SONGS: "Rock of Ages", "Sing, Boy, Sing", "Gonna Talk with My Lord", "Who Baby?", "Crazy 'Cause I Love You", "Bundle of Dreams", "Your Daddy Wants to Do Right", "Just a Little Bit More", "That's All I Want from You", "People In Love", "Soda-Pop Song", "Would I Love You", "How About You".
Copyright 1958 by 20th Century-Fox Film Corp. New York opening at the Mayfair: 21 February 1958. U.S. release: January 1958. U.K. release: 18 May 1958. Australian release: 10 July 1958. 8,135 feet. 90 minutes.
SYNOPSIS: Virgil Walker, raised in the South by his Revivalist- preaching grandfather and aunt, is taken in tow by an unscrupulous manager who builds him into a guitar-swinging, rock 'n' roll teenage idol. He scores a tremendous success at New York's Roxy Theatre, to the squealing delight of his thousands of fans, and goes on to make many hit recordings and eventually lands a Hollywood picture contract. Despite his fame and fortune, however, Virgil is lonesome, and "hires" a teenage companion, C. K. Judd, a swingin', hep character who hangs by Virgil's coat tails of success wherever they go. When Virgil's grandfather is stricken by a heart attack, Sharkey, the manager, and Fisher, his press agent, keep the news from him for fear the boy will return to a life of preaching, a long-standing aim of the boy's grandfather. But Virgil discovers the truth and returns to the South.
NOTES: Film debut of Tommy Sands.
Oddly, Ephron doesn't even mention the film in his autobiography, even though it's the only movie he ever directed.
Paul Monash's story "The Singin' Idol" was originally the basis of a television play on Kraft Playhouse.
COMMENT: Move over, Elvis, here comes Tommy Sands! They've even blown the dust off that old warhorse "The Jazz Singer" to give Tommy his big chance — not to mention at least two dozen other pictures including Presley's own "Loving You" and "Jailhouse Rock".
Despite his impressive list of producing and writing credits, Ephron's direction is completely undistinguished. True, he wouldn't be encouraged by Binyon's typically wordy and slow-moving script (though, if you can last that long, the final half-hour has a somewhat bizarre quality that doubtless derives from Monash's original). But if it comes to a decision, Ephron is the duller of the two.
Photography and other credits are no more than adequate. Not that the fans will notice. Fans? Does Tommy Sands have fans? I've never met one. In my time, I've talked with a few thousand Elvis fans, but never a one for Tommy Sands. No, not a single one! (And if this dreadful movie is a fair sample of what young Sands dishes out, that's hardly surprising).
Copyright 1958 by 20th Century-Fox Film Corp. New York opening at the Mayfair: 21 February 1958. U.S. release: January 1958. U.K. release: 18 May 1958. Australian release: 10 July 1958. 8,135 feet. 90 minutes.
SYNOPSIS: Virgil Walker, raised in the South by his Revivalist- preaching grandfather and aunt, is taken in tow by an unscrupulous manager who builds him into a guitar-swinging, rock 'n' roll teenage idol. He scores a tremendous success at New York's Roxy Theatre, to the squealing delight of his thousands of fans, and goes on to make many hit recordings and eventually lands a Hollywood picture contract. Despite his fame and fortune, however, Virgil is lonesome, and "hires" a teenage companion, C. K. Judd, a swingin', hep character who hangs by Virgil's coat tails of success wherever they go. When Virgil's grandfather is stricken by a heart attack, Sharkey, the manager, and Fisher, his press agent, keep the news from him for fear the boy will return to a life of preaching, a long-standing aim of the boy's grandfather. But Virgil discovers the truth and returns to the South.
NOTES: Film debut of Tommy Sands.
Oddly, Ephron doesn't even mention the film in his autobiography, even though it's the only movie he ever directed.
Paul Monash's story "The Singin' Idol" was originally the basis of a television play on Kraft Playhouse.
COMMENT: Move over, Elvis, here comes Tommy Sands! They've even blown the dust off that old warhorse "The Jazz Singer" to give Tommy his big chance — not to mention at least two dozen other pictures including Presley's own "Loving You" and "Jailhouse Rock".
Despite his impressive list of producing and writing credits, Ephron's direction is completely undistinguished. True, he wouldn't be encouraged by Binyon's typically wordy and slow-moving script (though, if you can last that long, the final half-hour has a somewhat bizarre quality that doubtless derives from Monash's original). But if it comes to a decision, Ephron is the duller of the two.
Photography and other credits are no more than adequate. Not that the fans will notice. Fans? Does Tommy Sands have fans? I've never met one. In my time, I've talked with a few thousand Elvis fans, but never a one for Tommy Sands. No, not a single one! (And if this dreadful movie is a fair sample of what young Sands dishes out, that's hardly surprising).