Frankie and Johnny (1966)

User Rating:

5.3/10   

Director:

Frederick De Cordova

Writers:

Nat Perrin (story)
Alex Gottlieb (screenplay)

Release Date:

31 March 1966 (USA)

Genre:

Comedy | Drama | Musical | Romance

Tagline:

Elvis turns the Land of Blues Red Hot with 11 Great Songs! Hear them on RCA Records!

Plot Keywords:

Gambler | Fair | Stage | Beautiful Woman | Murder

Awards:

1 nomination

Cast

Elvis Presley	...	Johnny
Donna Douglas	...	Frankie
Harry Morgan	...	Cully
Sue Ane Langdon	...	Mitzi
Nancy Kovack	...	Nellie Bly
Audrey Christie	...	Peg
Robert Strauss	...	Blackie
Anthony Eisley	...	Clint Braden
Joyce Jameson	...	Abigail

Runtime:

87 min

Country:

USA

Language:

English

Color:

Color (Technicolor)

Aspect Ratio:

1.66 : 1

Sound Mix:

Mono (Westrex Recording System)

Certification:

Australia:G | USA:Approved (certificate #21052) | Finland:S | Sweden:11 | UK:U | West Germany:12

Filming Locations:

Samuel Goldwyn/Warner Hollywood Studios - 1041 N. Formosa Avenue, Hollywood, Los Angeles, California, USA

Company:

Edward Small Productions

Trivia:

Elvis Presley started working on the film on 11 April 1965.

Goofs:

Audio/visual unsynchronized: When Johnny pulls down Cully's beard during the Mardi Graw party, Cully says something as he fixes his beard, but his lips never move.

Quotes:

Johnny: Don't worry. Did you ever know a gambler who couldn't promote a little betting money?
Gypsy: You also need Chesay.
Cully: Chesay? Who's that?
Gypsy: Chesay is gypsy good luck!

Movie Connections:

Featured in Elvis Presley: Hot Shots and Cool Clips Volume 3 (2007) (V)

Soundtrack:

Hard Luck

FRANKIE AND JOHNNY (Frederick De Cordova, 1966) **1/2

This is an oddity in Elvis’ filmography: a quaint but pleasing musical comedy based on the popular song which had already inspired a similarly-titled film from 1936 starring Helen Morgan – apart from being featured in the Mae West vehicle SHE DONE HIM WRONG (1933) and, again, as recently as Robert Altman’s A PRAIRIE HOME COMPANION (2006).

The star isn’t entirely comfortable amid the 1890s riverboat setting, what with a few of his musical performances (and especially his hairdo) coming off as inextricably modern. Still, the plot – thin as it is – emerges to be quite engaging (what with its backdrop of fortune-telling, gambling parlors, variety acts and costume parties and involving mistaken identities, misunderstandings, an attempted murder and a bar-room brawl)! The cast presents three notable female roles: Donna Douglas (as Frankie), Nancy Kovack as Elvis’ red-headed lucky charm and the flame of his jealous boss, and Sue Ane Langdon as a ditzy “blonde” – who, along with Presley’s long-suffering sidekick Harry Morgan, turns out to be the most likable character as well as the purveyor of the film’s comic relief.

Elvis’ best ‘new’ number is “Hard Luck”; apart from the title tune, he also gets to sing the standard “When The Saints Go Marching In” (while dressed in full military regalia)! The film is short enough at 87 mins. not to overstay its welcome, but the rather low-key presentation also prevents it from being anything more than unassuming entertainment. I wouldn’t classify it among the top-flight Presley vehicles, therefore, but it’s certainly superior to some of the bigger-budgeted (yet simple-minded) fluff he made over at MGM – this being a production from independent producer Edward Small released through United Artists.