Film / Blue Hawaii

Wise men say, "Only fools rush in."

Blue Hawaii is a 1961 musical film directed by Norman Taurog, scripted by Hal Kanter and starring Elvis Presley. This was one of his first and, depending on who you ask, his best film after he got out of the Army in 1960, as well as his first (and again, arguably best) film that was shot in Hawaii (the other two being Girls! Girls! Girls! and Paradise, Hawaiian Style).

The film follows Author Avatar Chad Gates (Presley) who returns home to Hawaii after serving overseas in Europe with the U.S. Army. Despite his mother Sarah Lee Gates (Angela Lansbury) asking him to take over for his father Fred (Roland Winters) as manager of the Great Southern Hawaiian Fruit Company, Chad wants to be a tour guide like his girlfriend, Maile Duval (Joan Blackman). Lucky for Chad, his first clients are a group of four beautiful women. Three of them, which include Ellie Corbett (Jenny Maxwell), are teenagers; their teacher Abigail Prentice (Nancy Walters) is quite a looker herself. The rest of the movie follows Chad's zany adventures on Oahu, which include a hukilau at Hanauma Bay on Oahu, getting arrested after a brawl, and visiting Kauai.

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Tracklist for the soundtrack album:

Side one

1. "Blue Hawaii"
2. "Almost Always True"
3. "Aloha 'Oe"
4. "No More"
5. "Can't Help Falling in Love"
6. "Rock-A-Hula Baby"
7. "Moonlight Swim"

Side two

1. "Ku-U-I-Po"
2. "Ito Eats"
3. "Slicin' Sand"
4. "Hawaiian Sunset"
5. "Beach Boy Blues"
6. "Island of Love"
7. "Hawaiian Wedding Song"

1997 bonus tracks

1. "Steppin' Out of Line"^note originally issued on the Pot Luck With Elvis LP
2. "Can't Help Falling in Love" (movie version)
3. "Slicin' Sand" (alternate take 4)
4. "No More" (alternate take 7)
5. "Rock-A-Hula Baby" (alternate take 1)
6. "Beach Boy Blues" (movie version)
7. "Steppin' Out of Line" (movie version)
8. "Blue Hawaii" (alternate take 3)

I can't help troping in love with you:

• Alpha Bitch: Aw, God. Ellie Corbett. This is fixed on Kauai very late in the movie after Chad spanks her (at her request, believe it or not.)
• Author Avatar: Chad Gates. He served in the Army in Europe (mostly Germany) with a tank unit.
• Bail Equals Freedom: Fred posts bail for Chad after he and his friends are jailed in the wake of the Bar Brawl.
• Bar Brawl: While Chad and his friends are performing at a bar for his clients, Ellie's flirtatious ways with Tucker eventually cause Chad to instigate a brawl. In the aftermath, Chad and his friends are busted.
• Brainy Brunette: Maile. She inspires Chad to enter the tourism industry with her and quits working with her current employer after he fired Chad in the wake of the bar brawl. Smarter than Chad's mother and proves it, too.
• Captivity Harmonica: While Chad and his friends sing "Beach Boy Blues" shortly after their arrest, a fellow prisoner accompanies them on his harmonica.
• Cover Version: The film's titular song was originally performed by Bing Crosby for the 1937 film Waikiki Wedding.
• The Ditz: Chad's mother, Sarah Lee, legitimately thinks that "admiral" is higher than "general." (General is army, admiral is navy.)
• Does This Remind You of Anything?: Chad's return from Germany after being discharged from the Army mirrors Presley's own discharge from the Army.
• Faint in Shock: Chad's mother faints after receiving the news that her son is getting married to Maile.
• Interrupted Suicide: After failing to seduce Chad, a despondent Ellie tries drowning herself on the beaches of Kauai. This is quickly thwarted when Chad saves Ellie seconds later.
• Operation: Jealousy: Chad is introduced kissing a stewardess to make Maile jealous.
• Parental Marriage Veto: Subverted in that his mother is vehemently opposed to the idea of her baby boy marrying outside of his social class, but his father actually likes Maile and doesn't mind the marriage. In fact, he's even there when Chad proposes to Maile.
• Slippery Swimsuit: Maile loses her bikini top when she goes swimming with Chad after he comes back from the army. The dog then brings her top to shore and tries to bring her shirt to her.
• Talent Double: George Fields doubles for Richard Reeves's on-screen harmonica solos in the scene where Chad and his friends perform "Beach Boy Blues".
• Tastes Like Disdain: Ellie rudely takes one bite of the fresh pineapple slices brought to her by Chad and dumps the rest onto the ground.

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