"Clambake" (1967 release; 100 min.) brings the story of Scott Hayward, son of a Texas oil tycoon. As the movie opens, Scott is on his way to Florida, tired of being known only as the son of a rich daddy. Arriving in Florida, Scott meets Tom Wilson, the new ski instructor at a Miami Beach resort. Next thing we know, these two decide to take on each other's identity. so that Scott can experience what life is really like without being rich daddy's son. At the resort, Scott meets Dianne Carter, who immediately wants to start water skying lessons, even though it turns out she is quite accomplished already... At this point we are 10 min. into the movie.
Couple of comments: by the time this latest Elvis vehicle was released (in the Fall of 1967), the quality of the never-ending stream of Elvis movies (typically 3 movies a year) had deteriorated even more than before. The plot is, per the usual, wafer-thin, in fact so thin that if you were to sneeze, there would be nothing left. However, that is not the main issue with this film. The music is is worse than second rate, and that is simply not acceptable. The film's photography, with constant back-and-forth between outdoor shots and in-studio cut-ins for the water-skying scenes and the car and bike scenes, is beyond lame, sorry. I wish I could be more positive about this film, but I simply can't.
"Clambake" is the 6th or 7th Elvis movie that I've watched in the last two weeks or so, leading up to the 43rd anniversary of his passing away, on HDNet TV, and surely the last. Even if you are a die-hard Elvis fan, I could not recommend this film in good conscience to anyone. Instead I'd suggest you check out some of the far more superior films from earlier in his career, such as "Blue Hawaii" and "G.I. Blues", just to mention those. But if you must, watch "Clambake" at your own peril of boredom...
Couple of comments: by the time this latest Elvis vehicle was released (in the Fall of 1967), the quality of the never-ending stream of Elvis movies (typically 3 movies a year) had deteriorated even more than before. The plot is, per the usual, wafer-thin, in fact so thin that if you were to sneeze, there would be nothing left. However, that is not the main issue with this film. The music is is worse than second rate, and that is simply not acceptable. The film's photography, with constant back-and-forth between outdoor shots and in-studio cut-ins for the water-skying scenes and the car and bike scenes, is beyond lame, sorry. I wish I could be more positive about this film, but I simply can't.
"Clambake" is the 6th or 7th Elvis movie that I've watched in the last two weeks or so, leading up to the 43rd anniversary of his passing away, on HDNet TV, and surely the last. Even if you are a die-hard Elvis fan, I could not recommend this film in good conscience to anyone. Instead I'd suggest you check out some of the far more superior films from earlier in his career, such as "Blue Hawaii" and "G.I. Blues", just to mention those. But if you must, watch "Clambake" at your own peril of boredom...