired by a mobster Marty "Fats" Murdock (Edmond O'Brien, with an emphasis on problematic weight gain, not just for this character but also Mansfield’s) to turn his fiancé Jerri Jordan (Jayne Mansfield) into a star as he won’t abide marrying anyone other than a star.

She has apparently no interest in show biz however, being more of a domestic type (mothering, cooking, nursing) despite being quite obviously a knock-out.

Not only that, but after being paraded in all the night clubs in town turns out she can’t even sing.

Trouble begins to brew when the agent realizes he can no longer fantasize about the girl who previously broke his heart (Julie London) and instead sees the mobster’s girl, and his client beginning to get suspicious.

While the story could easily be played for drama or even tragedy, it is instead played for light comedy; and while the movie is clearly a Jayne Mansfield vehicle (sure, there is that; plus a series of adolescent, Freudian, Tex Avery-styled sight gags including the classic one with the two milk bottles; and all males, including little kids, acting like wolves and saying a funny one liner when she’s around,) the true reason for getting your movie ticket is to finally see an incredible array of rock and roll acts in color and cinemascope (though often the movie cheats and all we get is a color TV screen.)

Acts include Fats Domino, Little Richard, Eddie Cochran, The Platters, Gene Vincent, The Treniers, Eddie Fontaine, The Chuckles, Abbey Lincoln, Johnny Olenn and Nino Tempo.

Strangely enough, the movie is also a sort of expose of the music industry, with a focus not only on competition from two different mobsters for control of the jukebox racket (song play is bulldozed with the help of blatant criminal acts,) but also on shady agents who push unworthy talent into the limelight, (which is weird, considering all that undeniable talent in the background which should require none!) while at the same time completely ignoring its target teenage audience not a single one of which has a significant scene or line, and who will be ridiculed as being mesmerized by a ridiculous novelty act …or, was this movie intended for other people than rock and roll fans?

That might be it.

That Frank Tashlin’s film succeeds in more than just satirizing teenage culture is owed as much to luck as to an eye for actual talent.

Also with Edmond O'Brien, Henry Jones, and Julie London.

Colorful, highly inventive, and with a great soundtrack of music artists at their peak - this is probably the best rock and roll movie ever.