Il Monte di Venere

Here is an Elvis picture with something for everyone: The King appearing in a dual role as a soldier and a hillbilly, exciting fist-fights, surrealistically phony mountain and forest studio sets, hapless choreography, and gorgeous Yvonne Craig as one of the backwoods spitfires who tries to capture E's heart. The film's true value, however, is that is accomplishes the touchstone of any Presley flick worth its salt -- it contains a scene in which Elvis takes a pratfall into a body of water. In one song, E croons, "Life's a playful puppy/You can grab by the scruff/And if you live every sec, what the heck?/Once is enough." My thoughts exactly.

Elvis had to work overtime in this flick because he plays two parts. Did Marlon Brando ever play two parts? Did Montgomery Clift? Did James Dean? Nope, only Elvis could handle such a challenge. Actually I'm not even sure if Brando, Clift and Dean did double duty, but even if they did, there is no way they could be as good as Elvis. In the 1960s seeing double was hot in the television and motion picture business. Hayley Mills, Patty Duke and Bob Denver all took on duo roles in their respective projects. It only made sense to have Elvis do it too. He seems to have fun playing Jodie Tatum since he is liberated from having to play "the Elvis movie character" that he pretty much was forced to do in all his other movies. He's allowed to be a bit of a rascal. Elvis also gets to fight himself which is always fun to see an actor do. The biggest weakness of this film is that Yvonne Craig did not get to play two parts. I wouldn't have minded seeing two of her.

Elvis returns to the military comedy genre a few years after 'GI Blues' in this hillbilly romp about a pilot recruited to help convince his kin folk to let the S.A.C. put a missile silo on their land. Elvis also plays a secondary role as his look-alike hillbilly cousin.

The material is straight out of Li'l Abner - man-crazy half-dressed hillbilly females, disgusting possum based cuisine, a mournful coon hound and a patriarch named Pappy, not to mention moonshiners with a powerful dislike for 'Revenuers'. It's pretty familiar stuff, but dished up with enough energy and amiability that for once the whole exercise manages to rise above the usual (low) formulaic quickie level of the 'Elvis movie'. There are a few half decent songs and a couple of rousing musical numbers in the spirit of Seven Brides for Seven Brothers (albeit much less elaborately choreographed). Of interest - leading actress Yvonne Craig became famous two years later as Batgirl.

Glenda Farrell was in some of the greatest films of the early 1930's, including, "Little Caesar," "I Was Fugitive From a Chain Gang," "Mysteries of the Wax Museum," and "Gold Diggers of 1935". It was delightful to see her as a hillbilly mammy in this film. The director, to his eternal credit, even gave her a song to sing without Elvis. It was the best song in the film. I wonder if anybody else ever got to sing a solo in an Elvis picture?

It was also nice to see Yvonne Craig, she because famous a couple of years later when she became a regular on the "Batman" television series as "Batgirl". It was a gimmick that helped save the rapidly fading series for a short while. She was rather adorable and perky in the role, as she was in this movie. Unfortunately, her career went nowhere, except for occasional television guest spots.

Pam Austin also looked great in this film. She became famous for a Dodge television commercial a couple of years later, inviting people to join the "Dodge Rebellion." She starred in "the Perils of Pauline" with Pat Boone two years later. It was quite an amusing and sweet movie, but sadly her career also went nowhere afterward.

We have to remember that three of the most popular television series at the time this film was made were 1) The Patty Duke Show (Patty Duke playing cousins with opposite personalities), 2) Petticoat Junction (rural comedy) and 3) Hootenanny (music variety show). It must have seemed like a great idea to combine all three themes in one movie. The conflicted cousins theme comes off the worse. Air Force Major Elvis is fine, but Hillbilly Elvis just stands around looking grouchy. The Petticoat Junction theme is transformed into a "Little Abner" theme, but there is no Julie Newmar (Stupifying Jones)to focus on. The Hootenanny that takes up the last 25 minutes is the only part that sort of works. It would have been nicer if there was more time for the choreography. It looks like they only had a couple of days to get it together, but everyone seems to be having a good time and it does send the audience out of the theater tapping their toes.

While not a good film, it is fun and worth seeing for Elvis and Glenda Farrell fans, and people who enjoy 1960's television sitcoms. I thought this was much better than the other Elvis film that Gene Nelson directed, "Harum Scarum". That one really is only for die-hard Elvis.

I think this is a good movie, it does what it is suppose to do make you chuckle and listen to Elvis sing. The cast is totally into the "backwoods characters" they play. Elvis himself (in a dual role) gives a great performance as the backwoods cousin Jody, a Jethro type character but a little sexier and a little smarter. The Air Force pilot cousin Josh is more like the typical Elvis role. Arthur O'Connell is great as Papa Tatem. Jack Albertson(from Chico and the Man fame)was also good as Capt. Salvo. The production was low budget and made in about 14 days. Elvis hated the blond wig. The idea here is fun. Nothing serious just 60's fun.