Classic Film Friday: Jailhouse Rock

It was inevitable was it not? With my family's love of musicals and the King of rock and roll... we had to come together at some point. I won't get into whether or not the King was exploited or anything like that, we'll just take the movie as it is.

Vince Everett (Elvis) is a bit of a hothead. And he winds up killing a guy in a barroom fight. He didn't mean to, it's just he doesn't know his own strength. So he finds himself in jail, doing hard time. Hunk Houghton (Mickey Shaughnessy) is his cellmate and he has a guitar hanging on the wall. Hunk sort of runs the prison, or at least from the inmates point of view. With time Hunk teaches Vince how to play the guitar.

There is a TV special that puts Vince on his way to stardom (How times change, All we get out of prison now is stories of rape, drugs or somebody getting shanked.) He promises Hunk that they'll go into a partnership once he's out of jail. Vince gets out of jail and Hunk gives him a name and tells him they should give him a job.

Enter Peggy Van Alden (Judy Tyler), who works in the record business. The two, Vince and Peggy, cut a record and now Vince is on his way to stardom. Women, parties, swimming pools, and more. All he really wants is Peggy, but because their arrangement is "strictly business" and because Vince is a bit of an asshole, it's not to be... or is it?

Ok I've gave away about 75% of the movie, but there's still some stuff yet to be settled. This movie is probably Elvis's best, but I'll leave it for you to decide.