Don't Knock the Twist / Twist Around the Clock
by Oscar Rudolph
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DVD Cover Information
Actor: Allen Johnson, Chubby Checker, Clay Cole, Dion DiMucci, Vicki SpencerDirector: Oscar Rudolph
Brand: Sony
Cinematographer: Gordon Avil
Editor: Jerome Thoms
Producer: Kal Mann
Producer: Sam Katzman
Writer: Robert E. Kent
DVD: Region Code 99
Audio: English (Unknown); English (Subtitled); French (Subtitled); Portuguese (Subtitled); English (Original Language)
Format: Black & White, Closed-captioned, Color, DVD, NTSC
Picture Format: 1.85:1
Running Time: 169 minutes
DVD Release Date: 2007-01-23
Audience Rating: Unrated
Studio: Sony Pictures Home Entertainment
Movie Reviews of Don't Knock the Twist / Twist Around the Clock
Movie Review: It's Twist--eriffic!
Summary: 4 Stars
This is a review for the double featured DVD of DON'T
KNOCK THE TWIST and TWIST AROUND THE CLOCK.
There was a flurry of Twist movies that came out around 1961
attempting to capitolize on the enormous dance craze that swept and
reswept the country in 1960 and 1961. The Twist was so pervasive
it was even danced at White House parties, make thet Camelot
White House parties.
So here are two of the movies that without trying to be are something
like time capsules of what you might call "the Twist Era." and
luckily both of them feature the great popularizer of the song and dance,
Chubby Checker who was a very good performer.
IN the first one, TWIST AROUND THE CLOCK the story, just the same as
1956's ROCK AROUND THE CLOCK, has two rock'n roll veterans accidently
stumbling on a new dance and music at a small town dance and immediatly
hit on the idea of importing it all to the big town for a sure fire success.
That is pretty much what happens but there are a few complications along
the way. In the meantime we get to see Chubby Checker perform his megahit,
"The Twist," among other songs and Dion performs "Runaround Sue" as well
as "The Wanderer." And The Marcells perform their holiday attempt,
"Merry Twistmas."
There is one thing that's a little bothersome in TWIST AROUND THE CLOCK.
Some of the characters take pains to put down rock'n roll and seem to be
pointing to the twist and its music as something particularly different.
But myself and everyone I knew all considered the Twist to be rock "n roll
and the records were definitely rock records . In fact, at parties, we twisted to
practically every rock 'n roll record available, it was all the same
so far as we were concerned.
In DON'T KNOCK THE TWIST we again have a movie a little like
DON'T KNOCK THE ROCK but again, instead of Bill Haley and the Comets we
have a fine performance by a much more confident and assured Chubby Checker.
By this time Mr. Checker was Twistmaster General of the United States
and he wore the crown with grace and dignity.
Also in the musical cast are rock royality, The Duke of Earl, Gene Chandler,
MOR popster Vic Dana, The Dovells and the finely voiced hitmaker, Linda Scott.
Of course Gene Chandler had many R&B hits besides his Top Ten smash, Vic Dana
was a staple of mor radio and Linda Scott recorded "A Thousand Stars" and
"Happy Birthday Blues," two early rock/pop classics.
In DON'T KNOCK THE TWIST a small tv network wants to have a summer twist spectacular
but they have to hurry and beat the big time network before they sign
all the popular acts. But Chubby Checker comes to the rescue and the coast to coast
Twist Spectacular is on the air as ascheduled. In the meantime we get to see
performances by all of the above artists and maybe do a little unsupervised twistin'
at home, on our own.
So in the end everything is cool.
These two films are a lot of fun and as I said before, early sixties time capsules.
Four Stars.
Summary of Don't Knock the Twist / Twist Around the Clock
Twist Around The Clock and Don?t Knock The Twist, both starring Chubby Checker and filmed in the early 1960s, when the Twist was the world?s biggest dance craze, causing whole clubs to be built to accommodate the dance and its many frenzied fans. Both films feature a whole lot of twistin? combined with decent plots and Twist Around The Clock serves as a showcase for Dion and two of his hit songs, "Runaround Sue" and "The Wanderer."Similar DVD Movies
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