Starring Elvis Presley, Laurel Goodwin, Stella Stevens, and Jeremy Slate
Directed by Norman Taurog
Music and Lyrics by various
Let's celebrate the summer season with one of Elvis' bigger hits. Elvis and his wiggling hips seemed to work well with the laid-back vibes of the Hawaiian Islands. This would be the second of three films he made with a Hawaiian setting. It also produced one of the bigger singles to come from one of his movies and helped promote Tiki culture at a time when interest in Polynesia was at an all-time high. How does the movie that produced "Return to Sender" look nowadays? Let's begin with Ross Carpenter (Presley) taking a tourist couple out on his fishing boat the Westwind and find out...
The Story: Ross wants to buy his boat from the new owner, arrogant and egotistical Wesley Johnson (Slate), but he doesn't have the money. His current girl, singer Robin (Stevens), wants him to give up fishing and join her singing at a local nightclub, but Ross is married to his boat. He and his late father built the Westwind.
He first meets sweet and funny Laurel Dodge (Goodwin) at the club. Unlike Robin, she enjoys sailing with him and understands how he feels about the Westwind. He even introduces her to his friends at Paradise Island, Kin Yung (Benson Fong), his wife (Beluah Quo), and the two little girls they look after. Laurel, however, is not what she seems. Ross doesn't appreciate her attempt to help him by buying the Westwind himself...until Johnson gets his hands on her, and he realizes that Laurel means more to him than any boat.
The Song and Dance: To my surprise, this may be one of Elvis' more charming vehicles. Hawaii does seem to agree with him. He seems a lot more at ease here than with some of his more by-the-numbers later vehicles. He's abetted by two relatively strong leading ladies. Goodwin is adorably sarcastic, Stevens nicely tough when we see her. Some of the music is really fun too, including "Return to Sender," the hilarious "Earth Boy" with the little girls on the island, and the rousing title song.
The Numbers: We hear the title song twice, in the opening as Ross drives the fishing couple and admires all the beautiful young ladies they pass, and dancing with ladies in Hawaiian, Asian, and Latin costumes in the finale. Ross takes us to the club, where we hear Robin perform "Never Let Me Go." She and her boss Sam talk Ross into his credo, "I Don't Want To Be Tied." The Four Amigos perform "Mama" for the wife of the original owner of the Westwind on their anniversary. Ross adorably sings "We'll Be Together" for a grateful Mama.
He performs "Earth Boy" with the little girls Mai (Elizabeth Tiu) and Tai (Ginny Tiu) on Paradise Island. Back at the club, Robin gets the standard "The Nearness of You." Speaking of standards, Ross also introduces the big hit from this film. "Return to Sender," at the club. He's singing "Because of Love" when Laurel comes in looking for him. Ross and the fishermen get one of the major chorus numbers, "Thanks to the Rolling Sea," on their boat. They perform "The Song of the Shrimp" to lift their morale after they catch nothing. He and Laurel do their idea of a flamenco as they insist "Walls Have Ears" and listen in on the neighbors.
"We're Coming In Loaded" says Ross proudly as his crew finally nets a good catch. Robin gets another smoky number at the club, "Baby Baby Baby," just before Laurel confronts her about Ross. The finale gives us a delicate Japanese dance to "Dainty Little Moonbeams," which Ross sings with the little girls.
What I Don't Like: Definitely one of Elvis' fluffier vehicles. If you're looking for something darker or sharper, you'd better go to his 50's films. Frankly, it goes on for about 20 minutes too long, too. The girls arguing over Ross gets a little annoying despite Elvis' charisma. Stevens doesn't really have that much to do besides her numbers and insult Elvis. Though they're generally respectful of Japanese and Hawaiian culture, some of the treatment of the residents of Paradise Island occasionally borders on stereotype.
The Big Finale: The film that introduced "Return to Sender" is surprisingly charming and fun if you're a big fan of Elvis or bright and bold 60's musicals.
Home Media: Easily found on DVD and streaming.
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