6 Elvis movies newly on DVD are not his best or his worst

Deseret News (Salt Lake City), Aug 6, 2004 by Chris Hicks Deseret Morning News

Elvis Presley made a lot of bad movies, and he made a few good ones; the six titles listed here -- released this week for the first time on DVD -- fall somewhere in the middle.

Five strictly follow the Elvis formula, with widely varied results -- but the sixth is a surprisingly good ensemble period piece, with a woefully misleading title.

-- "It Happened at the World's Fair" (Warner, 1963, not rated, $14.97). Filmed on location at the Seattle World's Fair, this is an enjoyable romantic romp about a little girl (Ginny Tiu) playing matchmaker for Presley and Joan O'Brien.

Presley is ingratiating as a responsible, albeit womanizing, pilot whose irresponsible partner (Gary Lockwood) gets him into one scrape after another. Look for young Kurt Russell in his first film; he's the kid at the fair who kicks Presley in the shin. Yvonne Craig co- stars.

Extras: Widescreen, trailers, language options (English, French), subtitle options (English, French, Spanish), chapters.

-- "Harum Scarum" (Warner, 1965, not rated, $14.97). Presley is a swashbuckling movie star who finds himself kidnapped in a fictional Arabian country and gets mixed up in a plot to assassinate a king. Naturally, he finds romance with the king's daughter (Mary Ann Mobley).

Pretty silly, and none of the faux desert sets look remotely real. Billy Barty and Michael Ansara co-star.

Extras: Widescreen, trailers, language options (English, French), subtitle options (English, French, Spanish), chapters.

-- "Spinout" (Warner, 1966, not rated, $14.97). Singer Presley and his backup band (including drummer Deborah Walley, better known as the second movie "Gidget") happily tour until he's lured into driving an experimental race car by a millionaire (Carl Betz) and his spoiled daughter (Shelley Fabares).

The usual Presley fare, bolstered by a good supporting cast that includes Cecil Kellaway, Una Merkel, Diane McBain and Warren Berlinger.

Trivia: Betz and Fabares also played father and daughter for five years on the TV sitcom "The Donna Reed Show."

Extras: Widescreen, trailers, language options (English, French), subtitle options (English, French, Spanish), chapters.

-- "Double Trouble" (Warner, 1967, not rated, $14.97). Despite one good song ("Long Legged Girl"), this tale of a singer on a European tour who is being pursued by a teenage heiress is pretty weak. There's also a surprisingly, very dark and sinister subplot, as the heiress is pegged for murder.

Look for young Michael Murphy as an American who turns out to be much more sinister than he appears.

Extras: Widescreen, trailers, language options (English, French), subtitle options (English, French, Spanish), chapters.

-- "Speedway" (Warner, 1968, not rated, $14.97). It was hot box- office stuff to team Presley with Nancy Sinatra in 1968, but the film is below par (as are the songs). The story has a free-spirited stock- car racer (Presley) falling for a tax inspector (Sinatra).

Bill Bixby and Gale Gordon add some humor, and some real drivers show up (Richard Petty, Buddy Baker, etc.).

Extras: Widescreen, trailers, language options (English, French), subtitle options (English, French, Spanish), chapters.

-- "The Trouble With Girls" (Warner, 1969, not rated, $14.97). This surprisingly entertaining period film is not really a Presley vehicle but rather an ensemble comedy-drama with at least one story line that resembles "The Music Man." Presley is the promotor for a traveling Chautauqua (tent show) that stops in a small town where the film cuts back and forth between subplots about child performers, popular stars who come and go, romance and even a murder!

A young Dabney Coleman in an early role (minus his signature mustache) plays a typically sleazy character, and the veteran supporting cast includes Vincent Price, John Carradine, Joyce Van Patten, Marlyn Mason, Sheree North, etc.

This one also gets the award for worst title, obviously designed to mislead Presley fans into thinking it's another formula musical comedy.

Trivia: The film's posters list the title as "The Trouble With Girls (And How to Get Into It)."

Extras: Widescreen, trailers, language options (English, French), subtitle options (English, French, Spanish), chapters.

E-mail: hicks@desnews.com