Unfortunately, in last week’s post I zipped past Guralnick too quickly, and that’s not right.  Guralnick is a leading music critic, writer on music, and historian of American popular music.  He has been writing books chronicling the history of blues, country, rock and roll and soul since he graduated from Boston University in 1971 with a master’s degree in creative writing. The first of Guralnick’s two-volume biography of Elvis Presley, Last Train to Memphis: The Rise of Elvis Presley in 1994, told the happy, inspiring story of Elvis’ life and career up to his departure for Germany in the Army.  I own this book and read it many years ago.  I liked it a lot.

Guralnick followed with Careless Love: The Unmaking of Elvis Presley in 1999, and I started to read this one, too, but I just couldn’t handle the down side of Elvis’ life.  There are some things I just don’t care to dwell on.  However, both books have been acclaimed as in-depth, scholarly examinations of Elvis Presley’s life and music.

My favorite Guralnick book is Elvis – Day By Day, co-written with Ernst Jorgensen.

It has been a valuable aid in writing numerous ElvisBlog articles.  Lots of little known facts, and 300 photos, too.  Guralnick was granted unprecedented access to hundreds of thousands of photos, documents, letters, artifacts, and memorabilia by Elvis Presley Enterprises and Colonel Parker. So, let’s look at some of the points Guralnick covered in chatting with Conan O’Brien about Elvis.

You are probably aware of Elvis’ spiritual awakening in the 60’s, but did you know it had an effect on his music?  Guralnick said, “Between ’64 and mid-’66, He never went into the recording studio except to record the movie songs.  The reason was not because the movies were killing him.  The reason was that what he wanted to do every waking moment, morning, noon and night, was to study his religious texts.” The Colonel decided Elvis had to break out of this pattern, and the way would be to record a gospel album.  “That’s what brought him back into the studio to record How Great Thou Art.  But, while he’s doing that, he’s also doing all the songs like “Down in the Alley.”  He would just go from one to another.  That essentially began his regeneration.”

And you probably think Elvis never toured Europe was because Col. Parker was an illegal alien (from Holland), and he was afraid he might not get back into the U.S.   Conan stated, “Had Elvis toured Europe, they would have lost their minds.  The Europeans would have gone crazy for him.  They always desperately wanted Elvis to tour.”

Col. Parker and Elvis

However, Guralnick disagreed that the Col. Parker angle had anything to do with it.  He based that on interviews with Tom Hulett, the promoter for many of Elvis’ American tours.  “I got the same thing from Helett that I got by inference from the Colonel.  That basically, they were afraid to take him to Europe.  Why?  He’d get busted… because of everything that was happening.  Paul McCartney’s getting busted.  There were a lot of busts going on.  The Colonel used the term ‘We can’t guarantee Elvis’ security overseas.’  And you can read that the way I think he meant it.  I mean, he was never going to say it.”

Conan asked another question about the Colonel.  “You got closer to the Colonel than anybody.  What was your take on the guy?” Guralnick replied, “Col. Parker, whom I very much liked, was a fascinating guy… Elvis saw the Colonel as being the one person who could take him to other worlds – the worlds he wanted to go to.  It was a partnership that worked very well for many years.  One of the great things about the partnership is that everybody in Hollywood, everywhere they went, took them as total yokels.  And the two of them just chortled, I mean, took these guys who were taking them for rubes, and taking them for everything they had.  Hal Wallis was ready to tear his hair out… over and over again, in which he was taken contractually by somebody he felt so superior to.

Elvis and Hal Wallis

Did you know Elvis had a photographic memory?  Guralnick says so: “One place he seemed to get some joy – he was a big movie buff.  Dr. Strangelove, Monty Python.  He could recite all the lines from Monty Python.”

“He had a photographic memory.  When he was a kid, he memorized Gen. MacArthur’s farewell speech.  He was so admiring of Dr. Martin Luther King, that he could recite the ‘I Have a Dream’ speech.”

Guralnick spent some time discussing efforts by Col. Parker, Vernon, Dr. Nick and the Memphis Mafia buddies to intervene and help Elvis with his prescription medication problem.  They never worked.  “He was in the hospital in ’73 in Memphis for a form of glaucoma, and Dr. Nick brought in two psychiatrists under the guise that they were optometrists who were consulting.  Elvis immediately saw though it.”

Conan O’Brien made one final lament to Guralnick near the end of the 72-minute interview.  “I think about this with Elvis, wishing that, or hoping, that he could have been well enough to live longer and see, you know, how respected he is now by people like you, by intellectuals, by historians.  How he’s achieved that status.”

Again, I recommend that you click here and watch this fascinating interview between Conan O’Brien and Peter Guralnick.  You won’t be disappointed.

Last week’s article ended with a tease about Conan singing Elvis songs on the next one.  Now that Peter Guralnick has been given the attention he deserves, we’ll try to cover Conan singing Elvis next week.

©  2013    Philip R Arnold, Original Elvis Blogmeister    All Rights Reserved    www.ElvisBlog.net

Elvis, Elvis Presley, and Graceland are registered trademarks of Elvis Presley Enterprises, Inc.

However, once it got going, I was very impressed with the knowledge Conan exhibited and the quality of his statements and questions. For example, I was curious how Conan became an Elvis fan.

“When I was in college, and it’s the 80s, and I had sort-of come of age with 60s and 70s music.  Elvis wasn’t a big interest of mine.  And, then, I want to say, 1983, I listened for the first time to The Sun Sessions, Elvis’ earliest work that he did with Sam Phillips.”

“It blew my mind.  It was like a drug.  I couldn’t get enough.  It made me go out and buy a guitar.  It made me try and play that music.  And, in a sense, I’ve never gotten past that music.  I can’t get past early Elvis.  I can’t get past Jerry Lee Lewis.  I can’t get past Carl Perkins.  I appreciate other music, but I’m always drawn back.  It’s just this energy.”

Even better was Conan’s concern about Elvis putting up with all the crummy songs in the later movies:

“What I’ve always noticed about Elvis that bothers me to this day is there’s nobody more talented.  There’s nobody who’s better looking.  He’s a rare example of the complete package and he is at the right time.  He’s got it all — and he’s passive.  He doesn’t like the songs they give him in the movies, but he sings them.  He doesn’t like the movies, but he does them.  Why was he so passive?  Why did he sing the song “Clambake?”… These songs are dreadful.  And you think, he was Elvis Presley.  Why couldn’t he stand up and say, ‘I’m not doing this!  Get me Leiber/Stoller.  Get me real songwriters.  Let’s make a real soundtrack”

Conan makes a good point.  With his stature, why didn’t Elvis insist on better movie songs?  The answer to the question takes Guralnick some time to explain, and as you might imagine, it partly involves Col. Parker.

The most profound thing Conan said was about the unfair treatment Elvis and his fans sometime get these days:

”I listen to Elvis nearly every night on Sirrius.  I love it.  But, every once in a while, they’ll say, ‘Now we’re going to the Movie Soundtrack Show… I switch the channel.  I can’t take it, because it’s Elvis digging a ditch. It’s not something he wants to be doing.  He’s doing his best.”

“But, the artists like Elvis who survived into the 80s and 90s got a chance to work with real [bands]… They’re redeemed.  They get to work with great producers.  Johhny Cash had this whole resurgence.  Roy Orbison gets a resurgence.  They’re taken seriously.  They are treated appropriately – as icons and heroes.  And their work is refurbished… There’s always part of me that’s very sad that Elvis couldn’t have lived to see how great his work was.  He was someone who was revered.  To see that whole generation come out and play with him and support…. And let him know that his work meant something in the American tapestry, but he never got that chance.”

Conan got a little wobbly at the end of that quote, so some was edited out for clarity.  However, Peter Guralnick agreed with Conan one this point, and so do I.

Roy Orbison and Friends: A Black and White Night (1988) – Think five guitars is enough? Who’s that guy on the left?

If Elvis had lived into his fifties, he may well have had an event like Roy Orbison and Friends: A Black and White Night, playing with a bunch of contemporary musicians.  It would have changed the perspective of those Elvis detractors out there, and proved that you and I are right.

I highly recommend you watch the entire Conan O’Brien and Peter Guralnick interview by clicking here.  It is seventy-two minutes of excellent Elvis information by two genuine, knowledgeable Elvis fans.

  Next Week – Conan Sings Elvis

©  2013    Philip R Arnold, Original Elvis Blogmeister    All Rights Reserved    www.ElvisBlog.net

Elvis, Elvis Presley, and Graceland are registered trademarks of Elvis Presley Enterprises, Inc.

Movies Presented Last Week That I liked:

King Creole – This was a repeat from three weeks ago, so I didn’t watch.  That will be the last time I’ll ever skip it when King Creole is shown commercial-free on cable.  It is probably Elvis’ best movie and the cast of supporting actors is great.  I like the way Elvis handled his character Danny Fisher.  He would never again get to portray such a conflicted and tortured soul.  King Creole was discussed in Random Thoughts Part 2.

Girl Happy – One of those silly happy Elvis movies I love so much.  I really like the vibe between Elvis and Shelly Fabares in Girl Happy.  Plus, lots of lovely girls in bikinis and several good songs.  I can’t figure out why Encore didn’t repeat Girl Happy, instead of the lame Girls, Girls, Girls.

G.I. Blues – Another of the fun Elvis movies with pretty good music.  The two dance sequences by Juliet Prowse are different and interesting.  This was another repeat and has be covered in Random Thoughts Part 2.

Jailhouse Rock – I love this movie, but I skipped it because it was another repeat from the first week.  It is discussed in the first Random Thoughts on Encore’s Elvis Collection. It’s a serious film that manages to have the best soundtrack of any Elvis film.

Kid Galahad – I haven’t watched this one very often, but I’m glad Encore included it in their Elvis collection.  It grows on me each time.  Elvis plays a modest, well-adjusted young man, who gets to sing, box and romance, while his co-stars Gig Young, Lola Albright, and Charles Bronson grapple with their serious problems.

I noticed that unlike most Elvis movies, he and love interest Joan Blackman never had a break-up before coming together at the end.  A very smooth romance.  I also noted that Elvis’ hair was dark brown – a distinct change from the jet black he sported the previous night in Roustabout.

The Ones I’m Tired of Watching:

Harum Scarum – Well, it was different, but I get bored watching it.  The plot and action were pretty weak.  The bad guys (including Red West) weren’t very believable, nor was Elvis dropping a tiger with a single Karate chop.  I did like Mary Ann Mobely, though.

Change of Habit – I know other reviewers think this is pretty good movie, but I don’t.  It certainly wasn’t a fun movie.  Elvis was almost a bit player compared to the tribulations that Mary Tyler Moore and two other nuns encountered.  There was little music, and except for “Rubberneckin,’” it was forgettable.

Roustabout – This one isn’t too bad, but it certainly would have been improved with a better love interest than Joan Freeman.  The most interesting female in the cast was Sue Ann Langdon as the carny fortune teller, Madame Mijanou.  She nearly duplicated this roll as Mitzi in Frankie and Johnny – both characters were busty, love-starved women on the prowl.

There is one reason I still watch Roustabout.  A teenaged Raquel Welch appears in an early bar scene, and a young Teri Garr is the dancer to Elvis’ left when he sings on the outdoor stage.

Some Things I’ve Noticed Watching Twenty-four Different Elvis Movies in Four Weeks:

Lots of Elvis movie opening credits have him driving a car (motorcycle, helicopter, etc) while singing a song.  Change of Habit may have been the only one that used graphics for the credits.  No shots of Elvis at all.

Lots of actors show up in more than one Elvis movie.  We all know about the leading ladies with rolls in multiple films: Yvonne Craig, Delores Hart, Joan Blackman, Shelly Fabares, Mary Ann Mobley, etc.  But a series of consecutive viewings allows you to spot other actors.  Ed Asner made his film debut in Roustabout and also played a cop in Change of Habit.  Arthur O’Connell was the father figure in both Follow That Dream and Kissin’ Cousins.  Jeremy Slate was a soldier buddy of Elvis’ in G.I. Blues and the nasty boat company owner in Girl, Girls, Girls.  Bill Bixby competed with Elvis for the girl in Clambake, and was Elvis’ partner in Speedway.  This list could go on and on, all the way down to bit players (Teri Garr actually danced in four Elvis movies).

Elvis’ Memphis Mafia buddies are in many movies.  As I said before, when I know the story and dialog so well, I amuse myself studying the background characters for Joe Esposito, Red West, Charlie Hodge, Jerry Schilling and others.  Try it yourself.  The next time you watch an Elvis movie with a club scene, scan the audience and see who you can spot sitting at the tables.

My enjoyment of some Elvis movies is enhanced because of his fine costars in them.

Ann Margret  – Viva Las Vegas

Barbara Eden — Flaming Star (not in Encore collection)

Yvonne Craig – It Happened at the World’s Fair and Kissin’ Cousins

Tuesday Weld – Wild In The Country (not in Encore Collection)

Michele Carey – Live A Little, Love A Little

Anne Helm  – Follow That Dream

Donna Douglas – Frankie and Johnny

There are several costars that decrease my enjoyment in watching an Elvis movie.

Laurel Goodwin —  Girls, Girls, Girls

Ursula Andress — Fun In Acapulco

Joan Freeman – Roustabout

Annette Day  – Double Trouble (not in Encore Collection)

And finally, this is the Elvis movie not included in the Encore collection that I missed the most.

“Tickle Me”

©  2013    Philip R Arnold, Original Elvis Blogmeister    All Rights Reserved    www.ElvisBlog.net

Elvis, Elvis Presley, and Graceland are registered trademarks of Elvis Presley Enterprises, Inc.

Movies Presented in the Past Week That I Liked:

Follow That Dream — I will always be thankful to my buddy Alan Hanson over at the Elvis-History Blog for pointing out the subtle nuances of this film.  The more I watch it, the more I like it – especially the courtroom scene where Elvis utterly charms the judge and outsmarts the spiteful child protection lady.  And I just love the end where Anne Helm transforms into a woman and nuzzles Elvis into realizing his feelings for her.

In many of his movies, Elvis plays characters with various flaws.  Here he is initially presented as a country bumpkin, but he comes out on top in every situation.  I found his character thoroughly likeable.  On a similar note, I usually dislike the cutesy child actors in Elvis’ movies, but Eddie and Teddy in this were kind-of cool.

Easy Come, Easy Go — My reasons for liking this probably wouldn’t sway the folks who slam Elvis’ later movies when he was pretty much just going through the motions.  For one thing, I hadn’t viewed it a bunch of times, so it seemed kind-of fresh.  The second reason I liked it was that Pat Priest spent half her screen time in bikinis.  She was hot as Marilyn Munster, but she is something else in this movie.  And finally, there was a song I really enjoyed: “You Gotta Stop.”  After some of the dogs Elvis had to sing in his 1967-68 movies, it was a pleasant surprise to find a good one.

The Movies I’m Tired of Watching:

Clambake – I’ve watched this one a lot, mainly because I like Shelly Fabares so much.  However, she is much better in Girl Happy, where her character was more likeable than the spoiled rich girl she played in Clambake.  So, I amused myself watching for Elvis’ Memphis Mafia buddies in bit parts.  Did you notice Charlie Hodge giving Elvis’ character’s dad a shave early in the movie?  You could hardly miss Red West as the ice cream vendor.  You had to look pretty close to spot Jerry Schilling and Richard Davis at the clambake-themed pool party.

Hey, this movie takes place in Florida. Where’d the mountains come from?

My favorite scene in the movie is when Elvis moves down the line kissing all the pretty women who helped put the hardening goop on the racing boat’s repaired body.

It Happened at the World’s Fair – As I said a month ago in the 50th Anniversary Movie Pictorial, “By this time, Col. Parker and the producers had given up any pretense of putting Elvis into quality movies, and this one was a real stinkeroo, in my opinion.  The plot was very thin, there was way too much of five-year-old Sue-Lin, and the songs were weak (especially the four Elvis sang to Sue-Lin).

Harum Scarum – This is one I wish I could like more, because I am a big Mary Ann Mobley fan.  At least she got better treatment from Elvis compared to all the double dealing he subjected her to in Girl Happy.

Unfortunately Harum Scarum doesn’t get better with repeated viewings.  Mighty weak plot.  I did notice something watching it again – by the time the movie was fourteen minutes old, Elvis had already sung four songs.  And they were all very forgettable.  The scene with the little girl doing a belly dance for Elvis totally freaks me out.

Repeat Showing — Already Discussed:

This Is Elvis

King Creole

Coming Up:

Sunday, May 26 – Girl Happy:

My third chance to see Shelly Fabares, and this is the best one.  I love watching her sing “I’m Evil.”

I also get a kick out of Elvis escaping from jail in drag.

Monday, May 27 — Change of Habit

Tuesday, May 28 — G.I. Blues

Wednesday, May 29 — Jailhouse Rock

Thursday, May 30 – Roustabout

Friday, May 31 — Kid Galahad

©  2013    Philip R Arnold, Original Elvis Blogmeister    All Rights Reserved    www.ElvisBlog.net

Elvis, Elvis Presley, and Graceland are registered trademarks of Elvis Presley Enterprises, Inc.

Movies Presented in the Past Week That I Liked:

There were four:  Live A Little, Love A Little, Viva Las Vegas, Blue Hawaii, and Kissin’ Cousins.  All four are like must-see choices for me every time they show up on cable.

Viva Las Vegas — Ann-Margret can tune my race car any time.

Blue Hawaii — My favorite scene is when Elvis sings “Slicin’ Sand” while putting out a luau campfire.  Those teenage girls are so energetic and really get into kicking sand around.

Live A Little, Love A Little — Of course, I know that Live A Little is a dumb movie, but long ago I decided it is so bad it’s cool.  Michele Carey is a delight to watch, and the strange interaction between her and Elvis works for me.  I also get a kick out of the surreal dream sequence where Elvis sings “Edge of Reality.”  The talking dog in it is totally bizarre.

Kissin’ Cousins — This is a silly little movie, but it has its own charm.  Yvonne Craig is one of my favorite Elvis co-stars.  Here’s a trivia question for you.  What actress was number eight in the credits but ended up with Elvis at the end of the movie?  Check it out on your DVD case.  And how about all “them darn Kitty Hawks” who live in a valley where no men have been born for twenty years.  It takes a unique movie to have a clan of men-starved lovelies stage raids on mountain guys and Army soldiers.  Finally, I always make sure my dog is in the room when Maw Tatum sings about missing beloved Pappy.  Every time she sings the word Pappy, the family bloodhound moans loudly.  It freaks my dog out.

The Ones I Didn’t Like:

Fun In Acapulco – Neither of the two leading ladies, Ursula Andress and Elsa Cardenas, do much for me.

Spinout – I like Shelly Fabares a lot, but she wasn’t enough to save this movie.  It’s hard to believe that an Elvis movie could end without him getting the girl.  He didn’t fall in love with any of three choices.

The Ones That Are So-So:

Paradise, Hawaiian Style – I haven’t watched this one very often over the years, and I had to miss it this time.  I don’t have any feelings of regret about that because I just don’t remember that much about the movie.  One thing I do remember is Elvis singing a song while piloting a helicopter full of dogs.

This Is Elvis — Unfortunately, this bio seems weaker with repetitive viewing.  You start to pick out little factual errors and images that are out of sync with the storyline.  Several better Elvis biographical movies have come out since this one.

Coming Up:

Saturday, May 18 —  G.I. Blues:

Definitely going to watch this one.  I especially like the funny faces Elvis makes in the scenes with the little babies.

Sunday, May 19 – Clambake:

I’ll be watching this one, too.  More Shelly Fabares.  Yum, yum.

©  2013    Philip R Arnold, Original Elvis Blogmeister    All Rights Reserved    www.ElvisBlog.net

Elvis, Elvis Presley, and Graceland are registered trademarks of Elvis Presley Enterprises, Inc.

When I sat down to write my random thoughts on this movie, my mind went blank.  I couldn’t remember any long-established opinions about Speedway.  I knew Nancy Sinatra was in it and looked good in her miniskirt and high white boots, but that was about it.

So, I read the plot summary in The Elvis Film Encyclopedia by Eric Brawn, and I realized Speedway had to be the Elvis movie I was least familiar with.  In reflection, I guess I saw it once maybe twenty years ago.  Needless to say, I’m excited to watch it now.  The book said Richard Petty and Cale Yarborough make cameo appearances, so I will be on the lookout for them.

Wednesday, May 8 – Stay Away Joe:

I’ve got lots of opinions about this one, but they are mixed.  I’m really turned off by the depiction of young native-American men was rowdy, heavy-drinking, skirt-chasing louts.  There are people today trying to get the Washington Redskins’ name changed because it is offensive and demeaning to native-Americans.  I guess these same people have never seen Stay Away Joe, or they would really be making a big stink.

On the other hand, Stay Away Joe is basically a good-hearted farce.  It has fight scenes like all Elvis movies, but they are comical as opposed to the savagery in King Creole.  Elvis looks particularly fit and handsome with his rugged color and western wardrobe.

I’m always tickled with the scene Elvis has with young hottie Quentin Dean and the one with her protective mother Joan Blondell.  Unfortunately, it is sad to see a quality actor like Burgess Meredith in such a stupid role.

Elvis wakes up amoung beer cans after wild party

Anyway, I’m going to overlook the bad stuff and enjoy this silly movie.

Thursday, May 9 — Fun In Acapulco:

This is on okay movie, and I haven’t seen it in a while, so I’ll watch it.  But of all Elvis’ leading ladies, Ursula Andress gave the most boring performance.  I just can’t get a good vibe watching her sleepwalk through her lines.

One character I did like was the young shoe-shine boy who becomes Elvis’ de facto talent manager.  He pulls off all kind of schemes and reminds me of a mini Col. Parker.

I never found the scene of Elvis climbing the rock wall up to the diving cliff very believable.  Here’s a photo showing how they filmed it.

So, it looks like my plans for the next three nights are set.  These three Elvis movies will set the stage for party time Friday night when they show the film I anticipate the most in this series: Live A Little, Love A Little.  More on that next post.

©  2013    Philip R Arnold, Original Elvis Blogmeister    All Rights Reserved    www.ElvisBlog.net

Elvis, Elvis Presley, and Graceland are registered trademarks of Elvis Presley Enterprises, Inc.

As I said in the last post, the plots are so well know after repeated viewings, that I try to find other things to look for to keep it interesting.  So, I was happy to find a new one in Jailhouse Rock.  It occurs after Elvis’ character Vince Everett signs a movie contract, and the scene is a celebratory party.  There is a large man dancing with surprisingly nimble feet.  It was Lamar Fike.

I knew Lamar travelled to Hollywood when he heard Elvis had swallowed a crown and was in the hospital.  After it was extracted and Elvis recovered, Lamar stayed on with the rest of Elvis’ buddies already in town.

Elvis liked to get small movie cameos for his buddies, and Lamar is among the background people in several other scenes, in addition to his dancing at the party.

Sunday, May 5 – King Creole:

Okay, I’ve got to watch this one because it is unquestionably Elvis’ finest acting role.  It’s not my favorite – a little too dark and violent – but I appreciate what Elvis accomplished.

It’s just too bad that Col. Parker and the producers never again gave Elvis a story of equal weight or a supporting cast of such talent.  In addition to Walter Matthau, Dean Jagger, Delores Hart, and Vick Morrow, King Creole featured Carolyn Jones as Ronnie, the damaged-goods, kept woman of Maxie Fields, the hood nightclub owner played by Matthau.

Carolyn Jones plays the most sultry love interest in any Elvis movie, and she is the highlight of King Creole in my opinion.  Every scene between her and Elvis bristles with tension and smoldering desire.

If there is a hotter scene than this in any other Elvis movie, I sure missed it.

There is one other female character in King Creole I like to watch.  I called her the banana woman until I checked out the credits and her character’s name is Forty Nina.  She was the stripper who headlined at the King Creole club before Elvis took over.  Check out her outfit on the DVD cover above.

Considering that Forty Nina is only a bit character, she gets equal billing on this publicity photo.

AS I mentioned in the last post, I like to spot Scotty Moore, DJ Fontana, and Bill Black in the early Elvis movies.  They are in King Creole, but you could miss them if you don’t look closely.  They are part of a seven-man band that backs Elvis at the King Creole club.  The other four members are The Jordanaires.  In addition to singing, they play (pretend to play) standard Dixieland instruments.  That’s the late Gordon Stoker with the clarinet.

Notice Scotty Moore is playing a banjo, not a guitar in this shot

In spite of all the intense action in the film, Elvis manages to sing some great songs on the King Creole club stage:  “Hard Headed Woman,” “Don’t Ask Me Why,” and the title song.  However, my ears always perk up when he does the blues numbers “New Orleans,” and “Trouble,” his only song at Matthau’s Gilded Cage club.

If you would like to learn a whole bunch more about King Creole, I suggest you check out my friend Troy Yeary’s The Mystery train Elvis Blog.  Troy has proclaimed King Creole as the Movie of the Quarter, and has already done two posts on March 2  and  March 23.   And he promises more to come.

Monday, May 6 – Girls, Girls, Girls:

I think I’ll skip this one.  I watched Girls, Girls, Girls again back in December while preparing for the 50th Anniversary Movie Pictorial article.

As I said, I consider this one a pretty lame Elvis movie.  In addition to a weak story, it has crummy songs, especially the two Elvis sang to the two little girls: “Earth Boy,” and “Dainty Little Moonbeams.”  Of course, every critic panning the songs from Elvis’ movies always includes “Song of the Shrimp” as a classic example.

If I was going to watch Girl, Girls, Girls, the one thing I would look for is the dance sequence between Elvis and Laurel Goodwin to the song “The Walls Have Ears.”

This photo doesn’t show what’s interesting about the dance, but the 50th Anniversary pictorial does.

©  2013    Philip R Arnold, Original Elvis Blogmeister    All Rights Reserved    www.ElvisBlog.net

Elvis, Elvis Presley, and Graceland are registered trademarks of Elvis Presley Enterprises, Inc.

The first three Elvis movies have already been shown (two will be repeated later), but that leaves plenty to discuss on ElvisBlog.  We’ll do it one week at a time, starting with Saturday May 4.  However, there will be no serious reviews.  For that, I suggest you check out my friend Alan Hanson’s wonderful reviews of all Elvis movies on his Elvis-History Blog.  As the title of this article says, whatever random thoughts pop into my mind for each movie will be shared here.  Most Elvis movies have been covered or mentioned in previous ElvisBlog articles, so there will be links back to them, as well.

Here is the entire schedule:

5/1 – Girls, Girls, Girls  (repeated on 5/6)

5/2 – Frankie and Johnny

5/3 – Blue Hawaii   (repeated on 5/13)

5/4 – Jailhouse Rock  (repeated on 5/29)

5/5 – King Creole 5/6 – Girls, Girls, Girls

5/7 – Speedway

5/8 – Stay Away Joe

5/9 — Fun In Acapulco

5/10 – Live A Little, Love A Little

5/11 – Viva Las Vegas  (repeated on 5/25)

5/12 – Spinout

5/13 — Blue Hawaii

5/14 — This Is Elvis   (repeated on 5/22)

5/15 — Paradise, Hawaiian Style

5/16 — Viva Las Vegas

5/17 — Kissin’ Cousins

5/18 — G.I. Blues   (repeated on 5/28)

5/19 – Clambake

5/20 — t Happened At The World’s Fair

5/21 — Follow That Dream

5/22 — This Is Elvis

5/23 — Easy Come, Easy Go

5/24 — Harum Scarum

5/25 — Viva Las Vegas

5/26 — Girl Happy

5/27 — Change Of Habit

5/28 — G.I. Blues

5/29 — Jailhouse Rock

5/30 – Roustabout

5/31 — Kid Galahad

Let’s do some random thoughts on the next week’s movies.

Saturday, May 4 (repeated May 29) – Jailhouse Rock:

Well, I guess I’ve seen it eight or nine times already, but I’ll do it again for sure.  I like the good job Elvis does with a real dramatic part.  And I consider the Jailhouse Rock soundtrack is the best Elvis ever did, without any close second.  It has two huge hits:  “Jailhouse Rock” and “Treat Me Nice.”  It contains my second favorite Elvis song of all time: “(You’re So Square) Baby, I Don’t Care.”   And, because I am partial to the blues songs Elvis recorded, I love the two in this movie: “I Want To Be Free,” and “Don’t Leave Me Now.”

Both songs were written by Jerry Lieber and Mike Stoller, as were the other four songs in the movie.  It is incredulous that they composed this entire terrific soundtrack in four hours one afternoon.

I never get tired of watching the “Jailhouse Rock” dance scene, widely considered the predecessor of the modern music video.  Elvis could really dance.

I also think Jailhouse Rock is where you will hear the best Elvis line in any movie.  After co-star Judy Tyler rejects his advances, Elvis says to her, “That ain’t tactics, honey.  It’s just the beast in me.”

Tyler is hotter is some of the off camera photos than she is in the movie.

But, the actress I like watching is Jennifer Holden.  I love the scene where she really gets into kissing Elvis during the filming of a movie.  It has to be indicative of what went on with a lot of Elvis’ co-stars.  Oh, yes, when the camera switches to a shot of the hangers-on watching the kissing scene, you can see Elvis’ buddy George Klein in the crowd.

However, the biggest reason I never miss Jailhouse Rock is because there is so much screen time for Scotty Moore, DJ Fontana, and Bill Black.  Ever since I had breakfast with Scotty and DJ at Elvis Week 2007 I have been a big fan.

There is an interesting ElvisBlog article about a continuity blooper with Scotty’s sunglasses at the poolside party performance of “Baby, I Don’t Care.”

There is another interesting continuity blooper in Jailhouse Rock that you have to concentrate on or you will miss it.  Drink glasses that Elvis knocks over during a moment of anger in the Club La Florita suddenly reappear as he storms out of the club.

So, now you know all the things I will be checking out while watching Jailhouse Rock:  Elvis handling a true dramatic role, the songs, the dance scene, the classic line, the kissing scene, Scotty, DJ and Bill, and two bloopers.  After all, if you’ve seen the movie eight times already, you really know the plot.  So, it’s nice to have other things to look for.

It turns out I had more random thoughts on Jailhouse Rock than I realized.  So, this article won’t cover all the Elvis movies on Encore the next week.  Instead, I’ll do more articles covering two or three movies before their show time.

©  2013    Philip R Arnold, Original Elvis Blogmeister    All Rights Reserved    www.ElvisBlog.net

Elvis, Elvis Presley, and Graceland are registered trademarks of Elvis Presley Enterprises, Inc.

George Jones as a youngster and during his days on the Louisiana Hayride

Jones was born in 1931, and by his twelfth birthday, he was playing his guitar and singing for tips on the streets of Beaumont, Texas.  Although he and Elvis got their starts at almost exactly the same time, Jones was three years older due to serving a stint in Korea with the marines.

Elvis began recording at Sun Records in 1954, the same year Jones signed with Starday Records.  By the end of the year, Elvis had regional success with the Rock-a-Billy songs “That’s All Right” and “Good Rockin’ Tonight.”  Jones had less success with his first two honky-tonk releases “No Money in This Deal,” and “You’re in My Heart.”

In November 1954, Elvis signed a contract with the Louisiana Hayride to perform every Saturday night for a year.  In addition, the Hayride took performers out on tour to cities not too distant from Shreveport. Louisiana.  In August 1955, Elvis was on the bill of one of these shows in Conroe, Texas.  George Jones drove over from Beaumont and managed to get in to see Horace Logan, the director of the Hayride.  Logan later described Jones as kind of skinny, with a crew cut, and looking like a teenager (he was actually 24).  Jones sang his latest Starday release “Why Baby Why,” and impressed Logan so much he was allowed to open the show as an unannounced act.

After the Conroe show, Logan signed George Jones to a contract, and he became a regular Hayride performer, sometimes appearing on the bill with Elvis.

Then “Why Baby Why” quickly became a national country hit for George Jones, and his career took off.   He became the headliner at the Louisiana Hayride.  Notice the playbill below with Jones at the top and Elvis as a special guest.

Jones has been quoted saying this about that show, “I still have a copy of one of those posters – well Elvis made it really, really big, but I had one up on him for that one night.”  However, as the hits piled up for Elvis and his fame exploded, he leapfrogged back ahead of Jones as the headliner.

One of the most interesting things I found on the internet was a song Jones wrote and recorded titled, “The King is Gone (So Are You).”   As best I can find out, it is autobiographical.  Here’s the scenario.  George Jones was an alcoholic for most of his career, and he had four divorces.  After one of those divorces, Jones was alone in his home, and the ex-wife had cleared out everything – all the furniture and all the china and glassware.  Among the few things she didn’t take was a small table, an Elvis Jim Beam whiskey decanter, and a jar of Flintstones jelly beans..

One of the Jim Beam Elvis decanter collection. Note tax stamp seal on Elvis’ head.

Jones dumped out the jellybeans and used the jar as a glass to drink the Jim Beam, all of it.  As he got good and drunk, he had imaginary conversations with Elvis and Fred Flintstone.  Soon after that, he wrote this song.

The kicker to this story is that Hanna-Barbera Productions sued George Jones for unauthorized use of their trademarked Yabba Dabba Doo.  Poor Jones couldn’t catch a break.

Let’s end with one last story about George Jones.  It has nothing to do with Elvis, but it is classic George Jones lore.

One of the best known stories of Jones’ drinking days happened when he was married to his second wife, Shirley Ann Corley.  She tried to make it physically impossible for him to travel to Beaumont, located eight miles away, and buy liquor.  Because Jones would not walk that far, she would hide the keys to each of their cars before she left the house.  On night, Jones was upset at not being able to find any car keys, but he happened to look out the window.  The light that shone over their property spotlighted their large riding lawn mower.  He is quoted saying, “There, gleaming in the glow, was that ten-horsepower rotary engine under a seat.  A key glistening in the ignition.  I imagined the top speed for that old mower was five miles per hour.  It might have taken an hour and a half or more for me to get to the liquor store, but get there I did.”

Good bye, George Jones.  You were a classic.

©  2013    Philip R Arnold, Original Elvis Blogmeister    All Rights Reserved    www.ElvisBlog.net

Elvis, Elvis Presley, and Graceland are registered trademarks of Elvis Presley Enterprises, Inc.

Movie Posters:

Shots from the Movie:

The movie could have been a virtual advertisement for the Seattle World’s Fair, because it featured glamorous shots of nine different venues, including the Water Works Fountain in the Central Courtyard shown here.  However, the film premiered several months after the fair closed.

Here we have Elvis and co-star Joan O’Brien in the famous Space Needle with its 360 degree rotation that provided stunning views.  Actual filming was done on a set in Hollywood, and the floor didn’t rotate, just the section of windows behind them.  Next time you watch the movie, note how the view never changes.

Elvis spent more time with Sue-Lin than he did with Joan O’Brien, and he sang more songs to the precocious child.  However, the two songs he sang to O’Brien made her melt yieldingly into his arms.

Lobby Cards:

The One Scene I Can Watch Over and Over:

Early in the movie, there is a short scene that has nothing to do with the plot.  Elvis shows up at the house where Yvonne Craig lives, and in no time they are doing this.  Then, she decides things are getting too hot and pulls away.  Elvis chases her all over the living room like a hound dog on the scent.

Elvis the Hairdresser

Finally

Believe it or not, Elvis had time to sing a song during all that.  It is said that Elvis dated Yvonne Craig during the filming of the movie.  And, he must have liked her acting skills so much that he elevated her to co-star status a year later in Kissin’ Cousins.

Promotional Photos:

Elvis and two young girls who had about five seconds of film time in the scene depicted in the first lobby card – but they sure are pretty.

Elvis in his pilot outfit

In the movies, Elvis has sung on trains, trucks, cars, helicopters, and boats.  Why not a rickshaw?

Foreign Posters:

French Poster

Italian Poster

Note what they feature on the Italian poster — Elvis in three fight scenes and putting the make on the girl who is not his co-star.

Behind the Scenes Shots:

Elvis the Hairdresser

Poker game. Gary Lockwood, Joan O’Brien, and cousin Billy Smith join in.

Kissing the Co-Star:

Kiss in Space Needle

This is about mid-way through the movie before Elvis messes up and she gets all mad at him.

Kissing at end of movie – after he wins her back.

.

.

©  2013    Philip R Arnold, Original Elvis Blogmeister    All Rights Reserved    www.ElvisBlog.net

Elvis, Elvis Presley, and Graceland are registered trademarks of Elvis Presley Enterprises, Inc.