Rockin' Roles
Elvis may have left the building, but when it comes to making movies, no other pop star will achieve what he did. For better or worse, he was a prolific actor. Joe Queenan gets all shook up
Elvis Presley's acting career breaks down into two distinct phases. In his early films - Love Me Tender, Jailhouse Rock, King Creole, Flaming Star - he honestly tried to make good movies. He worked hard, he learned his lines, he most certainly did not phone in. The public enjoyed the films, but not as much as Elvis would have liked. A desperately poor country boy, Elvis was always interested in making money, and after the massive success of the hokey, slapdash, just plain terrible Blue Hawaii in 1961, he decided to churn out an uninterrupted series of very bad, very corny motion pictures for the remainder of his career. For whatever the reason - most likely the sheer exhilaration of getting something for nothing - he threw in the towel.
[IMGl]http://www.elvisintresseforening.se/news/arkiv/bilder/joanelvis.jpg[/IMGl]The post-Blue Hawaii films were shot quickly and inexpensively, and had extravagantly absurd plots: Elvis as an actor trapped in a harem during a promotional tour for the State Department, Elvis as a beleaguered tuna boat captain, Elvis as a singing trapeze artist suffering from vertigo. In all of these films, he had to sing his way out of trouble, and almost without exception, the soundtracks were dreadful. Unlike King Creole and Jailhouse Rock, where he looked like a snarling thug, movies like Tickle Me, Girls, Girls, Girls, Fun In Acapulco and Harum Scarum displayed a domesticated, well-manicured Elvis. The films were mildly risqu? - lots of skin-tight shorts - shorts and halter tops (on the girls, that is) - but generally wholesome. The defanged King was no longer a threat to middle America; Bob Dylan and the Rolling Stones were. The public had given its heart to Elvis, and Elvis gave the public Viva Las Vegas! in return. Thanks.
No pop star before or since ever achieved what Elvis did; the landscape is littered with the bones of his imitators. As I pointed out in a Movieline article 11 years ago, the one record in the motion picture industry that will never be broken is the King's string of 31 money-making films, almost all of them horrendous. None of us will ever witness a phenomenon like Elvis Presley's movie career; he could literally get away with murder. Madonna tried and failed. Mick Jagger tried and failed. Sting, Prince and Dylan tried and failed, as will Puff Daddy and Eminem. The closest things to Elvis's crossover success are the careers of Cher, Sting, Ice Cube, LL Cool J and Mark Wahlberg. Like I said: Elvis had no competition.
[IMGr]http://www.sixtiescity.com/Elvis/sajoe1.jpg[/IMGr]Unlike Frank Sinatra, a shorter, tougher man with a colossal ego, Elvis was probably not temperamentally suited to be an actor. He seemed nervous and embarrassed in his screen debut Love Me Tender, and did not show much more range in films like King Creole and Flaming Star, by far his best "serious" pictures. His phrasing was mechanical; he tended to snarl and brood a lot. Of course, most people would snarl and brood a lot if they were trapped in a film where they had to play a hip-swivelling pharmacist's son who is being courted by a local gangster who wants him to come back and do his nightclub act in the lounge where he used to work as an underpaid busboy even though his father wants him to finish high school and enter a profession like, well, pharmacy. Elvis did his level best, working with the material given him, but the only time he seemed to relax was when he took centre stage to belt out one of his hits. Then, suddenly, magically, he stopped being a dour pharmacist's son and turned back into Elvis. The eyes lit up. The headbeam smile returned. The hips swivelled. The King was back.
Someone, perhaps the rock critic Greil Marcus, once said that Elvis would have fared better in a TV action series like The Six Million Dollar Man. I agree. Elvis was never in a class with crossover artists like Sinatra and Dean Martin; they knew how to lighten up and enjoy themselves on the big screen. Elvis always seemed wound-up. Moreover, in his early films, he was often overshadowed by talented actors like Walter Matthau, John McIntire and Richard Egan, who could readily conjure up more than three facial expressions. Even the paunchy, middle-aged burnout clowning around as the bloodthirsty Kiowa chieftain Buffalo Horn, in Flaming Star, could act better than Elvis.
In his later movies, this problem was corrected; now Elvis was generally cast opposite galoots and bimbos. And in his later movies, three facial expressions were two more than an actor needed. To be fair, Elvis was never a terrible actor in the sense that Madonna and Mick Jagger are, and because he possessed great looks, his mere magnetic presence partially compensated for his lack of ability. Madonna, despite all her earnest huffing and puffing, is rather ordinary-looking and her attempts to "emote" in films like Body Of Evidence, Shanghai Surprise and Dick Tracy actually have been known to make grown men weep. Me, for instance. No matter how hard she tries, she still looks like the fat girl playing Eliza Doolittle in the school play. As for Jagger, he is a charismatic rock star who has the misfortune to look like a chimp. A chimp, I might add, who is no threat to John Gielgud, nor, for that matter, John Belushi. And let's not even talk about the puny Roger Daltrey or the loveable but ineffective Ringo. Oddly, because of their sheer ludicrousness, films like Fun In Acapulco, where Elvis dresses as a matador and sings songs about Pedro the Bull, are still entertaining, if only because they provide a glimpse into a society that obviously had a few screws loose. Contrasted with pathetic films like The Next Best Thing, where the facile but gifted Rupert Everett literally blows the frumpy, washed-out Madonna off the screen, Elvis's films are oddly charming, hypnotically absurd. The lamest Elvis song - for example, the shrimping tune from Fun In Acapulco - never makes your skin crawl the way Madonna's graveside rendition of American Pie in The Next Best Thing does. Nor did Elvis ever undertake anything as hopeless as Jagger's forlorn impersonation of a legendary Aussie highwayman in Ned Kelly. To this day, I am still trying to figure out how a man as physically unimposing as Mick Jagger could have possibly dominated the Outback. And where that accent came from.
Elvis Presley's most amazing accomplishment is that he made dozens of unwatchable movies that are still fun to watch. Both of my children - 18 and 15 - are enthralled by these films, in large part because they cannot believe that anyone could get away with what Elvis did. When you see a film like Harum Scarum, where Elvis sets out to the Middle East on a State Department goodwill tour, crosses the Mountains of the Moon, is then abducted by bandits, gets gussied up in lime green pants and a golden cumberbund, dons a turban, and leads a peasant's revolution against the wicked oppressors, you can only shake your head in disbelief. Elvis Presley was a poor boy from Mississippi who grew up to be the biggest star in the world. He made 26 of the most mesmerisingly awful movies in the history of motion pictures. There's not a day that goes by that I don't miss him.
Elvis Day, TCM (source: Guardian.co.uk)
I LOVE this article! It's both hilarious and quite accurate.
His descriptions of all who tried to follow in Elvis' footsteps are deadly in their humor. Love to read how someone shares my thoughts about the likes of Madonna and Jagger, heehee.
Thanks for sharing.
An interesting read....but i will say that......
....is a tad over the topHe made 26 of the most mesmerisingly awful movies in the history of motion pictures
Although i will agree there were some well below par movies in respect of the storylines...and songs i guess for that matter...( having said that...i still enjoy even those ( as does the author ))...to state that there were 26 'aweful' movies....well...that goes a little too far for me
TCB Chris.
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On the other hand: will you also watch those movies if Elvis wasn't in it?
They are "famously bad" because Elvis played in them. Without Elvis those movies wouldn't even be remembered (or made). Most of the movie weren't good, nor extremely bad... However, they were entertaining
"A year from now, you'll wish you had started today"
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What an article!!
It made me furios, it made me laugh, smile and curse.
But the final made me love it.
It says almost everything I ever said when it came to Elvis movies.
And, yes, "There's not a day that goes by that I don't miss him"
GREAT ARTICLE ALBERT!!! THANKS FOR POSTING IT!!!
I agree with Night Rider that calling 26 of Elvis' movies "awful" is going a bit overboard. Let's take a look at this a bit closer....according to the writer, "Love Me Tender, Jailhouse Rock, King Creole & Flaming Star" were 4 of Elvis' best movies! So, 26 "awful" movies plus 4 good movies gives us a total of 30 movies. Well, Elvis made 33 pictures throughout his career...so, if 26 are "awful" and 4 are good, what does the writer think about the remaining 3 films -- does he consider these to be in some kind of an "undecided" category?
And then, we are left with the question...if the writer thinks 26 movies are that bad, does that mean he classifies Elvis classics like VIVA LAS VEGAS, ELVIS ON TOUR, LOVING YOU or THAT'S THE WAY IT IS as "awful"? Are 3 of these movies to be classified into that undecided category as I mentioned above? Plus, he comes right out and says that BLUE HAWAII is "just plain terrible"...which I think is a travesty! While not a movie I watch too often, I think BLUE HAWAII is far from terrible!!!
I do have to agree with Cherokee and Clowdy though....the article runs the cycle of emotions, when reading it!!
TCB!
Mike
R.I.P. Tommy
We will miss you dearest friend
Way to go Mike :worthy:
I agree with you my friend....there are some points to it that don't make any sense.
As for 'would i watch them if Elvis wasn't in them ?'....no i probably wouldn't....but if you are a fan of lets say Mel Gibson....would you watch half of his films if he wasn't in them ? probably not eitherAnd no, i am not compairing the two either....just a point that is relevant.
You also have to remember when these films were made. Lets take Blue Hawaii. How many other films do you remember from that year ? There are none that spring to mind for me....but that could be just me
There is a world of difference from film-making these days and the film-making of the 60's. They cannot be compaired for that reason....and nor should they be.
The actual scripts for some of Elvis' movies were dire...we all know that..but 26 ???? Come on now
TCB Chris.
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As another of my heroes(or heroine) said " Contradictions do not exist" - if they are still fun to watch it just cannot be un-watchable. (h)Elvis Presley's most amazing accomplishment is that he made dozens of unwatchable movies that are still fun to watch.
I do admit that I do not watch them very often.
jb
Originally Posted by jbgude
Great point jb
TCB Chris.
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That contradiction comes from the two sides the person is analyzing the movies:"unwatchable" for the movie critic he is but "fun to watch" for the fan he never stoped to be.
RIGHT ON NIGHT RIDER!!!Way to go Mike :worthy:
I agree with you my friend....there are some points to it that don't make any sense.
As for 'would i watch them if Elvis wasn't in them ?'....no i probably wouldn't....but if you are a fan of lets say Mel Gibson....would you watch half of his films if he wasn't in them ? probably not either
You also have to remember when these films were made. Lets take Blue Hawaii. How many other films do you remember from that year ? There are none that spring to mind for me....but that could be just me
There is a world of difference from film-making these days and the film-making of the 60's. They cannot be compaired for that reason....and nor should they be.
The actual scripts for some of Elvis' movies were dire...we all know that..but 26 ???? Come on now
I agree completely with your statement of watching Elvis movies because he is in them...your comparison between Elvis movies and Mel Gibson movies is VERY relevant!! If your favorite actor/actress isn't in a movie, would you watch it? Probably not! Good comparison!!
And, I agree with your other point about 1961...aside from BLUE HAWAII, I honestly can't think of another non-Elvis movie that came out in that year!
Finally, I agree with your comments on not comparing movies made in the 60's to movies made today....they were made in 2 completely different eras, for two completely different generations and they simply CANNOT be compared! In my opinion, a movie made today (let's expand on your Mel Gibson comparison) such as LETHAL WEAPON would NEVER have even been considered in 1961!! At least, that's my opinion....maybe I'm way off in left field on this...
TCB!
Mike
R.I.P. Tommy
We will miss you dearest friend
Thanks mate...RIGHT ON NIGHT RIDER!!!
I agree completely with your statement of watching Elvis movies because he is in them...your comparison between Elvis movies and Mel Gibson movies is VERY relevant!! If your favorite actor/actress isn't in a movie, would you watch it? Probably not! Good comparison!!
And, I agree with your other point about 1961...aside from BLUE HAWAII, I honestly can't think of another non-Elvis movie that came out in that year!
Finally, I agree with your comments on not comparing movies made in the 60's to movies made today....they were made in 2 completely different eras, for two completely different generations and they simply CANNOT be compared! In my opinion, a movie made today (let's expand on your Mel Gibson comparison) such as LETHAL WEAPON would NEVER have even been considered in 1961!! At least, that's my opinion....maybe I'm way off in left field on this...
TCB!
Mike
And no....you are not way off at all....in golfing terms....your straight and long, sat perfectly on the fairway
TCB Chris.
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THANKS NIGHT RIDER!!!
I was afraid I sounded a bit odd there....but thanks for letting me know what I was trying to say came across o.k.!! (h)
TCB!
Mike
R.I.P. Tommy
We will miss you dearest friend
Wasn't "Wild In The Country", my all time fave Elvis movieRIGHT ON NIGHT RIDER!!!
And, I agree with your other point about 1961...aside from BLUE HAWAII, I honestly can't think of another non-Elvis movie that came out in that year!
TCB!
Mike
"Blue Hawaii" may have fared better at the box office, but "Wild In The Country" was more a movie along the lines that Elvis hoped he would be making movies........
As for movies by other actors and directors that year:
Warren Beatty's screen debut with Nathalie Wood "Splendor In The Grass", directed by Elia Kazan comes to mind
Last edited by Cherokee; 10-22-2004 at 03:30 PM.
Hi Cherokee:
Yep, WILD IN THE COUNTRY did come out in 1961! I didn't mean to leave your favorite Elvis movie out....but instead of listing all of Elvis' 1961 movies, I just said I wasn't familiar with any "NON-Elvis movies" from that year! THANK YOU for providing your list of other movies from 1961...must be I am showing my age (only 32) since I haven't seen any of the movies you listed, and actually I haven't only heard of a couple of them!!
And, I agree with you completely that although it wasn't a blockbuster in the theatres, WILD IN THE COUNTRY was a GREAT film and one that I am sure Elvis enjoyed making, and wished/hoped he could make more of in that same caliber of film! It's a true shame he didn't really get the opportunity to make more serious films like WILD IN THE COUNTRY, KING CREOLE, etc....
TCB!
Mike
R.I.P. Tommy
We will miss you dearest friend
LOL, well, I'm only a few years older than you, MikeHi Cherokee:
Yep, WILD IN THE COUNTRY did come out in 1961! I didn't mean to leave your favorite Elvis movie out....but instead of listing all of Elvis' 1961 movies, I just said I wasn't familiar with any "NON-Elvis movies" from that year! THANK YOU for providing your list of other movies from 1961...must be I am showing my age (only 32) since I haven't seen any of the movies you listed, and actually I haven't only heard of a couple of them!!
And, I agree with you completely that although it wasn't a blockbuster in the theatres, WILD IN THE COUNTRY was a GREAT film and one that I am sure Elvis enjoyed making, and wished/hoped he could make more of in that same caliber of film! It's a true shame he didn't really get the opportunity to make more serious films like WILD IN THE COUNTRY, KING CREOLE, etc....
TCB!
Mike
VERY COOL CHEROKEE!!!
I wasn't paying that much attention, so I didn't realize you were only a couple of years older than I am...
TCB!
Mike
R.I.P. Tommy
We will miss you dearest friend
So you don't forget, Mike...
Nice pic, Jackie--hope you don't mind me spotlighting you here.
I remember watching Splendor In The Grass in high school. That's a great "teen angst"/romantic movie.
Wild In The Country is definitely one of Elvis' very best performances.
I picked up on the same things most of you all did in the article. I think we can all agree that on the whole Elvis' movie career cannot be considered artistically satisfying--Elvis was nobody's fool and admitted this himself, but there were some good movies in the bunch, and all of them have some value, if nothing beyond his presence.
...you won't forget me when I go.
EEEEEWWWWW, not a favorite sight to wake up to, LonnieSo you don't forget, Mike...
Nice pic, Jackie--hope you don't mind me spotlighting you here.
Yeah, I'm working on my Warren Beatty collection as much as on my Elvis collection
Most definitely
So ditto!
I was watching that 'Wild In The Country' friday morning on AMC channel,.. its not bad indeed a good one ... speaking of which elvis movies... its fun to watch nothing heavy ..
I remember when indonesian elvis fan club had meeting couple years ago ... some of the older fans were telling me that the fun thing of watching elvis movie in the cinema was that the audience could sing along together as elvis sing...and they're having a good time. By then they didnt really care how the plot goes or how similar one movie to the other..
As Elvis says it himself . " I suppose these heavy dramas are all right. but i like to stand outside a cinema and watch the audience coming with smiles on their faces."... and its true..
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