MovieChat Forums > Otherworld (1985) Discussion > The Rock 'n Roll episode

The Rock 'n Roll episode

posted 18 years ago by marsxxiv
8 replies | jump to latest

Suicide!

Back-masking. (Do it. Do it. Get the gun. Shoot. Shoot.) Hidden messages on their records, yet the kids didn't play a Judas Priest or Ozzy Osbourne song. I guess those Beatle dudes were Satanic enough.

Ever notice that Jonna actually knows how to play drums. And Tony doesn't seem to know how to play guitar. In the studio it doesn't show the face of the guy playing guitar on the closeups, and on stage during the school talent show tryouts it's edited so you don't see him upclose strumming and fretting. Weird, because later in the episode he seems to handle it ok. I think they must've used a stand-in during some scenes, while editing out shots of him in other scenes where he clearly doesn't "play" the guitar properly. All the while, Jonna really plays the drums well.

I love New Wave, but I can't stand The Beatles and Rolling Stones. So hearing Otherworld versions of music by those two bands were, for me, better than the originals.

Gotta love that shyster manager. And the gold-digging girlfriend.

Overall, one of my least-favorite episodes, yet still enjoyable.

[–] 18 years ago

[deleted]

[–] Kris-58 16 years ago

You're joking, right? The Rock and Roll episode is by far my favorite, and sadly the only one I vividly recall. I would LOVE to get my hands on the original song the kids sang on stage in the final scene, as it's still in my head 20 something years later.

I have since worked in the music industry and think they did a nice job of commenting on the reception of rock in the 50s, and also nailing the typical characters backstage. Nicely done.

Anyone got a copy????

[–] marsxxiv 16 years ago

I like the commentary; it's just my least favorite episode.

I have the series on dvd.

[–] jfuchs-9 16 years ago

Sugar pop girl, she's my bop, she's my bop, bop girl...

[–] linop90 12 years ago

They do the beatles song better than the original.

Eat the Neocons.

[–] faeria 11 years ago

Ever notice that Jonna actually knows how to play drums.

I remember reading once that Jonna did actually know how to play the drums so that's how that happened.

Fun fact: the manager in that episode is played by the actor who played Jethro in The Beverly Hillbillies. That's why they included the theme to TBH in their songs that they recorded. Sly little wink, sort of thing.

It's not about who you are or your fancy car. You're only ever who you were.

[–] jpowell180 9 years ago

Actually, the manager (Billy Sunshine) was played by Michael Callan; Max Baer played Jethro on The Beverly Hillbillies, and he was not in any of the Otherworld episodes.

[–] richard.fuller1 10 years ago

This was actually the episode that turned me off of this show; nothing worse than having characters from 'our world' go somewhere else and become stars, regardless of how well they may or may not sing.

It's highly unlikely I myself could do the same thing, if at all possible, so that was why I didn't like it.

Just because someone isn't familiar with a song doesn't mean you'll be a smash success with it.

There was an American named Dean Reed who ventured into the USSR and became a hit there during the cold war.

Of course, here we've never heard of him.

That's what this episode reminded me of.

If I could go to a remote island where the natives have never heard Dancing In The Dark and I started in on it with them, they would probably look at me, completely bewildered. I wish that had been the case with that episode instead of 'its bad music. Haul them in for questioning.'

And I remember the Beverly Hillbillies theme being included with all the then-pop songs, but didn't know that was Max Baer, but this was about the last episode I watched of this show.