Kissin' Cousins (1964)

An Army officer returns to the Smoky Mountains tries to convince his kinfolk to allow the Army to build a missile site on their land. Once he gets there, he discovers he has a lookalike cousin.

Director:

Gene Nelson

Writers:

Gerald Drayson Adams (screenplay), Gene Nelson (screenplay),

Stars:

Elvis Presley, Arthur O'Connell, Glenda Farrell

1 nomination.

Cast

Complete credited cast:
Elvis Presley	...	Josh Morgan / Jodie Tatum
Arthur O'Connell	...	Pappy Tatum
Glenda Farrell	...	Ma Tatum
Jack Albertson	...	Captain Robert Salbo
Pamela Austin	...	Selena Tatum (as Pam Austin)
Cynthia Pepper	...	Midge
Yvonne Craig	...	Azalea Tatum
Donald Woods	...	General Alvin Donford
Tommy Farrell	...	Master Sgt. William George Bailey
Beverly Powers	...	Trudy
Hortense Petra	...	Dixie
Bobby Stone	...	General's Aide (as Robert Stone)
Rest of cast listed alphabetically:
Dallas Johann	...	Hillbilly Dancer

Storyline

An Army officer returns to the Smoky Mountains tries to convince his kinfolk to allow the Army to build a missile site on their land. Once he gets there, he discovers he has a lookalike cousin.

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Plot Keywords:

photographer | hick | gorge | wheelbarrow | soldier | 

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Genres:

Comedy | Musical | Romance

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Details

Country:

USA

Language:

English

Release Date:

6 March 1964 (USA)

Also Known As:

Salut, les cousins

Filming Locations:

Big Bear Lake, Big Bear Valley, San Bernardino National Forest, California, USA

Box Office

Budget:

$800,000 (estimated)

Gross:

$2,800,000 (USA)

Company Credits

Production Co:

Four-Leaf Productions

Technical Specs

Runtime:

96 min

Sound Mix:

Mono (Westrex Recording System)

Color:

Color (Metrocolor)

Aspect Ratio:

2.35 : 1

Did You Know?

Trivia

Elvis Presley supposedly loathed the "strawberry blond" wig he had to wear as the hillbilly cousin in this film, in part because it made him look as he had before deciding to dye his hair black in the mid-fifties.

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Goofs

Captain Salbo introduces himself as being from SAC, the Air Force's Strategic Air Command, but he is wearing an Army, not an Air Force, uniform (as are all the enlisted men).

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Quotes

Capt. Robert Jason Salbo: Madam, words fail me. Your culinary talents supersede the most exotic cuisine.
Ma Tatum: You don't like it.
Capt. Robert Jason Salbo: Oh, no, no, no, on the contrary...
Josh Morgan: He means he'd like some more, Ma.
Ma Tatum: Oh, that's good.
Pappy Tatum: Good! Good! I like to see a young fella who's a good eater.
Capt. Robert Jason Salbo: I must say, in all my travels, I never tasted anything quite like it.
Ma Tatum: You ain't never?
Capt. Robert Jason Salbo: Unh-uhnmm!
[meaning "No"]
[...]

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Crazy Credits

At the end of the movie, the "THE END" sign is shown by Pappy Tatum (Arthur O'Connell) and Captain Salbo (Jack Albertson) as they each hold up a paddle, one reading THE, and the other reading END as they both shake hands.

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Connections

Referenced in The Nanny: Kissing Cousins (1997)

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Soundtracks

"Smokey Mountain Boy"
(uncredited)
Written by Lenore Rosenblatt & Victor Millrose
Performed by Elvis Presley, with whistling background by Jack Albertson and Soldiers

User Reviews

Bad Elvis movies often make the tastiest cinema treats

Here is an Elvis picture with something for everyone: The King appearing in a dual role as a soldier and a hillbilly, exciting fist-fights, surrealistically phony mountain and forest studio sets, hapless choreography, and gorgeous Yvonne Craig as one of the backwoods spitfires who tries to capture E's heart. The film's true value, however, is that is accomplishes the touchstone of any Presley flick worth its salt -- it contains a scene in which Elvis takes a pratfall into a body of water. In one song, E croons, "Life's a playful puppy/You can grab by the scruff/And if you live every sec, what the heck?/Once is enough." My thoughts exactly.