Seen 50 years after its premiere, this 1966 movie musical seems like something that Mickey and Judy would have done in 1943, that Doris Day and Gordan MacRae would have done in 1950, and that Gordon would have turned down in 1956 for a reunion with Shirley Jones. It's a period song and dance musical set aboard a show boat seems instantly dated, and Elvis seems way ahead of it in time period. It's all about the issues between singing gambler Elvis, his long suffering girlfriend Donna Douglas and the threats of a gypsy prediction. I wish that they had predicted that co-star Harry Morgan wouldn't sing, and proved to be right. No such luck.
If I look at this as one of the many non MGM musicals of the early 1950's, I could have tolerated the simplistic atmosphere that was out of step in 1966. Even the traditional musical films of that time had modern elements; the ones here had been in use in the mid to late 1930's. The only difference is that when Elvis sings (and shows off his lacquered hair), you're transferred out of the era of the setting of the story and right back into a dress- up party in 1966.
With Audrey Christie as Morgan's nagging wife (making them a copycat version of "Show Boat's" Captain Andy and Party), Nancy Kovack as Nellie Bly (the threatening redhead) and Sue Ann Langdon as ditsy Mitzi, this takes the legend of Frankie and Johnny to cheeky level, with Kovack attractive, but seemingly a bit long in the tooth to be the femme fatale. Robert Strauss adds another cad to his list of villains. As Frankie, Donna Douglas grows some claws every time Kovack is around, almost making you forget that she's the ingenue on a popular sitcom. For me, the only way to not dismiss this was to look past the silliness and enjoy the production numbers, the only one other than "Viva Las Vegas" to feature them. The title song is a little nasal for my taste, but a few takes on traditional American music made a huge difference.
If I look at this as one of the many non MGM musicals of the early 1950's, I could have tolerated the simplistic atmosphere that was out of step in 1966. Even the traditional musical films of that time had modern elements; the ones here had been in use in the mid to late 1930's. The only difference is that when Elvis sings (and shows off his lacquered hair), you're transferred out of the era of the setting of the story and right back into a dress- up party in 1966.
With Audrey Christie as Morgan's nagging wife (making them a copycat version of "Show Boat's" Captain Andy and Party), Nancy Kovack as Nellie Bly (the threatening redhead) and Sue Ann Langdon as ditsy Mitzi, this takes the legend of Frankie and Johnny to cheeky level, with Kovack attractive, but seemingly a bit long in the tooth to be the femme fatale. Robert Strauss adds another cad to his list of villains. As Frankie, Donna Douglas grows some claws every time Kovack is around, almost making you forget that she's the ingenue on a popular sitcom. For me, the only way to not dismiss this was to look past the silliness and enjoy the production numbers, the only one other than "Viva Las Vegas" to feature them. The title song is a little nasal for my taste, but a few takes on traditional American music made a huge difference.