It's a mistake to think that Col Tom Parker shoved Elvis into nothing but colourful pap - after GI Blues the King made two more serious films, Flaming Star and Wild in the Country, but audience response wasn't as enthusiastic, so this was an attempt to come up with something more colourful and fun. The public loved it and it was one of Elvis biggest hits - and thereafter, admittedly, Col Tom shoved Elvis into mostly pap (the majority of which followed the formula established here).
The plot mostly has Elvis running around Hawaii trying to avoid working for his dad after coming out of the army. There is lots of bright colour, Hawaiian locations, some genuinely funny Hal Kanter lines and a sparkling performance from Angela Lansbury as Elvis' mom, plus some strong songs including "I Can't Help Falling In Love" (this has got one of the best soundtracks of any Elvis films).
Joan Blackman is pretty enough as the female lead - apparently her role was also offered to Juliet Prowse, who made too many demands, and Pamela Tiffin, who turned it down - both would have been better (sorry, Joan).
The script isn't the strongest - it sort of ambles along with little conflict, with far too many scenes of Elvis using rougher than usual handling on women (he forces himself upon his girlfriend, spanks another, etc); Norman Taurog's direction isn't fantastic, either - two songs Elvis singing in a car (why not get him moving out and about?). The relationship between Elvis and his girlfriend is an intriguing one - she's really just a pal for him, a very good looking pal, but clearly just someone who's been around forever - and it's clear at the end she'll be doing all the work at the office while he takes tourists around, and that's most of the attraction for Elvis. More realistic than one expects!
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