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Released by: Direct Video
Released on: 6/25/2004
Director: Edward L. Cahn
Cast: Fats Domino, Lisa Gaye, Sterling Holloway, Raymond Hatton, Touch Conners, Margaret Dumont
Year: 1956
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The Movie:
Ah, the 50s. I wasn't around for them, but I sure like to pretend I was by starting off my reviews with phrases like 'ah, the 50s.' If the makers of Shake, Rattle And Rock! are to be believed, and they're not, it was a decade where good natured kids just wanted to cut loose and dance to good time music. Things haven't changed all that much since then, as I still like to cut loose and dance to good time music myself, but whereas the kids in this movie danced to Fats Domino, I like to shake it to the thunderous music of Manowar.
But enough about me and my fancy footwork. What's this movie about, I hear you all shout in a unified voice of anger? Well, somewhere in Smalltown U. S. A., a group of concerned parents are doing their gosh darndest to put a stop to rock and roll. It seems that they have reason to believe that it leads to nothing but juvenile delinquency and bad table manners.
Not everyone is a square though. Nope. A TV announcer and a popular radio DJ rally behind the kids who just wanna rock, and start doing their part to convince the concerned parents of the town that rock and roll is a-ok. Those concerned parents are a stubborn bunch though and it all ends up in a televised court battle where, in order to clear their name, the defense calls on Fats Domino and Joe Turner who strut their stuff to win everyone over to the side of rock and roll.
Video/Audio/Extras:
The film looks like it was shot 1.33.1 and that's how it is shown here. Overall this is a pretty clean transfer with minimal print damage and nice contrast levels. The blacks are nice and deep and don't break up much. Edge enhancement is there, but never a real problem and for the most part, things look quite nice.
We have a Dolby Digital Mono track here, in English, which is its original sound format. While the mix is a little low, it's nothing that turning the volume up on your receiver can't fix. Once you've done that, sure it sounds a little tinny in a few places but for the most part sound quality on this release is fine. Background music is balanced nicely against the dialogue and the sound effects never seem to overshadow any of the other sounds. There are optional Dutch subtitles available on this release as well.
Included on the disc are a few trailers for other films in the Arkoff Film Library - The She Creature, War Of The Colossal Beast, Voodoo Woman, The Undead, The Spider, The Brain Eaters, Blood Of Dracula and Reform School Girl. Rounding out the supplements is an audio interview with Arkoff from 1991, recorded at an appearance that he made at the National Film Theater. Pictures play underneath the discussion as a sort of slide show, as the late producer talks candidly about his life and his work. If you've seen any of the other films in the series and these extras seem similar, that's because they are.
The Final Word:
Shake, Rattle and Rock! is good dumb fun. Turn your brain off going in and enjoy this goofy time capsule for what it is.