Calum Hutton
It's a good bad... and worth a popcorn matinée. While it's easy to lament what could have been...
Kaydan Christian
A terrific literary drama and character piece that shows how the process of creating art can be seen differently by those doing it and those looking at it from the outside.
Darin
One of the film's great tricks is that, for a time, you think it will go down a rabbit hole of unrealistic glorification.
hrkepler
'Carnival Rock' is different from usual Corman movies than most of us have used to. This is melodrama padded with many musical numbers. David J. Stewart stars as out of luck club owner Christy Cristakos, a naive and disillusioned in his blind love against the club's star singer Natalie Cook (Susan Cabot) who has hots for gambler and business man Stanley (Brian G. Hutton). Christy's club, although with great musical numbers, is still in debts, and when he finally learns the woman he loves can't pay back with mutual feelings, the man loses his club to Stanley in a card game.In it's entirety the film is nothing special - not enough quality neither enough cheese. Although the script is quite strong (for Corman's movie) it flows along very familiar path without offering any surprises. Generic melodramatic love triangle and generic rockabilly songs. Nonetheless 'Carnival Rock' is still entertaining and engaging enough that sitting through the film is everything but suffering.It is easy to pass this film, but if you are really interested in versatility of Roger Corman, then 'Carnival Rock' is recommended by here writer.
tavm
Just watched this Roger Corman drive-in movie on YouTube. It's about a carnival owner named Christy (David J. Stewart) who's in over his head in debts and is also in love with the young girl singer Natalie Cook (Susan Cabot). But Natalie prefers Stanley (Brian G. Hutton) who manages to buy the place after beating Christy at cards. The only one who even stays friends with Christy is longtime associate Benny (Dick Miller). I'll stop there and just say I quite enjoyed all the players I cited especially Ms. Cabot, whose alluring presence also was the highlights of other Corman films like Sorority Girl and The Wasp Woman. And here she's a very good singer. It's too bad her career ended after leaving him. And it was good to know that the ending wasn't a predictably tragic one. But the real reason that I decided to watch this now was since Black History Month is tomorrow, I thought I'd cite The Platters' appearance here. They sing "Remember When" in their only scene. Seeing members Paul Robi-who's a native of New Orleans which is a two-hour drive from where I live, David Lynch, Herb Reed, Zola Taylor, and Tony Williams was a treat to watch when warbling that song. Other musical acts that appeared include Bob Luman and David Houston of which one of his songs "Teenage Frankie and Johnny" was a rocking remake of an old tune that I immediately recognized and liked highly. So on that note, Carnival Rock is highly recommended.
Space_Mafune
Good Music! Good entertainment. Solid little B-picture of a man named Christy whose love for the wrong girl causes him nothing but trouble and heartbreak. Shows how cruel love can be and what it can drive a man to do. Good wholesome entertainment plus it's got Dick Miller which is always a plus!
MarioB
Some 1950's Z cheap movies are so bad that they becomes good! But not this one: this is simply bad, despite the good intentions. Actors are awful. David J. Stewart is abominable! The story, very simple, had a bit of Blue Angel (of Marlene Dietrich's fame) in it. Corman wants to reach the teenagers of the time, but the artists he hired were not much known to them. Bob Luman is doing two fine numbers. Not really David Houston. The two of them will reach a certain popularity in the more conservative field of country music in the 1960's.
