G.I. Blues (1960)

Tulsa, a soldier with dreams of running his own nightclub, places a bet with his friend Dynamite that he can win the heart of an untouchable dancer...but when Dynamite is transferred, Tulsa must replace him in the bet.

Director:

Norman Taurog

Writers:

Edmund Beloin, Henry Garson

Stars:

Elvis Presley, Juliet Prowse, Robert Ivers

3 nominations.

Cast

Cast overview, first billed only:
Elvis Presley	...	Tulsa McLean
Juliet Prowse	...	Lili
Robert Ivers	...	Cookie
James Douglas	...	Rick
Letícia Román	...	Tina (as Leticia Roman)
Sigrid Maier	...	Marla
Arch Johnson	...	Sgt. McGraw
Mickey Knox	...	Jeeter
John Hudson	...	Capt. Hobart
Kenneth Becker	...	Mac (as Ken Becker)
Jeremy Slate	...	Turk
Beach Dickerson	...	Warren
Trent Dolan	...	Mickey
Carl Crow	...	Walt
Fred Essler	...	Papa Mueller

Storyline

Tulsa is a specialist in the US Army stationed in Germany. He loves to sing and has dreams to run his own nightclub when he leaves the army....but dreams don't come cheap. Tulsa places a bet with his friend Dynamite that he can spend the night with a club dancer named Lili, who is rumored to be hard to get. When Dynamite gets transferred, Tulsa is brought in to take his place. He is not looking forward to it, but in order to keep his money, he must go through with it.

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Plot Keywords:

dancer | gi | u.s. army | u.s. soldier | american in europe | 

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Taglines:

Your favorite star is again in the lead... [Finland]

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Genres:

Comedy | Musical

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Motion Picture Rating (MPAA)

Rated PG for mild thematic elements

Did You Know?

Trivia

The songwriting team of Jerry Leiber and Mike Stoller wrote two song for the movie, "Dog Face" and "Tulsa's Blues", but later withdrew the songs when they didn't like the royalty payments contract that Elvis' manager Col. Tom Parker insisted that they sign.

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Goofs

When leaving the Cafe Europa, Tulsa stands half a head taller than Lili. In actuality Elvis was only a half inch taller than Juliet Prowse's 5'11".

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Quotes

Tulsa McLean: Where are we going tonight, honey?
Lili: I'd prefer'd if you didn't call me honey.
Tulsa McLean: You didn't mind it inside.
Lili: Now we're outside.
Tulsa McLean: But I got the idea you and me kinda hit it off.
Lili: Ah. You and Herr Klugmann have much in common.
Tulsa McLean: Er, now, wait a minute, honey.
Lili: No honey.
Tulsa McLean: Look, if you and I are going places tonight...
Lili: We are not going any place. You helped me get rid of Herr Klugmann. Thank you. Now I'm going home.

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Crazy Credits

After the opening credits: Produced with the full cooperation of the U.S. Army and the Department of Defense

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Alternate Versions

Because of copyright problems, in the European version of the movie the song "Tonight Is So Right For Love" (by Sid Wayne and Abner Silver) which was based on the melody of "Bacarolle" by Jaques Offenbach, was substituted with "Tonight's All Right For Love" (by Wayne, Silver and Joe Lilley), which had similar lyrics but was based on the melody of "Tales From The Vienna Woods" by Johann Strauss.

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Connections

Referenced in My Best Friend's Birthday (1987)

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Soundtracks

Tonight Is So Right For Love
Written by Sid Wayne & Abner Silver
Performed by Elvis Presley

User Reviews

Silly and Naive, But Elvis, His Songs and Juliet Prowse Make It Worth

In Frankfurt, the G.I. Tulsa McLean (Elvis Presley) bets all the money his friends Cookie (Robert Ivers) and Rick (James Douglas) and he are saving to buy a night-club of their own in USA that his mate Dynamite will seduce and spend a night with the untouchable cabaret dancer Lili (Juliet Prowse). When Dynamite is transferred to Alaska, Tulsa has to replace him in the bet, but he falls for Lili and tries to call off the game.

"G.I. Blues" is a silly and naive story, being a pretext to see and hear Elvis Presley only. But I believe every fan of this great singer will appreciate his songs and his chemistry with the charming and sexy Juliet Prowse. This movie certainly is not a masterpiece, but is very enjoyable and a worthwhile entertainment. My vote is six.

Title (Brazil): "Saudades de um Pracinha" ("Missing a G.I.")

Details

Country:

USA

Language:

English German Italian

Release Date:

23 November 1960 (USA)

Also Known As:

Café Europa

Filming Locations:

König-Adolf-Platz, Idstein, Hessen, Germany

Box Office

Budget:

$2,000,000 (estimated)

Company Credits

Production Co:

Hal Wallis Productions

Technical Specs

Runtime:

104 min

Sound Mix:

Mono (Westrex Recording System)

Color:

Color

Aspect Ratio:

1.85 : 1