May 13, 1957…Production Begins On “Jailhouse Rock”

In this classic photo, we see two RCA TK41s on either side of the Mitchell film cameras at MGM, during a rehearsal of the big dance number. Both cameras can be seen at the open and close of the video linked above. They are most likely on loan from RCA’s west coast office in LA.

MGM hired Richard Thorpe to direct their first film with Presley, as Thorpe had a reputation for shooting the productions in a short time, because he did not do retakes. The production of Jailhouse Rock began on May 13, 1957, and concluded on June 17, and that is amazingly fast.

The dance sequence to the film’s title song is often cited as “Presley’s greatest moment on screen”. It was shot first, and given it’s importance, Thorpe did shoot more than one take with the final edit containing footage from all.

The songs that integrated the film’s soundtrack were commissioned to Mike Stoller and Jerry Leiber, before pre-production. In April, Leiber and Stoller were called for a meeting in New York City to show the progress of the repertoire. The writers, who had not produced any material, were confronted in their hotel room by Jean Aberbach, director of Hill & Range music publishing, who locked them in their hotel room by blocking the door with a sofa until they wrote the material.

Presley recorded the soundtrack at Radio Recorders in Hollywood on April 30 and May 3, with an additional session at the MGM Soundstage on May 9.

During post-production, the songs were dubbed into the film, to the recorded scenes, where Presley only mimed the lyrics. “Jailhouse Rock” premiered on October 17, 1957 in Memphis. and was released nationwide on November 8, 1957

This was Presley’s third film, and his first for MGM. The film was the first production that the studio filmed on the recently developed 35mm anamorphic lens by Panavision. The film was originally entitled “The Hard Way”, and was changed to “Jailhouse Kid”, before MGM finally settled on “Jailhouse Rock”. -Bobby Ellerbee

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