Roller Boogie - Roller Skate or Die

For my contribution to Blair Week, I've chosen to upload the soundtrack to the Roller Boogeying classic Roller Boogie from director Mark Lester (Class of 1984, Firestarter, Commando). I had never seen Roller Boogie before, but for the sake of Blair Week I sat down and checked it out so I'd have a little something to talk about here.

In Roller Boogie, Linda is Terry Barkley, a floutist turned competitive roller disco fanatic who, along with her retardedly hot friend Lana (Kimberly Beck aka Trish Jarvis from Friday the 13th IV) get sucked in the wacky, and kind of stupid world of dancing on roller skates.

Despite being a musical prodigy on her way to Juliard with supremely wealthy parents, all the semi-bi-polar Terry wants to do is skate at the boardwalk. During one of here boardwalk skates Terry catches the eye of Bobby, local Olympic roller skating hopeful (???). After a good deal of effort on Bobby's part the 2 develop a relationship while Bobby trains Terry to skate as his partner in an upcoming roller boogie competition.

Everything is fine for the new couple for about a 20-minute stretch of the movie. Of course, we need some kind of plot to make this an actual movie and that's where rink owner Jammer comes in. Seems Jammer (who would let their kids go to a place owned by a guy called Jammer?) owns the last establishment a group of mobsters need to purchase and demolish before they can build their mall. He refuses to sell, but Jammer, despite being a former roller derby champion, turns into a real pussy when a gun is pointed at his face, so he decides to sell. It's up to the kids to figure out a way to save Jammer's or else they'll have to skate at one of the 20 other roller skating places at Venice Beach in 1979.

Featuring a colorful cast of characters with names like Phones (head, not rotary or pay), J.D. The DJ, and Complete Control Conway Roller Boogie is every bit as corny as it's title would make it seem. However, if you can get through the absurd amount of roller skate themed padding, there's actually a fairly fun late 70's teen comedy here.

Of course, you'd expect a roller skate movie from the 70's to have a pretty bitchin' soundtrack, and this one delivers the bitchin-ness

Hell On Wheels - Cher

Good Girls - Johnnie Coolrock

All For One, One For All - Mavis Vegas Davis

Boogie Wonderland - Earth, Wind & Fire with The Emotions

We Got The Power - Ron Green

Top Jammer - Cheeks

Summer Love - Bob Esty

Takin' Life In My Own Hands - Ron Green

Elektronix (Roller Dancin') - Bob Esty & Cheeks

Cunga - Bob Esty (Instrumental)

Evil Man - Mavis Vegas Davis

Lord Is It Mine - Bob Esty

Rollin' Up A Storm (The Eye Of The Hurricane) - Bob Esty

The Roller Boogie - Bob Esty

Love Fire - Bob Esty & Michele Aller

Bonus Tracks

Git Down (Guitar Groupie) - Cher

Hell on Wheels (12 inch version) - Cher

Night Dancer - Jean Shy

Our colleagues are bringing fresh Linda related content all week long:

Monday May 10:

Lost Video Archive - Savage Streets
Satan's Hope Chest - Chained Heat and Savage Island

Tuesday:
Camp Movie Camp - Grotesque
The Horror Section - Hell Night
Full Moon Reviews - Bailout

Wednesday:
Illogical Contraption gets Repossessed
Lines That Makes Things drops original Linda inspired artwork
Breakfast In the Ruins - Exorcist II

Thursday:
B Movies and Beyond - Summer of Fear
Camp Movie Camp - Nightforce

Friday:
The Manchester Morgue - Roller Boogie
Happy Otter - The Chilling
Ninja Dixon - The Witchery

Saturday:
Lost Video Archive - Born Innocent
Unflinching Eye wraps it up with a look at Linda's fall from grace.