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| Elvis, supposedly in Acapulco |
FUN IN ACAPULCO (1963). Director: Richard Thorpe.
After the death of his brother in a trapeze accident, Mike Windgren (Elvis Presley of
Girl Happy) flees to Acapulco to get his head together, feeling he can no longer continue with the high-wire act. In Mexico Mike encounters a cute little boy named Raoul (Larry Domasin), a highly self-assured youngster who has many relatives and actually becomes Mike's manager. Mike gets assorted singing engagements while romancing a liberated lady bullfighter named Delores (Elsa Cardenas) as well as a pretty lady named Marguerita (Ursula Andress), who is the daughter of the hotel chef (Paul Lukas). Meanwhile high-diver Moreno (Alejandro Rey) does not take kindly to Mike's interference. Elvis does not wind up fighting a bull but he does take a dive off of a 136 foot high cliff.
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| Little Larry Domasin with Elvis |
Since there really isn't much to the plot,
Fun in Acapulco throws a song at the viewer almost literally every five minutes. Some of these tunes are quite nice -- "Acapulco;" "Mexico;" "El Toro;" "Marguerita;""Gaudalajara;" and a sexy "Bossa Nova" that Elvis also wiggles his pelvis to in flamboyant fashion -- while others are merely serviceable. "Mexico" is sung by Elvis and little Raoul while riding on a bicycle, a charming moment.
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| Paul Lukas and Ursula Andress |
By this time Presley had almost become a camp figure, with a decided sameness to each of his movies: bouncy songs with lots of wiggle room; girls fighting over him; some aging supporting players who really act; and a few adorable newcomers. The movie is easy to take, especially for Elvis fans, but it peters out before too long, unfortunately. After this film veteran actor Lukas [
Deadline at Dawn] had two more theatrical features along with a host of television credits. Andress is sweet and attractive (and does not appear to be dubbed as she was in
Dr. No) but the movie is stolen by the very talented child actor Domasin. Spanish kids who know everything and everybody are a cliche in movies, but Domasin makes the character very lovable.
Verdict: Just can't stay mad at Elvis! **3/4.
I can’t keep this Elvis epic straight from so many others, but he is adorable, isn’t he? Like Shirley Temple, he made the same film over and over...Andress was one of the most gorgeous women ever to grace the screen. She Who Must Be Obeyed!
ReplyDelete- Chris
For all her sex appeal, Andress often radiates a genuine (?) sweetness, as she does in this film. She was never very convincing playing a villainess, although she tried.
ReplyDeleteYour comparison of Elvis Presley with Shirley Temple is hilarious!
Wish that Elvis had made a movie with the other "adorable" one, Miss Monroe! What a combo, but it was not to be, except in fiction.