Rock a Hula

I make no secret of the fact that I enjoy Elvis' movies. They are silly, and mostly bad, and a way to pass an hour and thirty minutes, just being entertained. I like the 1960's beach movies for the same reason. I don't need a deeper meaning or comment on society to be entertained.

At some point Elvis became "Elvis" and that guy was almost a parody of himself. The money, the relentless fame, the Cadillacs, the drugs, the movies, the jumpsuits, and Vegas* all made him bigger than life. In his movies he basically played the same role: Elvis. Lost in the hype was the fact that the man could sing, really sing.

The King was a generation before me. He peaked before I was born in 1962. it was not until my teen years and my addiction to watching old movies on late night TV that I really began to appreciate his talent. Elvis has been lampooned for his acting. He was no Spenser.Tracy, but there was no actor alive who could look good with some of those scripts. "Forgettable" is a generous label to apply to some of the soundtracks he was forced to perform. I think we can agree that often the quality of the music was not the same as we find in the golden age of Hollywood musicals.

But sometimes he hit a home run.



*in much the same way this blog has become a parody of itself. Without the fame, the money, the caddies, or the drugs. Alas, not even the jumpsuits. Probably, because unlike Elvis, I never started out with talent.