Rockabilly Baby
Brief Synopsis
Cast & Crew
William F. Claxton
Virginia Field
Douglas Kennedy
Les Brown
Irene Ryan
Ellen Corby
Film Details
Technical Specs
Synopsis
Upon arriving in the small New England town of Springville, Eleanor Carter and her teenage children Jimmy and Cathy rent a house, after which Jimmy and Cathy drive to the local high school to enroll for the new term. There they meet Linda Bennett, the shy young student who manages the office, and Tom Griffith, the school principal. Linda escorts Cathy and Jimmy to their classrooms, where Jackie Rogers, the head of a popular clique, flirts with Jimmy and invites Cathy to join her exclusive girls' club. Later, Chuck Hoffman, who is Jackie's boyfriend and head of the water polo team, asks Jimmy to join the team, but Jimmy demurs, fearful of drawing attention to his family because of his mother's scandalous past as fan dancer Dixie West. Eleanor encourages Jimmy to join the team, however, and Jimmy impresses Coach Stone with his skill. Eleanor is introduced to her neighbors at a gathering at the Wellington estate, the impressive home of Mrs. Wellington, the stern matriarch of Springville, who invites Eleanor to join the Women's Civic Welfare Committee. Sensing Mrs. Wellington's loneliness, Eleanor later pays her an unexpected visit, and over cocktails, Mrs. Wellington admits that her harsh demeanor is just a façade to keep the town gossips at bay. One day, Chuck is injured during some locker room horseplay, and Jimmy substitutes in his position as sprint man. Cathy, meanwhile, decides to establish a club that is open to everyone. At a Committee meeting, Eleanor encourages the development of an entertainment club for the local teenagers. When some of the women disapprove, Mrs. Wellington voices her support and offers the use of the old drugstore. Infuriated by Eleanor's audacity, Eunice Johnson, the town gossip, asks her brother, Charles Leonard, the newspaper editor, to investigate Eleanor's past. One evening, Tom asks Eleanor out for dinner and a drive, and when Eleanor returns home, she finds her old friend, band leader Les Brown, waiting for her. Delighted to see Brown, Eleanor asks him to perform at the annual town picnic. Upon learning of Brown's late night visit, Eunice notifies the town about Eleanor's gentleman caller. Later, when Jimmy leads the polo team to victory, Mr. Hoffman, the mayor of Springville and Chuck's father, asks his son to relinquish his position for the good of the team. After Chuck willingly assumes a subordinate position, he and Jimmy work in tandem to propel Springville to the championship. At the opening of the entertainment club, Jackie, jealous of Jimmy's attention to Linda, spills a drink on Linda's dress, sending her home to change clothes. In Linda's absence, Jackie tries to ensnare Jimmy, but her rebuffs her. Afterward, Chuck chastises Jackie for her predatory behavior. At the annual picnic, the town is treated to a performance by Les Brown, but Eleanor's day is ruined when Charles hands Eunice an old advertisement featuring Dixie West. Eunice eagerly shows the ad to a number of picnickers, and when Eleanor ascends the podium to address the crowd, a few drunks yell at her to take off her clothes. Mrs. Wellington throws out the hecklers, but Eleanor, humiliated, packs her bags and determines to leave Springville. Despite Tom's entreaties to stay, Eleanor's mind remains unchanged until Mayor Hoffman appears to apologize for the town's disgraceful behavior. Soon after, Mrs. Wellington drives up in her limousine and after upbraiding Eleanor for abandoning the town, commands her to unpack.
Director
William F. Claxton
Cast
Virginia Field
Douglas Kennedy
Les Brown
Irene Ryan
Ellen Corby
Lewis Martin
Norman Leavitt
Gene Roth
June Jocelyn
Mary Benoit
Hazel Shermet
Renny Mcevoy
Phil Tead
Watson Downs
Frank Marlowe
Frank Sully
Tony Marshall
Sandra Wirth
James Goodwin
Cindy Robbins
Ken Miller
Jimmy Murphy
Barry Truex
Susan Easter
Barbara Gayle
Susan Volkmann
Caryl Volkmann
Judy Busch
Marlene Willis
Gary Vinson
Ronald Foster
Fred Darian
Crew
Victor Appel
E. J. Baumgarten
William F. Claxton
Patrick Cummings
William Driskell
Paul Dunlap
Paul Dunlap
George Emick
Ernest Fegté
Robert Fritch
Will George
Dick Kallman
Harold E. Knox
Monroe Liebgold
Robert Littlefield
William J. Magginetti
Violet Mccomas
Nat Merman
Neva Rames
James Roach
Walter Strenge
Harold Wooley
Film Details
Technical Specs
Quotes
Trivia
Notes
The working title of this film was Mother Was a Stripper. Although onscreen credits read "introducing Gary Vinson," Vinson had appeared in the 1957 film Fear Strikes Out. Although onscreen credits state that the song "Calypso Baby" was sung by Luis Amando, the Variety review uses Amando's other name, Fred Darian. According to a Los Angeles Times news item, Rockabilly Baby was produced to be shown on a double bill with Regal's film Young and Dangerous (see below).
