Elvis Presley's 18th feature film, Tickle Me is a 1965 musical romantic comedy directed by Norman Taurog.
Lonnie Beale (Presley) is an out-of-work rodeo rider who arrives in the Western town of Zuni Wells. He gets a singing gig at the local pub and is promptly fired after getting in a row with a customer, but Vera Radford (Julie Adams) is impressed and hires him to work at her ranch, which is really more of a fitness salon and thus full of women who fawn over Lonnie. Pam Meritt (Jocelyn Lane), a trainer at the ranch, isn't as impressed with Lonnie, but as he helps her uncover the location of a hundred thousand dollars in gold left to her by her grandfather and protects her assailants intent on getting at the fortune, they fall in love.
Tropes:
- Aside Glance: Lonnie says he's never kissed his boss before, then looks at the camera and shrugs before going back to kissing Vera.
- The Door Slams You: Stanley is punched by a fist coming out of a panel on the wall; he blindly staggers to the door and Lonnie is on the other side, which startles Stanley, resulting in him slamming the door on Lonnie's face and hitting his nose.
- Fallen-on-Hard-Times Job: Lonnie is a rodeo star, but it's not the season for rodeos, so he has to make do with singing gigs and taking care of the horses at Vera's ranch.
- Hands-On Approach: Lonnie teaches a woman to fire an arrow from a bow by guiding her bodily. The woman is clearly enjoying it and Pam makes a snarky comment about it being all business to Lonnie.
- Inner Monologue: Lonnie and Stanley chase Pam by car so Lonnie and Pam can talk about their feelings. All three of them have their thoughts on the situation. After Stanley finishes his, Lonnie turns to him as though he heard him and says "That's right".
- Moment Killer: Vera moves to kiss Lonnie, but is interrupted by a phone call, which considerably annoys her.
- Nobody Here but Us Statues: One of the men harrassing Lonnie, Pam and Stanley at the hotel pretends to be a dummy decorating a hallway, but Lonnie figures him out quick through a staring contest.
- Over-the-Shoulder Carry: As Pam refuses to go in a hotel with Lonnie when it's pouring, Lonnie puts her over his shoulder, smacks her behind and carries her in against her protests.
- "Scooby-Doo" Hoax: The apparent haunts spooking Lonnie, Pam and Stanley at the abandoned hotel are actually normal human men in masks trying to get the fortune that Pam's grandfather left her.
- Serenade Your Lover: Lonnie sings to Pam outside her house by way of apology after she catches him and Vera kissing.
- Sleeping with the Boss: While things stay PG-rated at most, Vera doesn't hide the fact that she lusts after her employee Lonnie as hard as any of her customers. Lonnie lampshades the awkwardness of being romantic with one's boss, which doesn't stop him from making out with her, but ultimately he prefers Pam, who's his equal.
