With the metaphorical anvil of university exams dangling precariously overhead, I decided I needed something to lighten the mood. So I turned to the King, Elvis Presley – a man whose legendary talent, charm, and good looks were sure to brighten my wearied spirits. In this frothy 1960s teen comedy with a stupid title, Rusty (Presley) and his band of sex-starved musicians (including Gary Crosby, son of Bing) are sent down to sunny Fort Lauderdale to chaperone, from a distance, the daughter of their employer. Though initially unenthusiastic about watching the plain-looking, academic Valerie (Shelley Fabares), the boys quickly change their tune when she lets her hair down and slips into something, let's say, more appropriate to the Florida climate. Many romantic hijinks consequently ensue, including a high-speed boat ride, an impromptu beach party (involving a completely hideous "dance" called The Clam), a drunken strip-club brawl, and a prisonbreak going the wrong way.
Most films that try to make a beautiful actress appear plain or bookish (usually before a surprising transformation) do an absolutely terrible job of it. Here, conversely, a very pretty Shelley Fabares is made to seem convincingly unappealing in her first few appearances. This illusion is, of course, quickly abolished, as Rusty comes to fall for her intelligent charms, even while straying occasionally towards a more conventional pin-up girl called Deena (Mary Ann Mobley). Though the boys' spring-break romances never get beyond wholesome necking, the social attitudes are nevertheless rather liberal, with frequent overt references towards sex. (Even the nerdy bloke, played by Peter Brooks, ultimately decides that casual sex is better than finding "a girl with a mind"). Elvis' performance is laidback and entertaining, and Fabares has a fun chemistry with him; she would appear in two more movies opposite The King.
Most films that try to make a beautiful actress appear plain or bookish (usually before a surprising transformation) do an absolutely terrible job of it. Here, conversely, a very pretty Shelley Fabares is made to seem convincingly unappealing in her first few appearances. This illusion is, of course, quickly abolished, as Rusty comes to fall for her intelligent charms, even while straying occasionally towards a more conventional pin-up girl called Deena (Mary Ann Mobley). Though the boys' spring-break romances never get beyond wholesome necking, the social attitudes are nevertheless rather liberal, with frequent overt references towards sex. (Even the nerdy bloke, played by Peter Brooks, ultimately decides that casual sex is better than finding "a girl with a mind"). Elvis' performance is laidback and entertaining, and Fabares has a fun chemistry with him; she would appear in two more movies opposite The King.