Plot Details: This opinion reveals major details about the movie's plot.

(In memory of Jeffrey Hyman, aka Joey Ramone. Thanks for the music and the memories).

Once upon a time, when I was a teenager, I was hanging out with my friends, watching TV late one evening. An ad came on for a movie just out in the theater called "Rock 'n' Roll High School." We saw a clip from the film that was so funny, we had to go see it (I won't tell you what that clip was, as, like so many films of today, it gave away the whole story). Let me just say that if we were disappointed by this movie, I'd have no point in sharing the experience, unless it were very campy.

"Rock 'n' Roll High School" is not only a funny send-up of the rock movies of the fifties and sixties, but it's also a joyous celebration of a style of music perpetually connected with youth (and the part of us that wishes to always have youth in our hearts). The story is a familiar one - students vs. authority. A new principal, Evelyn Togar (Mary Woronov), has been appointed at Vince Lombardi High School (whose sports teams, naturally, wear Green Bay Packers colors) to restore order there after her predecessor has been forced into a sanitarium. Miss Togar has named a culprit for the disorder - the music of the students.

The students help to make that case for Miss Togar. The school's leading troublemaker, Riff Randell (P.J. Soles), has borrowed a stereo from the music department and wired it up to the public address system. She then proceeds to put on a Ramones record and disrupt classes until Miss Togar cuts the hook-up. When Togar asks who did it, the top student in the school, Kate Rambeau (Dey Young), takes responsibility, because she helped with the rewiring. Because she's dancing on a table, Riff also gets the notice of the principal, who is well aware of Riff's permanent record, which takes up an entire drawer of the student files. She promises to keep an eye out for the further actions of the girls.

Another person who has his eye on Riff is Tom Roberts (Vincent Van Patten), the school's top jock, who's as exciting as the weather he insists on discussing. One of the girls he talks to even beats him to his line: "I hear it's raining cats and dogs in Idaho." Desperate for a break, he pays a visit to the leading student service entrepreneur, Eaglebauer (Clint Howard, in between gigs on "Gentle Ben" and the films of his brother, Ron). According to Eaglebauer, Tom and Kate would be perfect for one another, but he wants Riff. Eaglebauer agrees to Tom's wishes and suggests a serious outlay of cash would help. Kate, though, comes to Eaglebauer separately, wishing to date Tom. He sets them up on a practice date that is disastrous, so Tom buys a van to impress Riff.

Miss Togar, meanwhile, is trying to enlist faculty support. She summons the girls' gym teacher, Coach Steroid (Alix Elias), and the music teacher, Mr. McGree (Paul Bartel), to her office to demonstrate her rock-o-meter, which measures the decibel level of music. In a test of her machine, Miss Togar plays the music of the Ramones, whose musical decibel levels are the highest. When Togar places a mouse in a glass tank and cranks the music, it explodes.

Riff further defies Togar by ditching school for three days in order to get Ramones tickets. Kate covers for Riff, but they get caught when her vigil makes the front page of the newspaper. Further, Togar's hall monitors (Loren Lester and Daniel Davies) bring proof of an invalid excuse. Togar then orders the monitors to confiscate the tickets, and they are more than happy to oblige. However, the girls win a radio contest for Ramones tickets. They call Tom, who had been expecting them to date him and Eaglebauer, and make the excuse that they've been in an accident. They're listening to the radio, too, so they know it's a lie, and so they go to the concert to confront them. Togar sends the hall monitors to the concert, where they photograph the students in the effort to get the parents on her side. She has a plan to get her way.

Riff is also there to try and get the Ramones to record some songs she wrote. Her efforts to meet the band are thwarted, though, by a nasty groupie named Angel Dust (Lynn Farrell), who stops Riff and tries to steal the songs. Tom unwittingly foils Angel, retrieves the songs, and Riff sneaks into the band's dressing room after the concert. Joey promises to read them and get back to Riff if he's interested.

One of the first productions of Roger Corman's New World Pictures (which was known for low-budget productions), "Rock 'n' Roll High School" is a tribute to and a continuation of the Corman tradition of entertaining low-budget fare. The story was co-written and directed by Allan Arkush. It's clear he has a love of music and a good sense of joke telling filled with detail. For example, Eaglebauer Enterprises is located in the school boys' room, and he's able to employ a secretary and an announcer. At the Ramones concert, security wants to stop a mouse from attending, but it's brought along earphones. During the concert, viewers might feel the desire to sing along to a popular Ramones song, "Teenage Lobotomy," as the lyrics appear on the screen. Other fun details involve the constantly harassed freshman to remarks admiring Kate's scientific achievements.

Even though the film is filled with humor, it also has some continuity problems. In one scene, Mr. McGree defends the students' right to listen to rock music. Later, as Riff gives a Ramones ticket to him, he says he didn't realize they loved music. Later, Joey calls McGree Mr. McGlub (or something similar to that). These gaffes, for me, just add to the fun. For the young leads of the film, all of whom still work in film and TV in one capacity or another, "Rock 'n' Roll High School" is one of the high points of their careers. Woronov and Bartel (who died in 2000) offer up delightful strait-laced humor as school figures who find they're on opposite sides of the debate. Corman veteran Dick Miller has an amusing bit as the town's police chief. This film also marked the final appearance of another character actor, Grady Sutton (whose film credits spanned over 50 years and included the comedy classic, "The Bank Dick"). Here, he has a small part as the school superintendent.

"Rock 'n' Roll High School" is not as polished or as humorous as other rock musical comedies, such as "A Hard Day's Night" or "This Is Spinal Tap," but it is wise to the genre, and to the origins of the music itself. The movie, like the music, has a raw exuberance that transcends any production values. You know where the film is going at every turn, but it's still a fun ride. The references to albums and 8-track tapes may be dated, but music you enjoy never goes out of date. I graduated high school long ago, but with "Rock 'n' Roll High School," class is never dismissed.

Recommended: Yes

Viewing Format: VHS
Video Occasion: Fit for Friday Evening
Suitability For Children: Suitable for Children Age 13 and Older