Go, Johnny, Go!

Here's another Alan Freed rock and roll movie that gives us a look and listen to some of rock's greatest stars. Musically. the film is better than average for a rock and roll film, even with Jimmy Clanton's usual nasal and bland "vocalizing". The Cadillacs do two songs; "Jay Walker" (dressed as Policemen) and the wonderful "Please Mr. Johnson". Jackie Wilson is terrific as usual (he was a very close friend of Alan Freed) and proves once again what a tremendous talent he was. The movie has some historical musical moments as well. This film has the only motion picture performance by the late, great Ritchie Valens (he does the Little Richard inspired "Ohh My Head"). Also featured is Eddie Cochran doing "Teenage Heaven". Unfortunately, performances by Eddie are rare because of his death in a traffic accident in England the following year. Check out Harvey (of The Moonglows) doing a rare solo number and a good performance by Jo Ann Campbell. Co-star Sandy Stewart performs two songs including a nice up tempo called "Playmate". "Jo Gohnny Go"'s plot is a little above average and the acting is fine in most cases. Chuck Berry is especially believable as is veteran character actor Herb Vigran. I just wish someone other than Jimmy Clanton were cast in a co starring role. Sure, he's the right age, but his acting is a bit wooden and his songs and voice makes you want to reach for the fast forward button on your remote control. Still, I would recommend this movie. Don't miss this one for a good time, great music and a little rock and roll history.

Having previously appeared in Rock Rock Rock! and Mister Rock and Roll, this was the third-and final-appearance of rocker Chuck Berry in a movie that also starred DJ Alan Freed. He and Freed actually act together in this one as they try to get singer Johnny Melody (Jimmy Clanton) on his way to stardom. Now that I just got much of the plot out of the way, I'll just say that it was quite a pleasure seeing Berry performing his hits "Memphis, Tennessee" and "Little Queenie" here. Also loved Jackie Wilson being showcased among the other performances. The movie itself was quite compelling dramatically but I'm glad things get resolved quickly so it doesn't drag. Unfortunately, after this both Freed and Berry would be involved in scandals-Freed in payola and Berry in a sex charge involving a minor with the result of Freed drinking himself to death and Berry serving a few years in jail before making a comeback several years later. This would also become the only appearance of Ritchie Valens before his untimely passing in a plane crash that also took the lives of The Big Bopper and Buddy Holly. He was good, too! On a lighter note, since I always like to cite when players from my favorite movie-It's a Wonderful Life-are in something else, here, it's Dick Elliot-who was that man who told Jimmy Stewart to kiss Donna Reed instead of talking to her to death-who's impatient about going into the phone booth after Clanton and his girlfriend keep hogging the phone! It was hilarious! It was also his last film appearance though he continued to appear on TV before his death in 1961. Anyway, I highly recommend Go, Johnny, Go! to any Chuck Berry fans out there. P.S. Jimmy Clanton is a native of my current hometown of Baton Rouge, LA.

For the folks my age who are into the nostalgic era of the first days of rock and roll Go Johnny Go. All the acts involved in this film got to do their stuff with hardly a plot to get in the way.

What plot there is involves Alan Freed doing a very good job of playing himself, disc jockey king of rock and roll. Freed puts himself out on a limb saying he will find a singer he will rename and manage. The name Freed picks out for his ersatz Elvis is Johnny Melody. This plot so reminded me of that classic Brady Bunch episode where Greg Brady is picked to be the new Johnny Bravo. Here though it's not just because Jimmy Clanton is the right fit for his stage costume.

Enter young Mr. Clanton who gets fired in his job as a theater usher for getting into the rock and roll jamboree show a little too much. It was on that night that he hears Alan Freed's boast to find a new singing star to be renamed Johnny Melody. In fact Freed is having some trouble making this idea from press agent Herb Vigran turn into reality.

Chuck Berry besides Clanton and Sandy Stewart is the only performer to have more than just a song in the film. He plays Freed's alter ego and very smoothly I might add. His is the best acted role in the film.

And of course Go Johnny Go has the appearance of a pair of soon to be legends. Ritchie Valens never saw his spot in this film, dying in that famous plane crash four months before this film was released. Eddie Cochran died a year after that in a car crash.

The music is fine although personally my taste goes back a decade or two in popular music. There's one person I know that loves this sort of stuff, he lives for the nostalgia concerts featuring the performances of the artists of this era. So to my former work colleague Myron Eskenazi this film and its review is dedicated to you.

I saw this when I was 15 and we did not get to see our music stars then so movies like this were one of the options. I found it and bought it on VHS some years ago and felt lucky to find it. Jimmy Clanton was one of my musical heroes and he sang "Ship on a Stormy Sea" in this plus several other songs. It is one of the few viewings of the great Eddie Cochran although he does not have his electric guitar plugged in, it is still worth seeing him. Others in the film are great, musically. Yes, the plot lacks but most of this genre of movie lacked a plot. They were a quick and cheap way to rush the visual aspect of our stars to us, the young audience and they entertained us. Remember that they were made for our 13-19 year old minds and we were not technically aware. But, it did not differ from Dick Clark having the same people on his shows when they did not sing but mouthed the words. It has flaws but it is well worth having for anyone who wants to see and remember Jimmy Clanton, Jackie Wilson, Chuck Berry, Eddie Cochran, and Richie Valens.

No need to recap the wispy plot. Many of the names may be familiar from R&R's early period—Berry, Cochran Valens, Wilson— but their stylings are not. Looks to me as though the sounds were toned down to suit a white middle-class audience, whose adults tended to identify hard core R&R with juvenile delinquency. That's particularly the case with Chuck Berry who could do a driving beat with the best of them. Not here however. The producers have even added white bread Jimmy Clanton to headline, even though his crooning style better suits pre-R&R. The movie is clearly a commercial product, running a bit scared of the raucous style it's gently alluding to. For a much less compromised glimpse of those early years, catch The Girl Can't Help It (1956).