Available at Amazon.com
MGM presents Girl Happy. Written by Harvey Fabares and R.S. Allen. 96 minutes. Not Rated. Original released in 1965.
Directed By:
Boris Sagal
Cast:
Elvis Presley……….Rusty Wells
Shelley Fabares……….Valerie
Harold J. Stone……….Big Frank
Gary Crosby……….Andy
Joby Baker……….Wilbur
Mary Ann Mobley……….Deena
The Film:
There is no denying that Elvis Presley was the king of rock n’ roll, sadly, that prestige did not transfer to the silver screen. Although Elvis made 31 films in 13 years only a minute amount of those can be counted as good. A majority of them range from bad to entertainingly cheesy. Girl Happy is the epitome of the latter.
This time around Elvis plays Rusty Wells, a musician who performs in nightclubs in Chicago. As spring break rolls around, Rusty and his band are itching to get down to Ft. Lauderdale for sun, skin and fun. Too bad their boss, Big Frank (Stone), has other plans. That is until Big Frank’s daughter decides she’s going to Ft. Lauderdale. Big Frank is furious until Rusty convinces him that he and his band should go down there and keep her out of trouble.
Once down there, they realize they’re in over their heads when they see Valerie (Fabares) and realize she’s a fox. After that the hijinks ensues as Rusty and crew do everything in their power to keep the men away from her while trying to score chicks themselves. As one might expect Elvis ends up falling for Valerie and that’s when the trouble really starts.
I’m not going to tell you that Girl Happy is a good film. I will however, say that it’s a ridiculously fun movie if you a fan of Elvis or beach movies. It really has everything you could possibly want: catchy Elvis tunes (including the ridiculous “Do The Clam”), cute girls in bikinis, and lots and lots of the aforementioned hijinks. And no Elvis movie could be complete with out a really good fistfight.
As a bonus this is the first time this film has appeared it’s complete theatrical version on DVD with the song “Startin’ Tonight” added back in.
Elvis teaches everyone a new dance: “Do The Clam!”
The DVD:
The Video:
The film is presented in full frame 2.35:1. This film has been beautifully remastered. The colors are bright, lively and jump right off the screen.
The Audio:
The film is presented in Dolby Digital Mono. For bring in mono this film has great sound. The songs come across brilliantly.
Extras:
Theatrical Trailer
While the DVD extras are pretty slim, you also get five insert cards. One is the movie poster and the other four are really nice behind the scenes, glossy black and white photos.
The Inside Pulse
This is a fun, silly movie (did I mention the hijinks?) If you’re an Elvis fan you will it enjoy it. If not, it’s probably best to avoid. Novices when it comes to good Elvis cinema, better check out Jailhouse Rock or Viva Las Vegas, instead.
