Loco por las muchachas

This certainly isn't one of Elvis'good movies -- but it holds a sentimental favorite place in my heart. It was one of the first Elvis movies I ever saw.

Set amongst the islands of Hawaii, Presley plays tuna-fisherman/tour-guide Ross Carpenter, trying to make ends meet so he can buy his dream boat and go into business for himself. Adding complications is Carpenter's love triangle with two very different dames: jaded nightclub singer Robin (Stella Stevens), and young heiress Laurel (Laurel Goodwin), who's looking to experience life on the other side of the social divide.

With it's exotic location filming and the charm of Presley, GIRLS! GIRLS! GIRLS! is a pleasant movie to watch. It is worth reminding ourselves that Elvis did not write the scripts for the films. Hollywood did. Anything you don't like about any of Elvis' legendary movies, blame Hollywood. But mostly blame his greedy over-bearing manager, 'col' Tom Parker. He put all the deals together!

Elvis as a fisherman whose biggest dream is to own the boat he helped build with his father - to aid him in his quest he works for a jerk and sings at a club. Also, he falls for a girl.

Rumor is that studio execs in the 60's said that Elvis's films didn't need titles - just numbers. It's pretty funny, but I'm not in a position to judge just yet - I have a lot a Elvis flicks to go through. "Girls, Girls, Girls" is a pretty mediocre fare with sub par songs and a very thin story.

First off; Elvis isn't believable for a second as a fisherman. His on screen image as a somewhat mischievous yet good natured and wholly independent working class Joe (who never accepts handouts) is already getting tiresome; with some 20 more movies to go where he's playing basically the same guy. As most reviewers have pointed out; Elvis was a solid enough actor when working with decent people and material but in this flick he's neither here nor there.

The songs here aren't that good, sad to say. The classic "Return to Sender" is the real standout but others are fairly forgettable.

But on the whole I always enjoy these Elvis movies up to a point. Despite some obvious laziness inherent with Presley's movies they're mostly fairly attractive looking, always displaying nice scenery, have a number of knockout beauties and solid songs (not all, but most).

Elvis did some serious work before this film; most notably "Jailhouse Rock", "King Creole" and "Flaming Star". Those are excellent films, Elvis is excellent in them and they're a worthy addition in any film lover's collection. His later "fluff" films range from good to fairly lacklustre but fans of the King can easily sit through them and enjoy themselves.

"Boats! Boats! Boats!" might have been a more appropriate title for this rather lackluster Elvis feature, one of those formula films that were a dime a dozen. He plays a fisherman who loves being out on the ocean and begins to despair when he learns that his adoptive parents are selling their boats because they must move to a dry climate for health reasons. Nothing very interesting occurs throughout, and Presley is involved in at least three rather embarrassing songs: most notorious is perhaps the silly "Song of the Shrimp", along with a cringe-worthy tango in an apartment called "The Walls Have Ears", and a ridiculous singalong called "Earth Boy" which Elvis sings along with with two little Asian girls (their sister would later star with Elvis in the much better "IT Happened AT THE WORLD'S FAIR"). But at least there is also the decent rocker "I Don't Wanna Be Tied" and especially Elvis' big hit "Return to Sender" to enjoy. It's s a rare opportunity to see him perform the latter classic in a movie, and I'd say it's the best two minutes of the entire film. ** out of ****

Girls! Girls! Girls! is one of Elvis' best. From Storyline to soundtrack, you will be entertained.

Elvis (Ross Carpenter), Plays a fishing guide. He works for a kind old couple,(Papa Stavros) played by Frank Puglia and (Mama Stavros) played by Lili Valenty. They own the (Westwind) a boat that was built by Ross Carpenter's father. When the old couple breaks the news that they are retiring and moving to Arizona, Ross must find a way to buy the boat.

The lovely Stella Stevens (Robin Gantner) plays a singer in a night club that Ross frequents. He also sings at the club from time to time. The two become personally involved.

At the same time Ross has feeling for (Laurel Dodge), played by Laurel Goodwin. Who will he choose? I'm not going to spill the beans. I'll let you find the answer on your own. I can tell you that this picture is well worth your time. Both Stella Stevens and Laurel Goodwin give strong performances. Presely was very strong throughout this picture as well. He looked like he enjoyed working with the cast.

The two little girls in the movie, Ginny Tiu and Mai Ling were very charming. The inner play between Elvis and the children was remarkable. It gave this film a sweet touch.

(Interesting Facts) Girls! Girls! Girls! was released on November 21st 1962. It was nominated for a Golden Globe Award for best picture. Elvis won the 2nd place trophy for best actor at the Laurel Awards. The sound track was one of Elvis' best. It included the #1 smash, "Return To Sender"

One of Elvis' best movie song performances comes in this film, and it's "I Don't Wanna Be Tied". The King is electrifying in this number! I like it better than "Return To Sender", which was the big seller. Elvis shakes and bakes like there's no tomorrow! Next to "C'mon Everybody" from "Viva Las Vegas", I think Elvis does his best movie dancing. EPE ought to re-release this song as they did with "A Little Less Conversation".

Stella Stevens was cool in this film as well.

The King's acting is unusually strong in this film. He has an edge here that is not often seen in his other roles. The scenes with Jeremy Slate and Elvis are particularly entertaining. His character (Ross Carpenter) is in a fix financially and Elvis' edge suits the role.

I think that as the formula plot movies piled up, you can see Elvis just kinda going through the motions, and not developing a character.

Let's face it - Elvis Presley was about as handsome and talented as a man could be. It's a shame that the Colonel put him on the movie treadmill with banal vehicles.

I've heard that Elvis was offered the role of Tony in "West Side Story", but the Colonel's greed screwed up the deal. What a shame. It could have put Elvis in a serious direction cinematically. The role went to Richard Beymer, who was panned by the critics. I think of Elvis singing "Maria", "There's A Place For Us", and I know he would have been fantastic.