BLUE HAWAII
– A postcard production and… the beginning of the Presley formula-
Elvis Presley “Blue Hawaii”… “If Elvis only gets the right script and director to work with, he could become a really great dramatic actor ,” said Hope Lange, Presley’s co-star in “Wild In The Country,” in an interview.
Paradoxically, however, “Flaming Star” and the above-mentioned “Wild In The Country” shot in the early sixties not only severely verified the actress’s hopes but also showed that Elvis’ aspirations to remain a serious actor were in stark contrast to the expectations of his fans, who much preferred to see their idol in the role of the good-natured and, most importantly, singing Tulsa McClean rather than the emotionally tormented Pacer Burton or the lost Glenn Tyler.
The above trend seemed to be confirmed only by the weakening box office receipts. Of all three films, only “GIBlues,” made in the spring of 1960, was a real financial success, grossing nearly four and a half million dollars in the U.S. and Canada alone, just one year after its premiere. This was slightly less than “Flaming Star” and “Wild In The Country,” which followed, earned a combined total (Flaming Star’s two million dollars and Wild In The Country’s two and a half million dollars respectively) during the same period.
For the heads of the largest American film studios, it would be hard to find a better and clearer signal to introduce changes in the direction of the famous singer’s screen career. For this reason, instead of appearing in more serious productions, Presley began to be increasingly cast in easy-to-watch romantic comedies, which, like “GIBlues” before it, were intended to provide entertainment not only to his fans but also to entire families.
The first film made according to this new scheme was the comedy “Blue Hawaii” (although they initially used completely different titles – more on that later in the text). A cheerful, full of funny plot twists and, more importantly, songs, story of Chad Gates (played by Elvis). The young, handsome son of a pineapple plantation owner who, after completing his military service, does not want to return home or to his father’s company.
Instead, the boy prefers to spend time on the beach with his girlfriend, Maile Duval, and a group of old friends – members of a local band.
However, when, after a few days of carefree living, Chad finally decides to show up at the family estate, the meeting with his loved ones ends in a heated exchange of words as a result of which, pressured by his overprotective mother to abandon his previous lifestyle (and friends) and immediately take up the position of vice president at the Great Southern Hawaiian Fruit Company (a company owned by his father), Gates decides, against all odds, to take a job at the travel agency where his fiancée is employed.
The first clients of the newly-baked guide are four charming teenagers and the attractive teacher who looks after them, Abigail Prentice.
The screenplay was written by Hal Kanter, the same director who had directed Elvis’ first starring role in Loving You just four years earlier. “I have very few memories of ‘Blue Hawaii’ because I didn’t direct it ,” the director said in an interview. “I only wrote the script. I basically rewrote it. […] I was on the set once. Elvis and I met and exchanged a few pleasantries, like, ‘Hi, how are you?’ ‘How’s it going?’ ‘OK,’ ‘How’s the military?’ ‘Good,’ ‘Nice to see you,’ ‘You too,’ ‘Hang in there,’ ‘Goodbye.’ That was it. But by that time he was not the same happy, cheerful, simple-minded guy I had met earlier .”
In reality, as Kanter alluded to in his memoirs, the script was based on a story by Allan Weiss. Born in 1927, an American screenwriter and close collaborator of Hollywood producer Hal Wallis (with whom he worked on such famous productions as “The Maltese Falcon” and “Casablanca”). “Hal Wallis had an eye ,” Weiss said in an interview. “He signed contracts with people before they became famous. He made long-term contracts with them so that he wouldn’t have to pay them much later .”
For Weiss, who witnessed Presley’s first screen tests in March 1956, working on “Blue Hawaii” was the first, but as it soon turned out, not the last opportunity to work professionally with the famous star. In the following years, he worked with Presley on such films as “Girls! Girls! Girls!“, “Fun In Acapulco“, “Roustabout” (for the screenplay of this film he even received a WGA Award nomination * in the category of best musical of 1964), “Paradise, Hawaiian Style” and “Easy Come, Easy Go“.
When asked years later about the recipe for a successful film starring Elvis Presley, he replied with disarming honesty: “All you really had to do was find space in the script for twelve songs and then skillfully combine them all .”
The first fragmentary mentions of “Blue Hawaii“, or rather “Waikiki Beach Boy” or “Hawaiian Beach Boy“, as these were the titles of Presley’s eighth film (it was officially used until January 1961), began to appear in the American press in the second half of 1960. “Elvis returns to Hawaii “, reported the Honolulu Star-Bulletin in the article “Elvis to play Hawaiian beach boy in film slated for Oahu shooting” from September 2, 1960. “(Elvis, author’s note) He will not arrive here until next spring, but he will stay for a month. Film producer Hal Wallis confirmed the reports that have been circulating for some time about a planned Hawaiian film with Elvis Presley in the leading role.
Elvis will play a “Hawaiian beach bum” — a guy who just got out of the military and is “trying to find himself.” The Paramount Pictures film, produced by Hal Wallis, is scheduled to shoot in March. In addition to Waiki, Wallis hopes to shoot in the Windward Oahu region ** and possibly Makapuu and Kauai .”
A few weeks later, on October 11, 1960, the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette carried a brief report that Hal Kanter had just signed a contract to write “a romantic comedy, ‘Hawaiian Beach Boy,’ starring Elvis Presley, to be shot in Technicolor in the 50th state early next year .”
That same month, October 1960, the Honolulu Star-Bulletin informed its readers that “The opening scenes of ‘Waikiki Beach Boy,’ starring Elvis Presley and Juliet Prowse, will be filmed next month at the international surfing competition in Makaha . “
In another text, titled “Presley to be Hawaiian for ‘Beachboy’ film“, the authors, most likely citing the words of Paramount Pictures advertising director Herbert Steinberg, who was in Hawaii for several days (and quoted several times in the aforementioned article), stated that “shooting on the film is scheduled to begin in February 1961. “
- WGA Award – Writers Guild Of America Awards. An award given since 1949 for work in film, television and radio
- Windward Oahu – otherwise known as the East Coast of Oahu. A region located about a half-hour drive from Waikiki and Honolulu. It is known for its quiet seaside neighborhoods and towns nestled among mountain ranges 3,000 meters above sea level.
Article written and provided by Mariusz Ogieglo, EP Promised Land (Poland) http://www.elvispromisedland.pl/
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