Frankie and Johnny (1966)

Director:

Frederick De Cordova

Writers:

Alex Gottlieb (screenplay)
Nat Perrin (story)

Release Date:

31 March 1966 (USA)

Genre:

Comedy | Musical | Romance

Tagline:

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

Plot Keywords:

Blanks | Punched In The Face | Casino | Dancer | Love Interest

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	...	Braden
Joyce Jameson	...	Abigail
rest of cast listed alphabetically:
William 'Billy' Benedict	...	Bum Sleeping on Bench (uncredited)
Judy Chapman	...	Earl Barton Dancer (uncredited)
Henry Corden	...	Gypsy (uncredited)
Jerome Cowan	...	Joe Wilbur (uncredited)
George Klein	...	Bit Part (uncredited)
Jack Littlefield	...	Croupier (uncredited)
Dee Jay Mattis	...	Earl Barton Dancer (uncredited)
James Millhollin	...	Proprietor of Costume Shop (uncredited)
Cliff Norton	...	Eddie (uncredited)
Eddie Quillan	...	Cashier (uncredited)
Richard Reeves	...	Man on Street (uncredited)
Naomi Stevens	...	Princess Zolita (uncredited)
Wilda Taylor	...	Earl Barton Dancer (uncredited)
Larri Thomas	...	Earl Barton Dancer (uncredited)
Howard Wendell	...	Man at Table (uncredited)
Robert Williams	...	Blackjack Dealer (uncredited)
Dave Willock	...	Pete (uncredited)
Dick Winslow	...	Orchestra Leader (uncredited)

Directed by
Frederick De Cordova		(as Frederick de Cordova)

Writing credits
Alex Gottlieb		(screenplay)
Nat Perrin		(story)

Produced by
Alex Gottlieb	....	associate producer
Edward Small	....	producer (uncredited)

Original Music by
Fred Karger

Cinematography by
Jacques R. Marquette		(director of photography) (as Jacques Marquette)

Film Editing by
Grant Whytock		(uncredited)

Art Direction by
Walter M. Simonds

Set Decoration by
Morris Hoffman

Costume Design by
Gwen Wakeling

Makeup Department
Dan Greenway	....	makeup artist
Joan St. Oegger	....	hair stylist (as Joanne St. Oegger)
Larry Geller	....	hair designer: Elvis Presley (uncredited)

Production Management
Harold E. Knox	....	production supervisor
Joseph Small	....	executive in charge of production (uncredited)

Second Unit Director or Assistant Director
Herbert S. Greene	....	assistant director

Art Department
Max Frankel	....	property master

Sound Department
Alfred R. Bird	....	sound effects editor (as Al Bird)
Al Overton	....	sound (as Alfred J. Overton)
Clem Portman	....	re-recordist
Frank Webster	....	sound recordist (uncredited)

Special Effects by
Charles E. Dolan	....	special effects crew (uncredited)

Casting Department
Harvey Clermont	....	casting

Costume and Wardrobe Department
Wesley Jeffries	....	wardrobe coordinator (as Wes Jefferies)

Editorial Department
Grant Whytock	....	supervising film editor

Music Department
Earl Barton	....	stager: musical numbers
Edna Bullock	....	music editor
The Jordanaires	....	vocal backgrounds
Fred Karger	....	conductor

Other crew
Edward Small	....	presenter

Production Companies

• Edward Small Productions (as An Edward Small Production)

Distributors

• United Artists (1966) (USA) (theatrical) (released through)
• Chapel Distribution (1997) (Australia) (theatrical) (35mm print Technicolor)
• United Artists (1966) (West Germany) (theatrical)
• 20th Century Fox Home Entertainment (2010) (Canada) (DVD) (7 film set)
• 20th Century Fox Home Entertainment (2010) (USA) (DVD) (7 film set)
• MGM Home Entertainment (2004) (Germany) (DVD)
• MGM/UA Home Entertainment (USA) (DVD)
• MGM/UA Home Entertainment (USA) (VHS)
• MGM/UA Home Entertainment (USA) (laserdisc)

Also Known As:

Runtime:

87 min

Country:

USA

Language:

English

Color:

Color (Technicolor)

Aspect Ratio:

1.66 : 1

Sound Mix:

Mono (Westrex Recording System)

Certification:

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

Filming Locations:

Samuel Goldwyn Studios - 7200 Santa Monica Boulevard, West Hollywood, California, USA

Company:

Edward Small Productions

Trivia:

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

Goofs:

Continuity: When Blackie put the live round in the stage gun, it was a Colt single action. After Frankie shot Johnny , the pistol was now a Colt double action revolver that wasn't even introduced till years after the movie was supposed to be set .

Quotes:

Cully:You seen Johnny?
Frankie:Look under the nearest pair of dice.
Peg:Don't you even say hello to your wife?
Cully:Hello, wife!
Frankie:Peg, how can I get Johnny to give up gambling?
Peg:Easy! A bullet in the head, poison in his coffee, a fatal knife wound. Oh, nothing to it.

Movie Connections:

Featured in Elvis in the Movies (1990)

Soundtrack:

Petunia the Gardener's Daughter

Some Delights for Elvis Fans

This movie followed "Harum Scarum" and was a big step up simply because "Harum Scarum" was arguably Elvis's worst movie. This one is actually the closest thing that Elvis ever did to a typical Hollywood musical like "Music Man." There's an interesting plot and some good energy that carries through the first half of the movie, but it limps along badly in the second half. I went to sleep and had to finish watching it the next morning.

The large amount of Broadway musical-type tunes simply doesn't fit Elvis' style very well. Only the title tune is really interesting and works very well. At the end, there is a gem called "Please, Don't Stop Loving Me." It comes at about 80 minutes of the film's 87 minute run and I'm not sure that anybody except Elvis fans will last that long.

Apparently Donna Douglas and Elvis had deep philosophical conversations on Paramahansa Yogananda and the Christian religion during the breaks while shooting this movie. This shows as there is very little chemistry between them. Second lead, Nancy Kovack provides whatever sexual chemistry the film does have. One suspects that if Douglas and Kovack had changed roles, the film would have worked much better.

This doesn't fit into the category of Elvis' good movies, but it also doesn't fit into the category of his bad movies. Lets just say that it is an okay movie that only Elvis fans will find pleasurable.