"Shake, Rattle and Roll" Movie To Be Filmed at Winthrop During July

July 1, 1999

ROCK HILL - Winthrop University’s Peabody Gymnasium, Tillman Hall and Margaret Nance Hall will serve as backdrops for a CBS miniseries, "Shake, Rattle and Roll."

Filming of the four-hour miniseries will begin in mid-July. Location scouts considered sites throughout the Carolinas region, including Rock Hill and the North Carolina cities of Charlotte, Gastonia, Greensboro and Kannapolis.

"Shake, Rattle and Roll: An American Love Story" is the tale of a young group of musicians who perform during the formative years of rock and roll music. The miniseries opens at Central High School in Sedalia, Mo., in 1955 and follows the band members as their lives intertwine with many early pioneers.

Dickie Barrett of the "Mighty Mighty BossTones" will play Bill Haley of the Comets and sing the show’s title songtrack.

New "50s" style songs for the band have been provided by the likes of Bob Dylan, B.B. King, Sheryl Crow, Carole King, Lamont Dozier, Graham Nash and the legendary team of Jerry Leiber and Mike Stroller. There will also be cameo appearances by some of rock’s greatest legends.

The director and co-writer for the mini-series is Emmy nominee Mike Robe, whose credits include "Return to Lonesome Dove," "Final Descent," and "Son of the Morning Star."

Producers wanted the different set locations to reflect a period look, because the movie takes place during 1955 and 1963. Settings include Memphis, Dallas, Atlanta, New York, Harlem, Philadelphia, Tulsa, Hattiesburg, Las Vegas and Chicago.

"The Carolinas Region is blessed with a wealth of great towns, period architecture and beautiful rural countryside that allows us to portray all of these locations," said Doug Whitley, location manager. "This good fortune, combined with our experienced film crews and the progressive and cooperative efforts of our region’s county and city officials, is why these film projects continue to come here."

"Shake, Rattle and Roll" is set to air in November.

In the last few years, Winthrop has been the site for several movies and commercials. Mike Drummond, who coordinates building rentals for Winthrop, said the film and television industries select the historic campus because of its Ivy League appeal.

Other films and commercials in recent years at Winthrop include:

* Larry Johnson, former Charlotte Hornets basketball player, Converse Shoe Company - Peabody Gym

* Muggsey Bogues, former Charlotte Hornets basketball player, United Way & AT&T - Peabody Gym & Coliseum

* Harris Teeter - Kinard Hall classroom

* Food Lion - ACC commercials - Peabody Gym & Coliseum

* Footlocker - Peabody Gym

* Carrie II - Withers, Tillman & Byrnes Auditorium

For more information, contact Whitley at 704-374-0800 or Marcie Kelso, director of the Carolinas Region Film Office, at 704-347-8942.