Blue Hawaii (1961)

Director:

Norman Taurog

Writers:

Allan Weiss (story)
Hal Kanter (writer)

Release Date:

22 November 1961 (USA)

Genre:

Comedy | Musical

Tagline:

Ecstatic romance...exotic dances...exciting music in the world's lushest paradise of song!

Plot:

Chad Gates has just gotten out of the Army, and is happy to be back in Hawaii with his surf-board, his beach buddies...

Plot Keywords:

Hawaii | Tourist | Beautiful Woman | Business | Color In Title

Awards:

1 win & 3 nominations

Cast

Elvis Presley	...	Chad Gates
Joan Blackman	...	Maile Duval
Angela Lansbury	...	Sarah Lee Gates
Nancy Walters	...	Abigail Prentice
Roland Winters	...	Fred Gates
John Archer	...	Jack Kelman
Howard McNear	...	Mr. Chapman
Steve Brodie	...	Tucker Garvey
Christian Kay	...	Beverly Martin
Iris Adrian	...	Enid Garvey
Hilo Hattie	...	Waihila
Jenny Maxwell	...	Ellie Corbett
Pamela Austin	...	Selena (Sandy) Emerson (as Pamela Kirk)
Darlene Tompkins	...	Patsy Simon
Lani Kai	...	Carl Tanami

Also Known As:

Hawaii Beach Boy (USA) (pre-release title)

MPAA:

Rated PG for mild sensuality.

Runtime:

102 min

Country:

USA

Language:

English

Color:

Color (Technicolor)

Aspect Ratio:

2.35 : 1

Sound Mix:

Mono (Westrex Recording System)

Certification:

Australia:G | Finland:S | Sweden:11 | UK:PG | USA:PG | West Germany:6 | Iceland:L

Filming Locations:

Coco Palms Resort Hotel - 241 Kuhio Highway, Kapaa, Kaua'i, Hawaii, USA

Company:

Hal Wallis Productions

Trivia:

The closing scene, where Elvis is getting married by the pool, was shot at the Coco Palms Resort on Kauai, where Elvis was staying when filming the movie.

Goofs:

Revealing mistakes: Every time they show the travel agency where Chad’s girlfriend works, the traffic outside the window has a blue Ford Falcon and a 1957 white Ford convertible moving from the same spot.

Quotes:

Chad Gates: [singing] Baby I was almost always true to you, I was almost true to you.

Movie Connections:

Spoofed in Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles III (1993)

Soundtrack:

Island Of Love (Kauai)

Woefully underrated ode to Hawaii

There's quite a bit to like about this pleasant if unoriginal musical. Hawaii has never looked better before or since, showcased by beautiful, panoramic shots in this movie. Here, it's a relentlessly wholesome place, a mirror image of the seamy underside shown in "Hawaii Five-O" years later. Tourist-trap "native traditions" are given special attention. Day or night, it's so intoxicating that it almost makes you want to hop a plane to Honolulu or to Kauai, the "island of love."

The soundtrack is quite possibly the best of any Elvis movie, with such gems as "Can't Help Falling In Love," "Rockahula," "Aloha Oe," and the "Hawaiian Wedding Song." Unlike virtually every other musical, they never break into song for no good reason. Whether it's to change the subject, serenade a grandmother on her birthday, or liven up a party, there's always a radio or band present rather than having the music come out of nowhere.

Elvis was in top form here - handsome, slim, and boyish. A far cry from the overweight, muttonchopped, rhinestoned and bell-bottomed joke he became a decade later. The rest of the cast was good, with the exception of an over-the-top Angela Lansbury and a cold, unmusical Joan Blackman. Still, the love story was one of the better ones, with the relationship established before the movie opens instead of the ridiculous whirlwind romance of most other Elvis movies.

Watch this on a good sized projection TV to get the feeling you're actually in this Hawaii that never was. Better yet, made a double feature with "Gidget Goes Hawaiian" and you can luxuriate in the Hawaii of 1961, only two years after it had become the 50th state.