ianlouisiana Review of The Girl Can't Help It

The Girl Can't Help It (1956)

The tracks of my years preserved on celluloid.

[7/10 · 4 January 2007]

Along with Peggy Lee's "Fever",Julie London's "Cry me a river" defined chick cool in the 1950s and co-existed on Jukeboxes with Elvis,Bill Haley and Buddy Holly.This marked the start of the rock 'n' roll era,an age almost totally dominated by male artistes.These two sophisticated ladies were the rearguard of the previous fashion,the "Big Band" years. More rhythmically subtle and harmonically complex than the rhythm and blues derived music that succeeded it the Big Band sound clings on determinedly fifty years later whereas rock 'n' roll as such scarcely exists in its original form having evolved in a few short years to the all - enveloping "rock".Acts like Little Richard and Fats Domino may be admired in retrospect but their music is not much played by young people today."The girl can't help it" offers a rare chance to see them in their pomp and also sample the popular music that preceded them. As a movie per se it doesn't have a lot of merit.Tom Ewell's drunken cynic act is a bit worn and the ill - starred Jayne Mansfield is willing and good - natured but lacks the personality and talent required by her part.Edmond O' Brien has no discernible gift for comedy - a handicap you might think in a film that is supposed to be one. But I doubt if you'll be watching it for them.You can enjoy a cornucopia of black acts many of whom would not have been allowed in through the front doors of the venues they were appearing at during that so - called golden age of music.Apart from the aforementioned messrs Richard and Domino you have Abbey Lincoln - married to jazz drummer and activist Max Roach,The Platters,The Trenniers all putting upstarts like Eddie Cochrane firmly in their place. Rock 'n' Roll,they used to say,is here to stay.Well,unfortunately it wasn't.You would listen in vain for Rock 'n' Roll in the charts in 2007. But here,brilliantly photographed in exquisite colour,are some of its earliest and most influential proponents reminding us of what all the excitement was about half a century ago.