![]() ![]() This caused a panic among the older generation, and a general concern about the impact that rock ‘n’ roll had on their teenagers. The attention to these reactions to Rock Around the Clock in the media created what some historians call ‘ritualistic behaviour’ as teenagers across Britain copied this behaviour when the film was shown in their local cinema. On 17 September 1956, The Times newspaper said that ‘since the beginning of September more than 60 youths have appeared in police courts charged with taking part in disturbances inside cinemas or on the streets outside cinemas where the film was shown.’ The ‘disturbances’ ranged from what can be considered harmless teenage excitement like jiving on the cinema seats, and clapping and shouting during the film, to the more extreme acts of violence like slashing cinema seats with knives. However, it was the ‘violence’ that was the biggest concern. Historian Dominic Sandbrook argues that because of the association between the music and racial equality and sexual freedom, the older generation were worried that the music represented the disappearance of traditional values. Nonetheless, Haley’s Rock Around the Clock was the catalyst for the rock ‘n’ roll craze that was sweeping Britain and causing popular concern. His impact on youth culture in the fifties was soon forgotten by the emergence of the younger and more alluring Elvis Presley. Despite being a ‘teenage icon’, at the height of his fame Haley was in his thirties. These actions caught the attention of the media, which helped spread the outbreak in teenage violence from London to Cardiff and the rest of Britain.īill Haley was an American rock ‘n’ roll musician who topped the charts with his songs ‘ Shake, Rattle and Roll’ (1954) and ‘ Rock Around the Clock’ (1956). It symbolised the beginnings of the phenomenon of teenage culture, as audiences vandalised cinemas and acted in other violent ways. The film was released in England, Scotland and Wales, being shown in places like Newport, Cardiff and Swansea. In 1956, Bill Haley’s film Rock Around the Clock hit Britain. ![]()
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