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 Vincent 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)
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, Vincent Van Patten, and Clint Howard. Darby Crash and Lorna Doom of The Germs also played extras in this film. Image File history File links Rock-n-Roll-High-School-Poster. ... Allan Arkush is an American cult film and television director and frequent collaborator of Joe Dante. ... Michael Finnell is a film producer active from the 1970s to the present. ... Joseph McBride is an American film columnist, screenwriter and professor of film and literature. ... Allan Arkush is an American cult film and television director and frequent collaborator of Joe Dante. ... Joe Dante (born November 28, 1946 in Morristown, New Jersey) is an American film director and producer of films generally with humorous and scifi content. ... P.J. Soles (b. ... Vincent Vince Van Patten (b. ... Howard in the title role of the Ice Cream Man. ... Mary Woronov (b. ... Dean Cundey is a celebrated cinematographer born 12 March 1946 in Alhambra, California, USA. He has worked on some of the most influential special effects films in history and has collaborated extensively with directors John Carpenter and Robert Zemeckis. ... The Buena Vista Motion Pictures Group is a collection of affiliated motion picture studios, all subsidiaries of The Walt Disney Company. ... August 4 is the 216th day of the year in the Gregorian Calendar (217th in leap years), with 149 days remaining. ... For the Smashing Pumpkins song, see 1979 (song). ... The English language is a West Germanic language that originates in England. ... // Events March 5 - Production begins on Star Wars Episode V: The Empire Strikes Back. ... Roger Corman. ... Allan Arkush is an American cult film and television director and frequent collaborator of Joe Dante. ... The Ramones (L-R, Johnny, Tommy, Joey, Dee Dee) on the cover of their debut self-titled album (1976), cementing their place at the dawn of the punk movement. ... P.J. Soles (b. ... Vincent Vince Van Patten (b. ... Howard in the title role of the Ice Cream Man. ... Darby Crash (born Jan Paul Beahm) (A.K.A. Bobby Pyn) (September 26, 1958 – December 7, 1980) [1] [2] was a punk musician who cofounded (with long time friend, Pat Smear) The Germs. ... The Germs are a punk rock band from Los Angeles formed in the late 1970s. ...

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] Vincent Thomas Lombardi (June 11, 1913 – September 3, 1970) was one of the most successful coaches in the history of American football. ... P.J. Soles (b. ... Joey Ramone (May 19, 1951 – April 15, 2001), born as Jeffery Hyman, was an American vocalist and songwriter best known for his work in the legendary punk rock group the Ramones. ... Mary Woronov (b. ...

Cast

• P.J. Soles: Riff Randall
• Vincent 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] P.J. Soles (b. ... Vincent Vince Van Patten (b. ... Howard in the title role of the Ice Cream Man. ... Mary Woronov (b. ... Paul Bartel (August 6, 1938-May 13, 2000) was born in Brooklyn, New York, USA. He was an American actor, writer and director well known for his 1982 hit black comedy Eating Raoul, which he wrote, starred in and directed. ... Dick Miller with Al Rodrigo. ... Don Steele, born Donald S. Revert (April 1, 1936 - August 5, 1997), was one of the most popular disc jockeys in the United States, from the middle of the 1960s until his retirement for health reasons in May 1997. ...

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. Airplane! is an American comedy film, first released on June 27, 1980, produced and directed by Jim Abrahams, David Zucker and Jerry Zucker, and starring Robert Hays, Julie Hagerty, Leslie Nielsen, Robert Stack, Lloyd Bridges, Peter Graves, Kareem Abdul-Jabbar and Lorna Patterson. ...

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.

Trivia

• In addition to several songs by the Ramones, the soundtrack for the film includes songs by Brian Eno, 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.

Brian Peter George St. ... Wings was a rock music band led by Paul McCartney, formed a couple of years after the dissolution of The Beatles. ... Bowi EP sleeve (1977). ... This article or section is not written in the formal tone expected of an encyclopedia article. ... Devo (pronounced DEE-vo or dee-VO, often spelled DEVO or DEV-O) is an American Rock group formed in Akron, Ohio in 1972. ... Alice Cooper (born Vincent Damon Furnier, February 4, 1948), is a rock singer, songwriter and musician whose career spans four decades. ... Charles Edward Anderson Chuck Berry (born October 18, 1926) is an American guitarist, singer, and songwriter. ... Road To Ruin is the fourth album by the Ramones. ... This article or section does not cite its references or sources. ... Devo (pronounced DEE-vo or dee-VO, often spelled DEVO or DEV-O) is an American Rock group formed in Akron, Ohio in 1972. ... Over the Edge is a movie completed in 1979 and released on HBO two years later because its controversial content led to a decision to forego a theatrical release. ... Punk cover, issue 3, 1976 Punk was a fanzine created by cartoonist John Holmstrom, publisher Ged Dunn and resident punk Legs McNeil. ... Fumetti or photo novels are a form of comics illustrated with photographs rather than drawings. ... To meet Wikipedias quality standards, this article or section may require cleanup. ...

References

The Internet Movie Database (IMDb) is an online database of information about motion pictures, actors, movie stars, TV shows, TV stars, production crew personnel, as well as video games. ... 2007 (MMVII) is the current year, a common year starting on Monday of the Gregorian calendar and the AD (or CE) era. ... January 15 is the 15th day of the year in the Gregorian calendar. ... The Internet Movie Database (IMDb) is an online database of information about motion pictures, actors, movie stars, TV shows, TV stars, production crew personnel, as well as video games. ... 2007 (MMVII) is the current year, a common year starting on Monday of the Gregorian calendar and the AD (or CE) era. ... January 15 is the 15th day of the year in the Gregorian calendar. ... 2007 (MMVII) is the current year, a common year starting on Monday of the Gregorian calendar and the AD (or CE) era. ... January 15 is the 15th day of the year in the Gregorian calendar. ...

External links

• Rock 'n' Roll High School at the Internet Movie Database
• 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