Rock 'n' Roll High School

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Rock 'n' Roll High School
original movie poster for Rock 'n' Roll High School
Directed by	Allan Arkush
Produced by	Michael Finnell
Written by	Richard Whitley Russ Dvonch Joseph McBride (screenplay) Allan Arkush Joe Dante (story)
Starring	P. J. Soles Dey Young Vince Van Patten Clint Howard Mary Woronov
Cinematography	Dean Cundey
Editing by	Larry Bock Gail Werbin
Distributed by	Buena Vista Home Entertainment
Release date(s)	August 4, 1979
Running time	93 min.
Language	English
Budget	$300,000 (estimated)
All Movie Guide profile
IMDb profile

Rock 'n' Roll High School is a 1979 film produced by Roger Corman, directed by Allan Arkush, and featuring The Ramones. The film starred P. J. Soles, Vince Van Patten, and Clint Howard. Darby Crash and Lorna Doom of The Germs also played extras in this film. It is marketed with the tagline "Will your school be next?"

Contents 1 Plot synopsis 2 Cast 3 Production and Success 4 Trivia 5 References 6 External links

[edit] Plot synopsis

Vince Lombardi High School keeps losing principals to nervous breakdowns because of the students' love of rock 'n' roll and their disregard of education. The putative leader of the students is Riff Randell, who loves the music of the Ramones. A new principal, the rock-music-hating Miss Evelyn Togar, is brought in and promises to put an end to the music craze. Riff Randall (P.J. Soles), is the biggest Ramones fan at Vince Lombardi High School. She waits in line for three days to get tickets to see The Ramones, hoping to meet Joey Ramone so she can give him a song she wrote for the band, "Rock N' Roll High School".

When Principal Togar (Mary Woronov) takes her ticket away, Riff and her best friend, Kate Rambeau (Dey Young) have to find another way to meet their heroes. When Miss Togar and a group of parents attempt to burn a pile of rock records, the students take over the high school, joined by the Ramones, who are made honorary students. When the police are summoned and demand that the students evacuate the building, they do so, which leads to an explosive finale.^[1]

[edit] Cast

• P. J. Soles: Riff Randall
• Vince Van Patten: Tom Roberts
• Clint Howard: Eaglebauer
• Dey Young: Kate Rambeau
• Mary Woronov: Miss Evelyn Togar
• Paul Bartel: Mr. McGree
• Dick Miller: Police Chief
• Don Steele: Screamin' Steve Stevens
• Alix Elias: Coach Steroid

^[2]

[edit] Production and Success

Executive Producer Corman wanted a latter-day version of his "wild teen" films of the 50s and 60s, and felt that the best way to adapt to the 70s would be to center the plot on the popular music of the day. The production Disco High began. Based upon a story by Allan Arkush and Joe Dante, the film's screenwriters Richard Whitley, Russ Dvonch, and Joseph McBride developed the script through several versions, under titles ranging from Heavy Metal Kids to Girl's Gym to a mutation of Disco High's title, Rock 'n' Roll High School.^[3]

Arkush, who would go on to direct the film, tells all about the film's evolution on the DVD's commentary track, along with Whitley and producer Michael Finnell. The trio tries to maintain an anecdotal train of thought, but they tend to get distracted when certain elements pop up on the screen. This makes for an interruption in their stories, but it also tends to bring light to otherwise obscure trivia. For example, one of the film's more memorable sequences, the "paper plane" scene, was developed by the Zucker Brothers, who would go on to direct, of all things, Airplane! (1980). It also reveals that Dante, who helped write the story, got the chance to direct a few of the film's sequences while Arkush was out of commission with exhaustion.

Rock 'n' Roll High School did so well that they followed it up with a sequel, the uninspired Rock 'n' Roll High School Forever (1990), which even Corman admits did not capture the energy of the original.

[edit] Trivia

• In addition to several songs by the Ramones, the soundtrack for the film includes songs by Brian Eno, The Velvet Underground, the Paley Brothers, Paul McCartney & Wings, Nick Lowe, Fleetwood Mac, Devo, Alice Cooper, and Chuck Berry, among others.

• The remastered version of Road to Ruin includes the soundtrack's version of "Rock n Roll High School" and "I Want You Around" as well as the live track "Blitzkrieg Bop/Teenage Lobotomy/California Sun/Pinhead/She's the One."

• Originally slated to star Cheap Trick or at one stage Devo, Rock 'n' Roll High School was part of a wave of apocalyptic high school movies of that era, including Over the Edge.

• One of its more famous scenes involves the Ramones and simple dialogue involving pizza, whose numerous takes are detailed in the book Please Kill Me: An Uncensored Oral History of Punk Rock.

• The lyrics for the song "Rock and Roll High School" were originally printed (in their original form) in the "Mutant Monster Beach Party" issue of Punk (magazine).

• Mutant Monster Beach Party was a fumetti starring the luminaries of the late 70's New York punk scene, including the Ramones.

• This movie ranked number 18 on Entertainment Weekly's list of the 50 Best High School Movies.)

• The song "Rock and Roll High School" is said to be about Forest Hills High School.

• There is a continuity error in which Riff's leotard appears tied to her left shoulder and then on her right shoulder a moment later.

[edit] References

[edit] External links

• Rock 'n' Roll High School at the Internet Movie Database
• Rock 'n' Roll High School at All Movie Guide
• Classic Corman film examined
• Original song lyrics
• Mutant Monster Beach Party
• Remembrance of Joey Ramone, including information about song lyrics
• Interview with P.J. Soles

Ramones
Joey Ramone • Johnny Ramone • Dee Dee Ramone • Marky Ramone C. J. Ramone • Tommy Ramone • Richie Ramone • Elvis Ramone
Discography
Studio albums: Ramones (1976) • Leave Home (1977) • Rocket to Russia (1977) • Road to Ruin (1978) • End of the Century (1980) • Pleasant Dreams (1981) • Subterranean Jungle (1983) • Too Tough to Die (1984) • Animal Boy (1986) • Halfway to Sanity (1987) • Brain Drain (1989) • Mondo Bizarro (1992) • Acid Eaters (1993) • ¡Adios Amigos! (1995)
Live albums: It's Alive (1979) • Loco Live (1991) • Greatest Hits Live (1996) • We're Outta Here! (1997) • You Don't Come Close (2001) • NYC 1978 (2003)
Compilations: Ramones Mania (1988) • All The Stuff (And More!) Volume 1 (1990) • All The Stuff (And More!) Volume 2 (1990) • Hey Ho! Let's Go: The Anthology (1999) • Ramones Mania Vol. 2 (2000) • Masters of Rock: Ramones (2001) • Best of the Chrysalis Years (2002) • Loud, Fast Ramones: Their Toughest Hits (2002) • The Chrysalis Years (2002) • The Best of The Ramones (2004) • Weird Tales of the Ramones (2005) • Greatest Hits (2006)
Tribute albums: Gabba Gabba Hey: A Tribute to the Ramones (1991) • Ramones (1992) • Rocket To Russia (1994) • Rocket to Ramonia (1996) • File Under Ramones (1999) • We're a Happy Family - A Tribute To Ramones (2003)
Films: Rock 'n' Roll High School (1979) • Lifestyles of the Ramones (1990) • Ramones - Around the World (1993) • We're Outta Here (1997) • End of the Century: The Story of the Ramones (2003) • Ramones: Raw (2004)
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