G.I. Blues (1960)

Strong and Moving!

Simply Perfect

This is a gorgeous movie made by a gorgeous spirit.

It's the kind of movie you'll want to see a second time with someone who hasn't seen it yet, to remember what it was like to watch it for the first time.

You can always tell a good Elvis movie from a bad one, and "G.I. Blues" ranks as one of his better efforts. The story boils down basically to Elvis gets the girl no matter how reluctant she may be. This time he pursues the gorgeous Juliet Prowse. Prowse plays an eligible, single, white, female named Lili who puts on quite a floor show in the German nightclub where she dances. Elvis is in the military—as he was briefly in real life—but this time he is Tulsa MacLean, a member of a U.S. Army tank battalion. The G.I.s challenge him to a bet that he cannot spend a night alone with Lili, and Tulsa embarks on the arduous task of romancing this iceberg. Predictably, the Pelvis wins the wager, but he doesn't do it in an obnoxious fashion. Indeed, his behavior is that of a gentleman, and he impresses Lili with his good manners while his drooling buddies watch from afar. "G.I. Blues" was his fifth cinematic outing, coming between Michael Curtiz's above-average "King Creole" and one of his finest westerns Don Siegel's "Flaming Star." This was his sixth outing with director Norman Taurog, the most prolific of Elvis's directors with nine films films to his credit. The Germany scenery is nice. "Donovan's Reef" writer Edmund Beloin and "A Visit to a Small Planet" scribe Henry Garson drum up some good dialogue in this lightweight but entertaining romantic comedy.

Funny, but when Elvis and The Beatles were hot I didn't care very much for them. Today I can appreciate their music on a whole different level. Now with Presley, the films are another thing. No one's going to claim this is Oscar caliber stuff, so that's not the reason anyone is going to tune in.When I counted them off, there were ten tunes performed by Elvis in the story, not counting the one in the shower. That one actually didn't sound very good, but then he got rolling with the title song along with his band members Ricky (James Douglas) and Cookie (Robert Ivers). The story line is loosely built around the idea that Presley's character Tulsa wants to buy a night club back in the States once they muster out.I can't remember the last time I saw Juliet Prowse, but it has to be on one of those ubiquitous variety shows back in the day. She can really wow 'em when it comes to her dance routines, and it helps that her legs go all the way to there. Prowse joins Presley in a duet on a ski lift doing 'Pocket Full of Rainbows', but it sounded to me like her voice went through a synthesizer.As for The King himself, he sounded great (except for the shower), and I thought 'Wooden Heart' was done pretty creatively with the puppet routine. But the best was his last number 'Do You Ever Get One of Them Days, Boys?", flexing those Elvis knees that made all the girls go gaga way before there was anyone going by that name. This is a fun flick and should appeal to Elvis fans, with an actual nod to 'Blue Suede Shoes' when a fellow G.I. makes a selection on the juke box.

Though this movie sealed Elvis's fate as to what kind of films he'd be churning out by the dozen; it's hard not to like it.Elvis is thoroughly charming as Tulsa, an American GI stationed in Germany. He takes part in a rather despicable bet as he claims he can "defrost" a sultry dancer (Juliet Prowse). He succeeds in charming her but, to his own surprise, also falls for her.Well, the story's simple - but it sets the stage for some truly entertaining Presley songs and some knockout dancing by the charming Juliet Prowse who also gives a good performance. The film is energetically made and the usual Presley "possé" is fairly likable here.There's no denying the fact that the "defrost" bet is very tasteless but Elvis's character sidesteps it quite nicely. Here Elvis plays basically the same character as in his subsequent films; a mischievous lad, wholly independent, with a surprisingly strong moral sense and prone to landing in at least one bar fight. But this is the first light-hearted Presley flick and he looks like he's enjoying himself and the songs really are top notch. "Tonight is so right for love" and "Shopping Around" are among many highlights here and it's very funny to see a guy in a bar pick "Blue Suede Shoes" on the jukebox by some rocker named Elvis Presley (and that lands him in a fight with...well, Elvis).Although "G.I. Blues" laid the groundwork for some inferior films to come it's a very pleasant film and comes recommended to more than just hardcore Presley fans.

Elvis Presley's real-life Army uniform wasn't even cold yet before Paramount got him back on screen with "G.I. Blues", one of those musicals in which the flimsy script can nearly be forgotten in the wake of several wonderfully produced numbers. Group of wolfish U.S. Army soldiers, finishing up their tour in Germany, bet fellow G.I. Elvis he can't get inside cabaret performer Juliet Prowse's apartment and stay all night (she's the flashy European-type who is steam-heat on the outside, iceberg on the inside). Forget the contrived plot and the manic, eyeball-rolling performances and just enjoy Presley's music, with each song staged for a thrilling impact (whether they take place in a train-car, a nightclub, a skyway cabin, or a puppeteer's stage). Filmed in gorgeous color, the picture looks good enough to eat--plus, there's a cute baby, some self-effacing humor, and romance to boot. A bit long at 104 minutes, and the girls-as-targets theme is dated now and tacky, but otherwise this "G.I." is a lot of fun. **1/2 from ****