1h 36min | Drama, Music, Musical | 17 October 1957 | b/w, ws
Director: Richard Thorpe
Stars: Elvis Presley, Judy Tyler, Mickey Shaughnessy.
Alex Romero ... choreographer (uncredited)
7 songs in Soundtracks: 6 by EP, 1 by MS. The title song has an oversimplified entry about EP doing choreography. No, Alex Romero did it, and when he realized the moves he created for Elvis were too dancerly, he asked EP to perform some songs as he would do them in concert. When he got the idea of how EP moved, he revised the choreography to match.
Also in the commentary track (and the featurette), Russ Tamblyn takes credit for improving EP's moves, making some sharper, some faster. It's not about the hips really; they just follow the knees. That's even true in the "scandalous" 5Jun56 performance of Hound Dog on the Milton Berle show. But without replay ability, first impressions can be deceiving.
OK, about this movie. EP plays alternating surly and sweet, as the role is written. It's not his story, it's fiction. But he does it well enough that he's a bit scary, and I wouldn't want to meet him, nor spend any more time with him (the character) on film.
This is enormously better than the pov.row rocksploitation films. It has plot, characters and acting, plus music that has some melody. And of course EP is handsome in his way, vocally mesmerizing, but mostly unpleasant here.
I'm giving this a straight 6; the title tune's production number saves it from 6-.
Avon Prod., distr. MGM, dir. Thorpe; 6
