Themes: Ranchers, Playing the Field, Woman In Jeopardy
Main Cast: Elvis Presley, Julie Adams, Jocelyn Lane, Jack Mullaney, Merry Anders
Release Year: 1965
Country: US
Run Time: 90 minutes
Plot
The original king of rock-n-roll (Elvis Presley) stars in this light comedy musical as a singing buck who finds employment at an all femme ranch & spa. After kissing the girls and making them cry, the stud-clad crooner is sent away, but soon comes back to rescue a pretty maiden from the hands of fortune-seeking baddies. ~ Kristie Hassen, All Movie Guide
Review
Only Elvis Presley diehards should bother with Tickle Me, one of many disposable films that were inflicted upon "the King." The only things that really "distinguish" Tickle are its dude ranch/spa and ghost town settings and the "haunted house" type of comedy that the latter inspires. Actually, "inspires" is definitely not the right word, for the comical shenanigans that take place are tired and at times down right annoying. Otherwise, Tickle has the usual plethora of eye candy girls and drop-in-at-random songs. It should be noted, however, that Jocelyn Lane, as the primary love interest, is arguably the most stunning of all the beautiful ladies that Elvis romanced on film, although her acting is at best passable. And it doesn't hurt that the gorgeous Julie Adams is also on hand as the "older" woman. The choice of songs often makes a huge difference in whether an Elvis flick clicks or not, and Tickle could have done better in this regard. None of them are bad, but there aren't any that really set the screen on fire either. Production values are minimal, and occasionally downright shoddy. Still, Elvis goes through it all with his usual charm, and those who desire nothing more will find Tickle an acceptable way to pass a little time. ~ Craig Butler, All Movie Guide
Bill Williams - Deputy Sturdivant; Edward Faulkner - Brad Bentley; Connie Gilchrist - Hilda; Barbara Werle - Barbara; John Dennis - Adolph the Chef; Grady Sutton - Mr. Dabney; Allison Hayes - Mabel; Inez Pedroza - Ophelia; Lilyan Chauvin - Ronnie; Angela Greene - Donna; Louie Elias - Jerry the Groom; Robert Hoy - Henry the Gardener; Dorothy Konrad - Mrs. Dabney; Eve Bruce - Pat; Francine York - Mildred; Laurie Burton - Janet; Jean Ingram - Evelyn; Ann Morell - Sybil; Linda Rogers - Clair Kinnamon; Jackie Russell - Gloria; Peggy Ward - Dot
Tickle Me is a 1965westerncomedy-musical starring Elvis Presley. It is also the only Elvis film released by Allied Artists Pictures. It is said to have singlehandedly saved the Allied Artists studio from financial despair.
The film was first released onto the home video market in the VHS format in the early '80s in a limited version from Allied Artists Home Video. It was issued again by CBS/Fox video in 1985, 1987 and 1992. Its final VHS issue was from Warner Home Video in 1997. In the summer of 2007, the film was released for the first time on DVD, in the wide-screen letterbox format.
The soundtrack of Tickle Me is often cited as evidence of how Presley's films became assembly-line, low-budget affairs by the mid-1960s. The budget did not allow for the commissioning of original songs, so instead the soundtrack was created from previously released non-film recordings, some dating back to 1960, and including songs with guitar work by Hank Garland whose career had ended in 1961 following an automobile accident. To coincide with the movie's debut, an EP Record was brought out containing five of the nine songs from the soundtrack. RCA also released a couple of 45rpm singles featuring songs from the film. A full soundtrack album was released in Europe, but in the U.S. one would have to obtain the following albums to acquire all nine songs in LP format: "Elvis Is Back!", "Pot Luck", "Something for Everybody", the "Fun in Acapulco" soundtrack, and the "Kissin' Cousins" soundtrack.
Soundtrack cover
This is one of only a few Elvis films that did not have a title soundtrack LP (outside of an Extended Play 45 rpm) during his lifetime. There was one exception, RCA in South Africa oddly enough was the only country to release (a now super-rare) "Tickle Me" soundtrack LP at the time.
Finally in 2005, Sony/BMG (the current owner of the RCA catalog) issued a full-CD soundtrack of "Tickle Me" on their specialty collector label, "Follow That Dream." It featured nine songs from 'Tickle Me', plus 5 other songs originally considered by his manager Colonel Parker in documented in the release. Prior to this, in 2002 Castle Records in England had produced a very collectable vinyl LP including a booklet & photos which may have inspired the official CD version three years later, which was produced in a deluxe 7-inch format, with color photos, liner notes and memorabilia.
The only collectible rarity on the official CD soundtrack was "I'm Yours" (undubbed single Master) which until 2005 had never been released before in stereo. The LP Master has Elvis’ vocal double-tracked along with the spoken monologue which is a very different feel to the sparse single version which RCA released by mistake.
According to Bill Rock, discussing this film during his series Elvis in Hollywood, broadcast on the Elvis Radio channel of Sirius Radio, the reason that no soundtrack was commissioned was due to the studio, Allied Artists, facing bankruptcy at the time the film was made. Presley's manager, Colonel Tom Parker, Rock said, agreed to waive the usual requirement of a soundtrack commission and instead use previously recorded songs.
As a result, Tickle Me temporarily saved the studio from bankruptcy and one of the recycled songs, "(Such an) Easy Question" was a Top-20 hit in the United States.[1]Tickle Me is the only Elvis film to use previously-issued recordngs, although two previous films, Jailhouse Rock and G.I. Blues had used re-recordings of previously issued songs ("Don't Leave Me Now" and "Blue Suede Shoes", respectively). A small relief from increasingly poor original material surfacing in Elvis movies was that quite a few songs in "Tickle Me" were at least classic or serious studio material -- albeit already a few years old. It came from the long critically-acclaimed 1960 post-army studio comeback album, "Elvis Is Back!" as well as follow-up studio material that were not properly noticed until the post-humous "From Nashville to Memphis: The Essential 60's Masters" 4-CD compilation boxset on RCA.
1. I Feel That I've Known You Forever
2. Slowly But Surely
3. Night Rider
4. Put The Blame On Me
5. Dirty, Dirty Feeling
6. It Feels So Right
7. Easy Question
8. Long Lonely Highway (Single Master)
9. I'm Yours (Undubbed Single Master)
10. Something Blue
11. Make Me Know It 12. Just For Old Time Sake
13. Gonna Get Back Home Somehow
14. There's Always Me
15. Allied Artists' Radio Trailer (Version 1)
16. Slowly But Surely (Take 1)
17. It Feels So Right (Take 2)
18. I'm Yours (LP Master)
19. Long Lonely Highway (LP Master)
20. I Feel That I've Known You Forever (Take 3)
21. Night Rider (Take 5)
22. Dirty, Dirty Feeling (Take 1)
23. Put The Blame On Me (Take 1 & 2)
24. (Such An) Easy Question
25. Allied Artists' Radio Trailer (Version 2)
