Girl Happy (1965) Reviews

• Lots of fun in the sun with Elvis and friends

  shelties4us2005-01-22

  Girl Happy is typical of the mid-sixties beach movies,and to some extent,it is similar to another earlier film,"Where the Boys Are".Both take place in Fort Lauderdale,Florida during college spring-break.The plot is simple,and the songs are plentiful.Besides looking and sounding great,Elvis displays his natural talent for comedy,which most actors will admit is more difficult than straight drama.The film is pure fun and moves pretty quickly.Harold J. Stone is excellent as the tough,gangster-like father of co-star Shelley Fabares,who is her usual adorably cute love interest.Plenty of slapstick comedy with Elvis assisted by Gary Crosby(Bing's son),Joby Baker,and Jimmy Hawkins.If you are looking for a fun-filled musical 90 minutes without profanity,violence,substance abuse, or nudity/sexuality,then Girl Happy will make you happy.What's taking the studio so long to release this title on DVD?

• Playboy singer keeps his eyes on a mobster's daughter.

  michaelRokeefe1999-10-29

  Elvis Presley formula movie at its best. Some catchy music, nice scenery and girls galore. Rusty Wells (Elvis) leaves the blowing snow of Chicago for the beaches at Fort Lauderdale during spring break. Rusty and his band are to guard a mobster's(Harold J. Stone) daughter(Shelley Fabares) without her knowledge. Boy sings; girls swoon. Best songs are "Cross My Heart And Hope To Die", "Puppet On A String" and "Got To Find My Baby". Cast seems like a party list featuring Mary Ann Mobley, Gary Crosby, Joby Baker, Jimmy Hawkins, Chris Noel and Nita Talbot. One of the most liked Elvis flicks. Soundtrack sold tons.

• Elvis in Hollywood

  wes-connors2009-08-16

  Nightclub singer Elvis Presley (as Rusty Wells) is hired to chaperone sexy Shelley Fabares (as Valerie Frank), with predictable results... While it was not strong enough to have be trumpeted as a significant improvement at the time, "Girl Happy" is a cut above the (then) average Presley movie. Most importantly, director Boris Sagal, along with the writing team of Harvey Bullock and R.S. Allen, effectively make more of a situation comedy with Elvis music, than the more often used, and vacuously plotted, "Elvis travelogue" with tunes. The comedy is well-paced, nicely played, and includes some genuinely funny moments. Ms. Fabares' innocent sexuality compliments Presley, and they play very well on screen together. Fabares was understandably invited to co-star in additional Presley movies (with mixed results, due to weakening material). Also very good are Elvis frantic band-mates Jimmy Hawkins (as Doc), Gary Crosby (Andy), and Joby Baker (Wilbur). Fabares and Mr. Hawkins had been a cute teenage couple on "The Donna Reed Show". Mr. Crosby was one of Bing's sons (which turned out to be less fortunate than you'd think). And, Mr. Baker was in a regrettably short-lived Dick Van Dyke-type comedy called "Good Morning World". MGM wisely used RCA's soundtrack studio record takes for "Girl Happy" (for the most part). In the past, there were sometimes completely separate versions for film and record, with the lamer versions making the film. Presley recorded the "Girl Happy" songs in June 1964; in hindsight, these and the just completed "Roustabout" were the last gasp of Presley as a dependable pop soundtrack singer. Critics weren't enthusiastic about his 1960s film songs, but there were scattered gems throughout. Nothing herein approaches "Return to Sender", but there are no real dogs, either. The speeded-up vocals evident on "Girl Happy" were not uncommon; recording stars and record companies routinely speeded-up recordings. In the 1960s, many radio stations speeded up every record they played; this way, they could play more records, and get in more commercials. Many old TV shows are speeded-up, also… but, back to Presley: His next film, "Tickle Me", featured no newly recorded soundtrack songs. After a long period of inactivity, he recorded "Harum Sacrum", the first wholly substandard soundtrack of his career. That was followed by "Frankie and Johnny". So, dig right in and "Do the Clam". ****** Girl Happy (3/27/65) Boris Sagal ~ Elvis Presley, Shelley Fabares, Jimmy Hawkins, Gary Crosby

• The King Does Spring Break

  cgvegas2006-07-06

  Enjoyable light-hearted fun. A good movie by mid-sixties Elvis standards. Elvis' favorite leading lady was Shelly Fabres and it's easy to see the chemistry they had together. Most of the songs are very good, unlike many of Elvis' movie soundtracks of the time. Most memorable to me is the wonderful "Wolf Call". And this time the story seems to hold together, as Elvis plays an actual professional singer, rather than a his typical race car driver or daredevil who also sings. His group, which appears regularly in Ft. Lauderdale during spring break, has been asked, after some convincing from Elvis, by his gangster-like employer at their Chicago club gig to keep an eye on his daughter while down there. Lots of funny scenes which keep things rolling along. Anyone looking to laugh and relax s little for 90 minutes should check it out.

• Elvis and Shelley Fabares and supporting cast make this a perfect movie

  w22nuschler2006-07-04

  If you want a great, happy, entertaining, sexy, fun movie this is the one to watch. Elvis and Shelley Fabares are in peak form for this film. The plot is straight forward. Elvis and his band(Gary Crosby, Jimmy Hawkins & Joby Baker) are sent by Mr. Frank(Harold J. Stone) to Fort Lauderdale to keep an eye on Valerie Frank(Shelley Fabares), his daughter. The movie starts with Elivs and his group on stage singing Girl Happy(great song). Then they head off to Fort Lauderdale to keep an eye on Shelley. They sing Spring Fever(great song)together with the girls in their cars. There are some great close-ups of Shelley's beautiful face in the car. They arrive at the Seadrift Motel. They find out Shelley is a hottie when she goes for a swim. Elvis goes out to sing Fort Lauderdale Chamber of Commerce(great song). Shellley in coming out of the pool at the time. We get see her in a two piece swimsuit. Nice Body! Anyway, she goes to the club with a nerd that night and leaves with Roman(a Latin wanting to get romantic). Elvis and his clan find them on his boat and drive it back to their hotel before anything happens. Next day we get a scene with Shelley in a nice looking two piece yellow swimsuit. Ramano takes her back to the hotel for something. The guys get Elvis to intervene. He calls the manager in and he breaks up a card game they are playing. Elvis decides to add her to the act to keep an eye on her. Next scene is Elvis and group singing Meanest Girl in Town(great song). Shelley comes out in a gold top tied at the bust and black hot pants and high heels(she has never looked hotter than in this scene). She dances around with a sign reading I'm Evil. With her belly button exposed she does a few more sexy spins and the song ends. She goes in to change(too bad). That scene is worth a rewind or two. Next Elvis sings Do the Clam(great song) to get her to come to him. He takes her home singing Puppet on a String(great song). About this time his other girl Dina thinks he misses her. Elvis has Shelley to dinner and Dina also shows up. Elvis is very funny here as he tries to keep both women from seeing one another. Elvis and Shelley then have a good time riding, dancing and sailing. Finally Shelley gets a phone call from dad and he tells her about sending Elvis to watch her. She goes wild with Romano at a dance club and gets arrested. Elvis tries to break in, but is too late. He goes back to the club to sing on the last night. He goes out to pick a girl to take on stage for the last song Girl Happy. Shelley is there and all is forgiven after the Mr. Frank has told Shelley that he really has feelings for her. They go up on stage and dance and kiss. The movie ends happily the way I like. All the songs are top notch and every actor in the film is great. So if you want a happy, upbeat movie try Girl Happy, Elvis' best movie.