Customer Reviews

Jamboree [VHS]

5 star:		(5)
4 star:		(2)
3 star:		(4)
2 star:		(1)
1 star:		(0)

 

 

This Superb Star-Studded Rock n' Roll Musical Classic finds 2 singing hopefuls rising in the ranks of the bussiness,between performances by the likes of Fats Domino,Jerry Lee Lewis,Carl Perkins,Connie Francis,The 4 coins,Charlie Gracie,Jimmy Bowen,Louie Lymon and the Teenchords,Buddy Knox,Frankie Avalon and Slim Whitman.Also in the cast are Dick Clark and hit songwriter Aaron Schroder;the best songs he wrote were for Elvis and Gene Pitman.It's a wonderful trip into the 50's Rock n' Roll Americana that's very well worth watching!!

For students of 1950's rock&roll this DVD should be in your collection of all things 50s'. Again, as was the case with all 50s' rock&roll movies, the recording stars of the era are the "stars" of the film. Carl Perkins, Frankie Avalon, Charlie Gracie, Fats Domino(seeing him sing "wait & see" is worth the cost of the DVD alone). But, sadly, "Jamboree" is technically very disappointing. A little attention to detail whould have made Slim Whitman, Charlie Gracie, Jimmy Bowen & Buddy Knox appear a lot better ... what happened to the guitar solo in "hula love"? Were the producers of the film in hurry to get this in the cinemas? Apart from its technical flaws, there are (some) great 50s rock&roll acts in "Jamboree" and some rarely seen long forgotten names like Jodie Sands & the 4 Coins. For 1950s' music fans only.

Anyone who wants to see some great ol' rock & roll should definitely buy this. The product is of great quality, the film itself lacks with no story & cut-off/edited performances. Seeing Buddy Knox do the full version of "Hula Love" would have made my day...now how about on DVD?

It's great to see Carl Perkins, Jerry Lee, Fats Domino and others perform in this film, although the soap opera plot of two young singers managed by two divorced spouses is a little much at times

Beautiful transfer, welcome major studio DVD. (Looks good, sounds OK; audio was never that clear on 'dialog' track.) Bland story about two ultra-bland 'singers' is only worthwhile for the few rare clips of lip-syncing by a few early Rock 'n' roll greats: Carl Perkins grinning with guitar moves (and inspiring George Harrison's early singing & playing with The Beatles), Jerry Lee Lewis growling and pounding, Fats Domino grinning & tinkling, Count Basie embarrassing himself looking embarrassed playing rock 'n' roll that's only beneath him because he thinks it is (or he can tell the filmmakers are flim-flamming artists & fans alike) when it's Milton Subotsky and Warner Bros. that should be embarrassed that they can't do this as well as was done in the world's first rock 'n' roll exploitation movie ("Rock Around The Clock" which is corny fun that gives you some idea of the music scene of the times where this is lame beating around the fictious bush). The actors are terrible instead of laughable. For collector's only, despite good quality and necessity. Buddy Knox is a rare treat too.

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 over 50 years ago....hard to believe.

Joining him are some megastars 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, as I was, 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 lip-synching the music and - no surprise here - they weren't all the greatest of actors. Plus, 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.

Let's face it kids, this movie was bad when it came out and time does not alter that fact, however it is fun to look back and see this celluloid history of Rock N' Roll!

This film is not a fantastic film considering it as a whole. HOWEVER, the brief performance of Buddy Knox singing his "Hula Love" with his Rhythm Orchids including Jimmy Bowen playing the rhythm guitar and Don Lanier, who was one of the finest and greatest rock and roll solo guitarists of the 50's, make this film a must. Yes, this brief performance of Buddy really makes this otherwise mediocre film a great value for the serious lover of the beginnings of Rock and Roll era. It is sad that Buddy Knox has been somehow underrated as a rock and roll star. Buddy was one of the finest and most charming rock and roll singers, and his voice and style were unsurpassed. Buddy Knox was as great as Buddy Holly and Gene Vincent. It is very sad that he passed away in 1999.

The movie's plot centers around Pete and Honey - two teens who fall in love while trying to climb to the top of the music charts with the help of their ruthless managers. Along this backstage musical-style journey, many real life artists perform. One not-to-be-missed performance is a young Frankie Avalon in his FIRST movie apperance (well before his first hit, "Dede Dinah"). Also to note is that even though she doesn't appear in the movie, Connie Francis' voices all of Honey's songs.

If you enjoyed movies like, "Don't Knock the Rock", "Rock Around the Clock", "The Girl Can't Help It", or "Rock, Rock, Rock" this movie's for you.

There are a number of Rock 'n' Roll films that have been released on DVD. So far, Jamboree ranks high with the quality of its DVD transfer. It did not appear to receive any particular restoration, per se, but the print used was quite watchable.