MOVIE · 1956

Rock Around the Clock

ComedyDramaMusicalRomance77 min

A small-town bandleader gets a shot at something bigger when rock ’n’ roll starts drawing crowds that older styles can’t hold. As the new sound catches on, the story follows the scramble to turn local success into a national craze, with musicians, promoters, and performers chasing packed dance floors and radio play while running into skepticism from people who see the music as a passing fad. The plot moves from one performance to the next as the scene grows around them, folding in appearances by Bill Haley and His Comets and disc jockey Alan Freed. What unfolds is a backstage-and-onstage look at rock music breaking into the mainstream.