Paradise, Hawaiian Style (1966)

Rick Richards is a helicopter pilot who wants to set up a charter flying service in Hawaii -- along the way he makes some friends, including a young Hawaiian girl and her father, romances ... See full summary »

Director:

Michael D. Moore

Writers:

Allan Weiss (screenplay), Anthony Lawrence (screenplay),

Stars:

Elvis Presley, Suzanna Leigh, James Shigeta

Cast

Cast overview, first billed only:
Elvis Presley	...	Rick Richards
Suzanna Leigh	...	Judy Hudson
James Shigeta	...	Danny Kohana
Donna Butterworth	...	Jan Kohana
Marianna Hill	...	Lani Kaimana
Irene Tsu	...	Pua
Linda Wong	...	Lehua Kawena
Julie Parrish	...	Joanna
Jan Shepard	...	Betty Kohana
John Doucette	...	Mr. Belden
Grady Sutton	...	Mr. Cubberson
Doris Packer	...	Mrs. Barrington
Don Collier	...	Andy Lowell
Philip Ahn	...	Moki Kaimana
Mary Treen	...	Mrs. Belden

Storyline

Rick Richards is a helicopter pilot who wants to set up a charter flying service in Hawaii -- along the way he makes some friends, including a young Hawaiian girl and her father, romances Judy Hudson, and sings a few songs.

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Plot Keywords:

pilot | helicopter | hawaii | hawaiian | song | 

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Taglines:

His newest! His Biggest!

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Genres:

Musical | Comedy

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Certificate:

G

Details

Country:

USA

Language:

English Polynesian

Release Date:

15 June 1966 (USA)

Also Known As:

Hawaii, USA

Filming Locations:

Hanalei Plantation Resort, Kaua'i, Hawaii, USA

Box Office

Budget:

$2,000,000 (estimated)

Gross:

$2,500,000 (USA)

Company Credits

Production Co:

Paramount Pictures, Hal Wallis Productions

Technical Specs

Runtime:

91 min

Sound Mix:

Mono

Color:

Color (Technicolor)

Aspect Ratio:

1.66 : 1

Did You Know?

Trivia

Petula Clark was originally offered the role of Judy Hudson.

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Connections

Referenced in Elvis Presley: The Back Story, Vol. 1 (2003)

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Soundtracks

"Stop Where You Are"
Written by Bill Giant, Bernie Baum & Florence Kaye
Performed by Elvis Presley

User Reviews

Elvis flies helicopters

Paradise, Hawaiin Style is a film about a pilot who is thrown out of his old job for being a sleaze-bag. He comes back to his island buddies in Hawaii to start a new helicopter charter business with his pilot friend. It seems to be working out well for them until his old ways start catching him… Apart from throwing into a song every 10 minutes, the film features a nice cast who play the various friends of Elvis Presley's character, Rick. Of particular note is Donna Butterworth, a young girl with a great voice who looks like she had a lot of fun making this 1966 film.

The film also features a pair of ever-present Bell 47J Ranger helicopters, quite often seen making max. performance takeoffs and hasty landings. The film is a real treat for aircraft and helicopter enthusiasts who get to see these old machines in great detail, up close. A lot of back-projection is used for the flying scenes featuring close-ups of Elvis and the other cast members, and the scenery is beautiful.

One particular scene has the chopper flying through a mountainous valley with dives and climbs not usually seen performed by such helicopters. Another scene has a bunch of canine passengers causing havoc for Elvis as he tries to fly the chopper, getting low and fast, scaring locals and crashing a car.

The legendary Elvis is particularly wooden in this film, just going through the motions to make a film with no real depth to his role, otherwise it is an enjoyable film for the entire family.