MARK Laria was at a yard sale in the back streets of Melbourne when he came across a rusty old film can, inside it was Rock’n’Roll, a film made in 1959 widely regarded as one of the most important cultural artefacts from the post-war period.

Rock’n’roll was a concert film and the brainchild of American music promoter Lee Gordon, it captured the short-lived but crucial phase in the genesis of Rock’n’roll just prior to the ‘Merseybeat’ invasion.

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But the film was believed to have been lost forever when a removalist working for the film’s director Lee Robinson accidentally took the only copy of the film to the tip in the early 1970s, and then many decades later it was miraculously discovered and meticulously restored over three years.

Rock’n’Roll is now making its way across the country in a modern-day roadshow, hitting the Jetty Theatre screen for a matinee screening at 2pm on Sunday, December 3.

Rock’n’Roll showcases the cream of Australian rock’n’roll performers of the era – Johnny O’Keefe, Col Joye, Johnny Devlin, The Delltones, Johnny Rebb, Lonnie Lee, The Graduates, The Crescents and Warren Williams.

Shot over four different concerts on the 16 and 17 October at the iconic Sydney Stadium in front of thousands of screaming fans, Lee Robinson’s film company, Southern International Films, utilised seven state-of-the-art 35mm cinematography cameras and a unique audio recording set-up.

As Australian youths clamoured to join the wave of American pop culture that began to pour into the country in the 1950s, via film radio and television, Rock’n’Roll captures the critical cultural flashpoint in outstanding audio and visual quality that were years ahead of its time.

Whether you were there in person or just in spirit, Rock’n’Roll is a must-see for anyone who loves early days rock’n’roll.

To book visit www.jettytheatre.com.