When I decided to comment on every Elvis movie offered by the Encore channel in May, I never figured my old laptop would die one week into the series. And I didn’t know I would go into Data Transfer Hell with my new laptop. Everything is finally up and running now, so let’s talk about some Elvis movies.
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.
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