Jerry Lee Lewis Movies
Known to one and all as "The Killer," mercurial rock & roll pioneer Jerry Lee Lewis was a child piano prodigy. Lewis was barely out of high school when he was signed by Nashville's Sun Records. Rising rapidly to the top of the charts with such hits as "Great Balls of Fire" and "Whole Lotta Shakin' Goin' On," Lewis was for many years regarded as the chief rival to Elvis Presley. His fortunes declined spectacularly in 1958 when his marriage to his 13-year-old cousin Myra Brown earned him widespread condemnation. After 12 years of performing in seedy night clubs and saloons, he made a spectacular comeback in 1970, only to suffer another setback when one of his later wives died under mysterious circumstances. He managed to survive this and many other scandals, continuing to chart his own professional course in his own way well into the 1980s. He appeared in a handful of films, notably High School Confidential (1958), and in 1988 was impersonated by Dennis Quaid in a flamboyant biopic, Great Balls of Fire. Jerry Lee Lewis is the cousin of evangelist Jimmy Swaggart and night club entrepreneur Mickey Gilley. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- 1977
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Country-music legend Johnny Cash is joined on-stage by friends and family for this musical holiday celebration. Along with Christmas favorites performed by the likes of June Carter Cash and The Statler Brothers, The Johnny Cash Christmas Special 1977 feature a rendition of "This Train Is Bound for Glory" by The Man in Black with Jerry Lee Lewis, Roy Orbison Carl Perkins in memory of the late Elvis Presley. ~ Matthew Tobey, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Johnny Cash, June Carter Cash, (more)
- 1969
One year after the cancellation of the TV series The Monkees, the "pre-fab four"-- Micky Dolenz, Davy Jones, Mike Nesmith, and Peter Tork -- reunited for the hour-long NBC musical special Thirty-Three and One-Third Revolutions Per Monkee. Written by Jack Good and Art Fisher (who also directed), the special was advertised as a "super-psychedelic" journey into the Monkees' history, with a demented sorceror chronicling the group from its beginnings to the present. Guest performers include Fats Domino, Little Richard, Jerry Lee Lewis), the Clara Ward Singers), and Paul Arnold and the Moon Express. Given surprisingly little publicity by NBC, Thirty-Three and One-Third Revolutions Per Monkee originally aired on April 14, 1969, in the Monday night time slot normally occupied by Rowan and Martin's Laugh-In. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- 1965
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
- Starring:
- David Hemmings, Steve Marriott, (more)
- 196z
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
Producer Albert Zugsmith serves up another all-star exposé with High School Confidential. Delivering a superb performance under the circumstances, Russ Tamblyn heads the cast as "typical" high schooler Tony Baker. Usually seen in the company of his voluptuous "aunt" Gwen Dulaine (the truly impressive Mamie Van Doren), Tony convinces one and all that he's looking for kicks of the controlled-substance kind. In truth, however, our hero is really an undercover narcotics agent named Mike Wilson, bound and determined to smash the operation of drug lord Mr. A. (Jackie Coogan). The once-in-a-lifetime cast includes such worthies as John Drew Barrymore (Drew Barrymore's daddy), Ray Anthony (then married to Mamie Van Doren), Charles Chaplin Jr., Michael Landon, and Jerry Lee Lewis as "himself." This updated Reefer Madness is not to be missed! ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Jan Sterling, John Drew Barrymore, (more)
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
Country Rockers captures a star-filled 1984 concert that saw a number of artists share the stage including Jerry Lee Lewis, The Bellamy Brothers, and Merle Haggard. The setlist includes renditions of "If I Said You Had a Beautiful Body," "Let Your Love Flow," "Great Balls of Fire," and "Fulsom Prison Blues." ~ Perry Seibert, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Billy Crash Craddock, The Bellamy Brothers, (more)
