Kissin' Cousins (1964)

Plenty to Like, Plenty to Dislike

hyped garbage

This is a tender, generous movie that likes its characters and presents them as real people, full of flaws and strengths.

There is definitely an excellent idea hidden in the background of the film. Unfortunately, it's difficult to find it.

SYNOPSIS: The Air Force wants to build an ICBM base on top of a mountain in Tennessee, but the land is owned by a hillbilly moonshiner who fires on all Air Force negotiators. So an Air Forceman who was bred and raised in the area is sent to placate the locals.COMMENT: The first of the Elvis quickies (thank you producer Sam Katzman and Elvis Presley's manager, Tom Parker) but not as bare of interest as some of the later ones. Elvis has two roles but only occasionally are special effects employed. Mostly the other Elvis is a very blatant double. In fact the double is even used in one scene where he is not required for duplication at all! A typical quickie stratagem. But any film that gives a solo song to Glenda Farrell can't be all bad. And there are the usual generous quota of girls, girls, girls (even if their costumes are neither as "skimpy" or attractive as the on- screen characters suppose). In fact the songs themselves (including a blatant rip-off of "Across the Wide Missouri") are a fairly tuneful lot and Elvis is in good vocal form with his usual excellent backing. Just as well it's so packed with songs, as the script is mindless farce, (over-acted and pedestrianly directed). Thank you, L'il Abner.

elvis is not engaged here at all and who could blame him? by late '63 he surely expected to be making one serious picture after another.nonetheless, storyline happens to be very entertaining > the Military heads desperate to secure ol' Smoky Mountain for their missile site, while trying not to be swept away from the sexed up "kittyhawks", bring a smile.did not need "two Elvis(s)"....but whatever. they both sing real good. as one song suggests, "ON(C)E IS ENOUGH". :)title tune is particularly strong, shoulda-coulda been a smash...guess the competition from overseas at the time, like, his many imitators, cut down on his airplay. KISSIN' COUSINS/IT HURTS ME (not from film) was as good as many singles from the previous decade!

It should come as no surprise to anyone that, before now, I was only familiar with the two best-regarded of Elvis Presley’s films, namely JAILHOUSE ROCK (1957) and FLAMING STAR (1960). However, since this year marks the 30th anniversary of his death, I made it a point to watch as many of his movies I could lay my hands on…a sort of “it’s now or never” type of situation, if you will! Actually, I had caught the beginning of this one on local TV several years ago, where it was shown as part of a mini Elvis retrospective. The “citizens vs. missile-base” plot line here is basically the rural version of Leo McCarey’s RALLY ‘ROUND THE FLAG, BOYS! (1958) but, as it turns out, the hillbilly antics get tiresome pretty quickly – especially whenever the man-chasing Kittyhawks turn up, which is too often for my tastes! The best gag, then, is when Captain Jack Albertson suddenly leaves the farmers’ dinner table – after “Ma” Glenda Farrell describes the stomach-turning contents of the “delicious” meal he has just partaken of, and “Pappy” Arthur O’Connell asks his soldier kin Elvis if something has come up, to which the latter matter-of-factly quips, “Not yet, but I think it might”! For what it’s worth, the songs are variable and unmemorable (except, perhaps, for the title tune) and even Farrell gets her own maudlin number! This film is perhaps best-known for offering a dual role for The King, one of whom is a brown-haired layabout, but this eventually leads to an unintentionally hilarious ending where the two characters share the screen doing a number, but every time one sings, the other conveniently turns his back to the camera and a longshot exposes Elvis’ double all-too-clearly!

Army Lieutenant Elvis Presley is assigned to infiltrate the Smoky Mountains of Tennessee to sweet-talk a hillbilly family into letting the government lease their mountain for a missile base; turns out Presley is distant kin-folk to the wrasslin' hick clan and bears a striking resemblance to the resident blonde hellraiser. Grubby-looking semi-musical manages to give us two Presleys for the price of one, but the script, direction, and production values are strictly third-rate. The bevy of squealing gals who chase Elvis through the woods have a much better time than most viewers will, seeing as how nobody cared enough to write a single decent song for the soundtrack--and E.P. himself walks through the picture looking non-plussed. Lovely Yvonne Craig, TV's Batgirl, is very frisky (until she goes all coy and demure) and has a fun scene proposing marriage to Elvis, but for a comedy this is awfully glum stuff. *1/2 from ****