Musicals Blog

Elvis Movies - G.I. Blues

by Claire J Rottenberg


The 1960s saw the height and the end of the movie musicals era. Three of the Academy Award winners for Best Picture were movie musicals during this period of time and many Broadway musicals became film musicals from 1960 to 1969. But these were not the only movie musicals - this was also the time of Elvis movies. From 1960 until 1969, Elvis made 26 movie musicals, usually resulting in three new Elvis films each year.

I'm a huge Elvis fan and I've seen all of his movies, including the best and the worst. I'll be adding my reviews of the ones I own on DVD to this blog, beginning with one of my favorites, "G.I. Blues." This was the second Elvis film I saw in a movie theater and I immediately loved it, even though I wasn't an Elvis fan at the time.

"G.I. Blues," released in August, 1960, was the first film Elvis made after his army service and it was his first film in two years. It co-starred Juliet Prowse and it was filmed in both Hollywood and Germany. The screenplay was by Edmund Beloin and Henry Garson and it was directed by Norman Taurog and Michael D. Moore and produced by Hal B. Wallis for Paramount Pictures.


Brief Synopsis

Elvis plays a US soldier named Tulsa who, along with two army buddies, plans to open a club in Oklahoma after they are released from the army. Elvis is the singer of the musical trio and their only problem is money. On their way to their new base in Germany, they make a bet with some other soldiers that a romantic member of their division can spend a night in the apartment of a beautiful, but cold as ice, entertainer named Lili. Elvis ends up being the soldier who has to romance Lili and, as can be expected, he falls in love with her. He ends up spending the night in Lili's apartment, but they are not alone and so Elvis and his buddies lose the bet, but Elvis wins the girl.


My Review

I love this movie for several reasons. First, the film actually has a believable plot, unlike some of Elvis' later films. It's a cute story with quite a bit of humor. The songs from "G.I. Blues," although not hit songs, are pleasant, with a good mixture of lively, early Elvis style rock and good ballads. I particularly like "Pocketful Of Rainbows." Other songs include "Wooden Heart" and the title "G.I. Blues" song.

Both Elvis and Juliet Prowse do a decent job of acting in the film and they both create very likable characters. The supporting cast members are also reasonably good, although none stands out as an exceptional performer.

"G.I. Blues" marked the beginning of almost 10 years of Elvis movie musicals and one element that appeared in all of his later films was also in this one. There is a fight scene early in the film, but in "G.I. Blues," unlike in later films, Elvis is not directly involved in the actual fighting. He seemed to get beaten up quite often in his later films, but in this one, he flees the scene once the fighting starts.

Like many later films, "G.I. Blues" features a child, although in this film the child is an adorable baby. Most of the children who co-starred in Elvis films stole scenes from Elvis, and the baby in "G.I. Blues" is no exception. Another typical feature of Elvis films is that he sings with the child co-stars - in "G.I. Blues" he sings to the baby.

The only criticism I have of "G.I. Blues" is the terrible choreography for Juliet Prowse. She was a wonderful dancer and a delight to watch but she is given amateurish dances in this film.