Bikini Beach

American International Pictures, 1964

Starring Frankie Avalon, Annette Funicello, Keenan Wynn, and Martha Hyer

Directed by William Asher

Music and Lyrics by various

We're ending the summer at the beach with another Beach Party movie and one of the many imitations released in the early and mid-60's. Let's kick off with the real deal. Beach Party proved to be such a sensation, more movies with similar characters and situations were released through the late 60's. This is the third, and the first to revolve around a second sport then-popular with teenagers along with surfing. Is it as much fun as the first two films in the series, or should it wipe out? To find out, let's begin with the teenagers as they head to the title resort in their brightly colored custom jalopy, just as school lets out...

The Story: The kids have a great time surfing and dancing and playing volleyball, until stuffy millionaire Harvey Honeywagon (Wynn) arrives with his chauffeur chimp Clyde (Janos Prohaska). He's shocked with their gyrating and loud music and considers them to be beneath primates, especially given his friend can dance, drive, and surf better than they can. He wants to drive them off the beach and expand his senior citizens' home, but his secretary Vivan Clements (Hyer) likes the kids and thinks their high spirits will help improve his clients' spirits.

Meanwhile, a British rock star called "The Potato Bug" (Avalon) is driving all the girls wild. Fed up with Frankie (Avalon) not taking their relationship seriously, Dee Dee (Funicello) dates him. The jealous Frankie challenges him to a drag car race...but doesn't know that in the second race, an angry Harry von Zipper (Harvey Lembeck) and his Ratz biker group sabotaged his car.

The Song and Dance: Honestly, these movies are such a blast, no wonder they remain fairly popular even fifty years after their release. Avalon's having the most fun as the frustrated surfer who wants to show his girl he's every bit the man that the Brit is and the refined British rock star who is delighted to be dating his first American woman. Lembeck returns for more slapstick and mangling the English language after having taken time off from Muscle Beach Party. Don Rickles also returns, this time as the owner of the local hang-out and the garage where the boys soup up their drag racers. He has a fairly amusing running gag where he keeps falling into oil drums or over booths at the race. Look for Wynn as the eccentric millionaire who learns to lighten up from the kids and a brief bit by Boris Karloff as an art dealer.

Favorite Number: We open with the title song, as the kids literally hang off their unique jalopy with the wooden house top painted in wild colors and dance all over it. "Love's a Secret Weapon" is the song on the beach performed by Donna Loren with the kids dancing and surfing that so offends Honeywagon. The surf rock group The Pyramids perform "Record Run" and the instrumental "Bikini Drag" as dance routines for the kids at the local hang-out The Pit Stop. 

Later on, Avalon does a duet with himself when he and "Potato Bug" perform "How About That?" after the kids save the beach. He and Funicello duet on the sweet ballad "Because You're You" while on a walk at the shoreline. Annette then admits "This Time It's Love" as she realizes that Frankie really cares about her. The movie ends with one of the earliest performances of a genuine legend. A very young Stevie Wonder (here billed as "Little Stevie Wonder") gives the kids a "Happy Feelin' (Dance and Shout)" in the finale.

What I Don't Like: The Beatles satire is obvious, annoying, and maybe even a bit mean-spirited. Apparently, the Beatles were supposed to appear in this film, but were either too expensive or got snapped up by United Artists first. Avalon's accent is silly to the point of being dumb, and "Potato Bug" is not only nothing like the Beatles, but is so over-the-top, you can't imagine what the girls see in him. Not to mention, the fluffy story here is almost a rehash of Beach Party with an older adult observing the kids and an ape shoehorned in. 

And...yes, this is a low-budget teen musical from the mid-60's. As with the other Beach Party films, you know what you're getting into. If you're not into goofy comedy, surf rock, or the time period, this isn't for you. 

The Big Finale: I really enjoyed spending my summer with Frankie, Dee Dee, and their unusual friends. As Harry von Zipper would likely say, it's been an extinct pleasure. If you're looking for fluffy summertime entertainment, you can do far worse than these wacky comedies. 

Home Media: Like most MGM-owned films, this is expensive on DVD, but cheap to stream. Many companies currently have it for free, including Amazon Prime and Paramount Plus. 

DVD

DVD - Midnite Movies: Beach Party/Bikini Beach Double Feature

Amazon Prime

Musicals On Streaming - Sneakerella

Disney, 2022

Starring Chosen Jacobs, Lexi Underwood, John Salley, and Devyn Nekoda

Directed by Elizabeth Allen Rosenbaum

Music and Lyrics by various

Even as last year's Cinderella moved to Amazon Prime, Disney had its own modern take on the most famous fairy tale in the world planned. This also has more than a little bit in common with the Nickelodeon movie Rags that debuted a decade ago - male Cinderella who wants to carry on his mother's legacy in a diverse neighborhood falls for the daughter of a high-powered executive and thinks he has to impress her. After pushing it back from February, it finally debuted on Disney Plus in May. Does it come off better than the Cinderella Story series, or should it be shut out of the ball? Let's begin with kids and their fanciful sneakers dancing their way through Queens and find out...

The Story: Eli (Chosen) works as a stock boy in his stepfather Trey's (Bryan Terrell Clark) shoe store in Queens, but he has big dreams. He wants to follow in his mother's footsteps and become a designer of personalized sneakers that show their creativity. He and his best friend Sami (Nekoda) duck out of the store to pick up the latest high-style footwear from King Sneakers in Manhattan. They don't get the shoe, but they do meet Kira (Underwood). Dodging bullies, Eli takes her back to Queens and shows her his neighborhood. She's impressed, especially with how his mother taught him insight into people by looking at their shoes.

Turns out Kira is the daughter of Darius King (Salley), the head and owner of King Sneakers and a former 90's basketball star. Kira upsets her older sister Liv (Robyn Almar) by saying her sneaker designs are too "basic," and insisting on holding a gala event to find a more creative designer. Trey grounded Eli after he stayed out too late with Kira, and his spoiled stepbrothers Zelly (Kolton Stewart) and Stacy (Hayward Leach) lock him in. 

Lucky for him, local magical gardener Gustavo (Juan Chioran) finds Sami, frees him, and gets them a sweet ride to Manhattan. Eli's personalized shoes, made to represent and with materials from his neighborhood, turns heads at the gala. Sami inadvertantly spreads rumors that Eli is a major independent designer. Kira and her father think he's a big shot with experience. Eli flees, leaving his custom-made sneaker behind. Kira and Liv start a campaign to find their designer...but Eli's stepbrothers, who want to move back to New Jersey, are determined to keep him from achieving his dreams.

The Song and Dance: The charming cast and infectious hip-hop beat pushes this a notch above last year's more traditional Amazon Prime Cinderella. I really appreciate how the stepfather is played here. He's not the sleazy jerk from Rags or the cold-hearted gold-digger from the Amazon Prime film, but is a fairly decent man overwhelmed by a business and neighborhood he doesn't understand and a son whose dreams are foreign to him. I also like the emphasis on diversity, as seen in the many different nationalities in Eli's neighborhood, and creativity, emphasized by a colorful, ever-changing mural in Eli's neighborhood that Kira can see from her parents' glittering skyscraper in the city. 

Favorite Number: We open with "Kicks," Eli's dream sequence as he imagines everyone in Queens wearing his imaginative designs. Eli shows Kira the many different cultures and foods of his neighborhood as they declare their outing to be the "Best Ever." We get a flashback montage of how his mother taught him to love sneakers, designing them, and his neighborhood before her tragic death in the sensitive and touching "In Your Shoes." "Work Up" is another montage, this one of Eli using his mother's old sewing machine to make shoes that'll truly reflect who he and his neighborhood are. 

Gustavo reminds the kids that "Life Is What You Make of It" when he gives them clothes and a sweet vintage ride to attend Kira's gala. Disney couldn't resist sneaking in "A Dream Is a Wish Your Heart Makes" from their animated Cinderella for a dream sequence at the gala that has Kira and Eli dancing gracefully together. Liv and Kira set up their video of the fleeing Eli to help them find Kira's "Perfect Fit." The big "Finale" has Eli admitting he lied while explaining why he did it to Kira and Darius and explaining to his stepfather how he just wants to make his mother proud.

What I Don't Like: Like the other versions of Cinderella I've mentioned, this is awash in cliches thick enough to drive a Queens subway through. The "be yourself" moral is heavy-handed and dealt with all the subtlety of a sneaker-clad foot to the face. Also, considering their obnoxious and spoiled behavior, I'm a little disappointed the stepbrothers didn't get into more trouble, or at least were seen taking care of the store in Eli's place in the finale. 

In fact, the entire second half during and after the gala drags on for way too long. This movie didn't need to be almost two hours. Kira's attempts to find him and her and her father rejecting him based on what his stepbrothers, two people they barely know, tell them is dull and silly. All of this probably could have been trimmed with none the wiser. 

The Big Finale: Sweet, big-hearted fairy tale is on par with the similar Rags and is frankly much better than the strange Amazon Prime Cinderella. Recommended for fairy tale and musical lovers and for kids in the appropriate 8 to 14 age range who'll enjoy the music and story.

Home Media: Currently a Disney Plus exclusive. 

Disney Plus

The Merry Widow (1934)

MGM, 1934

Starring Jeanette MacDonald, Maurice Chevalier, Edward Everett Horton, and Una Merkel

Directed by Ernst Lubistch

Music by Franz Lehar; Lyrics by Lorenz Hart and Gus Kahn

MGM had tried to get a remake of the 1925 silent movie off the ground since sound came in. They first announced it in 1930 for Grace Moore, but then Moore left the studio after musicals fell out of fashion later that year. MacDonald had also been in the running in 1930; she got the part when she, Chevalier, and Lubistch all moved to MGM earlier in the year. This became MGM's most expensive movie since their original silent Ben-Hur, and their most expensive musical to date, literally costing over a million dollars in 1934. How well does all that translate to the story of a captain sent to romance a widow and keep her money in a small country? Let's begin with the arrival of Captain Danillo (Chevalier) and his men in the tiny European land of Marshovia and find out...

The Story: Sonia (MacDonald) is tired of mourning her late husband and decides to take a trip to Paris. King Achmed (George Barbier) is terrified she'll marry and take her money outside of the country. She owns more than half of Marshovia, including all of its banks. Achmed orders Danillo to court and marry Sonia and makes sure she doesn't take those millions out of the country. 

He initially met her when he tried to woo her at her home, but she was still in mourning at the time. She calls herself something else when they meet again at Maxim's in Paris. It seems to go well...until she overhears Danillo talking to the ambassador of Marshovia Popoff (Horton) about the scheme. Now Marshovia may lose the money and Danillo may lose his life, unless this merry widow changes her mind about him.

The Song and Dance: The last of the four MacDonald-Chevalier-Lubitsch musicals is a sparkling delight, with a terrific supporting cast and lavish visuals. Lorenz Hart worked solo for the only time in his career to make sure the English-language lyrics were as witty as the Hungarian originals. Despite disliking each other by this point, MacDonald and Chevalier still manage to have quite a bit of fun as the lady of the title who decides she's tired of mourning and the playboy who has to romance her or else. George Barbier and Una Merkel also have some good bits as the king who worries about losing Sofia's millions and his ditzy wife who wishes he'd pay a little more attention to their time in bed and less to what some widow's doing.

Favorite Number: Our first glimpse of Danilo is the opening song, "Girls, Girls, Girls!", which has him leading the Marshovian Army and admitting they're more interested in their leave than in fighting anyone. Sonia claims "Tonight Will Teach Me to Forget" when she reads her diary and realizes she's done nothing but mourn since her husband died. "Villia" is her big number with the gypsies while standing on her balcony. Danilo gets his friend the Orderly Mishka (Sterling Holloway) to serenade her. 

The big ones here - in every sense of the word - are "At Maxim's" and "The Merry Widow Waltz." The latter is a stylish but crowded treat, with scores of couples in white and black whirling down halls of mirrors, looking like thousands of waltzing lovers. 

Trivia: This one also had a French language version with MacDonald and Chevalier in the leads. 

The Merry Widow debuted in its native Vienna in 1902 and, though it started slow, later became a sensation that played around the world. It continues to appear in opera and light opera houses to this day. 

What I Don't Like: First of all, not one of the American film versions adapted the original plot of the stage show. This one does come closer than the silent or 1952 films, but it eliminates a lot of subplots, including Danilo and Sonia having known each other before. Second, that re-written plot is pure piffle, and can get a little annoying towards the end. Did anyone in Marshovia consider the fact that Sonia went away for a vacation, not permanently, and never said anything about taking her money out of the country? No wonder she got angry when she realized what they were doing. 

The Big Finale: This would be Chevalier and MacDonald's last film together and with Lubistch...and what a wonderful way to go out. Highly recommended for fans of the director, the leads, or operetta. 

Home Media: Easily found on DVD and streaming, the former from the Warner Archives.

DVD

Amazon Prime

One Hour With You

Paramount, 1932

Starring Jeanette MacDonald, Maurice Chevalier, Genevieve Tobin, and Charlie Ruggles

Directed by Ernst Lubistch and George Cukor

Music by Richard A. Whiting and Oscar Strauss; Lyrics by Leo Robin

The second MacDonald/Chevalier/Lubistch musical has a complicated history. Lubistch originally planned to direct it himself, but then his big dramatic film The Man I Killed ran over schedule. Paramount brought in Cukor, who had several films to his credit by that point, to take over. Lubistch, however, re-wrote the project as a remake of his silent comedy The Marriage Circle and more-or-less took over filming two weeks later. Cukor remained as an "assistant," but he wasn't happy and sued. Ultimately, Lubistch won...and his touch wound up all over this romp about infidelity among married couples in Paris. How did it fare with all this going on? Let's begin with the happily married Dr. Andre Bertier (Chevalier) and his wife Colette (MacDonald) at home and find out...

The Story: Andre and Colette are so wild about each other, they remain faithful to each other no matter what. Colette's best friend Mitzi Olivier (Tobin) insists on being treated by Andre. Her unhappy professor husband (Roland Young) is tired of her infidelity and knows what a flirt she is. Andre does finally succomb to her charms...but angry Colette ends up having an affair of her own.

The Song and Dance: This saucy romantic comedy is short on plot but long on charm and sophistication. You'd never know filming became such a hassle. It's smooth as cool bubbly champagne on a warm summer day. MacDonald and Chevalier have a great deal of fun talking and singing directly to the camera, explaining their predicaments. Ruggles fits in far better here as the hapless gent who falls for MacDonald than he did in Anything Goes four years later, and Tobin is a delight as the naughty flirt who causes a lot of the trouble. The shimmering costumes, especially the elaborate gowns for the ladies, and lavish Art Deco sets bring the world of middle-class Paris between the wars to life.

Favorite Number: The movie opens with Andre and Colette reminding each other "What a Little Thing Like a Wedding" can do for one's relationships while getting ready for bed. Singer Donald Novis initially performs the title song while the two couples keep switching off dance partners during the dinner party. Andre and Colette insist "We Will Always Be Sweethearts," even after she suspects him of infidelity with Mitzi. For his part, Andre insists to the audience "Oh, That Mitzi!" is hard to resist. Mitzi herself reminds Andre that he should call on her for treatment "Three Times a Day." The film ends with Andre and Colette asking the audience "Well, What Would You Do?" in a situation like theirs.

Trivia: Lubitsch shot a French-language version simultaneously with the English-language film. Chevalier is a native Frenchman and MacDonald spoke fluent French; Lili Damita replaced Tobin. 

Lubitsch's final film for Paramount. 

One of the first musicals to be based on a movie.

Some restored copies have blue tints added during night scenes. 

What I Don't Like: Too short, and sometimes too fluffy for its own good. This is a fairly simple, yet sophisticated romantic comedy. Those who want a meatier story or something that treats marriage and divorce less lightly need to look elsewhere. The songs serve their purpose adequately enough, but only the title number is anywhere near as memorable as the songs in their other three films. 

The Big Finale: A bubbly delight; highly recommended if you love the stars, "the Lubistch touch," or romantic comedy with a sophisticated European flair. 

Home Media: Only on DVD as part of a Criterion Collection set with The Love Parade, The Smiling Lieutenant, and Monte Carlo. 

Eclipse Series 8: Lubistch Musicals

Family Fun Saturday - Tom Sawyer (1973)

United Artists, 1973

Starring Johnny Whittaker, Jodie Foster, Celeste Holm, and Jeff East

Directed by Don Taylor

Music and Lyrics by Richard M. and Robert B. Sherman

In the early-70's, the magazine Reader's Digest decided to dive into film-making. They chose for their first production this musical version of the beloved Mark Twain novel. I reviewed an animated version from 2000 back in June, but how does this earlier live-action retelling fare? Let's begin on the river, as the paddlewheeler Julia Belle Swain pulls into Hannibal, Missouri, and find out...

The Story: Tom (Whittaker) is constantly getting into trouble with his Aunt Polly (Holm) for skipping school to hang out with his buddy Huckleberry Finn (East) by the river. Even when he's made to whitewash a fence for staying out too late, he gets his friends from the neighborhood to do it. He and Huck realize they've bitten off more than they can chew when they witness a murder at the cemetery at midnight. Tom promises Huck he won't tell, but can't bring himself to let town drunk Muff Potter (Warren Oates) take the blame and reveals what he saw. 

After he tells pretty Becky Thatcher (Foster) he likes her, they become "engaged," until she finds out he already had a girl. Aunt Polly is still angry with him for being out too late. He finally runs away with Huck, only to be stranded on an island. They return to their own funeral. Everyone's happy to see them in time for the Independence Day picnic, but when Tom takes Becky to the local caves and they're trapped by the real killer, it's up to Huck to lead the townspeople to them.

The Song and Dance: Considering this is the second time this summer a musical version of Tom Sawyer came out well, I'm surprised there aren't more out there. Whittaker and Foster worked together in the family drama Napoleon and Samantha the year before, and they're adorable and very funny as the mischievous lad in over his head and the newcomer who admire his spunk. Celeste Holm makes a great Aunt Polly, too, frustrated with Tom's inability to behave, yet still loving him much like Becky does. There's also some gorgeous and authentic costumes and cinematography - they actually filmed the movie in two historic small towns in Missouri. The even found a real Native for Injun' Joe. 

Favorite Number: The movie begins and ends with country singer Charlie Pride performing "River Song," on the mighty Mississippi and how it turns "a boy into a man." This stirring folk tune comes straight from Twain, and it was nominated for an Oscar. Aunt Polly sings the title song twice, first as she fumes early in the film because he's late again, then when she's worried after they vanish he won't be coming home. 

The Sherman Brothers return to their love of crazy made-up words with "Gratification" for Tom's friends as they paint the fence and "Freebootin'" for Tom and Huck as they happily do what they please on the island. Muff cements his friendship with Tom and Huck, telling them "A Man's Gotta Be (What He has to Be)," even if it's the town drunk who hides his liquor in the water trough. Tom has two sweet solos mid-way through, "How Come?" as he wonders about his feelings for Becky in a gentle montage of their relationship, and "If n' I Were God" when he leaves in tears after Aunt Polly's angry because he insulted religion. 

What I Don't Like: The murder story is still pretty dark for a lot of kids, particularly younger ones who may enjoy the sprightly music. Possibly because Foster was the bigger star at the time, there's not as much emphasis on Tom's relationship with Huck as you might think or want. Maybe a second number for them before their island adventure might have expanded their relationship. It's also not a hundred-percent adaptation of the book, missing the entire incident in the haunted house and turning the small picnic with Becky and Tom into a huge town gathering. 

The Big Finale: Lovely introduction to Twain for older elementary school kids who may enjoy the action and some of the songs.

Home Media: Like most MGM DVDs, it's in print but expensive and often hard to find. You're better off streaming it. Tubi currently has it for free.

DVD

Tubi

On the Avenue

20th Century Fox, 1937

Starring Dick Powell, Alice Faye, Madeline Carroll, and George Barbier 

Directed by Roy Del Ruth

Music and Lyrics by Irving Berlin

The backstage craze set off by 42nd Street in 1933 continued throughout the 30's. Each studio attempted to outdo each other with increasingly elaborate dance numbers set to music by house songwriters. 20th Century Fox figured, if you can't beat them, join them. They brought in Powell and Del Ruth from Warners and hired no less than Irving Berlin to do the music in this clash between classes. How does the story of a rich girl who falls for a singer and playwright look today? Let's begin with the show-within-a-show and find out...

The Story: Mimi Carraway (Carroll), the richest girl in the world, is insulted by a skit in the show parodying her. She goes to the show's writer and star Gary Blake (Powell) to convince him to remove it, but he refuses. It's too popular. He eventually dumps her on the sidewalk instead. 

Shocked that anyone would insult her, she asks him on a date. By the end of a long night, they've fallen in love. That doesn't sit well with his co-star and current girlfriend Mona Merrick (Faye). He re-writes the sketch to make it less offensive, but she's so upset, she plays it as even more ridiculous. That once again leads Mimi to tell him off and return to her explorer fiancee (Alan Mowbray), at least until Mona tells her the truth. It's up to Mimi's sassy Aunt Fritz (Cora Witherspoon) to make sure the right man ends up with the right woman, no matter what side of the class divide they're on.

The Song and Dance: This one is all about the music. Irving Berlin wrote one of his best film scores here, with at least one standard in "I've Got My Love to Keep Me Warm." Powell gets slightly more to chew on than usual in his musicals as the downtown songwriter who comes to realize the folks who live on Park Avenue aren't as silly as he thought. Great supporting cast, too. George Barbier has a lot of fun chewing the scenery as Mimi's blustery explorer father, and Witherspoon livens up the second half as eccentric Aunt Fritz, who takes acrobatic lessons from a trapeze artist (Sig Ruman) and actually thinks the sketch in question is hilarious.

Favorite Number: We open on "He Ain't Got Rhythm," as dancing scientists and the Ritz Brothers wonder how they can jazz up their social lives and their scientific discoveries. (Listen for a bit of "Cheek to Cheek" mid-way through the number.) Gary recalls a gentler time of barbershop quartets and street cars as he recalls his search for "The Girl on the Police Gazette." Mona goes "Slumming on Park Avenue" in polka-dots and tight skirts that contrast with the elegant white-clad dancers swirling around her and her colorful friends. The Ritz Brothers get their most effective moment in the film parodying this with one in drag and them falling all around the complicated sliding set. 

He takes Mimi through the park, rebuking her for her icy-cold demeanor by telling her that "You're Laughing at Me." This is heard again towards the end in an almost identical number onstage that Mimi has paid actors walk out on to get revenge for the skit. Mona wishes she could get more than "This Year's Kisses" from Gary before a show. "I've Got My Love to Keep Me Warm" starts out as a fashion parade of women in fur coats and ends with Mona and Gary bickering after Mona sabotages the "Richest Girl In America" skit. 

Trivia: Remade as Let's Make Love in 1960 with Marilyn Monroe in Powell's role and Yves Montand in Carroll's. 

What I Don't Like: I'm not sure what Gary saw in Mimi. She behaved like a spoiled baby through most of the film. Frankly, I agree with Gary and Mona, especially since both versions of the skit provided some of the film's funniest moments. Carroll's defrosting ice queen is more believable early-on and when she's pulling her stunt with paying the audience to walk out than when she's falling for Gary. Wish we could have seen less of the non-singing Caroll and more of the far warmer and more interesting Alice Faye, who doesn't have much to do outside her numbers and talking to Mimi in the end. 

Let's discuss the Ritz Brothers. They were a popular comic trio in 20th Century Fox comedies of the late 30's and early 40's, but nowadays, their jokes tend to be more hit-and-miss with audiences. I think a lot of it has to do with their not developing any individual personalities like The Three Stooges or The Marx Brothers that would distinguish them for modern audiences. Not to mention, a lot of their humor is based on goofy puns and slapstick that hasn't dated well. They can come off as dull or dumb rather than funny. 

The Big Finale: Worth checking out for the numbers alone if you're a big fan of Powell, Faye, or the big backstage musicals of the 1930's. 

Home Media: Not currently on streaming, but the original Marquis Musicals and 2018 Cinema Archives  DVDs are easily found and readily available. 

DVD - Marquis Musicals

DVD - Cinema Archives

Higher and Higher (1944)

RKO, 1944

Starring Jack Haley, Frank Sinatra, Michele Morgan, and Leon Errol

Directed by Tim Whalen

Music and Lyrics by various

This began life on Broadway in 1940 as a rare flop for Rodgers and Hart. RKO bought it and turned it into Sinatra's second movie and a vehicle for him and dancer Haley. By this point, Sinatra's star had already started to rise, and he looked like a clear threat to the popularity of older crooners like Bing Crosby. We get an even younger crooner, Mel Torme, here as well. How does this twist on the Cinderella tale of a servant who discovers where she belongs fare today? Let's begin with all the servants of millionaire piano manufacturer Cyrus Drake (Errol) going about their daily duties in song and find out...

The Story: They won't have those duties for much longer. Cyril is broke. He's in bankruptcy, and the courts may foreclose on his home. With Cyril's family on a long trip overseas, they form a "corporation" to turn pretty scullery maid Millie (Morgan) into the spitting image of his daughter Pamela Drake and have her marry rich. They choose wealthy Sir Victor Fitzroy Victor (Victor Borge) as the man for her. Millie is really more interested in Cyril's valet Mike O'Brian (Haley), but she does find handsome crooner Frank Sinatra (himself) attractive. So does Katherine Keating (Barbara Hale), the real debutante daughter of a friend of the Drake family. Mike thinks Millie wants Sinatra, but the others push her towards Victor. Millie has to decide what she really wants, and if she's really willing to go to the alter in the name of money.

The Song and Dance: This turned out to be way more fun than I figured from the B-level cast and small production. Sinatra's still a little stiff, but he's obviously much happier playing himself than he was a writer in Step Lively that same year. Errol and Mary Wickes have delightful moments as the desperate millionaire who will do anything to get back into easy riches and the social secretary who just wants to keep her job. 

Lovely Morgan is especially charming as the scullery maid who only wants to marry the man of her dreams. She gets her own hilarious moment at the ball when she can't figure out how to make a speech and blurts random lines out. There's some gorgeous gowns once they send Millie into high society, especially during the "Butler's Ball" where the two competing debs announce their sponsorship. And I have to admire the creative ending and how they do finally get Drake out of hock. It's also nice to see performers like Borge and dancers Paul and Grace Hartman who rarely made movies. 

Favorite Number: Sinatra naturally gets to croon several gorgeous ballads, including two hits, "The Music Stopped" and the Oscar-nominated "I Couldn't Sleep a Wink Last Night." Both are performed with Dooley Wilson, as the family's chauffeur and house pianist. He also gets a funny number with besotted pre-teen maid Marcy McGuire, who claims "I Saw You First" while chasing him around the house and his bike.

We even get three nice chorus routines for the family. The movie opens with "It's a Most Important Affair," as the servants do their duty all around the house to prepare their employer for his evening on the town. "Today I'm a Debutante" and "Disgustingly Rich" are the numbers where Mike convinces everyone to "incorporate" and turn Millie into a high society beauty. Wilson tells Mel Torme and McGuire that "You're On Your Own" in love. It eventually spreads to the entire household, including the two sets of lovers going for a walk in the garden. 

Trivia: This was Sinatra's first and last time playing himself in a film, and Borge's first and last time playing someone other than himself in a film. It's also Mel Torme's first movie. 

"Disgustingly Rich" is the only remaining Rodgers-Hart song from the original show, which barely lasted a month in 1940. It did manage to toss off a standard despite the short run, "It Never Entered My Mind."

Morgan was dubbed by Martha Mears.

What I Don't Like: First of all, Errol, Borge, and Haley are wasted in roles that barely require them to do much dancing or comic piano-playing. Torme only sings in the chorus numbers with the servants, too, and never in a solo. Second, while admittedly the score here is said to actually be better than the one in the original stage show, they couldn't have at least retained "It Never Entered My Mind" for Sinatra? Not to mention, they supposedly changed the plot to shoehorn Sinatra in, too. It does feel like one man too many is after Millie. There's also that fluffy plot. The "corporation" behaves like a pack of wolves after a bone, and it does get a little annoying until Mike stops the whole thing during the wedding. 

The Big Finale: Charming surprise is worth a look if you're a big fan of Sinatra, romantic comedies, or 40's musicals.

Home Media: Easy to find on disc and streaming.

DVD

Amazon Prime

Animation Celebration Saturday - Hercules (1997)

Disney, 1997

Voices of Tate Donovan, Danny DiVito, James Woods, and Susan Egan

Directed by John Musker and Ron Clements

Music by Alan Menken; Lyrics by David Zippel

By the late 90's, Disney and their movies were nothing less than gods at the box office. Even with the underperformace of The Hunchback of Notre Dame, Disney remained on top, thanks to their earlier successes and the popularity of the theme parks. Reacting to complaints that Hunchback and Pocahontas were beautiful to look at but lacked humor, they opted to turn the myths of the Greek strongman into a wacky action musical not far removed from Aladdin. Does that approach still work today, or should it be knocked into the River Styx? Let's begin with the Muses, the singing guardians of the arts, who prepare us for Hercules' story and the comic tone, and find out...

The Story: There's much rejoicing on Mount Olympus when Hercules is born, by everyone except God of the Underworld Hades (Woods). In 18 years, a planetary alignment will allow him to release former Olympus adversaries the Titans, but only if there's no interference. He orders his minions Pain (Bobcat Golthwait) and Panic (Matt Frewer) to give the baby a potion that'll make him mortal and kill him. Hercules doesn't drink the last drop, and is able to retain his strength and get rid of the minions. They leave him to be adopted by a mortal couple.

Teen Hercules (Josh Keaton) can't control his great strength and doesn't fit in among the residents of the Greek countryside. After his parents reveal his Olympus origins, he travels to the arena of Philocetes (DiVito) to be trained. Phil isn't thrilled at first, until he sees what Hercules can do. He's so impressed, he takes him to the city of Thebes, where Hercules proceeds to smash through every monster Hades puts up against him.

Phil and the citizens of Thebes aren't the only ones who are impressed. Meg (Egan) is another one of Hades' minions, but she was forced into his services after she sold her soul to him to save her lover who abandoned her. To her surprise, she ends up falling for this sweet muscle man. Hades, however, still has his own plans, and Zeus won't let Hercules into Mount Olympus until he proves he can do more than sell merchandise. It'll take an act of true sacrifice - from Meg and Hercules - to prove that being a real hero comes from what's inside of you. 

The Animation: Sharp and edgy, it obviously has its basis in the Greek urns used as stone newspapers throughout the film. Some early CGI sticks out like sore thumbs, notably when Hercules fights the Hydra and in the finale with the Titans. On the other hand, the spare style allows for a nice flow and terrific character movements - check out the dances from the Muses during "Zero to Hero" and "I Won't Say I'm In Love."

The Song and Dance: Oh boy, did Disney have fun with this one. This is one of the funniest movies they ever did, and second to Aladdin as the funniest film of the Disney Renaissance Era. Special kudos to Egan as Disney's most sarcastic anti-heroine, and Woods as one of their best villains. Hades comes off as the fast-talking, overly-ambitious used car salesman you love to hate. Woods' vocal dexterity and his hilarious expressions makes him one of the most popular bad guys in any Disney animated feature. Broadway favorite Egan more than matches him as the mouthy femme fatale who learns that there are some guys out there who really will say they're in love...and prove it, too. 

Favorite Number: We open with the Muses narrating "The Gospel Truth," showing Hercules birth and how he ended up on Earth. "Go the Distance" is Hercules' big "I Want Song" as he sings to his desire to find his place to the Gods. We get a hilarious training montage as Phil tells Hercules how he's his "One Last Hope" to hit the big time, and see howHerc grows from a skinny teen into a strapping man. "Zero to Hero" is the Muses' big uptempo number, another montage depicting how Hercules destroyed the monsters Hades sent and won the heart of everyone in Thebes. The Muses return to prove how "A Star Is Born" in the finale and reveal Hercules literally ascending to heaven. 

My favorite number is the other big ballad. Meg thinks "I Won't Say I'm In Love" with Hercules, but the Muses know better. They appear as various statuary and details on outdoor decorations, encouraging Meg to give in to her feelings. 

Trivia: Woods' Hades got such good reviews, he's considered to be the second-most-popular Disney villain after Maleficent from Sleeping Beauty. He's turned up in countless cartoons and Disney media since then, always with Woods playing him. 

The movie had a hard time competing with Men In Black at the summer box office in 1997 and was considered a disappointment. It did much better when released on video that fall, well enough to inspire a direct-to-video midquel Hercules: Zero to Hero and a Saturday morning TV show with Hercules as a student at Prometheus Academy, Hercules: The Animated Series. An actual direct-to-video sequel was  scrapped when John Lasseter ended production on all animated sequels. 

Their stage version debuted in Central Park in 2019 as part of their Shakespeare in the Park festival. A revised version is scheduled to play the Paper Mill Playhouse in New Jersey in February 2023. 

Disney has announced they're currently developing a live-action version. 

What I Don't Like: The Greeks were really offended by how this plays fast and loose with their mythology. I'll start with Hercules wasn't entirely heroic and actually killed his wife Megara (accidentally), and end with Zeus' many affairs Disney naturally wasn't willing to discuss. Obviously, this isn't for mythology purists or those who might likewise not appreciate the film's distorting of history. The goofy tone also lacks some of the more majestic qualities of their earlier films like Beauty and the Beast, and some of the CGI hasn't dated well. Not to mention, for all of the build-up on how much of a hero he is, Hercules can seem like a standard pretty boy to a lot of people, especially compared to the far more interesting Hades and Meg.

The Big Finale: I consider this to be one of Disney's most underrated films, and their second-most underrated film of the 90's after Hunchback of Notre Dame. If you're looking for a good action comedy and don't mind the mythological fudging or are looking for a fun film for pre-teen boys, you'll have a great time with the biggest hero in Greece. 

Home Media: Easy to find on DVD. Even its original "Limited Edition" release from 2000 can often be found for cheap. It's on Disney Plus with a subscription. 

DVD

Disney Plus

Beach Blanket Bingo

American International Pictures, 1965

Starring Frankie Avalon, Annette Funicello, Linda Evans, and Deborah Walley

Directed by William Asher

Music and Lyrics by various

When most people think of these films, this or Beach Party are probably the ones that come to mind. It's the third-to-last Beach Party film and the last to feature Avalon and Funicello together. By 1965, the Beatles had landed in American and the British Invasion was in full swing. Surf rock and dancing around on a beach was starting to look a little archaic...and yet, this is considered to be one of, if not the best movie in the entire batch. Is it worth jumping out of a plane for, or should it be left to the elements? Let's start at the beach, with all the kids watching a sky diving stunt by singing star Sugar Cane (Evans), and find out...

The Story: Sugar's manager Bullets (Paul Lynde) claims local surfer Frankie (Avalon) rescued her from the waves after her stunt. Local sky diver Bonnie (Walley) actually made the jump, but Bullets is using Cane to promote her newest album. Impressed with Bonnie's jump, Frankie lets her convince him and his buddies to take up sky diving. Bonnie uses him to make her boyfriend Steve (John Ashley) jealous, which convinces Frankie's girl Dee Dee (Funicello) to do a little skydiving, too. Meanwhile, the head of the local biker gang Erik Von Zipper (Harvey Lembeck) has a crush on Sugar Cane too, and Frankie's buddy Bonehead (Cody McCrea) falls hard for the beautiful mermaid Lorelai (Marta Kristen).

The Song and Dance: I'm continually surprised at how genuinely funny and inventive these movies are. No wonder they're so well-remembered fifty years after their release. TV hams Lynde and Rickles have a ball as the smarmy agent who is more interested in his client's album than her well-being and the blow-hard owner of the sky-diving company. Funicello is even better here; who knew she was the queen of deadpan sarcasm? And Buster Keaton not only has some great silent gags as a local fisherman, but I suspect his presence probably inspired the creative silent movie finale with the kids and bikers saving Sugar from a saw mill. The plot with Bonehead and the mermaid has a gentle sweetness to it that's also nicely handled. 

And I really appreciate that the girls are treated a bit better here, too. The biker girls are the ones who save Sugar Cane in the end. Dee Dee skydives even after Frankie says he'd rather she stayed behind, and Steve is quick to point out that Bonnie's an excellent skydiver in her own right. 

Favorite Number: We open with the rollicking title song over a lot of wind gyrating and beach party antics, including fun from Frankie and Dee Dee. The instrumentals "Cycle Set" and "Freeway" performed by the Hondells are terrific dance routines at the local hang-out. One of the girls (Donna Loren) admits "It Only Hurts When I Cry" in a tender ballad sung when the girls are lamenting their boys all falling for Sugar Cane. Frankie and Dee Dee know that "I Think That You Think" they're in love with each other during a walk on the beach near the end of the movie. Even the bikers get a number, the hilarious "Follow the Leader" when Zipper encourages them to show off their own singing chops at the pool hall and they all end up falling over him. 

Trivia: Several scenes were cut, including a solo for Funicello, "I'll Never Change Him," that is occasionally seen in some TV and video prints. 

Nancy Sinatra was originally tapped to play Sugar Cane, but dropped out because the kidnapping plot came too close to the infamous kidnapping of her brother Frank Sinatra Jr. several months before filming began. Elsa Lanchester was announced for the movie, but her role was cut. 

What I Don't Like: Once again, this is a low budget teen comedy from the mid-60's. You know what you're getting into. Evans was dubbed, and there's very little of her later Falcon Crest ice queen in her portrayal of the silly bimbo singer. Carey appears out of nowhere and pretty much exists to provide a slam-bang silent movie spoof ending and give the bikers more to do.

The Big Finale: Same deal here. If you're looking for fluffy summertime fun and/or have fond memories of these from drive-in double features and late-night cable showings, you can do a lot worse than these wacky seaside shindigs. Highly recommended. 

Home Media: This can easily be found in every format; it's often seen streaming for free. 

DVD

Blu-Ray

Amazon Prime

Beach Party

American International Pictures, 1963

Starring Frankie Avalon, Annette Funicello, Bob Cummings, and Dorothy Malone

Directed by William Asher

Music and Lyrics by various

This week, we're gonna hang out with Frankie, Annette, and some of the wildest teens to ever to do the Watusi on a California beach. American International Pictures was originally a low-budget independent company that specialized in movies about teens clashing with their parents and communities. Director Asher wanted something lighter and requested that it become a musical about kids having a good time on the beach. It did so well, and they had so much fun, it turned into a series of five low-budget films made from 1963 to 1965 that revolved around teen party antics of one kind or another. How does the movie that started them all look today? Let's begin with Dolores (Funicello) and Frankie (Avalon) arriving at their beach house and find out...

The Story: Frankie is not happy when it turns out Dolores got cold feet and invited all their friends to their beach house to spend the summer with them. He flirts with Ava (Eva Six) to make her jealous. Dolores in turn falls for Professor Orville Sutwell (Cummings), an anthropologist studying modern teen behaviors at the beach house next door. Sutwell thinks Dolores as just a test subject, but she thinks he's really in love with her. Meanwhile, Sutwell's assistant Marianne (Malone) is in love with him, and their favorite cafe keeps getting invaded by Erik Von Zipper (Harvey Lembeck) and his biker gang the Ratz. 

The Song and Dance: The simple and very silly story is anchored by a good cast and some surprisingly decent performances. Funicello in particular is adorable as the girl who thinks she's in love with her first older man. TV star Cummings is hilarious as the dorky professor who learns that California surfing culture is a heck of a lot more complicated than anything he encountered in the jungle. (Look for Morey Amsterdam as Cappy, the manager of Big Daddy's, and Vincent Price as Big Daddy himself.) I'm also surprised and impressed with how much of a musical this is. Most of the songs actually tie into the story or move it along, and even the random numbers at the coffee shop at least work with the tone. 

Favorite Number: Frankie and Annette begin and end the movie with "Beach Party Tonight" over the credits sequences. Real-life surf rock group Dick Dale and the Del Tones gets two big chorus routines that end with Candy Johnson's fringe shaking wildly and everyone gyrating, "Secret Surfin' Spot" at the beach and "Swingin' and Surfin'" at Big Daddy's. Avalon's solo is "Don't Stop Now" as he reveals to Ava that there's nothing going on between them. Dolores' tearful solo is "Treat Him Nicely" as she tells her reflection she intends to get Frankie back.

What I Don't Like: Uh...did I mention this is a low-budget teen flick from the early 60's? This is about as silly as you can get. It's cheap, it's campy (though not to the degree of some later films in the series), and it makes about as much sense as Cummings hanging ten. Avalon's buddies are pretty much interchangeable except Jody McCrea as huge hungry Deadhead, and Funicello is the only woman besides Malone and Eva Six as the voluptuous Hungarian waitress Ava who even remotely registers. Some of the boys' attitudes towards the girls and vice versa are a little dated nowadays, and their surfer argot will likely need as much explanation for current audiences as it did for Sutwell. 

The Big Finale: I think you know what to expect here. If you're looking for a fluffy good time and don't mind the dated attitudes, catch a wave down to the beach with Frankie, Annette, and the rest of those dance-crazy kids. 

Home Media: Its solo DVD and a double-feature set with Bikini Beach are in print, but fairly expensive and hard to find. You're better off streaming this one. Pluto TV and YouTube currently have it for free with ads. 

DVD

DVD - Midnite Movies Double Feature w/Bikini Beach

YouTube

Pluto TV On Demand

Musicals on TV - You're a Good Man, Charlie Brown (1985)

CBS, 1985

Voices of Brad Kesten, David T. Wagner, Jessica Lee Smith, and Jeremy Reinbolt

Directed by Sam Jaimes

Music and Lyrics by Clark Gesner

The first musical based after the Peanuts comic strips debuted off-Broadway in 1967. It was a sensation there, enough to be adapted for TV as a live-action Hallmark film in 1973. It remained the domain of regional theaters until Bill Melendez animated it for this special, released at Thanksgiving. By this point, the Peanuts animated specials were an institution. Adults and kids alike looked forward to seeing Charlie Brown wrestle with that kite and dodge the Little Red Haired Girl, Snoopy and his supper dish, Lucy order the others around, and Linus dispense sage wisdom, even while carrying his blanket. How well does the cartoon reflect the original show? Let's begin with Charlie Brown and the Peanuts as Charlie laments his "loser" status and find out...

The Story: A series of vignettes revolving around the Peanuts and their everyday lives. Schroeder dodges Lucy's advances while playing Beethoven's "Moonlight Sonata" and dreams of visiting the country like his hero. Charlie Brown tries valiantly to get his kite in the air and rallies his baseball team to do their best, even if they keep losing. Snoopy dreams of being a wild animal and dances ecstatically when Charlie Brown brings his supper dish. Lucy teaches Linus about everything she knows, but Charlie points out she's not as brilliant as she believes. The kids write a book report in their own unique styles,  Schroeder attempts to get them to sing together for a school assembly, and they all exchange Valentines. In the end, it's Lucy who reminds Charlie that, for all his insecurities, he really is a good kid.

Animation: Par for the course for the Peanuts specials of the 60's through the early 90's. Like Winnie the Pooh, this isn't a franchise that needs flashy visuals to get the job done. The backgrounds are colorful but flat, but the kids move well enough, and they do resemble their comic strip counterparts at the time.

The Song and Dance: If you've seen the stage Good Man or one of the non-holiday Peanuts specials, you have an idea of what to expect here. The voices are terrific; Smith in particular nicely captures Lucy's crabbiness and the confidence that makes her brother want to believe her, even when she's obviously wrong. Many people weren't happy when they chose to do Snoopy's numbers as voice overs the kids couldn't hear. Snoopy's normally voiceless in animation. Robert Towers sounds so good doing "Suppertime," you can forgive the digression. 

Favorite Number: We open with the title song as the Peanuts bring on their own marching band to remind Charlie Brown why he's their friend, even if he's not perfect. That attempt at "Moonlight Sonata" turns into "Schroeder" when Lucy adds her own lyrics dreaming of their life together. Charlie Brown desperately wants to get "The Kite" into the air and fails at every turn...making his finally getting it in the air all the sweeter. 

The Peanuts write a "Book Report" about Peter Rabbit, but Lucy just puts in random words, Linus gets way too into it, Schroeder doesn't even discuss the book, and Charlie avoids it. Manager Charlie leads his baseball players through "TEAM" in an attempt to rally them and avoid another defeat...but as he reveals to "My Pen Pal," it doesn't work out as planned. Snoopy's worried that Charlie forgot his "Suppertime." He's so delighted when the kid does bring his dinner, he dances with it. The kids, Snoopy, and Woodstock end by telling each other why "Happiness" is all around them, and why they're all special to each other.

Trivia: You're a Good Man has turned up many times since 1967. The original briefly moved to Broadway in 1971 and managed two months in a small West End theater in 1968. Hallmark Hall of Fame did a live-action TV adaptation in 1973 with Barry Livingston of My Three Sons and Skip Hinnant repeating his off-Broadway performance as Snoopy. It was revived on Broadway in a revised version in 1999 with Kristin Chenowith and Roger Bart giving Tony-winning performances as Sally and Snoopy. It's most recent appearance was in a limited off-Broadway run in 2016.

What I Don't Like: This cuts or restructures a lot of numbers to fit an hour slot and the animated format. "The Book Report" is still funny, but with the kids writing at home, it loses the gag with Patty/Sally passed out at her desk through the entire number. Among the songs dropped are a number for Lucy at her psychiatric booth ("The Doctor Is In"), Linus' solo on his blanket ("My Blanket and Me"), Snoopy's other solo ("The Red Baron"), and the "Peanuts Potpourri," snippets of short gags set to music. 

And...truth be told, the showtunes-style music does sound a little incongruous performed by actual kids in an animated special. And while Snoopy's voice over thoughts don't bother me, they may annoy people who prefer Snoopy's silent pantomime. 

The Big Finale: An hour's worth of charming fun if you or your kids are big Peanuts fans. 

Home Media: The Warners Deluxe DVD is in print but fairly rare and expensive, and it doesn't seem to be on streaming. You're better off looking for this one used.

DVD

Elvis (2022)

Warner Bros, 2022

Starring Austin Butler, Tom Hanks, Olivia DeJonge, and Helen Thomson

Directed by Baz Lutherman

Music and Lyrics by various

Elvis Presley's mythos and the history surrounding his tragic life is far more compelling than any of his movies. Baz Lutherman, a director who shares Presley's fondness for glitter and flare for the dramatic, wanted to direct a film about his life back in 2014, but didn't get the right cast until 2019...and then the pandemic hit. Filming began in Australia in 2020, but wouldn't conclude until March 2021. It finally debuted at the Cannes Film Festival in May 2022 and then to the general public in June. Is it worthy of all that acclaim and popularity, or should it leave the building? Let's begin, not with the King of Rock, but with his manager, Colonel Tom Parker (Hanks), now a lost man in the late 90's, who tells his story after a stroke...

The Story: Parker met Elvis Presley (Butler) when he played for the radio show Louisiana Hayride in 1954. Elvis' raw sexuality and strong talent so impressed Parker, he became his sole manager and brought him as an attraction for country star Hank Snow. Presley, for his part, wants to sing and get his family out of the gutter, especially his beloved mother Gladys (Thomson). Presley's influenced by the Captain Marvel Jr. comics he read as a child and his fondness for African-American music, especially on Beale Street in Memphis. 

Parker understands none of this. He only sees that Elvis' swinging hips and rockabilly sound may be wildly popular with teens, but it's also making him very unpopular with adults and politicians who want to keep the south segregated. He finally drafts Elvis into the Army to keep him out of trouble. 

Elvis is devastated when his mother dies of alcoholism during his Army stint. Pretty, sassy teen Priscilla (DeJonge) helps him recover. He marries her despite the difference in their ages. Even after he gets out of the Army, Parker keeps pushing him into increasingly silly comedies. Fed up and wanting to keep up with the times, Elvis convinces producer and director Steve Binder (Dacre Montgomery) to turn Parker's corny Christmas special into a sexy showcase that proves he still has what it takes to be a hit. Parker's angry at first, but then parlays his success into a permanent show at the International Hotel in Vegas. That early success turns into a morass of broken promises and drugs and alcohol as Priscilla finally gets fed up and leaves, and Elvis realizes just how much Parker is riding off his talent.

The Song and Dance: It may have taken them a while to find their Elvis, but it was worth the wait. Butler is incredible as the King, especially in the first half, when he was young, overwhelmingly sexy, and bewildered with everything going on around him. (He's so perfect, you can barely tell when they transition from him to the real Elvis singing "Unchained Melody" in the finale.) Hanks more than matches him in what amounts to the bad guy role as the carnival "snowman" who keeps burying Elvis under his avalanche of lies. The costumes and sets gorgeously recreate Elvis' world through the years, from his baggy shocking pink suits and grimy arenas in the mid-50's to the infamous sequined jumpsuits and huge Vegas showrooms of the mid-70's.  

Favorite Number: The young Elvis is introduced to two of his major influences - African-American culture and gospel - in "The King and I" as he's literally carried away by the music and the performers' unbridled joy. Rapper CeeLo Green leads the choir. Elvis says "Baby, Let's Play House," and the girls at the otherwise-staid Louisiana Hayride show are ready to do just that. He'd always sung ballads on TV before, but on The Milton Berle Show, he opts to sing "Hound Dog" with his famous gyrating hips going...and it's those hips and their sexuality that creates all of the fuss later.

Fleeing a second disastrous appearance in a tux and tails, he returns to Beale Street. We get a series of songs from prominent R&B and rap singers as he and B.B King discuss the importance of creative freedom, including a rowdy "Hound Dog" from the late Shonkah Durkeah. Elvis gets to see Little Richard's (Alton Mason) intense and sexual performance of "Tutti Fruitti" and realizes why people reacted to his dancing the way they did. His rocking "I Got a Feelin' In My Body" at a concert almost literally brings the house down, causing a riot and ending with him in jail.

"Can't Help Falling In Love" plays when Elvis first dates Priscilla, and is often heard in the background when they're together. "Edge of Reality" and "Summer Kisses" takes us into a quick montage of Elvis' films, showing how his occasional dramas and westerns were taken over by colorful, empty comedies like Clambake. Songs from his 1968 "Comeback Special" turn Parker's conservative cozy sweater dreams into a showcase for the King's real allure, culminating in his protest number "If You Can Dream" with him in white against a massive red "ELVIS" backdrop. The Vegas residency begins well, with the hits "Suspicious Minds" and "Burning Love" and him in a simple blue fringed jumpsuit. As the jumpsuit gets glitzier, the performances become rougher and more desperate, culminating in that last "Unchained Melody" that gives us a glimpse of the real Elvis shortly before his untimely death in the finale.

Trivia: In real-life, The International Hotel changed owners and became the Las Vegas Hilton two years into Elvis' residency. It's now known as the Westgate Las Vegas. While his suites were demolished in 1994, the International Theater where he played still exists and looks very much like it does in the film. 

What I Don't Like: I appreciate their attempts at connecting Elvis' story to the here and now, with it's emphasis on his super heroic qualities and relationship with black performers, but I can't help but feel this may be a little shoehorned in to make Elvis' music more "relevant." (On the other hand, it does give us Mason's equally accurate and amazing Little Richard and that great "Tutti Fruitti.") Putting the focus on his partnership with Parker comes at the expense of other characters. We don't really get to know much about his relationship with his parents, Priscilla, their beloved daughter Lisa Marie, or his buddies "The Memphis Mafia."

In fact, we don't really get to know much about Elvis at all. The film doesn't say anything you can't glean from websites and books on his life. The second half, after the 68 Comeback Special, is where this one falters. The melodrama is overwrought; I'd rather hear more about Elvis' struggles with alcohol, drugs, and food than about how Parker thought he pulled the wool over everyone's eyes. Rather like Elvis' Vegas residency, the second half just drags on and on. 

The Big Finale: Your interest in this movie depends heavily on how much you love Elvis, rap, huge musicals, and/or Lutherman's glitzy style. If you're a fan of one or more of those things, gyrate over to your nearest theater, before Elvis leaves the building. 

Home Media: It'll be available for online rental and purchase August 9th and on disc September 13th. For now, its soundtrack is a best-seller at Amazon. 

Soundtrack CD

Clambake

United Artists, 1967

Starring Elvis Presley, Shelley Fabares, Will Hutchins, and Bill Bixby

Directed by Arthur H. Nadel

Music and Lyrics by various

With the new Elvis biography now in theaters, I thought it was time to visit another one of his movies. By this point, he'd been involved in a series of light-hearted romantic comedies, often set in some exotic location. I covered two of the better ones last year, Blue Hawaii and Viva Las Vegas. Elvis, however, was getting very tired of the silliness, and the goofy script for this one didn't help. He considered it to be his worst film, especially after it under-performed at the box office. Was he right, or does this tropical treat deserve more than a dunking? Let's begin with millionaire's son Scott Hayward (Presley) as he explains to his father why he wants someone who'll love him for more than his money, and find out...

The Story: Hayward takes off in his 1959 Stingray for Miami. At a gas station, he meets Tom Wilson (Will Hutchins), who is heading for a job as a water ski instructor at a Miami hotel. Scott switches identities with Tom in the hope of finding a woman who'll love him and not his money. Ironically, he ends up falling for Dianne Carter (Fabares), a gold-digger who is hoping to strike it rich with wealthy James J. Jamesion III (Bixby). Hoping to beat James at his own game, he borrows an experimental "Goop" to stick a speed boat back together in order to enter it in a speed boat race. That, however, ends up alienating him from Dianne and pushing her more than ever to James. 

The Song and Dance: Considering Elvis' later films don't have the best reputation and Elvis himself called this his worst film, this was surprisingly cute. Elvis pairs fairly well with both Fabares and Hutchins, who has a great time playing the every-man who suddenly finds himself wealthy. It brings to mind both the "Beach Party" movies of this era or the slobs vs snobs comedies of the 1980's, with its cheery teen chorus numbers on the beach and everymen Elvis and Hutchins going up against the snootier Bixby. 

Favorite Number: "Who Needs Money?" asks Tom and Scott in a nifty back-and-forth number after they've switched identities. Tom revels in Scott's fancy car and flashy Texas suit, while Scott's enjoying the freedom of anonymity. Scott reads Dianne's "future" on their first date as he explains she'll have "A House With Everything" - except love. The title number turns into a huge dance on the beach, with teens shimmying on roofs and all around tables filled with seafood as Elvis joins their wild gyrating. 

He encourages a little girl to have "Confidence" coming down a steep slide as he joins her and her friends romping around a nifty western-themed playground, including a merry-go-round and "covered" wagon monkey bars. He says "Hey, Hey, Hey" to a group of local go-go girls when they all agree to dance while helping him clean up the speed boat. Elvis puts out a heartfelt rendition of the country ballad "You Don't Know Me" towards the end, when he thinks he's lost Dianne.

Trivia: This was filmed almost entirely in Hollywood. Any shots of Elvis in Miami are of stand-ins. The Florida footage comes from stock shots. There's obvious mountains in some shots towards the beginning and end of the film when he's driving. 

What I Don't Like: First of all, see above. There's way too much stock backdrop footage, especially when anyone's driving. They couldn't have filmed in Miami? Nowadays, it looks cheap and obvious. Yes, the plot is adorable, but I can see Elvis' point with how fluffy it is. This is about as standard of a romantic comedy as you can get. 

Though the "Confidence" number with the kids is enjoyable enough, it also comes out of nowhere and is never brought up again. Other than the hit "You Don't Know Me," the music is pretty dull, too. They also spend way too much time on the side plot with Scott working on that "goop" and the speed boat and not enough on him trying to help Dianne get Jamesion's attention or mingle with the working people.

The Big Finale: Charming bit of fluff is short on story but long on fun if you're an Elvis fan who doesn't mind a little goofiness in your musicals. 

Home Media: The discs are in print, but expensive. You're better off streaming this one. Tubi and Pluto TV currently have it for free with commercials. 

DVD

Blu-Ray

Tubi