Spinout (1966)Band singer/race driver Mike McCoy must choose between marrying a beautiful rich girl and driving her father's car in a prestigious race. Director:Norman Taurog |
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Spinout (1966)Band singer/race driver Mike McCoy must choose between marrying a beautiful rich girl and driving her father's car in a prestigious race. Director:Norman Taurog |
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| Complete credited cast: | |||
| Elvis Presley | ... | ||
| Shelley Fabares | ... |
Cynthia Foxhugh
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Diane McBain | ... |
Diana St. Clair
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Dodie Marshall | ... |
Susan
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| Deborah Walley | ... |
Les
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Jack Mullaney | ... |
Curly
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Will Hutchins | ... |
Lt. Tracy Richards
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Warren Berlinger | ... |
Philip Short
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| Jimmy Hawkins | ... |
Larry
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Carl Betz | ... |
Howard Foxhugh
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Cecil Kellaway | ... |
Bernard Ranley
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Una Merkel | ... |
Violet Ranley
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Frederick Worlock | ... |
Blodgett
(as Frederic Worlock)
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Dave Barry | ... |
Harry
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Mike McCoy is the lead singer for a band combo and part-time racecar driver trying to get by when he is persued by a trio of very different women who want his hand in marriage. The first is Les, the female drummer of his band, The second is Cynthia, a spoiled heiress and Daddy's girl. The third is Diana, a writer of books on men. Written by Anonymous
Elvis Presley spent most of the 1960s making fluffy lightweight romantic comedies with music, all constructed on a studio assembly line during the waning days of the old Hollywood studio system. These films tended to sap Elvis of the energy he could have devoted to better films and better roles, all of which he was capable of. Having said that, some of these films were more tolerable than others.
SPINOUT, made at MGM, is one of the most entertaining thanks to its teaming of Elvis with three colorful and delightful leading ladies, all of whom more than hold their own with their charismatic leading man. Deborah Walley plays the tomboyish redhead drummer in Elvis' band and has a secret crush on him; Diane McBain plays a sexually voracious best-selling author on the hunt for the perfect American male; and Shelley Fabares plays the heiress of an auto fortune who thinks she's entitled to whatever she wants and whose father wants Elvis to race a car for him. In the course of it, Elvis encounters rivals for each of the girl's affections, leading to a set of romantic entanglements that are ultimately resolved in an inspired and original ending. The plot is packed with lots of clever twists, thanks to a script co-written by Theodore J. Flicker who would write and direct the cult hit, THE PRESIDENT'S ANALYST, the following year. Fortunately, the film's racing angle is downplayed in favor of comic situations and a set of enjoyable songs.
The supporting players deserve singling out, including Jack Mullaney as Elvis' comical bandmate; Carl Betz as Shelley's father (a role he played with Shelley on "The Donna Reed Show" as well); Warren Berlinger as Betz's loyal assistant; TV cowboy Will Hutchins as a highway cop with a penchant for gourmet cooking; and Hollywood veterans Cecil Kellaway and Una Merkel as an elderly rich couple who allow Elvis and his band to take over their house when they go on vacation. (This latter touch is representative of the film's Hollywood fantasyland approach to life, but it's all so well played by such skilled hands that it's difficult not to get sucked into the fun of it all.)