7 Movies that Make Musicians the Star

The love affair between musicians and the movies may have started around the time talkies were invented but when rock n’ roll took over in the 1950s, stars began showing up more and more on the big screen. As we explore Music and Movies this month, we’re offering a chance to see some classic crossover musicians you may not expect to see larger than life in the movies.

Rock Around The Clock (1956)

This film is quaint by today’s standards, but this vehicle for Bill Haley and his Comets is widely considered the first “rock n’ roll musical” that started a production boom and lead performers like Elvis to reach new heights in Hollywood. The plot is a fairly standard mid-century romance aside from the band performances, but it’s important to note that by presenting racially integrated musical acts, including The Platters and Tony Martinez sharing the stage, the film was quite forward thinking in its politics and helped spread the popularity of rock music around the world.

Sept 15 at 9pm ET on HS70
Available on demand in September

Fun in Acapulco (1963)

Elvis leads one of his classic musical comedies when he gets busted down to lifeguard in Acapulco and catches the eye of Ursula Andress. More than anything this movie is notable for flaunting Elvis’ conflicts with Mexican authorities and managing to shoot with a double south of the border even though Elvis himself was persona non grata in Mexico.

Sept 22 at 9pm ET on HS70
Available on demand in September

The Harder They Come (1972)

Frequently considered the film that brought reggae popularity around the US, Perry Henzell’s story of a musical folk hero was also an incredibly significant film in Jamaican cultural history. While it was a showcase for musician Jimmy Cliff, the bigger impact was that the film was one of the first to portray regular life for the Jamaican people from their perspective, spoken in Jamaican Patois and its international success inspired more film and music from a distinct Caribbean perspective.

Sept 26 at 9pm ET on HS70
Available on demand in September

Hard to Hold (1984)

Rocker Rick Springfield is one of the few musicians who can claim a fairly healthy acting career in Hollywood and it all started with this somewhat forgotten romance. The romance between a rocker and a classical music-loving psychologist doesn’t exactly stretch Springfield’s acting abilities but it does give him plenty of chances to perform in the film and the story is surprisingly adult for a man considered a teen idol at the time.

Sept 12 at 9pm ET on HS80
Available on demand in September

Smithereens (1982)

Susan Seidelman’s tribute to the waning punk scene in early 1980s New York features a notable performance by Richard Hell as a washed up punk still trying to make it. Seidelman’s insider knowledge of the downtown New York scene, the blaring punk soundtrack, as well as the raw performances from Hell and lead Susan Berman helped this movie become the first U.S. independent film to compete for the Palme d’Or at Cannes.

Sept 18 at 9pm ET on HS80
Available on demand in September

ABBA – The Movie (1977)

This mix of concert film and slice of life mockumentary looks at Australia’s reaction to ABBA-fever, but rises above what you’d expect thanks to the fact ABBA was documented by Oscar-Nominee Lasse Hallström. Eagle-eyed fans will notice much of the filming of Agnetha Fältskog is in close up to hide the fact that she was pregnant at the time.

Sept 14 at 9pm ET on HS70
Available on demand in September

I’m Going To Break Your Heart (2019)

If the 90s seem like they were just yesterday to you , you might want to brace yourself for this documentary that explores both the creative processes and long 19 year marriage of Canadian musicians Chantal Kreviazuk and Raine Maida. As the couple head to St. Pierre and Miquelon to work on an album, the film deeply explores how a couple’s work in the arts can both bring them together and tear them apart.

Sept 14 at 7:25pm ET on HS00
Available on demand in September