We may be a day late, but it's never the wrong time to celebrate the birthday of the king of rock 'n' roll, Elvis Presley!
A lot of people take cheap shots at Elvis' movie career, and he was never very excited about the fact that no one took him seriously, but there is a ton of joy to be gleaned from these films, and I could not be happier that chunks of his on-screen ouevre are making it to Blu-ray every year. The latest trio of HD upgrades come from the Elvis friendly Twilight Time, who've previously released Big E's genuinely great western, Flaming Star, with a new upgrade of boxing musical Kid Galahad, and Kino Lorber Studio Classics with Dixie steamboat romance Frankie & Johnny and rear projection speed boat actioner Clambake.
Click through the gallery below for more detailed thoughts.
First up is the film that has the unique honor of introducing the greatest rock 'n' roll singer of all time to Hollywood's biggest badass, Kid Galahad.
In this film, Elvis plays the titular singing boxer managed by Gig Young and trained by none other than the legendary Charles Bronson. The film is a remake of a 1937 film starring Edward G Robinson, Bette Davis, Humphrey Bogart, and directed by Michael Curtiz, and while Elvis and Chucky Bronson may lag a bit behind in terms of raw acting chops, they far outpace the original when it comes to uptempo dance numbers.
Kid Galahad doesn't try to reinvent the wheel and delivers a few passable boxing sequences buffered by several delightful musical numbers and Lola Albright as Galahad's love interest. Also worth noting is that the film offers up the big screen's first look at Ed Asner in a cupporting role. Kid Galahad isn't Gone with the Wind, but Elvis and Bronson make for a great sympathetic team and the film is a lot of fun.
The Disc:
Twilight Time presents Kid Galahad in a solid looking transfer that recreates the mid '60s experience of seeing the King on the big screen in a very effective manner. The audio presented is the original mono track and Elvis sounds great, what more could you want?
Apart from the theatrical trailer and Twilight Time's signature isolated music and effects track, the film also comes with an 8 page booklet featuring a fantastic essay by Julie Kirgo who is able to place the film inside of Big E's surprisingly robust filmography, as well as filling in the gaps around his numerous illustrious co-stars. It's a great read and definitely welcome given the lack of more in-depth video based extras.
Four years later Elvis recording career was on the downturn, but he was hot as ever at the box office, and Frankie and Johnny was an attempt to capitalize on his seemingly irrepressible fame.
This 1966 film takes place on a riverboat where Elvis portrays Johnny, a singer who gets caught up in a crazy love triangle when a gypsy woman suggests that a mysterious red-headed bombshell is his ticket to fame and fortune (much to the chagrin of his lovely lady partner). Along for the ride are his lovely leading lady Frankie (Donna Douglas, The Beverly Hillbillies bombshell, Elly May), and his manager Cully (M*A*S*H's Harry Morgan). Numerous hi jinks ensue thanks for a costume ball, a drunken floozy, and several cases of mistaken identity. It's not Elvis's finest hour, but I've definitely seen worse.
The idea to set Elvis in some nebulous late 19th century period piece is novel in and of itself, but doesn't quite manage to overcome the bizarre WTF atmosphere it creates for itself. As a result, The King suffers and is only barely able to make the film work through sheer power of charisma. Not my favorite Elvis film, but I'll watch it again in a pinch.
The Disc:
Both this and the next disc are pretty much par for the rouse when it comes to Kino Lorber Studio Classics releases that aren't specifically marketed as 2K/4K restorations, passable at best. It's an upgrade from the DVD, but it's not going to blow anyone away anytime soon. The colors in the film show the most improvement over SD, with the film's expressive palette making a memorable showing on Blu-ray.
The only extra included with Frankie and Johnny is a theatrical trailer, which is not in the best condition, but hey, it's better than nothing.
Probably the most fun of the trio of films in this bunch is the Florida-set Clambake, the tale of a lovelorn Richie Rich who trades identities with a local speedboat racer in an attempt to prove he can make it on his own.
Scott (Elvis) is the well-to-do playboy who has tired of his privilege and decides to play Prince and the Pauper with local water ski instructor Tom (Will Hutchins). All of this drama plays against the background of a battle of the trust fund babies as Elvis finds himself butting up against another spoiled brat who is too big for his britches in Bill Bixby. Bixby is determined to make a name for himself as a speedboat racer, which prompts Scott to take up the challenge of taking him down, and all in the name of winning the heart of the woman they both adore, Dianne (Shelley Fabares).
Great tunes - including the title song performed at one hell of a swingin' luau by Big E - pair with picturesque locales and a charming cast to make Clambake a big goofy ball of fun that's hard not to love. Definitely a favorite of mine in spite of its perhaps well-earned reputation as a bit of a dud.
The Disc:
Clambake is another disc that looks about as good as your average Kino Lorber Studio Classics release. The opening credits will fill videophiles with dread, but soon thereafter, the damage mostly clears up and it's perfectly passable for the remainder of the film. Colors are respectfully recreated, and fine detail is, well, just fine. The original mono audio track sounds lovely as well.
The only extra aside from the trailer is an audio commentary from a trio of fans from Atlanta's Videodrome video rental store, the only one left in Georgia. Honestly, it feels like something I could've done, and while I'm a fan, I'm certainly no expert on the film or even the general oeuvre of Elvis. Not great, while I can appreciate enthusiasm, it's a bit disappointing when it isn't coupled with any particular expertise on the subject at hand.
However, no lackluster commentary track can take away from the pure fun of Clambake, and if I had to pick one winner of these three, this would be the one.
Happy Birthday Elvis!