Hello all.
So this is my first one. I thought I’d start with a ‘Classic’. Why? Why not? I thought I could cause a stir by trying to say this was a classic as I assume (I know I shouldn’t make assumptions) some of you would agree/disagree; and I also thought to myself that as it’s my first stab at this sort of thing, I shouldn’t dive in and claim that I am the new Mark Kermode. So, here you are…
Blue Hawaii starring Elvis Presley – Directed by Norman Taurog in 1961.
So, How do I start with this? Well, I suppose I should try to inform those who have not yet seen this film what it’s about. It is only fair, after all. However, as this is a review some…fifty years later – it’s fair to say that some thoughts of mine may be a little different than if I watched the movie back then. I’ll be sure to point these pieces out as I go along.
So the film stars everyone’s Rhythm and Blues stealing, sexhip-swinging, ‘Rock and Roller’, Elvis Presley. He plays ‘Chad Gates’ a popular local resident who has recently left the US Army, stationed in Europe. Chad is happy to be back home, he doesn’t have a care in the world it would seem. He has all the things that he left behind – his surfboard that I don’t think he uses to surf in this film, his beach boys (not the band, that’d just be silly) and his lovely girlfriend ‘Maile Duval’ who was played by Joan Blackman. Chad’s mother, Sarah Gates, wants Chad to work in the family business, which astonishingly happens to be the Great Southern Hawaiian Fruit Company…. so come on, what fruit is it? Eh? Eh? Pineapples! Yeah, that’s right. Got it in one. However, Chad doesn’t want such a colossal burden on those well-built shoulders of his. What does Chad want to do for a living? Working as a tour guide at Maile’s agency. Showing board housewives, octogenarians and flirty promiscuous jailbait that pineapples aren’t actually grown on trees…but on the ground. (Incidentally, I thought they grew on trees as well. Boy, was my face red!) This later results in Chad being in a pickle as Maile catches him with four teenage girls in his room…nothing happened, Relax! But Maile got the wrong end of the stick and so leaves him. Chad manages to win Maile back and get his life in to a productive, more approvable manner that pleases his family immensely. You know what I’m going to say here don’t you? Yes, he marries Maile and gets a more secure job…with the Great Southern Hawaiian Fruit Company.
From the opening scene I thought to myself that this film screamed ‘Glamour’ in a shrill Kenneth Williams-esque tone. It begins with Maile racing to the airport in a soft-top convertible, which is stopped by the local police office for speeding. However, the officer recognises our speeding heroine, has a little chin-wag, doesn’t fine her or give any precaution for the traffic offence and then decides to take a quick half hour off duty in order to escort her to the airport, where she is greeted with a friendly native who offers her complimentary leis and pre-marital advice. At this point we see the arrival of Chad. With Maile’s cautious words of ‘…he’s been gone for two years, what if he’s changed?’ (There are additional words from her wrinkly leis seller, but who cares what she says??) We see the aeroplane door open and –instantly- a uniformed Chad playing tonsil-hockey with one of the stewardesses. Now, I have a sneaking suspicion (no pun intended) that if any of my friends, or even myself, were to arrive on the scene necking the flight attendant we would probably get a mouthful of abuse, a slap across the face, or maybe even a swift knee connection towards maybe the groinal area. I think if this scenario were to unfold I would, at least, be looking a little worried. Not Chad though, he looks up, spots Maile and casually greets her as though he’d just got back from The Co-operative. What was he thinking? Well it seemed he trapped off with the generic stewardess in order to make Maile jealous. Genius. I’d never have the balls to do that. I’d never for once have thought ‘ooh, you know what? I’m going to have a quick smooch with this lady – That’ll get me in the good books’. Did it work? Well she didn’t get back in the car and drive off. Instead, they both drive off, in which the journey turns to the first musical number, where Chad sings a delightful love song of how he was ALMOST always being true to her. Now, do I advise people to try it today? Probably not. Picture the scene – a loved one has been stationed to a foreign land for two years, this is before Facebook by the way, you’re at home, not knowing if their ok, not knowing if they’re missing you…do they want to hear a song about how when they were away they were almost always true to faithful? Doesn’t require an answer really.
If you were to think of it in one way, you would argue that Chad was an absolute arsehole. He’s back home after two years, doesn’t go to see his family but instead heads off to the beach, gives his girlfriend a swimming costume, that slips off as soon as she goes swimming in it; immediately tells his beach chums of what antics he got up to abroad while she’s frantically searching for her bra (oh by the way, the local corgi finds the bra and ‘returns’ it to the gang, where one of his Chad’s friends thinks the bra is some kind of seaweed. Idiot). He finally decides to go home, after five days, where it comes clear that his parents (or more precisely his mother played by Angela Lansbury, his dad’s quite laid back – gets the idea that youth is cool so people better get use to it) is totally oblivious to his return…not very detective like of her, eh? * To be fair, I quite like Lansbury in this film, she has a bizarre ‘deep south’ American accent, acts overly highbrow and offers her boy who has been gone for two years some pineapple juice when she sees him. Bet he loved that.
So why else would some have a bit of beef with Chad? Well, his folks set him up a ‘Welcome Home’ party, in which he arrives quite late and is there for literally about 3 minutes…two and a half minutes of that where he’s singing. He also sings an inappropriate love song to his girlfriend’s grandmother (the Elvis favourite ‘Can’t Help Falling In Love’). I wonder what Maile was thinking. He then goes on to flirt with anything with a pulse, regardless of age or sexuality or if his girlfriend is there or not!
However, this isn’t the point of the film, is it? (Besides, I have to defend Chad here. When the very annoying, very young girl comes on to him he firmly informs her ‘I don’t rob cradles’. Good work) He’s not supposed to come home, join his dad’s business and share the same repetitive monotonous anecdotes to his parent’s friends at the party. He’s not supposed to get married because it’s the norm. He’s telling the world as diplomatically as he can ‘Fuck you, I wont do what you tell me!’ years before that funk-rock band did. This film’s rebelling against what is expected of youth at the time. Resisting against the notion of getting a secure career in the agricultural industry as well as acquiring a spouse who appears to be loving and honest at first but then begins to slowly turn in to an ill tempered interfering old fart who hasn’t had a chance to get down ‘n’ dirty in years. It’s out with traditions and in with the hula dance. Urging its viewer to break free of the social restraints and to dance! He defends his clients, a bunch of young teenage girls, from the drunk and sleazy Mr Garvey – which results in a punch up where Chad takes on about four or five men without retaliation. Unfortunately he gets arrested but what does he do? Sings about it. Brilliant. Although he’s socially and culturally bizarre compared to the world today, he does have some qualities that would still be considered honourable. I didn’t see any rohypnol in this film at all. He’s always the gentleman, when stressed he’s still trying to help out those in trouble. He’s even the philosopher. When saving the annoying young blonde lady from drowning he tries to make her see that the world cares for her…it’s just a shame he does this by spanking her. What else is good about Chad? Well…everything! Don’t forget, he’s Elvis after all! And I 1961, Elvis could just about do anything. Examples? Well, in Blue Hawaii he stars as a character that doesn’t want to get married and doesn’t want to work in his dad’s family business. So what does he do? He manages to get a job at his dad’s business and gets married to girlfriend. Like I said, Elvis could do anything. Even pull out a contradiction and get away with it.
There are also a few things I need to mention in this film. If you were to watch it now, you would say that it isn’t very politically correct. For one, the Gates family have a ‘Houseboy’ who…let’s say, may be fitting an old stereotype. He appears to be of either Hawaiian/Asian descent and goes by the name of ‘Ping Pong’ with a very odd Mickey Rooney in Breakfast at Tiffany’s type of accent. Don’t let this put you off not seeing it, he’s well looked after and doesn’t seem to be mistreated in any way. Also, Chad tells a little fib when he presents a gift to Maile’s grandmother. He gives her a music box that plays what he says is ‘a European love song’. Now, UB40 have covered ‘Can’t Help Falling In Love’ but it’s not really European. Just thought I’d mention that just in case there was any confusion.
I think it would be criminal not to mention some of the one-liners that Chad comes out with. Some of them are just incredible! For example “(wolf whistles) They didn’t build teachers like that when I was at school!” he says to his girlfriend immediately after meeting Abigail Prentice, a potential employer. Other one-liners include “I promise to get a little older every day”, ”You wanna know something – on you, wet is my favourite colour”. It’s not even Chad that delivers the goods, when spending a night in the cells an inmate perks up with “You boys sing beautiful, I hope you get life with me!” (Awe, thanks Mr Mugger/Murder/Peado!).
The film’s perfect for it’s audience. A new generation of people who, at the time, had access to disposable income and didn’t know what to do with it. An audience who were able to look up to the silver screen and form a sacred relationship with someone they had previously only heard on vinyl. So what would they do? Make a great film about showing how people have fun. It’s something that you still kind of see today. There are still stars such as Eminem, Timberlake and Aguilera that have a stab at the odd film every now and then . However, it’s not the same. Maybe it’s a result of today’s technology and our cultural fascination with ‘the celebrity’ but there’s no mystery to today’s new stars. Not as much as there were with Mr Presley. Having said that, I can’t forget to mention that this is, after all, musical! It’s a musical that has given me the desire to find as many Elvis Presley films as possible to watch. Watching these films now gives an odd window of the past. How people would act, how people were expected to behave and how people would get in and out of romantic situations or hostile conditions. There’s a lost sort of charm to it. Although saying that, you can argue that this film is not supposed to be taken seriously. I don’t know about that though…
If you're one of these people that need a conclusion I'll say this - Blue Hawaii is a great film but for the wrong reasons. All hail the King.
Thank you very much for taking the time to read my thoughts about this film. I remember at the beginning I had hundreds of things to say about it but now I’m not sure if I’ve covered it all or not. If you like what you’ve read let me know and I’ll spew out some more thoughts about some old or new films. Don’t tell me if it’s rubbish though. I like the little bubble that I live in.
GPK
