Jailhouse Rock (1957)

Jailhouse Rock (1957)

Vince Everett (Elvis Presley, basically playing himself in an A Star is Born type of movie,) is a quick-tempered construction worker with a little bit of music knowledge (he was taught by an uncle) who, while defending a chance-met barfly's honor, inadvertently kills her abuser.

While in prison for manslaughter, he is mentored by Hunk Houghton, a former country musician-turned-bank robber (Mickey Shaughnessy) who upon secretly recognizing his flowering talent partners with him.

Released first, and having learned one can make a living with music he teams up with a young, attractive promoter (Judy Tyler) and her lawyer, and together they start their own record company. It's obvious there is chemistry between the singer and the promoter, but ambition and hunger for success manages to get between them.

As the record label becomes successful, we dread the inevitable moment when his prison mentor will come to reclaim the fifty percent due him because of their signed contract; but after being given a break on a television special and being rejected because of his outdated singing style (was television ever truly this discriminating? Certainly not in my TV watching experience even as late as the 1970s and 1980s! How would this movie attempt to explain things like the Star Wars Holiday Special? I bet that, realistically, the 1957 TV industry would not really have had a problem with Hunk's number, since in fact, they had a problem with Elvis!) the former mentor becomes satisfied with only ten percent while doing flunky work.

Success has gone to Elvis' head, but a voice endangering injury puts everything back in perspective.

Presented first as a sort of Galahad, (Elvis is initially even polite towards the warden); but after being abused in prison he changes, becomes distrustful, and turns into a sort of obnoxious, near-juvenile delinquent, swell-headed figure who needs to be taken down a notch.

Inside, he is told people may be bad in prison but outside of it they are even worse, which is immediately proven true when a record executive 'steals' his song arrangement.

Elvis' nice-guy image still manages comes thru, but it's obvious he's being directed to lean into a bad boy persona.

Check out the fan letter that fifteen-year-old girl writes him.

Hide your young daughters, folks!

Rock and roll movies are considered, for some reason, psychotronic films, probably not merely because of their musical nature and more likely because of their cultish appeal. Elvis' movies are a subgenre onto themselves.

The fact that Top Secret (1984) was meant partially and specifically as a spoof of the subgenre may have gone over contemporary audiences' heads - why would an 18-year-old in 1984 be thinking of Elvis movies even while recognizing Val Kilmer's performance?

Obviously, someone casting Elvis would want to include some songs, and we get some nice ones here.

Some of Elvis movie were romantic, comedic musicals, but this one leans more into serious drama, (a couple others did as well.)

Also, with Vaughn Taylor and Jennifer Holden.

This may be the Elvis movie with "Presley's greatest moment on screen" (which may, or may not be saying much), and if not, it's at least probably the best place to start on his filmography.