Rock It, Cat

ROCK, ROCK, ROCK-1956-Teenager Dory (13 year old Tuesday Weld in her movie debut) gets into some trouble trying to make money so she can buy a new dress for her prom. A bitch named Gloria (Jacqueline Kerr) tricks Dory into lending her some money then blackmails Dory's boyfriend Tommy (Teddy Randazzo who of course also sings) into taking her to the prom instead of Dory. Later Dory turns the tables on Gloria and gets her dress, her date and Alan Freed (also featured in ROCK AROUND THE CLOCK the same year) hosts the prom which features music by Connie Francis (who also dubbed Dory's singing), Chuck Berry, Frankie Lymon, Dion and The Belmonts, LaVerne Baker, The Moonglows and Johnny Burnette. 

This harmless black and white nonsense with great music was the production collaboration of Englishman Milton Subotsky (who wrote the screenplay) and American Max Rosenberg before they formed Amicus Productions in England making some great horror anthologies giving the then dominant Hammer studio a run for it's money. 

Director Will Price, a former husband of Maureen O'Hara, didn't do anything after ROCK as his career was hampered by alcohol abuse. He died in 1962 at the age of 48....

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Because

BECAUSE THEY'RE YOUNG-1960-American Bandstand's Dick Clark (who died in April 2012 at 82)  is a new high school teacher. His students include a loving couple (Doug McClure & Roberta Shore; 5 years later they would both co-star on TV's THE VIRGINIAN) who want to get married, skinny Warren Beringer (who later became a pudgy TV character actor) who doesn't know his mom's a floozy, bad boy Riff Rimer (Michael Callan) and his ex-girl friend Anne (Tuesday Weld) who has a nagging mother. Chris Robinson (later the lead role in STANLEY) is a toughie who tries to cause trouble at a dance where James Darren and Duane Eddy (who also does the theme song) perform! 


Riff gets involved in a hold up staged by his butcher shop boss. Lying and misunderstandings (and a knife fight) follow but the man who made lip-synching fashionable on music shows straightens out everything in the end. 


Also with Victoria Shaw (who was Maria Van Braun in I AIM FOR THE STARS the same year) as Clark's love interest, Phillip Coolidge, Bess Flowers and John Zaremba. It's based on a novel called "Harrison High". 


The year before BTY director Paul Wendkos had directed the original GIDGET (and would also make its two sequels) but later devoted himself mostly to TV. 


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