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.