Girls! Girls! Girls!

I'm just a red blooded guy who can't stop thinking about Girls!, Girls!, Girls! Seems I'm one of the few here who are prepared to write that they dislike this picture. It doesn't have any particularly great songs to off set the staid nature of the plot and crude construction of the film. Basically we have Presley as Ross Carpenter, a guy who loves life working out on the sea. But when his boss announces that he's opting out of the business, Ross must find a way to buy the boat that is so dear to him. All that and he's caught in between two lady suitors from different ends of the social spectrum. Nope, that's about it, I wish I could fire up some words of praise like I can for Jailhouse Rock and King Creole. Stella Stevens sleepwalks through the film (even though she's underused), Laurel Goodwin just can't act, whilst the King looks a trifle embarrassed to be part of this mockery of his standing. Right I'm off to watch Creole to put me back on Elvis' side.... 3/10

Elvis as a fisherman and nightclub singer in Hawaii In Hawaii, a fishing guide (Presley) tries to find a way to buy the Westwind, a boat that he & his father built, after his employer decides to retire to Arizona. Meanwhile he's caught between two women: An insensitive club singer (Stella Stevens) and a sweet rich girl who pretends to be working class (Laurel Goodwin). "Girls! Girls! Girls!" (1962) was Elvis’ 11th movie of the 31 in his acting filmography. It was the second of his three flicks shot in Hawaii, the other two being "Blue Hawaii" (1961) and “Paradise, Hawaiian Style” (1966). While it’s a serviceable Presley flick and has its points of interest, it’s the least of the three IMHO with “Blue Hawaii” being easily the best. The serious drama is situated amongst the Hawaiian boating/fishing industry wherein Presley performs a song every 7-12 minutes with “Return to Sender” being a highlight. Stevens' role is rather small so the focus is on the protagonist's romance with the secretly rich girl. Speaking of whom, two years later Goodwin played Yeoman Colt on the original (rejected) pilot episode of Star Trek, which was reworked into the two-part episode "The Menagerie," premiering in November, 1966. While Stevens and Goodwin are a’right, the female cast in “Paradise, Hawaiian Style” is superior. There’s an interesting scene near the end where Elvis’s character is rescuing the girl and a sailboat runs into their smaller craft. The (presumable) stunt people in the motorboat get hit by the sailboat and somewhat pushed under. The movie runs 1 hour, 36 minutes, and was shot in Hawaii. GRADE: B-/C+

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John Chard

Wuchak