TCM Should Show A Weekend of Rock Musicals

This Labour Day Week there was the TCM End of Summer Tour, which featured several classic concert films every night. I thoroughly enjoyed it, particularly as I got to revisit old favourites (The Decline of Western Civilization and The Song Remains the Same), as well as films I had never seen before (Monterey Pop). It was a time when two of my favourite things, rock 'n' roll and classic movies, intersected. This got me to thinking, Turner Classic Movies could devote another three day weekend to rock musicals. There is no shortage of them. Indeed, they could devote a three day weekend to Elvis Presley's musicals alone. An added bonus would be that I think those few who did not like the concert films on TCM this weekend might be more amenable to rock musicals. Of course, here I wouldn't want TCM to pre-empt Noir Alley, but I have a solution for that below.

Below are my suggestions for some of the movies Turner Classic Movies could program during such a weekend. Here I have to say that I wouldn't consider some of these movies "classics" (some of them are pretty bad), but they all have great music. I have put them in chronological order.

The Girl Can't Help It (1956): This was one of the movies that started it all. Intended as a vehicle for Jayne Mansfield, the end result was a movie featuring some of the biggest names of 1950s rock 'n' roll. Little Richard, Gene Vincent, Eddie Cochran, Fats Domino, and The Platters are among the artists in the movie.

Jailhouse Rock (1957): I really don't have to say anything about this film. As far as I am concerned it is the Elvis Presley movie.

Summer Holiday (1963): Cliff Richard was considered the United Kingdom's answer to Elvis Presley, and like Elvis he did movies. Summer Holiday is a fun movie that is a little different from many rock musicals in that it incorporates dance in its music scenes. The dance scenes were choreographed by Herbert Ross.

Viva Las Vegas (1964): I would say that Viva Las Vegas is my second favourite Elvis movie, save that I think of it as an Elvis Presley and Ann-Margret movie! It is easily the best of Elvis's Sixties movies in my humble opinion.

A Hard Day's Night (1964): Okay, my love for this film is well-known. I am pretty much the default TCMParty host on Twitter for it! A Hard Day's Night is the Citizen Kane of rock musicals, the one that broke the mould. Before it, there wasn't really a whole lot to separate rock musicals from traditional musicals. A Hard Day's Night was dramatically different. It was a nearly plotless film that used documentary techniques and was shot in black-and-white.

Catch Us If You Can (1965): For a time The Dave Clark Five were The Beatles' chief rivals. Naturally then, they had to do a movie. Like A Hard Day's Night, Catch Us If You Can is dramatically different from many rock musicals. For one thing, The Dave Clark Five don't play themselves, but stuntmen. For another, it is a rather dark film with some substance to it. This should come as no surprise, as it was John Boorman's feature film debut.

Help! (1965): While it is available on DVD, sadly The Beatles' second film, Help!, is not available on streaming and is not shown on television very often. Indeed, TCM has never shown it. That having been said, it would be worth Turner Classic Movies' while to get the rights. While it is a very different film from A Hard Day's Night, it is still a classic in its own right, a fast and loose comedy that draws in equal measure from the Marx Brothers' movies and the contemporary spy films.

Hold On! (1966): Starring Herman's Hermits, Hold On! is a very American film. Indeed, it plays largely like an American situation comedy. That having been said, it is a whole lot of fun and features some of Herman's Hermits' best work.

The Ghost Goes Gear (1966): Okay, The Ghost Goes Gear is not a very good film. That having been said, it is worth it seeing The Spencer Davis Group in their prime, not to mention some more obscure British groups.

Head (1968): If A Hard Day's Night broke new ground for rock musicals, Head went even further. It is an almost entirely plotless movie that deconstructs The Monkee's pre-fabricated image. It features some of The Monkees' best songs, as well as some truly incredible sequences, including a giant Victor Mature.

Tommy (1975): Tommy is based upon The Who's 1969 rock opera and directed by Ken Russell. While it is a bit uneven and way over the top, it is worth it for some great performances (both acting and music).

Rock 'n' Roll High School (1979): If you know me, you know I would have to include this one. Rock 'n' Roll High School centres on rock 'n' roll loving high school students who want to meet The Ramones in person. While made in the late Seventies, in many ways it feels like a throwback to the Fifties rock 'n' roll musicals. It also features some of The Ramones' best songs, including the title track.

Quadrophenia (1979): Okay, Quadrophenia is a not a rock musical per se. No one breaks into song in the film. That having been said, it is based on The Who's 1973 rock opera and music figures prominently in the film. And while there are a good number of anachronisms and inaccuracies in the film, Quadrophenia does a good job of capturing the Mod subculture in mid-Sixties London.

Ladies and Gentlemen, The Fabulous Stains (1982): While some of these films centre on real-life bands, Ladies and Gentlemen, The Fabulous Stains centres on a fictional, all-girl punk band. The film never received a wide release, but it found an audience after repeated airings on the TV show Night Flight. It would prove to an influence on the riot grrl subculture of the Nineties.

This is  Spinal Tap (1984): Okay, This is Spinal Tap is a mockumentary about a fictional heavy metal band, but as a razor sharp parody of rock documentaries it is a must when discussing rock 'n' roll films. Ever since the movie it has become fashionable to compare rock bands considered bad to Spinal Tap (as Henry Collins of Black Flag once did with the band Venom) or to reference Spinal Tap when discussing bands that have gone through many drummers (Pearl Jam themselves actually referenced Spinal Tap with regards to the number of drummers they have had).

Of course, one caveat many Noir Alley fans had with the TCM End of Summer Tour is that it pre-empted the 11:00 PM Central/12:00 AM Eastern, Saturday showing of Noir Alley. Now as I much as I love the idea of a programming block of rock musicals, I wouldn't want TCM to pre-empt the Saturday night airing of Noir Alley (I am not a morning person). My solution for this is to show Noir Alley, but air a noir in which music plays a central role. There is any number to chose from, including Gilda (1946), The Man I Love (1947), and Sweet Smell of Success (1957).