Here's what impressed me:

1. Elvis' band, made up of his Hawaiian beach boy musician buddies had a very unique instrumentation. Cheap acoustic guitar, steel drums (pans) and bongo drum. Ocassionly they would use an acoustic guitar played flat with a bar that had the tone of an electric guitar(how did they do that? ). Steel drums???

2. Elvis' "native" Hawaiian girlfriend looked very Italian/French (how and why did they do that? ) Too risque to have Elvis kiss a non-anglo?

3. Elvis' parent's "house boy" was named Ping Pong (why did they do that? ).

4. Elvis' bachelor pad (grass shack) on a deserted Oahu beach would probably sell for $8,000,000 today. He just kinda built it when nobody was looking. There must be a lot of free vacant land on Oahu for anyone to build these things.

5. When Elvis's band played a "Hawaiian" tune at the nightclub it sounded like a Harry Belafonte quasi-Jamaican number. I guess all island music is the same, yeah mon!

6. The band left all the good chords out of the "Hawaiian Wedding Song". Why'd they do that? The chords aren't that hard.

7. Elvis' uke technique. How did he get all those chords without moving his left hand?

8. Elvis' boss at the tourist agency was Floyd The Barber from the Andy Griffith show. He didn't even try to change his character! It was Floyd in an aloha shirt! and he was wearing three huge leis while working at his desk on a Tuesday afternoon.

They should of used Otis the town drunk.

9. Elvis setting the "bad girl" straight by throwing her over his knee and giving her a spanking that she deserved, and secretly wanted on a deserted beach in the moonlight. The next morning at breakfast she was "tamed, satisfied and happy" (I guess women were different in the early 1960's).

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Gerald Ross
'Northwest Ann Arbor, Michigan's King Of The Hawaiian Steel Guitar'

Gerald's Fingerstyle Guitar Website
Board of Directors Hawaiian Steel Guitar Association

[This message was edited by Gerald Ross on 09 May 2005 at 12:20 PM.]

But it has always ticked me off when movies or TV shows don't do their musical homework.
Example: A movie set in the 1880's and the musicians are using Martin D style guitars.

Another Blue Hawaii thing I forgot to mention:

During the bar-brawl scene... the entire bar was enveloped in a fight, everyone including the musicians, was throwing punches and wrestling . Now really, what would a musician do during a bar fight? Fight? I doubt it, your first inclination is to protect your hands and your instrument and get out of there ASAP (but get paid first).

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Gerald Ross
'Northwest Ann Arbor, Michigan's King Of The Hawaiian Steel Guitar'

Gerald's Fingerstyle Guitar Website
Board of Directors Hawaiian Steel Guitar Association

[This message was edited by Gerald Ross on 09 May 2005 at 11:14 AM.]

It's an Elvis movie. What did you expect?

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Elvis' bachelor pad (grass shack) on a deserted Oahu beach would probably sell for $8,000,000 today.

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that 'shack' was actually the snack shop at Hanauma Bay on Oahu, back in the days when you could just drive down the hill and park for free and snorkle we'd get shave ice and snacks there - now it's a pay-4-use-park and crowded as hell.

chrisk

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Chris Kennison
Ft. Collins, Colorado
"Listen Sooner" www.book-em-danno.com www.seldomfed.com

[This message was edited by seldomfed on 09 May 2005 at 11:24 AM.]

Hey... the gal on the far left... isn't that Betty from accounts receivables?

Elvis' "native Hawaiian" girlfriend.

"Bad Girl" pre midnight spanking, or post?

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Gerald Ross
'Northwest Ann Arbor, Michigan's King Of The Hawaiian Steel Guitar'

Gerald's Fingerstyle Guitar Website
Board of Directors Hawaiian Steel Guitar Association

[This message was edited by Gerald Ross on 09 May 2005 at 12:11 PM.]

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Sierra S8, Gibson GA30RVT, Peavey Delta Blues, Regal Dobro heavily modified, Teese RMC2 Wah, Proco Rat, pyrex and bakelite bars

George, we have those all over the place out here. They have great tone but it's best to have a regular 'inside gig' set-up too, as the cactus/amps are a 'pain' to move around.

I love Elvis movies, stinky as they are.

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(I am not right all of the time but I sure like to think I am!)

It had a Frypan in it ...

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Aiello's House of Gauss

My wife and I don't think alike. She donates money to the homeless and I donate money to the topless! ... R. Dangerfield

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Howard, 'Les Paul Recording, Zum S12U, Vegas 400, Boss ME-5, Boss DM-3
http://www.Charmedmusic.com

quote:

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It's an Elvis movie. What did you expect?

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I didn't know codpieces were still in style in the 60's.

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I think they called 'em mahipieces for these '60s Hawaiian flicks.

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I didn't know codpieces were still in style in the 60's.

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The only thing Hawaiian in Blue Hawaii was Hilo Hattie and the less commercial scenery of Hawaii in the early 1960's. Did you notice there were very few high rise buildings in Waikiki and Downtown Honlulu.

I happened to live in Hawaii at the time and saw first hand some of the filming.

I am totally disappointed, and even disgusted, that they had no consideration for the beautiful music of the Islands.

Just think Elvis could have done a nice Tahitian war dance with his swiveling hips--not Hawaiian, but a little more South Pacific island-like.

Aloha,
Don

Gee Elvis wasn't left handed either...

Some nimord flipped the negative, likely to make some promo poster look symetrical for the type layout. Then the kept it that way for the still marketing shot to put in theater doorways.

If we look to Elvis fluff as a cultural record, we are nuts. And surely disapointed.
It is an artifactof it's times for sure.

These were cut the budget to the bone films for teeenagers, and not much more.
If it LOOKED like Hawaii it WAS Hawaii.

The best take off on these genre of film is
Tom Hanks That Thing You Do, with the ONEders.
You see them in Hollywood, on a beach, dressed like sailors and pretending to play.... hysterical.
Fun little film too.

Most of the dancehall or indoor scenes would be done in LA stages anyway.
They would have a 2nd unit shoot some stuff in Hawaii hit and run,
and then most would be done back home cheaper.

.....but I am really offended by the above post that implied that Elvis denied "kissing" a polynesion girl because of prejudice. This "race" card has been overused with OJ and should end!

How long will those advocates of past events be happy with merging them with current events?
www.genejones.com

Come on you have to admit there was major prejudice against anything inter-racial in the entertainment world. Especially if it involved romance or sex. Sure, you could have buddies or sidekicks who were of a different race, but romance... I don't think so!

Elvis could not kiss a non-white woman in any of his movies unless she was under the age of 5 or over the age of 80 and even then it was just an innocent peck on the cheek. I doubt anyone could argue with me on that one.

My God, back then film and TV were so wierd that the first married couple to ever share a single bed on film were Fred and Wilma Flintsone, and they were both white! (or Cromagnon ).

Benny Goodman got major crap for having an inter-racial band. Jackie Robinson was constantly hasseled for playing baseball. Billie Holiday had to stay at different hotels than the white bands that backed her up.

I still don't understand your "playing the race card comment".

Forget the race card, you should get mad over the film producers allowing Elvis to throw a woman over his knee and give her the spanking she deserved (and wanted ). My wife and I watched that scene and both of our mouths fell open!

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Gerald Ross
'Northwest Ann Arbor, Michigan's King Of The Hawaiian Steel Guitar'

Gerald's Fingerstyle Guitar Website
Board of Directors Hawaiian Steel Guitar Association

[This message was edited by Gerald Ross on 10 May 2005 at 11:25 AM.]

I read it to mean that "Somebody in the movie production chain",
thought it might be too touchy and nixed it.

That sounds like a Studio hack or Col Tom...
but not Elvis himself...certainly not.

I do still think at that time in american movie history,
that they were still too paranoid in mainstream teenage market
film productions, and others,
to cross percieved racial barriors very much.

So too risque maybe, but Elvis WAS risque, he built his early career on that..
But a SAFE risqueonward from the time after he was taken over by "manegement."

Col Tom re-molded Elvis into every mothers acceptable choice for her daughter.
Yes maybe a little wild... but not too wild to bring home to mom...

Yes a rebel, who still has wholesome values in the end.
Exciting for the kids, and nothing to scare the conservative parents too much.

Elivis's movie career was nothing if not safe.

<

[This message was edited by David L. Donald on 10 May 2005 at 01:43 PM.]

quote:

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throw a woman over his knee and give her the spanking she deserved

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.....my change of heart may be because I just remembered his portrayal of a native american in another Elvis movie.
www.genejones.com

[This message was edited by Gene Jones on 10 May 2005 at 03:40 PM.]

Native American Elvis? Which movie was that?
Was Floyd the barber in that one?

King Creole was a pretty good 'serious' Elvis flick. I also like Spinout, as cinema it's the equivilent of a Monkees episode but I love Shelby Cobras. Here's the one I'm building.

Hawaiian music was the rage for a long time, as was te steel guitar, first acoustic then electric.

Martin Denny, who recently passed away, was the creator of "Exotica". This was music that borrowed from many sounds and elements of music from various exotic cultures. I think this became the ambiguous "island sound" which could be substituted for Hawaiian, Polynesian, Carribean, and other south pacific islands.