Spinout (1966)

SPINOUT

Theatrical-Release: 1966
Studio: MGM
Director: Norman Taurog
Producer: Joe Pasternak
Film Length: 95 mins
Colour/B&W: Colour


Cast:

Mike McCoy - Elvis Presley
Cynthia Foxhugh - Shelley Fabares
Diane St.Clair - Diane McBain
Les - Deborah Walley
Susan - Dodie Marshall
Lt. Tracy Richards - Will Hutchins


Story:

Elvis plays a singer in a small band and is also into racing and chasing girls, or being chased by them! Four of them in this movie.

Shelley Fabares plays the spoiled daughter of a millionaire. She's used to always getting everything she wants. This time she wants Elvis.

Diane McBain is a best-selling author. While doing research for her upcoming book: "The Perfect American Male", she meets and follows Elvis, since she feels he's the ideal subject for her book.

Deborah Walley plays the drummer in Elvis' band. She's crazy about drumming and Elvis.

Dodie Marshall is the fourth girl who wants to force Elvis into marrying her...

There are lots of funny moments, car racing on mountain roads and a couple of nice songs along the way.

All ends well of course, with everybody getting married...


Behind The Scenes:

Working titles were: "Jim Dandy", "After Midnight", "Always At Midnight", "Never Say Yes" and "Never Say No".

Filming started in February 1966. Filming was finished eight weeks later.

In Europe they changed the title "Spinout" into "California Holiday".

"Spinout" reached No.57 on the Variety chart for 1966.


Songs:


Stop, Look And Listen
Adam And Evil
All That I Am
Never Say Yes
Am I Ready
Beach Shack
Spinout
Smorgasbord
I'll Be Back


Movie Trailer:
(No trailer, title song of movie)

[ame="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gpYTpO3dW5I"]YouTube - Elvis - Spinout[/ame]

Related Links:

Pictures: www.tcb-world.com/gallery/browseimages.php?c=73&userid=

Spinout
by likethebike

The success of your average Elvis formula film depends on the getting the elements of the formula right. In "Spinout" the quality of the elements is largely deficient with the glaring exception of the soundtrack making this one worth it for the songs only.

In many, many ways "Spinout" demonstrates the reasons that Elvis' movies are reviled by some fans and critics despite the fact that star vehicles are the norm for most movies stars. "Spinout" is a bad star vehicle.

To say the plot of the movie is stupid is to give it too much credit. Elvis is Mike McCoy a professional singer AND race car driver. A millioniare's daughter wants him to sing at her birthday party for a large of sum of money. Her father wants Mike to race his car. Mike on a personal whim made to seem like a stand of principle refuses. Three women, two of whom barely know him, fall in love with Mike and plan to marry him. Mike must choose. There's your plot. Not even one fully formed concept, just a bunch of half-baked ideas.

To be fair in the Elvis formula movie the plot is secondary. But, the things that are supposed to make the movie work just don't work. The supporting cast while filled with able players like Donna Reed Vets Shelly Fabares and Carl Betz play essentially annoying characters. The character played by Diane McBain is so smug, self-satisfied and self-involved she is cringe inducing. Her character is made even less bearable by the signature music- a few harmonica notes followed I think a harp- that plays almost every time she appears on screen.

The rest of the incidental music is far too cutesy as well as is most of the humor. Mistaking a guy for a girl is not in and of itself a funny idea and it's a running gag here.

I don't know what to say about Norman Taurog's direction. His attitude was basically turn the camera on. There are no real production numbers. Just Elvis walking around, followed by some random go go dancers. The screen "band" as in "Girl Happy" makes no pretense that they are actually playing.

The key element that doesn't work is Elvis himself. He is notiecably overweight and his hair looks phony. His line readings are slow and flat. In nearly every scene he has the look of a man who cannot wait until what he is doing is over. He doesn't have fun. The agonized smirk that he gives when making a "Hound Dog" reference tells the whole story.

Elvis' performance makes "Spinout" depressing at times. In one scene Elvis nervously jiggles his hands and rolls his shoulders as if he is uncomfortable in his own skin. That this is the same man who flashed that beautiful unselfconscious smile of pride at the crowd's reactions, who enjoyed nothing more than performing, on the Ed Sullivan Show is heartbreaking.

In all fairness, playing Mike McCoy would make anyone depressed. He's supposed to be a man's and a free spirit. Yet he comes off as a commitment phobe. He can't even commit to a career. A lot of his attitude is unnecessary and unrealistic, attitude for attitude's sake.

There is one saving element to the film though and that's the soundtrack. "Spinout" has arguably the best soundtrack of any post-Army Elvis movie. It certainly is the most rocking soundtrack. Possibly the reason for this is that Mike McCoy was supposed to the leader of a hip young rock band and the writers responded accordingly. It's worth noting that the gold here is in the uptempo numbers and not the ballads, usually the reverse scenario for a later Elvis movie.

Whatever the reason, Elvis and the band really crank it up and come up with an interpretation of the then current beat crazy LA rock scene. The two ballads are not much but "All That I Am"- sung too evenly by Elvis- was the first Presley song to incorporate strings.

The heart of the soundtrack is five uptempo numbers- "Spinout", "Stop Look and Listen", "Adam and Evil", "I'll Be Back" and "Never Say Yes"- that all made good use of a prominent electric guitar, organ and Hal Blaine's furious drumming.

The setting invigorates Elvis who swaggers through the material. These songs rank a notch or two below Elvis' best work but they are still really good and would rank near the tops of the catalogues of some of Elvis' contemporaries.

The highlights are the title track and "I'll Be Back". "Spinout" somewhat clumsily uses an automobile as a metaphor for sexual frustration but Elvis' vocal, which uses a lot of his range, along with a beat dictated by some crackerjack organ and drums make the song a near classic.

"I'll Be Back" riding a tough guitar line but a slower tempo is even better. It's actually a blues or a pop interpretation of blues and Elvis uses all his tricks in his arsenal including a breathy mumble to close out the tune.

Brimming with confidence, cutting through quick phrases like Paul Bunyan through kindling, smiling and for once in an attractive outfit, watching Elvis sing this number you can finally say in this movie "There's our Elvis. There's the King of Rock and Roll".

This being an Elvis movie there are some goofy novelty songs. But "Smorgasboard" with its jazzy sax and the light calypso "Beach Shack" are not bad as far as those things go.

The DVD of the movie like the other recent MGM releases is absolutely phenomenonal in terms of sound and visuals. Watching Elvis and Carl Betz outside at the racetrack, I felt was standing right next to them. When Shelly Fabares appears in a bikini (that's a plus besides the soundtrack) I found out her bikini is light blue not white as I had thought for years. That's how good the color is.

So, pick this one up for the songs. It's worth it for that.

? 2004 - likethebike

I've always really liked this one. Lots of fun. Great soundtrack. Gotta love the road race finale. Hillarious!! I've got a cravein' for "Smorgasbord".

Updated,

Sonny

i have bought this movie recently, it was cute, i liked it, elvis was good in it!

Always like this one, i saw it TODAY as a tribute for his birthday and enjoy it every minuite
Elvis looks great and good songs, also great Elvis' clothes:)
LIOR

Albert, to me you're right!
I've seen the movie recently for the first time and I think Elvis is the only good thing of the movie (as many others in the 60s). The movie was quite pleasent but nothing really exciting as others. When I watch these movies I always get so angry and I always think he wasted his talent as an actor to gratify the Colonel and hollywood. What a pity!! :mad:

Quote:

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Originally Posted by ForeverTheKing

Albert, to me you're right!
I've seen the movie recently for the first time and I think Elvis is the only good thing of the movie (as many others in the 60s). The movie was quite pleasent but nothing really exciting as others. When I watch these movies I always get so angry and I always think he wasted his talent as an actor to gratify the Colonel and hollywood. What a pity!! :mad:

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Oh, Puhleeeeeeeez!! I suppose Elvis wasn't doing any gratifying of his own with all the women, cars, horses, motorcycles, assorted other toys and God knows what else. All purchased with the money he made from these movies he hated. He may have hated them, but he took the money and ran all the way to the bank.

Now I always loved this film. It's probably in my top five or six favorite Elvis movies, and is a whole lot better than "Live A Little, Love A Little" or "The Trouble With Girls". I think Elvis looks and sounds great in this film, and the return of Shelley Fabares to a Presley movie was more than welcomed. I always thought she was one of his more beautiful, sexy, talented co-stars. I love the title song "Spinout", I think Elvis really knocks this performance out of the park. And "Never Say Yes" has become one of my favorite tunes. "Beach Shack" is cute, and I figure what's wrong with a cute song? It's better than hearing Elvis sing "Old MacDonald". If anything, this was one of Elvis' better movies to come out of the late 60s.

I bought the Spinout DVD just before Christmas. First time I have watched all this film. There are 2 or 3 women trying to marry Elvis. At the end of the film it turns out that Elvis's character is a preacher as he marries all three ladies to their partners.

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Originally Posted by elpfan

"Stop, Look, and Listen" is one of my favorite tunes in this film.

Shelley was a good co-star for E, they worked well together.

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Personally, I think Shelley was his best co-star ever!

good film spinout, a bit of trivia for anyone intrested.
during the last song if you look behind elvis on the wall there is a painting of him hanging on it.never noticed it before till today when i watched it.

Have you ever noticed how Shelly Fabares kisses EP by the pool? I mean, come on, man, that honey had it all goin' on!!!

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Originally Posted by jadedragon61

Have you ever noticed how Shelly Fabares kisses EP by the pool? I mean, come on, man, that honey had it all goin' on!!!

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I agree. She was by far his best female co-star. I just re-watched it the other night. The only thing I disliked about the movie was the party sequence where Elvis was playing gitaur and kept yelling "Hey!" or "All Right!" every so often......was that supposed to showcase his talent????????????

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Originally Posted by vulcandude

It's probably in my top five or six favorite Elvis movies, and is a whole lot better than "Live A Little, Love A Little" or "The Trouble With Girls". I think Elvis looks and sounds great in this film.

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Oh, come off it! There is NO WAY Spinout is better than Live A Little or Trouble With Girls! Both had way better stories and songs.

And as for Elvis in Spinout ... he looked awful, for the sixties. Far too fat.
And this was during his brief flirtation with marijuana and the subsequent munchies ...

I thought the film was ok..certainly not one of his best. but was a good comedy. i did know Elvis looked abit heavy for that time.

Quote:

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Originally Posted by srj1967

Oh, come off it! There is NO WAY Spinout is better than Live A Little or Trouble With Girls! Both had way better stories and songs.

And as for Elvis in Spinout ... he looked awful, for the sixties. Far too fat.
And this was during his brief flirtation with marijuana and the subsequent munchies ...

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I'll bet Spinout made more money than either "Live A Little, Love A Little" or ""The Trouble With Girls". The songs and plot in "Spinout" are WAY better too, with the exclusion of "Edge Of Reality".

Well it's simple, we all have our own opinions, and are just going to have to agree to disagree politley :lol: ;) .

Updated with movie trailer.

New update with working trailer.

Sonny