L'Idole d'Acapulco

If you are an Elvis fanatic, you have to see all the movies he made, even of the majority of them are not even decent. The fact that he is in them makes them more than they would normally be. This entry is not that bad - I mean it. You have Ursula Andress, always a plus, and all those location shots. Plus the number "Bossa Nova Baby" is great. Like this movie? Of course I do - the man is known as the King for a reason, and proper respect must be paid to the man.

Richard Thorpe directed a previous Elvis movie, "Jailhouse Rock". Elvis plays Mike Windgren, who is running away from a family trapeze act accident. He is hired as a life guard and singer. Elsa Cardenas, a lady bullfighter, wants Mike's attention. The beautiful Ursula Andress plays hard to get. Mike gets over his fear of heights by diving off one of the local landmark cliffs. The eleven song soundtrack of Latin-beat ditties includes "You Can't Say No In Acapulco" and the million plus selling "Bossa Nova Baby". Better than average travelog.

Released in 1963, "Fun in Acapulco" stars Elvis Presley as a lifeguard/singer at a ritzy Mexican resort who stirs the interest of two women and rivalry of a Mexican diver. Fun in Acapulco is an amusing musical/comedy directed by Richard Thorpe, the same director from 'Jailhouse Rock'.

It plays out exactly as you expect and production values waver from scene to scene. But there's nearly always something cheery about Presley's movies, and this one is no different. If you can accept them for what they are, and ignore what a shame that Presley's early acting promise wasn't fulfilled? Then there's a good time to be had in Acapulco.

The acting is good,a good fun story line and great singing make for a very enjoyable 95 mins. Recommended to all regardless of whether you're an Elvis fan or not. After all, how can you say no to Acapulco And Elvis...

coulda-shoulda(s): Elvis is King of Pop and King of shoulda-wouldas > since so much of his '60s career was based upon movies and move soundtracks, we have a perfect example of what coulda shoulda woulda been: in 1962 Elvis traveled to the Seattle World's Fair to film IT HAPPENED AT THE WORLD'S FAIR. in 1963 Elvis traveled to Mexico to film FUN IN ACAPULCO. not really > he had traveled to Canada before, so the excuse of his Manager not being a citizen and therefore couldn't travel, won't take.

so the movie co. gets down some nice location shots for cheesy rear projections.

having said all that, we have some positives: yes Elvis played once again the loner, fighting inner demons, and outer angels (aka girls, girls, girls). but the storyline is quite enticing: can this young man, playing lifeguard during the day and nightclub swinger at night, manage to overcome his fear of heights and do the big dive off the cliff? good storytelling! very good script (for an Elvis musical). and very importantly, although there are way too many songs, they are all good, some fantastic, like MARGARITA (written by noted ballad writer, Don Roberson), and the unknown Leiber and Stoller BOSSA NOVA BABY. Elvis really sings his heart out and we have the most "production" since the BLUE HAWAII recording sessions.

After her big break role in Dr. No Ursula Andress got to co-star with Elvis Presley in Fun In Acapulco. Not that she or Elvis got to have any fun in Acapulco off the set because Paramount did all their location footage with doubles. On learning that fact I carefully watched all the scenes and if you examine it closely which the average member of the movie-going public did not do you can clearly see that the King is being doubled.

Still Acapulco is certainly shown to best advantage with that second unit cinematography. And Elvis sings some nice songs, none of which really charted for him.

Fun In Acapulco find Elvis working as a charter boat skipper who gets fired and is stranded in the famous Mexican resort town. He has a past which involves him being involved in a family trapeze act and when he failed to catch his brother during the act resulting in the brother's demise it left him with a fear of heights and failure.

Still he can sing and he gets a job at one of the resorts due to an enterprising shoeshine boy played by little Larry Domasin. And he gets two girls falling for him, lady bullfighter Elsa Cardenas and an exiled princess Ursula Andress. That gets Mexican high diving champion Alejandro Rey all bent out of shape. Ursula's dad, a former Grand Duke from some Zenda like duchy is played by Paul Lukas who is now making a living as the head chef at the resort hotel Presley is singing at. Another great example of Colonel Tom Parker getting Elvis the best support possible. I have no doubt that Parker also got former MGM contract director Richard Thorpe who did a number of MGM classics back in the day to direct the film.

Elvis does a bit of acting here and Fun In Acapulco gives the King a bit of an acting job which he carries off as he struggles with his fears.

I'm sure Presley felt gypped along with the rest of the cast in not actually shooting in Acapulco. The second unit shooting though gives Fun In Acapulco a look like the Hawaiian location films that Presley did. And it's a nice story with a capable cast backing up the King.