Main Cast: Elvis Presley, Juliet Prowse, Robert Ivers, Leticia Roman, James Douglas
Release Year: 1960
Country: US
Run Time: 105 minutes
Plot
Elvis Presley stars in GI Blues as Tulsa McLean, a soldier stationed in Germany, who pulls strings to stage a big show for his fellow GI's. In the tradition of the musical chestnut The Fleet's In, Tulsa also bets his buddies that he can date "ice princess" entertainer Lili (Juliet Prowse). Song highlights include "Wooden Heart," "Blue Suede Shoes" and the title number. The spectacular box-office performance of G.I. Blues proved that Elvis' popularity had not only survived his Army tenure, but had actually increased. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
Review
There's nothing blue about G.I. Blues, one of those Elvis Presley escape vehicles for which a plot has not so much been written as pasted together from various scraps of paper that blew in through the window. "Slight" doesn't begin to describe the story, any more than "vapid" describes the dialogue or "essentially non-existent" the character development -- but it really doesn't matter. This kind of movie always exists in spit of, not because of, its screenplay; it is never intended to be great art, and its success as sheer entertainment depends on other things. In this case, "other things" is most obviously Mr. Presley, and one's reaction to the film will depend upon whether or not one is a fan. He's in good voice here, delivering a fair number of songs in various moods and styles -- and of varying quality. The best Presley performance, ironically, is heard in "Blue Suede Shoes," played on a jukebox during a fight sequence. His amiable, simple persona carries him more than his acting, but he does have a quiet presence that counts for more than acting talent. The "girl" in the picture -- a stunning Juliet Prowse -- is unusual for a Presley vehicle, being more independent and less pliable than most. While Prowse is hampered by a dreadful German accent that derails many of her scenes, she does have a couple of dance numbers that generate tremendous heat. ~ Craig Butler, All Movie Guide
Sigrid Maier - Maria; Arch Johnson - Sgt. McGraw; Ken Becker - Mac; Carl Crow - Walt; Charles Beach Dickerson - Warren; Trent Dolan - Mickey; Fred Essler; John Hudson - Capt. Hobart; Mickey Knox - Jeeter; Erika Peters; Jeremy Slate - Turk; Ron Starr; Ludwig Stossel - Puppet Show Owner; The Jordanaires
Credit
Hal Pereira - Art Director, Walter Tyler - Art Director, Charles O'Curran - Choreography, Norman Taurog - Director, Warren Low - Editor, Joseph Lilley - Musical Direction/Supervision, Loyal Griggs - Cinematographer, Hal B. Wallis - Producer, Edmund Beloin - Screenwriter, Henry Garson - Screenwriter
U.S. Army Specialist 5 (SP5) Tulsa McLean (Elvis Presley) is a tank crewman with a singing career. Serving with the 3rd Armored "Spearhead" Division in West Germany, McLean dreams of running his own nightclub when he leaves the army, but such dreams don't come cheap. Tulsa places a bet on his friend Dynamite (Edward Stroll), that he can spend the night with a club dancer named Lili (Juliet Prowse), who is rumored to be hard to get. She turned down one other G.I. operator, Turk (Jeremy Slate). Dynamite and Turk have vied for women before when the two were stationed in Hawaii. When Dynamite gets transferred to Alaska, Tulsa is brought in to take his place. He is not looking forward to it, but in order to keep his money, he must go through with it. McLean uses his Southern charm and calls Lili, "Ma'am." She at first sees Tulsa as another Occupation Duty GI. Then after a day on the Rhine, Lili begins to fall for McLean. Tulsa's friend Cookie falls in love, with Lili's roommate, Tina (Letícia Román) from Italy. In the end, Rick and Marla's baby son Tiger helps Tulsa win the bet for the outfit and the Lili's heart.
Roy Wright as Businessman #2 (with Klugmann) (uncredited)
Trude Wyler as Bit part (uncredited)
Production
The Army appointed public information officer John J. Mawn (1915-2007) as technical advisor for the film. Mawn had presided over Presley's military press conferences. Earlier while at Fort Chaffee near Fort Smith, Arkansas, where Presley stopped en route to his basic training in Texas, Mawn had told the Associated Press that Presley would resemble a "peeled onion" in reference to his forthcoming "G.I. haircut." The retort attracted national headlines.[1]
Working titles were Café Europa, and Christmas in Berlin. The cable car scene was also highly acclaimed. But it was just done in green screen. Meaning the background is purely fake.
Reception
Elvis Presley's return to the screen after a two-year absence due to his military service saw lineups at movie theatres across North America and in Mexico City a riot broke out in a theater showing G.I. Blues that prompted the Mexican government to ban Presley's movies.
