Miliardario... ma bagnino

As weird as this sounds, I've always preferred the Elvis movies that aren't considered among his best. His best include "Jailhouse Rock," "Loving You" and "Wild In The Country." You know, the heavier, more serious early ones.

No, I'll take his later films - you got it, the dumb, stupid, oh-so light ones. Films like "Tickle Me," "Girl Happy," "Spinout" and "Double Trouble." And "Clambake." The plots were always mindless fun and "Clambake" is no different.

Elvis was almost always a moody, brooding loner in the early films. He usually played unappreciative guys with chips on his shoulder the size of the Rock of Gibraltar. The characters in those films are guys I'd have little desire to know.

However, the guys he played in his later movies aren't that way at all. They're nice, decent, upstanding, fun-loving fellas. I like those guys. I like watching them as heroes, as leading characters in fun, dumb little movies. Hence, I like those movies a lot more. I couldn't give a rat's rear about appraising them as serious films because they're not.

In his silly mindless mid-'60s films, Elvis always had a goofy main sidekick. Here in "Clambake," it's Will Hutchins, who starred in one of Warner brothers' classic '60s television westerns, "Sugarfoot." And believe me, Hutchins can goof it up with the best of them.

The two wise, sage, old guys are (1) old pro James Gregory and (2) Bette Davis' ex, Gary Merrill, who, if you really look, often looked as though he hated whatever film he was in.

Elvis' Number One girl, Shelly Fabares plays the gal Elvis competes for with Bill "My Favorite Martian" Bixby. There are also plenty of Elvis Girls around, as usual.

Alas, there are no true classics or any memorable songs in the entire film. Tunes like "High Hopes" clone "Confidence" aren't either.

"Clambake" ain't no "Tickle me," but it's still great fun!

The absolute nadir of Presley's movie career. Hell, this one is so bad that it even qualifies as the lowest point in the careers of Shelley Fabares, Will Hutchins, and Bill Bixby, none of whom have particularly distinguished credits. Anyone with fond memories of Elvis in his prime can only wince at the sight of this cultural icon lethargically wandering across the set of this painfully stupid film. Thankfully, there are only seven songs in all, but even though the soundtrack album was padded with "bonus songs" like "Guitar Man" and "Big Boss Man," RCA still had to include an autographed photo from Presley's wedding to move the thing.

That's right....the filmmakers are so lazy, they don't even bother about hiding the California mountains in the final shots. It's bad enough that we must sit through dozens of rear-projected shots; it's quite obvious Elvis never set foot in Florida for this flick. By this time, Presley's movies were becoming interchangeable - same plots, same songs, same go-go dance numbers, etc. Well, I enjoyed "Clambake" when I was ten years old, but I'm afraid it's quite difficult to sit through as an adult.

Instead, catch 1962's "Follow That Dream," which is actually filmed in Florida. The plot is a bit hokey, but Elvis still looks sexy, and has some fun with the role.

Not-bad Elvis Presley outing has the son of a Texas oil tycoon escaping to Cypress Gardens, Florida in search of a girl who will love him for himself and not his millions; after swapping identities with a penniless water-ski instructor (unctuous Will Hutchins), Presley falls for a pretty brunette who makes it clear she wants only to marry for money. Lively direction by Arthur Nadel gives this musical-comedy some drive, with studio shots and location footage smoothly integrated (although the back-projection routine does get a real workout). Elvis sings a handful of fine songs including "A House That Has Everything", and his performance towers above the others, particularly a grating turn by Bill Bixby as a professional speedboat racer. The close-ups of the cast during the climactic speedboat race are hilariously over-exaggerated, but Shelley Fabares is a decent love-interest and the flick has a satisfying wrap-up. **1/2 from ****

By 1967 with the Beatles leading the British invasion of new musical performers, the King of the Sixties was in decline at least in his film career.

You can tell with Clambake. The plot is essentially the same story as Blue Hawaii and not half as good. Once again he's the son of a rich man who wants to make it on his own. This time though he changes places with happy-go-lucky water skiing instructor Will Hutchins. They're both headed to the same Florida resort now with each other's identities.

Well of course being he's the King, he does find a girl who falls for him without knowing he's a millionaire. For the rest of it you'll have to buy or rent the film.

He does have some nice songs. Two songs Who Needs Money is the kind of stuff Bing Crosby used to do in a lot of his films, the upbeat philosophical number and the song Confidence is a ripoff of Frank Sinatra's High Hopes. But Elvis does well by both.

He also reprises a song he missed the first time around. You might remember that the original artist who sang the song, Jerry Vale, got to reprise it in Goodfellas. You Don't Know Me sold a whole lot of platters for Mr. Vale, but the big seller of that song was done by Ray Charles. Presley does very well by it, a pity it did not become a big hit for him like it was for the other two.

As usual Elvis gets a nice supporting cast and a pretty leading lady in Shelley Fabares. In the cast we have Bill Bixby, Will Hutchins, Gary Merrill and James Gregory all of whom do a good job.

Still it's all been done before.