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Roustabout
Even with a movie legend as one of his leading ladies, Elvis Presley's 1964 musical Roustabout is nothing to write home about.
Elvis plays Charlie Rogers, a hot-tempered, motorcycle-riding nightclub singer who loses his job after getting into a fight. He almost immediately finds another job singing for a traveling carnival, run by Maggie (Barbara Stanwyck) and her alcoholic manager John (Leif Ericksen). Despite the fact that John hates Charlie from the minute he meets him, that doesn't stop Charlie from falling for John's pretty daughter, Cathy (Joan Freeman).
I guess the novelty here was supposed to be the pairing of movie icon Stanwyck with Elvis. Stanwyck probably needed the work at the time and everyone was jumping on the Elvis bandwagon at the time. Unfortunately, the pairing did not generate the heat that people were hoping for. Stanwyck does put some effort into making Maggie likable, but she and the Pelvis really had no chemistry. The only female Elvis generates any chemistry with in this movie is the always watchable Sue Ane Langdon, who plays a phony fortune teller, but she and Elvis only have about five minutes of screentime together. And though his character rides a motorcycle, Elvis looks terrified every time he gets on the thing and in the long shots, you can tell it's a stunt double on the bike.
Elvis does get to sing some nice songs including "Poison Ivy League", "Wheels on y Heels", "One Track Heart", "It's a Wonderful World", "One Track Heart", and the jazzy "Little Egypt". They are pleasant enough diversions, but there's no "Hound Dog" or "Can't Help Falling in Love" here.
Director John Rich, who later made a name for himself directing a lot of the CBS sitcom All in the Family, provides little imagination in the mounting of the story, but familiar faces do pop up in small roles, including Pat Buttram, Jane Dulo, Kent McCord, Teri Garr, Jack Alebertson, and in her official film debut, a young actress by the name of Raquel Welch. For hardcore Elvis fans only.
Even with a movie legend as one of his leading ladies, Elvis Presley's 1964 musical Roustabout is nothing to write home about.
Elvis plays Charlie Rogers, a hot-tempered, motorcycle-riding nightclub singer who loses his job after getting into a fight. He almost immediately finds another job singing for a traveling carnival, run by Maggie (Barbara Stanwyck) and her alcoholic manager John (Leif Ericksen). Despite the fact that John hates Charlie from the minute he meets him, that doesn't stop Charlie from falling for John's pretty daughter, Cathy (Joan Freeman).
I guess the novelty here was supposed to be the pairing of movie icon Stanwyck with Elvis. Stanwyck probably needed the work at the time and everyone was jumping on the Elvis bandwagon at the time. Unfortunately, the pairing did not generate the heat that people were hoping for. Stanwyck does put some effort into making Maggie likable, but she and the Pelvis really had no chemistry. The only female Elvis generates any chemistry with in this movie is the always watchable Sue Ane Langdon, who plays a phony fortune teller, but she and Elvis only have about five minutes of screentime together. And though his character rides a motorcycle, Elvis looks terrified every time he gets on the thing and in the long shots, you can tell it's a stunt double on the bike.
Elvis does get to sing some nice songs including "Poison Ivy League", "Wheels on y Heels", "One Track Heart", "It's a Wonderful World", "One Track Heart", and the jazzy "Little Egypt". They are pleasant enough diversions, but there's no "Hound Dog" or "Can't Help Falling in Love" here.
Director John Rich, who later made a name for himself directing a lot of the CBS sitcom All in the Family, provides little imagination in the mounting of the story, but familiar faces do pop up in small roles, including Pat Buttram, Jane Dulo, Kent McCord, Teri Garr, Jack Alebertson, and in her official film debut, a young actress by the name of Raquel Welch. For hardcore Elvis fans only.