Elvis Has Fun in Acapulco.
It was 61 years ago this month that "Fun in Acapulco" was released. This was the last Elvis movie before Beatlemania really started to take over. It was peak Elvis and is my favorite movie with him.
Join me for a recap (with spoilers because the movie is 61 years old after all):
Elvis is working in Mexico but gets fired for being a good guy. He meets a young friend named "Raoul." (Side note: Elvis CAN NOT say Raoul the right way. It usually comes out as "rawl" but it doesn't matter because it's Elvis.)
Raoul offers to help him get a new job. Here is a video of the two of them on the way to the interview.
Don't you enjoy the green screen work? This happens because Elvis was actually not allowed into Mexico when this movie was being filmed. The last time he was there, they had all sorts of riots so he was forbidden from returning. You can tell that all of the actual Mexico shots have a standin for Elvis.
Well, Elvis lands the job, but there is trouble with getting paid in Mexico so he does it for room and board. He performs music for the hotel and also does singing just about anywhere he goes.
But he also does lifeguarding.
And in this role, you learn that he's actually a circus performer from the US who made a mistake on the high trapeze which lead to the death of his brother. Now he's in Mexico working on his courage. The perfect way to do this is the high diving boards. The drama on the way up the ladder is real.
But to do lifeguarding at all, he has to steal work hours from the full-time lifeguard who also happens to be a famous cliff diver. This makes that man angry so in return, Elvis steals his girl as well, named Margarita. Margarita is played by infamous Bond girl, Ursula Andress.
In one scene while they were eating, Elvis is getting antsy for his food and Margarita tells him. “Be patient. You are in Mexico. Food takes a while to prepare in Mexico but it’s worth waiting.”
I couldn't agree more with this truth.
(Sidenote: In a turning of the table, it's said that Elvis actually hired someone to be with him while around Ursula because he was afraid of falling for her charm. He was still trying to win back Priscilla at the time and didn't want to take any chances.)
In addition to Margarita, Elvis is also dating Dolores who is a famous bull fighter.
In the movie script, Elvis gets all the girls. But watch closely and you can see that even the extras are absolutely smitten with Elvis because it's hard to separate the acting from actual Elvis in front of you.
All of this action comes to a climax when Elvis wins a fight with the lifeguard, overcomes his anxieties of returning to high places by taking his place in the major cliff diving event of the day, performs flawlessly, gets forgiveness from the lifeguard, and then leaves with the girl.
Overall, it's such an enjoyable movie. Elvis constantly breaks into song and everyone loves it then and now.
It's available a few different places, including for free from many libraries.
This concludes my review of a 61 year old movie. Stay tuned for other very important and timely posts like a breakdown of this masterpiece James Taylor concert for the BBC in 1970.