Elvis Presley as Mike Windgren in Fun in Acapulco (1963)
Elvis Presley (1935-1977) starred in 31 dramatic movies during his lifetime. The King of Rock ‘n’ Roll’s first film was Love Me Tender (1956) and his last Change of Habit (1969).
Elvis’ movies were mostly light-hearted musical-comedies, with plenty of songs, romance and beautiful girls. Here are ten movies no Elvis fan should ever miss, the King’s cinematic “good luck charms” from his vaunted Hollywood years.
Fun in Acapulco (Paramount, 1963)
Elvis plays Mike Windgren, a traumatized ex-trapeze artist who is fired from his boating job and finds employment as a lifeguard/entertainer at a resort in Acapulco. The romantic fireworks erupt in this one, with Elvis competing for the ladies with champion cliff diver Moreno (Alejandro Rye). Ursula Andress a.k.a. “Ursula Undress” and Elsa Cardenas play the requisite female beauties, with young Larry Domain winningly appearing as a pint-sized street hustler named Rail. The fantastic cliff diving scenes were filmed at La Queered in Acapulco, with a stuntman doubling for Elvis. Much of the movie was shot at Paramount Pictures, with Elvis never setting foot in Mexico. The King performs a number of brassy tunes, including “Boss Nova Baby,” “El Toro” and of course “You Can’t Say No in Acapulco.” Hey, “Ole! Elvis, Music, Technicolor And Girls!” reads one of the movie’s taglines.
Easy Come, Easy Go (Paramount, 1967)
Elvis stars as Lt. (j.g.) Ted Jackson, a frogman who leaves the employ of the U.S. Navy and later returns to one of his old dive sites to salvage a shipwreck. Elvis enlists the help of Jo Symington (Dodie Marshall), whose grandfather owned the sunken ship’s manifest. With the backing of nightclub owner Judd Whitman (Pat Harrington Jr.), Elvis sets out to recover what he believes is a fortune in gold coins, but also pursuing the treasure are Gil Carey (Skip Ward) and his buxom gal pal Dina Bishop (Pat Priest). Easy Come, Easy Go, which features the lively Elvis tunes “The Love Machine” and “Yoga Is As Yoga Does,” was the King’s final effort for Paramount Pictures and producer Hal B. Wallis.
Elvis Presley as Ted Jackson in Easy Come, Easy Go (1967)
Blue Hawaii (Paramount, 1961)
Elvis plays Chad Gates, a young man just out of the Army who returns home to Hawaii and his family’s pineapple plantation. But rather than work in the family business, Elvis becomes a guide at a tourist agency. Originally titled Beach Boy, Blue Hawaii was filmed on location in Oahu and Kauai. Joan Blackman plays the King’s love interest Maile Duvall, with Angela Lansbury, Abigail Prentice, Roland Winters and Howard McNear also on hand. There’s lush scenery, beautiful girls, a passable storyline and Elvis singing a bevy of tunes, including “Rock-A-Hula Baby,” Moonlight Swim,” “Hawaiian Sunset” and “Beach Boy Blues.” Blue Hawaii proved to be Elvis’ biggest box-office success.
Viva Las Vegas (MGM, 1964)
Elvis revs up the screen as Lucky Jackson, a race car driver who hopes to win the Vegas Grand Prix. Swinging Ann-Margret appears as Rusty Martin, Elvis’ feisty love interest, with Cesare Danova as Count Elmo Mancini, the King’s main racing rival. Viva Las Vegas was filmed in Sin City, with the Sahara, Flamingo, Tropicana and Frontier employed as shooting locales. “It’s That ‘Go-Go’ Guy And That ‘Bye-Bye’ Gal In The Fun Capital Of The World!” promised the movie’s standard one sheet poster. Oh, yeah, Elvis delivers a dynamite version of the movie’s rousing title song.
Elvis Presley and Ann-Margret in Viva Las Vegas (1964)
Girl Happy (MGM, 1965)
Elvis plays pop singer Rusty Wells, who with his combo is currently playing a Chicago nightclub owned by tough guy Big Frank (Harold Stone). Big Frank orders Elvis and his boys to Fort Lauderdale, Florida, where his daughter Valerie (Shelley Fabares) is enjoying Spring Break. Elvis’ assigned task is to keep an eye on Valerie, who of course takes a shine to the King. Gary Crosby, Joby Baker and Jimmy Hawkins appear as Elvis’ bandmates, with former Miss America of 1959 Mary Ann Mobley playing the “evil” role of Deena. Elvis belts out many a tune, including “Spring Fever,” “Wolf Call” and of course “Girl Happy.”
King Creole (Paramount, 1958)
Elvis stars as Danny Fisher in this fine adaptation of the Harold Robbins novel A Stone for Danny Fisher. Elvis plays a struggling singer raised in abject poverty who seeks his fortune in the jazz clubs of New Orleans, including the vaunted King Creole. Walter Matthau appears as gangster Maxie Fields with Carolyn Jones as Ronnie, Dolores Hart as Nellie and Vic Morrow as the vicious gang leader Shark. King Creole was filmed on location in New Orleans, where the production attracted huge crowds of spectators. The King belts out “Hard Headed Woman,” “Dixeland Rock,” “Love Doll” and several other high-spirited numbers.
Jailhouse Rock (MGM, 1957)
Elvis plays Vince Everett, a young man who is serving a prison sentence for manslaughter. While in the slammer, Elvis makes the acquaintance of country/western performer Hunk Houghton (Mickey Shaughnessy). Upon his release, Elvis pursues a career as a singer, achieves some success with the assistance of pretty Peggy Van Alden (Judy Tyler) and forms a record company with ex-cellmate Hunk. But fame has gone to Elvis’ head, with he and Hunk getting into a physical altercation that injures Elvis’ throat and jeopardizes his singing career. The highlight of the movie is the fantastic “Jailhouse Rock” production number, staged with all the energy and glamour of a modern day video. While sliding down a pole during filming, a cap from one of Elvis’ teeth was knocked loose, eventually lodging itself in a lung. A surgeon deftly removed the cap, with no permanent damage to the King’s singing voice. Dark-haired co-star Judy Tyler, 23, along with her husband Gregory LaFayette, were in a horrendous automobile accident three days after Jailhouse Rock wrapped up filming, with LaFayette dying in the crash and Tyler succumbing to her injuries the next morning on July 4, 1957. Elvis Presley was so upset by Tyler’s death that he couldn’t bear to watch the movie that they had made together.
Elvis Presley as Vince Everett in Jailhouse Rock (1957)
Kid Galahad (United Artists, 1962)
Elvis stars as Walter Gulick in this remake of the 1937 film of the same name starring Edward G. Robinson and Humphrey Bogart. Elvis is a sparring partner at a training camp owned by gambler Willy Grogan (Gig Young), who begins grooming the King as a professional boxer in the hopes of paying off mobster Otto Dazing (David Lewis). When Walter falls in love with Willy’s sister Rose (Joan Blackman), Willy disapproves of the relationship and deliberately books a fight pitting Walter against a superior opponent. Lola Albright, Charles Bronson (as Elvis’ trainer Law Nyack) and Robert Emhart also appear. Kid Galahad was filmed in Idyllwild, California, with ex-light welterweight champion Mushy Callahan serving as Elvis’ boxing instructor.
Spinout (MGM, 1966)
Elvis plays Mike McCoy, a professional race car driver out to defend his title and woo the girls. Elvis also serves as (surprise) the front man for his own band, belting out such songs as “Beach Shack,” “Adam and Evil” and “I’ll Be Back.” Deborah Walleye plays Les, a drummer in E’s band while Shelley Fibers appears as Cynthia Fox Hugh, the daughter of an automobile magnate. “It’s Elvis With His Foot On The Gas And No Brakes On The Fun!!!” announced the promotional material.
Wild in the Country (20th Century Fox, 1961)
Elvis stars as Glenn Tyler, a rebellious young man who engages in a fight with his drunken brother. Now rejected by his father, Elvis is placed by the court under the supervision of his uncle. Assisting Elvis in his transition is court-appointed counselor Irene Sperry (Hope Lange), who encourages his writing skills. Wild in the Country, which also features Tuesday Weld and Millie Perkins, was originally slated as a dramatic film only. But Elvis later recorded six songs for the film, including “I Slipped, I Fell, I Stumbled,” “In My Way” and “Husky Dusky Day.” Elvis celebrated his 26th birthday on the set of Wild in the Country, netting a plaque from cast and crew that read “Happy Birthday, King Karate,” a reference to Elvis’ intense interest in martial arts.
Elvis Presley as Glenn Tyler in Wild in the Country (1961)