Touches You

I really wanted to like this movie. I feel terribly cynical trashing it, and that's why I'm giving it a middling 5. Actually, I'm giving it a 5 because there were some superb performances.

A terrific literary drama and character piece that shows how the process of creating art can be seen differently by those doing it and those looking at it from the outside.

The movie really just wants to entertain people.

Hilariously, howlingly bad movie! Supposedly intended for rock 'n' roll audiences, this amazingly wrongheaded movie instead puts bland-beyond-bland crooning couple at its center.They are managed by two agents, played by actors who are bad beyond belief! Wow. I know this was on late at night on TCM, but I wasn't that drowsy! You think you're hallucinating watching the scenery chewing by the two agent characters and the sleep inducing "performances" by the two young singers.The "plot" has the two agents breaking up the singing duo, for no reason whatsoever, just to get them back together at the end. Inexplicably, there are actual! musicians involved here, like Jerry Lee Lewis, who just pop in for no discernible reason. Even Dick Clark shows up, hosting a telethon half way through.This just demonstrates a major studio like Warner Bros. trying desperately to crank out a quicky "rock 'n' roll movie" and not having any idea whatsoever how to do it!Y-I-K-E-S!** (2 Out of 10 Stars) = Cinematic Calamity!

Here we go again with a virtually Unwatchable, Wretched Hollywood attempt to bring the success of early Rock n Roll to the Screen.Trouble is they never did get it. They saw this Music as a Threat or at the very Least a Fad and they didn't expect it to get any Respect or Consideration, nothing more than a Novelty or believe it or not, a Communist Plot.The few good Acts are slipped in and out of other "Respectable" Pre-Packaged Pap and Cornball Crooners. The lead "Actor" Kids Sing more than anybody and they are Presented to Epitomize what was deemed Desirable to all except Juvenile Delinquents and God-Forbid, "Race Record" Fans.If You can avoid turning it off there will be some Rewards if very Brief. The always Rockin', Jerry Lee Lewis...the Fun Rockabilly Sound of Carl Perkins...Frankie Lymon for some Doo Wop...and the Velvet Voice and R&B Rhythms of Fats Domino.All of these Greats do only One Song but it is Really-Cool that it was captured on Film. Get out the Cut and Paste Program.

I believe this was put out only about a year after Dick Clark began hosting the long-running Amercian Bandstand television show. Clark plays an emcee in this film, similar to his role on that famous TV show. It's very interesting to see him as such a young guy. It was just about 50 years ago....hard to believe.Joining him are some mega-stars from the early rock 'n roll era: Jerry Lee Lewis, Carl Perkins Frankie Avalon and Fats Domino and some lesser-names like Jimmy Bowen, Jodie Sands, Buddy Knox and a bunch more. For viewers looking for upbeat music, this was disappointing. Most of the songs were Connie Francis-type ballads. Also, the dubbing in here is horrible. It's obvious these singers were dubbing the music and - no surprise here - they weren't all the greatest of actors and the script was lame.....very lame. Hey, that's what you got with a lot of "rock" movies back then - some horrible scripts. I guess you just watch it to see the singers in their heyday.

Pitiful plot and sorry as a movie. But the real stars performing makes for good viewing. A young couple played by Freda Holloway and Paul Carr want to be famous singers. Kay Medford plays the agitating manager that manipulates the two songbirds,that don't even come near professionalism; let alone sing good rock 'n' roll. Although the singing voice of Holloway is that of singer Connie Francis.Also in the cast are disc jockey Dick Clark and songwriter Aaron Schroder. Schroder in the real world wrote many hit songs; the best were for Elvis Presley and Gene Pitney.Some of the real stars of this film, doing their thing for the camera are: Jerry Lee Lewis, Frankie Avalon, Fats Domino, Charlie Gracie, Buddy Knox, Count Basie, Slim Whitman and Carl Perkins. The plot is a flop and the music is hip. Turn the lights on low and GO! Daddyo! GO!