Let the Good Times Roll

My wife and I saw Let The Good Times Roll when it first came out in the early 70's. We were dancing in the aisle. I hadn't seen it again for about 25 years. Then it was on American Movie Classics. I have 7 VCR's, and every one of them had a blank tape in, just to be sure I got a good copy. They all came out good. What I don't understand is why it's not available to buy.

Great experience... saw it at the Drive in 1973. Amazing concert... Impressive film

My wife and I saw this when it was first released (not that I ever recall it being re-released!) at a 1-screen theater in the Philadelphia area. It had been heavily advertised on a local "oldies" radio station, and many of the viewers showed up dressed for the era - saddle shoes, poodle skirts, etc. My wife and I enjoyed the show, both as a historical overview and a concert. I was fortunate enough to come across a SOUNDTRACK ALBUM (LP) which included the 2-track stereo format with narration on one side and music on the the other channel. Interestingly, though the liner notes explicitly referred to this movie as the source for the soundtrack, there is no mention anywhere in print or in song of Chuck Berry. Anyone know why??

This rockumentary blends concert footage and archival clips into a thoroughly entertaining time capsule. The artists are fantastic, clad in wild costumes and performing against glittery, Vegas-style backdrops. I especially enjoyed the Shirelles (referred to as "the Coppertone Rockettes"), looking and sounding sensational. As they sing "Soldier Boy" on one half of the screen, the other half shows footage from The Day the Earth Stood Still and From Here to Eternity. This photography is sharp (especially the aforementioned split-screen technique), complete with backstage footage and shots of the joyfully stunned audience. Some conservative-themed archive footage (demonstration of a proper dress code, a starched suit smashing a record and declaring that "rock 'n' roll has got to go!") serves as a telling semi-parody of the repression and conformity of the '50s and early '60s and an example of how this jubilant new strain of music helped break it down. The opening title sequence, with Shirley and Lee's "Let the Good Times Roll" playing against flashes of hula hoops and Chevrolet Bel Airs, is worth seeing by itself. VH-1 used to show this movie occasionally.

A group of about ten of us in our early 30s, who worked in the music business in the 60s and 70s: musicians, manager, publicist, tour manager... went to the premier of Let The Good Times Roll at the Dominion, Tottenham Court Road, London. The screen was full-size and we had great seats. The excitement of watching and listening to those legends is still with me and I especially remember the amazement that registered on Chubby Checker's face when he saw the enthusiastic response he was getting from the crowd so many years after his hit version of Hank Ballard's Twist. I had never seen the Five Satins and they remain in my memory as great performers that I'd enjoy seeing more of, but I haven't heard anything of this great movie since. Would love to see it again, own it, DVD or VHS - show my young friends, nephews and nieces! The time is ripe to release it on DVD, kids are really interested in searching through the archives and finding original great music - they'd love this.