Jerry Lee Lewis Movies

Jamboree adheres to the usual formula of late-1950s rock&roll films: A plethora of musical numbers linked together by the wispiest of plotlines. Kay Medford heads the cast as manipulative showbiz agent Grace Shaw. Hoping to land pop singer Pete Porter (Paul Carr), Grace connives to break up Pete's romance with female vocalist Honey Wynn (Freda Holloway). But who cares? The audience came to see such musical faves as Fats Domino, Count Basie, Jerry Lee Lewis, Jodie Sands, Ron Coby, Slim Whitman, Carl Perkins, Frankie Avalon, Charlie Gracie and the Four Coins. As a promotional tie-in, Jamboree also features appearances by 21 of North America's top rock-and-roll deejays. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide

Dave Martin (David Hemmings) and his mates once again find themselves dealing with the tricky side of the music business in this sequel to the British pop musical Live It Up. Dave has become interested in writing, and has a lead on a job with a newspaper in the seaside community of Brighton. As luck would have it, his parents Herbert (Ivor Salter) and Margaret (Diana King) are also moving to Brighton, having inherited a guest house there that they've decided to take over as the family business. En route to Brighton, Dave meets Erica (Andrea Monet), a pretty girl from the United States who is going to Brighton to audition for a job as a dancer. She is lacking accommodations, so Dave offers to put her up at the family's new guest house, though Herbert and Margaret at first believe their son has less than honorable intentions. When Erica's audition falls through, she opts to stay on in Brighton, and she's soon joined by Dave's old pals Phil (John Pike) and Ricky (Stephen Marriot), who were his partners in the beat group the Smart Alecks. Publicity friendly impresario Hilton Bass (David Healy) arrives in town looking for "the Brighton Sound," which he's convinced will be the next big thing after the success of Merseybeat. Dave asks his pals to re-form the Smart Alecks to enter the talent competition Bass is staging, but he's disqualified when he learns the paper he's working for is helping to sponsor the contest. However, Dave thinks he may have struck upon a story when he uncovers evidence that suggests Bass has rigged the contest to favor a group he's already signed to a deal. Be My Guest features guest appearances from Jerry Lee Lewis and the Nashville Teens (the latter of whom also serve as Lewis' backing band), as well as lesser known beat groups the Nightshades, Kenny and the Wranglers, and the Zephyrs. Noted British rock producer Shel Talmy coordinated the film's musical score. ~ Mark Deming, All Movie Guide

Shindig, the hit '60s music series, presents a vintage performance by rocker Jerry Lee Lewis. Lewis sings up a storm while pounding the keyboards. His nine-song set includes "Great Balls of Fire," "Breathless," and "Whole Lotta Shakin'" (with Jackie Wilson). This video also includes classic commercials from the '60s and the original Shindig cast. ~ Karla Baker, All Movie Guide

This lively musical comedy pays tribute to the birth of rock & roll in the late 1950s and the instrumental role played by disc jockey Alan Freed who helped bring the new sound into vogue. Much of the story centers on the daring deejay's attempts to put on the very first live rock & roll stage show at the Paramount Theatre in Brooklyn. To do this he must overcome the protests of concerned and angry parents, conservatives, and local police. Several performers of the era appear in the film including Chuck Berry, and Jerry Lee Lewis. ~ Sandra Brennan, All Movie Guide

This sell-out performance in the U.K. in 1983 features the Killer doing hits like "Tutti Frutti," "Good Golly Miss Molly," "Great Balls of Fire" and many others. ~ All Movie Guide

A compilation of tunes from various concerts by Jerry Lee Lewis is presented here. Some tunes include "What's I Say," "Tutti Frutti" and many others. ~ All Movie Guide

This video profiles the life and work of Ricky Nelson through the use of film, interviews and songs focusing on his work on The Ozzie and Harriet Show, singing career and the fatal plane crash in 1986. ~ All Movie Guide

This music documentary is produced and directed by the same filmmaker who brought Monterrey Pop to the screen. It features performances from a 1969 Toronto rock 'n roll festival. The film shows performers Jerry Lee Lewis, Little Richard, Eric Clapton, Bo Diddley, Alan White, Klaus Voorman and John Lennon and Yoko Ono with the Plastic Ono Band. Although many other people appeared in the 12-hour-long festival, the filmmaker chose to record the whole performances of these few, rather than give highlights of the entire festival. Festival-goers booed and walked out on a performance by Yoko Ono and her brand new Plastic Ono Band. Film reviewers at the time were similarly affected. Latterly, though, both her performance and this film have grown in interest and watchability, particularly given the rarity of such thorough documentation of these key performers' work in concert. ~ Clarke Fountain, All Movie Guide

Until its last 10 minutes or so, this filmed biography of controversial recording star Jerry Lee Lewis plays like a live-action cartoon. As played by Dennis Quaid, "the killer" is a very mixed-up individual: a saintly sinner, a world-wise naif, a skilled performer with zero sense of discipline, a loving husband who uses his wife for a punching bag. The story takes place during the years 1956 through 1958, as Lewis rises to the top of the charts with such hits as "Crazy Arms," "A Whole Lotta Shakin' Goin' On," and the title tune. Along the way, he falls in love with his second cousin Myra (Winona Ryder), eventually marrying the girl. When it is revealed that Myra is only 13 years old, Lewis is condemned as a molester and pervert by the public (his disastrous tour of England during this crisis is depicted in hilarious Tex Avery fashion). After establishing a brisk, satirical tone through most of the proceedings, the film plummets into heavy dramatics in its final portions, jarring disastrously with all that has gone before. Otherwise, Quaid is terrific as Lewis (expertly lip-synching to the original records,) and Ryder is equally good as the long-suffering Myra. Featured in the cast are Alec Baldwin as Jerry's cousin Jimmy Swaggart (the same!), Michael St. Gerard as Lewis' great rival Elvis, and Steve Allen as himself. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide

This 1987 documentary presents the life story of influential singer, songwriter, and musician Jerry Lee Lewis, whose pioneering brand of country-blues-boogie shook the world of rock & roll. Nicknamed "The Killer," and a cousin of notorious televangelist Jimmy Swaggart, Lewis displayed a prodigious eclectic musical talent, absorbing and reworking blues, gospel, Al Jolson, rockabilly, and Hank Williams. This biography features interviews with Lewis and a lineup of performing artists and celebrities including Chuck Berry, Johnny Cash, Kris Kristofferson, Roy Orbison, Dick Clark, and Mickey Gilley. Highlights include concert footage of Lewis performing some of his greatest hits, such as "Great Balls of Fire," "Whole Lotta Shakin' Goin' On," "Breathless," and "Crazy Arms." ~ Steve Blackburn, All Movie Guide

In this volume, a number of famous rap stars, including Ice T and Blowfly, are interviewed, and a video from the leaders of the New School is included. ~ Iotis Erlewine, All Movie Guide