Thursday, July 15, 2021

Blue Hawaii

Paramount, 1961
Starring Elvis Presley, Joan Blackman, Angela Lansbury, and Nancy Walters
Directed by Norman Taurog
Music and Lyrics by various

Vegas wasn't the only exotic vacation spot Elvis visited in his 50's and 60's vehicles. Hawaii and Hawaiian culture became a cornerstone of all things fashionable in the mid-20th century, especially after Hawaii was ratified as the 50th state. Tiki bars like Don the Beachcomber's and companies specializing in Hawaiian luaus and tropical parties sprouted across the country. Suburbanites bought rattan furniture, ship's wheels, and massive overhanging potted palms and dreamed of living in their own warm sunny paradise. TV shows like Hawaii 5-0 and movies like this one gave those who couldn't afford the cross-country trip a glimpse of tropical paradise. How does Elvis' first Hawaiian movie look nowadays? Let's start at the Honolulu International Airport as Chad Gates returns home from the Army and find out...

The Story: Chad is glad to be back in Hawaii, surfing with his friends and spending time with his girl Maile (Blackman).  His father Fred Gates (Roland Winters) and flighty southern belle mother Sarah Lee (Landsbury) wish he'd take over the family's Great Southern Hawaiian Fruit Company, but he has no interest in following in his father's footsteps. He takes a job as a tour guide for the agency where Maile works. 

His first assignment is to squire teacher Abigail Prentice (Walters) and her five teenage girl charges around the islands. Abigail and her girls are utterly thrilled by the luaus and pineapple picking, except for bored and spoiled Ellie (Jenny Maxwell). She throws herself at a tourist during a luau. After Chad moves in to defend her, the ensuing riot costs him his job. His parents still want him to return, but he wants to find independence. Abigail and her students may have the answer. With the help of Fred Gates' more laid-back business buddy Jack (John Archer), they finally find a way for Chad to have a life of his own, in his own way.

The Song and Dance: This was a lot better than I expected it to be. Once again, having a veteran director who knew how to handle fluffy musical vehicles made all the difference. Taurog spent his career directing similar musical romances for Bing Crosby and Lewis and Martin and ended it doing the majority of Elvis' Paramount films. The cinematography is absolutely stunning, showing off the lush tropical beauty of Hawaii in all its Technicolor widescreen glory. Love the references to real Hawaiian traditions and ceremonies and the fidelity to its culture, including the lavish wedding ceremony in the finale.

Favorite Number: We kick off with Chad singing to Maile how he's "Almost Always True" as she needles him about all the girls he must have met in the Army on their way back from the airport. "Rock-a-Hula Baby" is his big number at his parents' swank party, as he and his band buddies mix Hawaiian hula culture with the emerging rock culture. He makes the girls and Abigail swoon by crooning about how they can take a "Moonlight Swim." "Ito Eats" is a very funny number at the aborted luau about Chad's overweight, always-eating buddy, which goes straight into the big chorus dance routine "Slicin' Sand." Chad's singing the "Beach Boy Blues" when he and his buddies land in jail after touching off the riot at the luau. 

The big one here is one of the King's most enduring hits. He sings the simple but gorgeous ballad "Can't Help Falling In Love" to Maile's grandmother after he gives her a music box he brought back from Austria. It may not be flashy, but it's so lovely and sweet, you can understand why she appreciated it so much.

Trivia: Alas, the historic Coco Palms Resort, where the "Hawaiian Love Song" number and hotel scenes were filmed, was damaged badly in Hurricane Iniki in 1992 and abandoned; as of June 30th, it's scheduled to be demolished. 

Angela Lansbury and Nancy Walters were only about 10 years older than Elvis.

The film and soundtracks of Blue Hawaii were the biggest hits in Elvis' career. 

What I Don't Like: For all her chemistry with Elvis, Blackman can't match his overwhelming laid-back charisma in front of a camera. She's dull as dishwater in a thankless role. The dark makeup she wears only makes her look that much more fake around the real Hawaiians in the cast. Lansbury's equally fake Southern dithering can be as annoying to the audience as it is to Chad, especially when she's going on and on about how her little boy is doing naughty things and treating a 30-some-year-old man like he's five. (Not to mention, she doesn't get to sing or even join in on the chorus numbers.) And no matter how much she deserved it, Chad chastising Ellie's obnoxious behavior by giving her a spanking may be just as disturbing for some members of the audience nowadays as it is for her.

The Big Finale:  Another good "starter" Elvis film, especially as it features one of his most enduring hits. Recommended for lovers of the Pineapple State, the King, or 60's musicals.

Home Media: Easily found on DVD (often for under five dollars) and on Paramount Plus with a subscription.

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