| Author | Message | ||
  Pshark (pshark) 6-Zenith Username: pshark Post Number: 2765 Registered: 1-2007 |
Amazing that a lot of these artist from this film is still alive. Chuck Berry, Fats Domino, Little Richard, Chubby Checker, these artists were there from or near the beginning of R&R. http://www.tcm.com/thismonth/a rticle.jsp?cid=314038&mainArti cleId=314036 Friday, July 30,2010 8:00 PM Let the Good Times Roll Let the Good Times Roll Let the Good Times Roll (1973) documents an early-1970s revival tour of some middle aged Rock n’ Roll greats who were still strutting their stuff. Intercut with archive footage of the ‘50s, it’s a kind of double time capsule for 21st century viewers. The Original Rock & Roll Revival Concerts tour was part of a nostalgia circuit started by producer Richard Nader in 1970, versions of which are still touring. This film documents three of those early shows: Nassau Coliseum, Long Island, NY; Cobo Hall in Detroit, MI; and the Flamingo Hotel in Las Vegas, NV. Featuring Chuck Berry, Little Richard, Bill Haley, Chubby Checker, Bo Diddley, The Shirelles, The Five Satins, The Coasters and Danny and the Juniors, among others, the film cuts back and forth between footage of these acts in their younger days, with a clean-cut audience, and the ‘70s concerts, where their audience hasn’t aged much, though the performers certainly have. Interspersed with the concert footage is a plethora of cultural artifacts, from PTA lectures on dress codes and Nixon’s “Checkers” speech, to scenes from I Was a Teenage Werewolf (1957), Rebel Without a Cause, (1955), Blackboard Jungle (1955), The Wild One (1953) and others. Nader, whose career as an oldies promoter is still going strong, produced Let the Good Times Roll with directors Bob Abel, founder of Abel & Associates, a pioneering computer graphics enterprise that created effects for Tron (1982), among others, and Sid Levin. Reviews for the film were generally positive with Vincent Canby of The New York Times writing, Let the Good Times Roll is an engaging, technically superior concert film ...The style of the film is world's-fair avant garde: lots of split-screen stuff that allows us to see what the stars looked like then, alongside what they look like now. In its noisy and frantic way, Let the Good Times Roll is most reassuring. Hair is longer if sometimes thinner, sideburns have sprouted and waistbands have gotten wider." Roger Ebert of The Chicago Sun-Times also concurred, adding, "It's fun up to a point (and their original footage of 1950s rock concerts is good contrast to the revival performances), but the movie really exists through its music, and there is no way to see it and not agree with Sha-Na-Na that, yes, rock and roll is here to stay." Producer: Gerald I. Isenberg Director: Robert Abel, Sidney Levin Cinematography: Robert C. Thomas; David Myers (uncredited) Film Editing: Bud Friedgen, Hyman Kaufman Cast: Chuck Berry, Little Richard, Fats Domino, Chubby Checker, Bo Diddley, The Shirelles, The Five Satins, The Coasters, Danny and the Juniors, Bobby Comstock. BW/C-100m. Letterboxed. Closed Captioning. by Emily Soares | ||
DLM (dlm) 2-Debutant Username: dlm Post Number: 75 Registered: 7-2010 |
Pshark: I hate to see a good post go by without a reply. I think I remember seeing a doc once called let the good times roll once before some years back on a PBS or cable channel. Is this the same doc or a newer revampt version? If you don't mind me asking. | ||
Randy Russi (randy_russi) 6-Zenith Username: randy_russi Post Number: 2644 Registered: 4-2004 |
If you have never seen this it is a must. Little Richard is hilarious! This film actually played in movie theatres and drive-ins (remember those?) at the time of its release. | ||
Kdubya (paladin) 6-Zenith Username: paladin Post Number: 6163 Registered: 5-2004 |
It is a fascinating film. Once it starts you cant turn away from it. | ||
kamasu (kamasu) 6-Zenith Username: kamasu Post Number: 8452 Registered: 3-2005 |
I've seen it only once but I can't remember most of it. I do recall some guy practically throwing roses at the Shirelles before they took to the stage. I think the man was a member of their band. I thought: Wow, they actually pay some dude to kiss their butts! (Message edited by kamasu on July 29, 2010) | ||
Randy Russi (randy_russi) 6-Zenith Username: randy_russi Post Number: 2647 Registered: 4-2004 |
FYI--Richard Nader is no longer living, but his wife Deborah Nader, runs the business and did for several years when Richard became ill. | ||
DLM (dlm) 2-Debutant Username: dlm Post Number: 78 Registered: 7-2010 |
Hi Randy: Thanks for the 411. As I think about Let The Goodtimes Roll. I do remember it at theaters and drive-ins. I do remember vividly I seen it first at a drive-in back in the 70'S. 73? I think it was round about the time. This is a great post by the way. | ||
Randy Russi (randy_russi) 6-Zenith Username: randy_russi Post Number: 2649 Registered: 4-2004 |
Yes, it is a great post! The movie is a concert and a documentary. I seem to remember I had the soundtrack lp to the film and I think the movie was quite successful. The man with the roses with the Shirelles is probably their comic mc, Ronnie Evans. Ronnie was great and years later he worked with Shirley for as long as his health allowed. The funniest part of the movie is when promoter Richard Nader is asking Little Richard not to get the crowd out of their seats.Little Richard is combing his hair in the mirror and it is just too funny. And, of course, Little Richard rocked the crowd right out of their seats. Great performances by all the artists. | ||
Pshark (pshark) 6-Zenith Username: pshark Post Number: 2766 Registered: 1-2007 |
Hey DLM, thanks for keeping this post alive. This is the original 1973 release. I don't remember if I ever seen this. But I got my dvr set anyways. Yes I do recall something call a drive in  Thats when I first saw Woodstock w/ Barberella there. | ||
kamasu (kamasu) 6-Zenith Username: kamasu Post Number: 8461 Registered: 3-2005 |
TCM aired Let The Good Times Roll last night (Friday). It was fun. The music was great. I liked the special effects which made it seem like there were eight Chubby Checkers onstage doing the twist. Little Richard throwing the peace sign was nostalgic. Who does that anymore? He also drove the crowd wild by partially stripping (what was up with that?) and throwing parts of his costume into the crowd which ripped the garments to pieces. The Shirelles were funny but not on long enough. They appeared to be really good dancers. But the most revealing scene to me was Bo Diddley doing it old school and shopping for chicken parts and frying them up in an electric skillet backstage because he remembered the days when blacks couldn't eat in white only restaurants. I thought TCM should have aired American Graffiti after LTGTR. It aired an Elvis concert documentary: Elvis On Tour. The same film will be shown here in Memphis during Elvis Tribute month (August). They are charging fans almost fifty dollars per ticket to see this film. (Message edited by kamasu on July 31, 2010) | ||
Tony Russi (tony_russi) 6-Zenith Username: tony_russi Post Number: 4126 Registered: 4-2004 |
Little Richard was so funny. I love Richard he is so crazy.The promoter was tellin him to not get the crowd up near the stage or somthin like that & ofcourse Richard did just that.When Richard was puttin on make up to go on-stage he said "oK, I'm ready, I can't look any better then this" That was Bumps Blackwell (his manager) with him. | ||
Chi Drummer (chidrummer) 6-Zenith Username: chidrummer Post Number: 3714 Registered: 5-2004 |
Richard was too funny. "We need to be closer to the people! They can move that stuff, tell 'em to move that stuff (a half ton of gear)up." I was on the floor cryin'. And then, "tell the colored drummer not to play. He hasn't got my sound." That was divalicious. How about Bo Diddley cooking fried chicken for his band back stage before the gig? A crazy scene with a very poignant story attached. | ||
kamasu (kamasu) 6-Zenith Username: kamasu Post Number: 8478 Registered: 3-2005 |
Chi, I pointed out the part about Bo Diddley frying chicken in the dressing room. He did have a reason for doing so, didn't he? I noticed Little Richard's comments about the "colored" drummer too. I just shook my head. |
