When coming attractions are shown at your local movie theater, they usually start with a montage of short exciting scenes, plus a booming announcer voice-over to hype your interest. Believe it or not, there is an old VHS tape titled “Elvis in the Movies” that shows the trailers for all 31 of Elvis’ acting movies. This string of three minute coming attractions makes it possible to compile those announcer tag-lines. Most are pretty strange, and some seem downright awful all these years later.
So, here’s a challenging little quiz for you. Below are the actual tag-lines used on all of Elvis’ movies. Have some fun and try to identify the film for each one. Answers are at the end.
1) Yes, it’s Elvis as a swinging, singing cowboy. A Rodeo ridin’, bronco bustin’ champ, whose job is wrangling fillies on a dude ranch.
2) He’s a high flying stock car jockey with a room full of trophies. Elvis has a one-track mind and a winning streak that couldn’t be broken… until he found a gorgeous, groovy government agent in his slip-stream.
3) Here, against the fabulous panorama of one of the most glamorous and exciting events of recent times, is everything that made Elvis Presley one of the greatest entertainment stars in the world.
4) His first great motion picture. Out of the great Southwest comes the sensational adventure of the notorious Reno brothers and the girl they fought over.
5) It’s a blow-up, it’s a blast. A love affair between a photographer, his pussycat, her playboy, and a pooch… is all about passion, punches, pleasure, pandemonium.
6) Flip-out with Elvis. Elvis, making the scene, and he’s with some of the most luscious lovelies that ever filled out a bikini. Elvis rockin’ and sockin’ on the waterfront.
7) A different kind of role, a different kind of man. On his neck he wore the brand of a killer, on his hip he wore vengeance.
8) Follow that car. It’s headed toward this theater, loaded with the most happy-go-lucky group of wanderers who ever came down the pike chasing after the rainbow.
9) Elvis is in trouble, big trouble. Elvis is on his way. He’s off to mod London and swinging Europe – and mystery.
10) Now and again, the West produces a man who stands away from the crowd. Noble as the valley, rugged as the rocks, a man of action who makes an unforgettable impact. [ed. note: this is tongue-in-cheek]
11) Rambling, roving, restless, reckless. Elvis getting the chicks all worked up, but cutting loose from any dolly that can tie him down.
12) Elvis is back and so is his biggest hit movie. A tough Blackboard Jungle kid. The astounding success story of this rebel with a voice that rocked the world.
13) The red, white and blue show of the year. It’s a three-day pass at those frolicking frauleins, but the dancing darling who blocks every pass has all the guys in a spin – and guess who the boys are betting on to break through her defenses.
14) Elvis, your personal guide to America’s exotic Eden, our Polynesian paradise. He hits the beach with the most luscious armful of delight on the island.
15) It’s a knockout. It’s a honey of a picture, filled with that Elvis kind of action, that Elvis kind of love.
16) On fire with a Latin lilt, Latin love, Latin rhythm.
17) It’s Elvis swinging. It’s Elvis singing. It’s Elvis racing. With his foot on the gas – and no breaks on the fun.
18) Elvis Presley, in the change of pace roll as a doctor doing his best to keep the lid on a red-hot ghetto.
19) The first big modern musical built around the fiery personality of Elvis Presley. Follow him through the barn-storming days, the one-night stands, the big moment when the girls discover him – and he discovers girls.
20) The excitement when these two let themselves go on a wild and woolly whirl through Funtown, USA. A jumpin’ jackpot of melody.
21) Now Elvis brings the legend to fun-filled life.
22) Across the burning sands rides a dauntless stranger, meeting every challenge with clashing swords and bare-handed daring.
23) It’s Elvis cooking up a storm of entertainment. Elvis throws the wildest beach party since they invented the bikini and the beat.
24) They’ve crowned a new king on the street where jazz was born. Now he crowns his meteoric rise to fame with a fiery burst dramatic power.
25) The two greatest lovers in the Great Smokies.
26) Songs, songs, songs. Skipper Elvis serenades a port full of lovelies. The greatest of all Elvis Presley musicals with a whole album full of brand new songs.
27) Running wild as a copter flyboy with more co-pilots than he can handle.
28) It’s Elvis Presley. He’s the boss, boss-man of a groovy travelling tent show. It’s a little wicked and wild, weird and wacky – wallopin’ way-out entertainment.
29) Elvis Presley sings songs of love to Hope Lang, songs of love to Tuesday Weld, songs of love to Millie Perkins. And wherever Elvis goes, excitement follows. Tense, torrid, tempestuous.
30) The white man’s song was on his lips, but an Indian war-cry was in his heart, as he is torn between two loyalties, two loves, and he fought to save them both.
31) Elvis invades the land of the bikinis on those spring vacation revels. And thousands of college kids go, go, go.
ANSWERS:
1) Tickle Me 17) Spinout
2) Speedway 18) Change of Habit
3) It Happened at the World’s Fair 19) Loving You
4) Love Me Tender 20) Viva Las Vegas
5) Live A Little, Love A Little 21) Frankie and Johnny
6) Easy Come, Easy Go 22) Harum Scarum
7) Charro 23) Clambake
8) Follow that Dream 24) King Creole
9) Double Trouble 25) Kissin’ Cousins
10) Stay Away Joe 26) Girls, Girls, Girls
11) Roustabout 27) Paradise – Hawaiian Style
12) Jailhouse Rock 28) The Trouble with Girls
13) G.I. Blues 29) Wild in the Country
14) Blue Hawaii 30) Flaming Star
15) Kid Galahad 31) Girl Happy
16) Fun in Acapulco
Does the hype from these Elvis movie trailers make you want to watch one of his films tonight? It works for me. Let’s see, maybe it would be cool to watch Elvis wrangling fillies, or getting chicks all worked up, or making a pass at frolicking frauleins. No, I think I’ll go for Elvis hitting the beach with the most luscious armful of delight on the island.
How can critics say all Elvis movies are all the same? Who cares? They’re all wallopin’ way-out entertainment.
© 2012 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.
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