Great Balls of Fire!

"The true story of a legend."

Jun 30 1989 PG-13 1h 48m
Biography, Drama, Music

The story of Jerry Lee Lewis, arguably the greatest and certainly one of the wildest musicians of the 1950s. His arrogance, remarkable talent, and unconventional lifestyle often brought him into conflict with others in the industry, and even earned him the scorn and condemnation of the public.

Plot

A semi-fictionalized account of the early career of Jerry Lee Lewis is presented. The year is 1956, and he, as the front man, is trying to break into the business in a combo with among others his cousin, J.W. Brown, playing his rollicking version of the music he has always been interested in: what he heard emanating from the black honky-tonks of the south. Success and what goes along with it - fame and money - are arguably foremost on his mind. Against the many odds, he is able to gain that success, the odds including the Christian moral majority largely denouncing his type of music - hard driving rock 'n' roll - as that of the devil and thus anti-Christian, with one of his most vocal opponents with regard to his music being another cousin, sidewalk evangelist Jimmy Swaggart. He may derail his own success in his reckless behavior, especially falling prey to his urges with adoring young female fans, the most scandalous relationship being with J.W. and his wife Lois' thirteen year old daughter, Myra Gale Brown, who would go on imminently to become Myra Lewis, aka Mrs. Jerry Lee Lewis, and who in part was looking for a protector in her fear during this nuclear age.

Written by

Myra Lewis, Murray Silver Jr., Jack Baran

Directed by

Jim McBride

Production Countries

United States of America

Production Companies

Orion Pictures

Languages

English

Awards

1 win & 1 nomination

Scores
# of Votes
19,742
Average Rating
6.3 out of 10
Metascore
49
Popularity
NA