Elvis Presley's 5th feature film, G.I. Blues is a 1960 musical comedy directed by Norman Taurog.
Tulsa McLean (Presley) wants to raise money so he can open his own nightclub once he gets out of the army. A chance for quick cash appears when Tulsa bets that he can charm a notorious ice queen, Lili (Juliet Prowse). Tulsa's friend Cookie (Robert Ivers) serves as his wingman and has a romance of his own with Italian waitress Tina (Letícia Román), while another friend, Rick (James Douglas), tries to get back in touch with his girlfriend, Marla (Sigrid Maier).
Tropes:
- Bar Brawl: A guy dismisses Tulsa and his band and interrupts them by playing the jukebox. Jeeter tries to turn it off and the guy punches him for it, so Tulsa throws himself into the fray and soon all the G.I.s are in on it, raising hell in the Gasthaus.
- The Bet: The G.I.s bet on whether Dynamite can seduce Lili, since she is notoriously difficult. Tulsa places his own bet in favor of Dynamite's success, only to become the one who has to seduce Lili after Dynamite is transferred to Alaska.
- Blonde, Brunette, Redhead: Sergeant McGraw enlists Dynamite to find him a trio of women where one is a blonde, one a brunette and one a redhead. Dynamite provides.
- Celebrity Paradox: Tulsa is singing with a band in a bar when a guy goes to the jukebox, saying "I want to hear an original," and plays Elvis' version of "Blue Suede Shoes".
- Hand Puppet: Tulsa serenades a hand puppet shaped like a blonde girl
to entertain a crowd of mostly kids. - Romantic Fake–Real Turn: At first, Tulsa pursues Lili because there's money he needs at stake, but he develops genuine romantic feelings for her.
- Romantic Wingman: Cookie supports Tulsa's quest of seduction by talking him up to Lili (who doesn't buy any of it), claiming he comes from a millionaire family. Tulsa sends him on his way since he thinks Cookie's not helping.
- Was It All a Lie?: Lili learns at the end that her relationship with Tulsa was the subject of a bet among the G.I.s and gets mad at him. She quickly finds out Tulsa's feelings are sincere, though, and they live happily ever after.
