Coming up on Saturday at the Described Movies: West Side Story and Jailhouse Rock.

Only on Mushroom escape:
http://www.mushroomfm.com/escape
From this Saturday at 12am Eastern, that’s 6pm Saturday in NZ, 4pm in Sydney and 5am in the UK, and repeated every four hours throughout the day, it’s the described movies West Side Story from 1961, and Jailhouse Rock from 1957.
West Side Story is a 1961 American musical romantic drama film directed by Robert Wise and Jerome Robbins.
With a screenplay by Ernest Lehman, the film is an adaptation of the 1957 Broadway musical of the same title, which in turn was inspired by Shakespeare's play Romeo and Juliet.
It stars Natalie Wood, Richard Beymer, Russ Tamblyn, Rita Moreno, and George Chakiris, and was photographed by Daniel L. Fapp in Super Panavision 70.
The music was composed by Leonard Bernstein, with lyrics by Stephen Sondheim.
Released on 18 October 1961, through United Artists, the film received high praise from critics and viewers, and became the highest-grossing film of 1961.
It was nominated for 11 Academy Awards and won 10, including Best Picture (in addition to a special award for Robbins), becoming the record holder for the most wins for a musical.
West Side Story is regarded as one of the greatest musical films of all time.
The film has been deemed "culturally, historically, or aesthetically significant" by the Library of Congress and was selected for preservation in the United States National Film Registry in 1997.
A second film adaptation of the same name by Steven Spielberg was released in December 2021.
Directed by: Robert Wise, and Jerome Robbins.
Screenplay by: Ernest Lehman.
Based on: West Side Story by Jerome Robbins, Leonard Bernstein, Stephen Sondheim, Arthur Laurents, and Romeo and Juliet by William Shakespeare.
Produced by: Robert Wise.
Starring: Natalie Wood, Richard Beymer, Russ Tamblyn, Rita Moreno, and George Chakiris.
Cinematography: Daniel L. Fapp.
Edited by: Thomas Stanford.
Music by: Leonard Bernstein.
Production companies: Mirisch Pictures, and Seven Arts Productions.
Distributed by: United Artists.
Release date: 18 October 1961.
File Length: 140 minutes.
Country: United States.
Language: English.
Budget: $6.75 million.
Box office: $44.1 million.
Jailhouse Rock is a 1957 American musical drama film directed by Richard Thorpe and starring Elvis Presley, Judy Tyler, Mickey Shaughnessy, Vaughn Taylor, and Jennifer Holden.
Adapted by Guy Trosper from a story written by Nedrick Young, the film tells the story of Vince Everett (Presley), a convict who learns the guitar while in prison and later becomes a star following his release.
The film's iconic soundtrack was written by songwriters Mike Stoller and Jerry Leiber.
The dance sequence to the film's title song is often cited as "Presley's greatest moment on screen."
Jailhouse Rock premiered in Memphis, Tennessee on 17 October 1957, and was released nationwide on 8 November 1957.
It peaked at #3 on the Variety box-office chart and finished #14 for the year, grossing $4 million.
The film initially earned mixed reviews, with much of the negative targeted at Presley.
In 2004, the film was selected for preservation in the National Film Registry by the Library of Congress, who deemed it "culturally, aesthetically or historically significant."
Directed by: Richard Thorpe.
Screenplay by: Guy Trosper.
Story by: Nedrick Young.
Produced by: Pandro S. Berman.
Starring: Elvis Presley, Judy Tyler, Mickey Shaughnessy, Vaughn Taylor, and Jennifer Holden.
Cinematography: Robert J. Bronner.
Edited by: Ralph E. Winters.
Music by: Jeff Alexander.
Production company: Avon Productions.
Distributed by: Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer.
Release date: 8 November 1957 (United States).
File Length: 96 minutes.
Country: United States.
Language: English.
Budget: $1 million.
Box office: $4 million.
Any questions, comments, or ideas for future described movies: e-mail me: anthony at mushroomfm dot com (e-mail address written that way to cut down on
spam)
Enjoy the movies,