Hello, for research for a project I am looking for contributions or recollections of anyone who might remember going to see Rock Around the Clock in the cinemas in 1956, particularly (but not only) in the UK or Ireland - would love to read any accounts of the atmosphere in the cinemas.
shareYou ought to try asking on the Classic Film board--there's more traffic there, you could find people who saw it in theaters. Just click 'Main Boards' and look under the 'Film Talk' category.
"Did you make coffee...? Make it!"--Cheyenne.
I was 11 years old when this movie came out in the US. We were all crazy about RR as it was brand new then and was so looking forward to this movie. Damn, what a disappointment it was, wasn't anything like the atmosphere of the times. This was more like 1930s and 40s B movies with mostly real crappy faux RR songs scabbed on to it. Sucked majorly back then and sucks even worse today.
shareI see you posted this request in May 2012, which raises the question "Am I too late to be of any help?" Robin
shareI saw this when first released in the UK in early 1956 when I was 11.
I can honestly say that it changed my life and converted me to a fanatical rock'n'roll fan. Bill Haley visited the UK later that year and I religously waited to view his Southampton/London train go through Wimbledon....complete with kiss curl!
Those were the days!!
I also saw this in a theater with my older brother. I was 7 at the time.
The one thing I vividly remember was all these teens who got out of their seats when the tunes came on and jitterbugged and such all up and down the aisles. It was crazy fun.
I think about this today and it really is amazing that management of the theater were so accommodating to let them do that back then. I doubt that would ever be allowed today under the same circumstances.
A conversation this afternoon prompted me to look this up on IMDb though rather a long time after the original question was asked. But I can comment on arisdisc's more recent comment. I saw it in the Palace Cinema Ramsgate UK, not sure if it was 1956 or early 1957 but first showing there (was it originally classified as an 'A' in the UK - or equivalent - as I recall some difficulty getting in, think I had to lie that I was 16 when in fact I was only 12 with no accompanying adult). I still have 78 rpms of Bill Haley and particularly The Platters (who went through various formations) and I still play them quite frequently.... But what I was actually going to comment on was arisdisc's recollection of people dancing in the aisles because in the Palace there were signs in all the aisles "NO DANCING ALLOWED" (never seen that before or since!) and even though some attempted this was the age of usherettes with torches (and possibly a couple of heavies, can't recall that exactly) that would stop it instantly. I now of course have an urge to see it again - and YouTube is pretty good for jitterbug as well. Interesting that some contemporary university Student Unions have Jitterbug Societies. Long may they flourish. bb.
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