sixties

GIRL HAPPY

Elvis Presley (Rusty Wells), Shelley Fabares (Valerie), Harold J. Stone (Big Frank), Gary Crosby (Andy), Joby Baker (Wilbur), Nita Talbot (Sunny Daze), Mary Ann Mobley (Deena), Fabrizio Mioni (Romano), Jimmy Hawkins (Doc), Jackie Coogan (Sergeant Benson), Peter Brooks (Brentwood Von Durgenfeld), John Fielder (Mr. Penchill), Chris Noel (Betsy), Lyn Edgington (Laurie), Gail Gilmore (Nancy), Pamela Curran (Bobbie), Rusty Allen (Linda), George Cisar (Bartender at the Kit Kat Club), Nancy Czar (Blonde on the Beach), Jim Dawson (Muscle Boy), Mike De Anda (Burt), Darren Dublin (Driver), Tommy Farrell (Louie), Ted Fish (Garbage Man), Milton Frome (Police Captain), Norman Grabowski (‘Wolf Call’ O’Brien), Dan Haggerty (Charlie), Alan Hanley (Waiter #1), Ralph Lee (Officer Jones), Richard Reeves (Officer Wilkins), Olan Soule (Waiter #2). Not credited: Lori Williams, Beverly Adams, Theresa Cooper, Stasa Damascus, Hank Jones, Kent McCord, Julie Payne (College Boys and Girls).

Continuing with my beach movie survey, it seems everyone tried to cash in on the Beach Party craze during 1964-1966 even Elvis Presley who starred in the Spring Break musical, Girl Happy (1965).

Produced by Joe Pasternak for MGM, Girl Happy was a combination of the studio’s Where the Boys Are and AIP’s Beach Party. Elvis along with his band members Joby Baker, Gary Crosby, and Jimmy Hawkins are sent on spring break in Fort Lauderdale to secretly chaperone coed Shelley Fabares, the daughter of tough club owner Harold J. Stone, and her two nubile friends, Chris Noel and Lyn Edgington. Elvis thinks he hooks Fabares up with safe bookworm Peter Brooks and can enjoy his time in the sun. But every time Elvis gets cozy with sultry Mary Ann Mobley in a park or his hotel room, Fabares winds up in some sort of predicament like getting drunk with amorous Italian playboy Fabrizio Mioni. Elvis and his troupe have to abandon their girls and rush to her rescue. Trying not to make the trip a total disaster, Elvis volunteers to “court” Fabares to keep her away from Mioni. Naturally, he falls for Shelley but when she learns about his deal with her father, she gets loaded again and does a striptease at a club landing herself in jail. Elvis comes to her rescue and they both confess their love to each other. You didn’t expect it to end any other way now did you?

Compared to the Frankie & Annette films of this genre, Girl Happy is severely landlocked. Despite the ad campaign, there aren’t many scenes on the beach. In fact, Elvis is seen on the seashore only briefly in a montage sequence and a nighttime production number where he sings “Do the Clam” on a makeshift sand dune. On its own however Girl Happy is pleasant fare and one Elvis’ better post-Viva Las Vegas movies despite its wafer-thin plot. Though filmed mainly on the back lot, the colorful production is first rate, the action never lets up, and the film has that glossy vibrant MGM sheen to it. Director Boris Sagal keeps the story moving briskly and surrounds Elvis with a perky, talented supporting cast including standouts Jimmy Hawkins as naïve Doc and Mary Ann Mobley as a frustrated vixen. Presley seems comfortable with his role and plays it breezily. He and Shelley Fabares make a charming couple and have a few tender scenes together.

Though this is a supposed beach movie Elvis sporting a fit and trim physique is never seen in shorts or a bathing suit! The film features a number of handsome actors all who remain covered up. Not so for the gals though. Girl Happy lives up to its title in the flesh department. There is an array of swim suit clad cuties on display from the leads Shelley Fabares and Mary Ann Mobley to the featured performers Chris Noel and Lyn Edgington to bit players Nancy Czar, a knockout in a leopard print bikini, and Gail Gilmore a.k.a Gail Gerber pictured at right with Pamela Curran and Rusty Allen as Elvis’ band mates’ Florida dates.

The popular soundtrack is one of the King’s most varied and best from this time period. From the touching “Puppet on a String” to the swinging “Do the Clam” to the romantic “Do Not Disturb” the songs help buoy the movie and make it fun for Elvis’ core audience. But despite the enjoyable soundtrack, Elvis at his mid-sixties peak, and a bevy of gorgeous bikini-clad gals, hardcore beach party fans may still want to skip this one. For everybody else, Girl Happy is available on DVD.

IF IT’S NOT TUESDAY, IT MUST BE CAROL OR YVETTE

During the late Fifties to mid-Sixties blonde nymphets, in the tradition of the thumb-sucking Carroll Baker in Baby Doll, ruled the silver screen. There was Sandra Dee, Connie Stevens, Sue Lyon, and Diane McBain. But the three with the most potential and who always seemed on the verge of superstardom were Tuesday Weld, Yvette Mimieux and Carol Lynley. These gorgeous gals were interchangable as a litter of puppies. Glancing at movie magazines of the time, you couldn’t tell one from the other.

Mimieux excelled playing the fragile beauty who seemed to be always on the verge of a breakdown (Where the Boys Are; A Light in the Piazza; Joy in the Morning) or fantasy figure come to life on (one of the Enui in The Time Machine; a princess in The Wonderful World of the Brothers Grimm).

Weld had more of an edge to her and in keeping with her real life wild child persona played the mischievous teenager (Rally ‘Round the Flag, Boys; Bachelor Flat; Soldier in the Rain); the tramp (Wild in the Country); the selfish sex kitten (Lord Love a Duck); or psycho (Pretty Poison).

Lynley tried to juggle playing both the good girls (the pregnant unwed teen in Blue Denim; aspiring author Alison McKenzie in Return to Peyton Place; a virginal coed living platonically with her boyfriend in Under the Yum Yum Tree) with the bad (the good Catholic-turned-prostitute in The Cardinal; the pouty secretary longing for her married boss in The Pleasure Seekers).

None of them became superstars. Weld had the talent but turned downed such movies as Bonnie and Clyde, Rosemary’s Baby, and Bob & Carol & Ted & Alice keeping her a cult favorite at best. Mimieux was typecast far too long as the ingenue until well into her thirties when she had to write her own movie Hit Lady to break free but it was too little, too late. Lynley had an opportuniy after giving a superlative performance in Bunny Lake Is Missing but drivel like Danger Route, The Maltese Bippy and Norwood sunk her chances of becoming a major actress.

Click here to see a wonderful tribute to these three beauties.

GLAMOUR GIRLS TAKE ANOTHER BOW

Click here and then scroll down to read a new review of my book by Laura Wagner in Classic Images magazine. She likes me! She likes me! I and the glamour girls thank you for your kind words Laura!