#Fun in Acapulco

[twobootsgirl]

[edenbluesky]

Miƙe (Elνis Pɾesleʮ)-Mɑɾguɑɾitɑ (Uɾsulɑ Aƞɗɾess), ɾecσƞciliɑtiσƞ. "Fuƞ iƞ Acɑpulcσ" -1963-.

[hooked-on-elvis]

Elvis as Mike Windgren in Fun In Acapulco (Paramount Pictures, 1963)

[atleastpleasetelephone]

How does one get between these legs? Asking for a friend 👀

[nellarw95]

Happy Heavenly Birthday Elvis 🎂💔

Elvis Aaron Presley 🤍

January 8,1935 - August 16,1977🙏🏻

We Miss You So Much 🕊️♾️

Buon Compleanno in Paradiso 🎂💔

8 Gennaio 1935 - 16 Agosto 1977🙏🏻

Ci Manchi Moltissimo 🕊️♾️

[editslovejazzy]

I’ll gladly have fun in alcapulco with Elvis

[deke-rivers-1957]

ECU Film Ranking Part 2

This is the 2nd part of a 3 part series where after 10 or so movies, I’ll rank them in reverse order with 10 being the worst and 1 being the best. My ranks are based on how much I liked the movie, how much I liked Elvis’ character, and how well it was executed. Each entry will have an explanation so I hope my opinions make sense. If you have any disagreements feel free to share them. Enjoy!

This is going to shock everyone since I just posted a scathing review on Harum Scarum. However, after looking back at the last 10 movies, Change of Habit having a wishy washy political standing leaves a bad taste in my mouth. How am I supposed to enjoy this movie when you have rage reduction therapy being used on an 8 year girl, very harmful portrayals of minorities and the gratuitous usage of slurs? The gritty nature of this movie doesn't work when you have the rage reduction scene be immediately followed by the characters having a jolly good time at the park. It doesn't allow you to emotionally recover from the horrifying sight that was at the time a "groundbreaking treatment". It also doesn't help that Dr. John Carpenter was such a boring character to the point where Sister Michelle overshadowed him. Where would he be if he never met the Sisters? Absolutely fine. Sure he would still be in want of help, but it isn't as if his clinic was in danger of closing. Elvis might have top billing but this is not an Elvis movie which makes it even more sad that this was his final acting role. Instead of being the proverbial last hurrah, this was the final nail in the coffin for his Hollywood career.

This is unmistakably an Elvis movie. The problem is that it's just bad. You immediately question the movie's logic from minute one of actual movie time and it doesn't get better from there. It at the very least has the benefit of taking place in a fictional country. Despite being heavily inspired by the Middle East and actual Islamic beliefs, Lunarkand is not a real place. So when I criticize the cultural representation, it's because I pick up on the similarities with what's true in the real world. That still doesn't save the world building from being super confusing. Especially when you consider the in universe possibility that Johnny will one day be King of Lunarkand. The fact that something that significant isn't even acknowledged in the movie is baffling. It's also bizarre how Johnny was portrayed as this overpowered action hero yet by the end of the movie Johnny doesn't even beat Sinan or Prince Dragna. While it was his idea to protect the King while they stormed the palace, Sinan was taken out in the most nonsense way possible, and Prince Dragna was defeated offscreen by the King in a fight scene we only saw the beginning of. This makes Johnny's ending unsatisfying as he got such a huge "prize" when he didn't really do that much. The world that was created for this story feels broken and I have no idea how you could fix it. Especially when you consider that all of what happens in this movie takes place over Johnny's week long vacation. Anything longer would create even more plot holes on how he could be gone without anyone including the United States government immediately try contacting the King.

Story wise this movie has a clear direction. Do I agree with all decisions that were made? No but I can at least understand why they had to keep things simple. It was an Elvis movie in the early 1960s, so emphasizing Mike's PTSD more than they did wouldn't match the otherwise light hearted tone. That being said, the romance is very boring to watch. How does Margarita being an ousted Duchess impact anything? It doesn't. Her and the former Duke are working at a luxurious resort in Acapulco. Sure it isn't glamorous nobility life, but it's better than what a lot of people in the Mexican working class had. Therefore, I just have no reason to care about the Duke wanting his daughter to get an American VISA. If Mike had never come to Acapulco, they would've continued to live a comfortable life without any foreseeable threat of poverty. It only comes off as forced so Mike and Margarita end up together when they don't have that much chemistry. Mike has more chemistry with Raoul who is a 10 year old boy that acts as his manager. There are so many good ideas in this movie that should work on paper that were simply never fleshed out. I would've loved to see Mike meet up with his parents in Acapulco. That would've been a nice call back to the telegram he received and would give Moreno finding out the truth more weight. Unfortunately that simply didn't happen.

This movie's plot was a mess. How do you balance Mike and Danny trying to find a job to buy their plane, Sue-Lin wanting to see the sites at the fair and needing to be cared for, Mike wanting to date Nurse Warren, and Mr. Ling going missing? The answer is that you can't without one of those plots suffering. In this case, the romance is what suffered. I have nothing to say about Mike and Nurse Warren because I got nothing from the movie to suggest that womanizing Mike would realistically fall for her. Mike being rejected isn't this magically bizarre concept so Nurse Warren doing so doesn't make her that special. I don't think it's worse than the other three movies though since there was a very specific reason behind the movie being rushed. The 1962 World's Fair in Seattle was only open for 6 months. Production wise, it was doomed from the start and the writing unfortunately suffered because of it. But for what they were attempting to do, I appreciate the effort as Sue-Lin is an amazing showcase of young talent. She isn't an obnoxious brat, or a kid that talks in an over the top cutesy way. The scene where Mr. Ling had to leave for an important job especially showcases this. She doesn't throw a massive temper tantrum that he couldn't take her, but she still cries at how something out of anyone's control would've ruined something she was looking forward to. That takes a good amount of maturity to recognize Mr. Ling had no control over this and that if he didn't work hard, she wouldn't have been able to go at all. Just incredible character writing when dealing with a child character.

This movie had so much promise but man it fell off a cliff once Ms. Prentice and the girls arrive. I found myself feeling more uncomfortable with the Ellie situation than Sarah Lee being outright racist towards Hawaiian people. Ellie's bad mood didn't belong in this lighthearted story and I have no idea why it was added. Sarah Lee's racism/classism at least has a point because it's the main source of conflict. The movie would've been just fine if it was about Chad trying to reconcile his wants with his parents wants since that's drama inducing as it is. Maile thinking Chad was cheating on her with Ms. Prentice wasn't entertaining at all and makes the Ellie situation worse as she actually was trying to flirt with Chad. There's also the very obvious issue that we had 3 songs in the span of 10 minutes that add nothing to the movie yet they cut Chad's confrontation song towards Ellie. If her situation was addressed earlier in the movie, I wouldn't have had a problem with it. That time cut from the horrible "running gag" of her failing to seduce Chad could've been spent on a scene where Chad finally puts his foot down with his mother about Maile. I hate that the main conflict of the movie ends with a joke about Sarah Lee fainting over the news that her son is marrying a half Hawaiian girl. It's a lot more satisfying for Chad's happy ending to come from him actually stepping up and telling his mother that the things she says isn't acceptable and that he no longer feels comfortable being around her. I understand it's a real conversation people have with their parents, but I value character driven stories as opposed to something that major occurring only because the script says so.

Allied Artists didn't know how to make an Elvis vehicle and it showed with fully recycled music of varying quality. The romance was bad since Pam comes off as being so judgmental when Lonnie's relationship with their guests isn't her business. I never understood how they went from "strictly business" to getting married since Lonnie seemed very annoyed with Pam. Her playing hard to get attitude I guess was what they were going with, but it didn't work for me. I also wish that the deputy sheriff being the perpetrator wasn't revealed until later because then it would make Lonnie beating him all the more satisfying since we would be just as surprised as the characters would. That being said, this is a guilty pleasure as I very much enjoyed the humor. Lonnie being a straight man who essentially stays the same actually works because you have him bounce off of Stanley who's very neurotic and high strung. You have that reasonable amount of skepticism that makes it all the more funny when he realizes Stanley isn't seeing things. For a very low budget movie, we surprisingly get a lot of different sets which probably cost a pretty penny to set up including the historical townhouse. There's a whole town that had to be made, the ranch itself had to be made and it's incredible how they made such a big setting when most of the budget went to Elvis' salary. It doesn't blow you away by any means but there's a quaint charm to it.

This is how you make a static Elvis character not boring. We don't know the full extent of Jess' criminal nature, but having it be stated that he broke off with Vince indicates his character arc was off screen. Since his reputation is already established he has to prove that he's changed which makes for some natural drama. I have criticized the townsfolk's unbelievably irrational behavior in my review but looking back, I was a bit too harsh. Evacuating the town wouldn't have been as easy as I made it seem either since there's nothing to suggest the nearest town is within walking distance. Given the fragile nature of Sheriff Ramsey's condition and their lack of loyalty to Jess, I better understand the town's reluctancy. Does that excuse the choice to let Vince roam freely when everyone knows he's a villain too, absolutely not. The plot holes involving their lack of pushback still stand since they spent more time putting the pressure on Jess to do something as opposed to using the guns Jess gave them. However, Jess having this rare display of helplessness and guilt over Billy Roy's death stuck with me. The look in his eyes as he sees that cannon rolling down the rocky terrain knowing he can't stop it goes against every criticism that Elvis was a flat actor here. Jess is supposed to be the "boys don't cry" type so his display of emotion sticks out in a humanizing way. Him showing mercy by refusing to kill Vince proves that he's a good person as he chose to let justice be served in a court of law instead of the vigilantism Vince upheld. It has that right amount of subtlety that proves Jess was honest in his heel/face turn. A different kind of man indeed.

This movie was pretty good in that it actually gave Elvis connections with other people. He isn't just rolling up to the movie's setting from parts unknown and no known family. Here he's established to have had parents only to unfortunately lose both of them. Despite the horrific tragedy that creates for a 20 something, Ross doesn't get bitter about it and walks around with a chip on his shoulder. Instead, he does his best to find his own family. That to me is very important. While I don't really care for how Robin was handled, she clearly isn't the focus. Laurel is. She has an actual personality where she's a girl-boss without being a Mary Sue. She has flaws, gets called out on said flaws and tries to improve. Ross having beef with Mr. Johnson throughout the movie had some clever writing as he wasn't a typical rival Ross had to beat. Even when Ross thought that Laurel was in danger, his line of thinking isn't rewarded by having Mr. Johnson be an absolute pig. Sure he was flirty towards Laurel, but it never crossed a line that made him completely irredeemable. He was simply a human being that as a business owner would have goals Ross didn't align with. While I do think he could go too far in expressing his distain, Ross doesn't cross the line of being an unlikeable jerk either. His concern for Laurel's wellbeing regardless of his reasoning was still sweet. It showed how despite their disagreement, Ross didn't let that destroy their relationship. The amount of maturity between the two is very refreshing and I do think their eventual marriage makes sense. Even though I can skip some of the songs as they felt unnecessary, the story more than makes up for it.

(My number 1 and 2 are interchangeable. Both movies show great promise for making my ultimate top 10 list).

This is isn't a case of recency bias. I still had criticisms about the unnecessary drama involving the Flaming Star, Rosalyn being very unsupportive of Clint despite being his fiancee, and the downer ending that didn't even give Pacer a moral victory. But that's the thing about this movie. I wouldn't be so upset about those things if I didn't care about Mrs. Burton and Pacer. That holds a lot of weight in my reviews. Pacer isn't a flat character for coming full circle in realizing his loyalty isn't based on race. If anything, we see what he's willing to put up with so he can continue to uphold a moral fiber that he was brought up with. He easily could've continued the path with the Kiowa and used his pain as fuel for the fire that would've come down on the town. But he didn't do that. He instead turned on the Kiowa for not only killing Mr. Burton but also critically injuring Clint. He didn't really need to do that, but he chose to do so because he genuinely thought that they would've killed Clint regardless of what he said. Pacer sacrificed himself just to give Clint even the slightest chance of surviving. How poetic is that when he blamed the doctor for refusing to do the same with Mrs. Burton. It really showcases that morality isn't determined by race but what you do to others even in the face of cruelty. A great display of writing all around despite its flaws. But for all the praise I've given, what could possibly be better than this?

Man oh man this movie is amazing. The plot might be typical for a boxing movie, but there's a reason why Rocky is the success that it is: great character writing. Kid Galahad has great writing, an appropriate amount of tension and a good selection of songs that highlight the camaraderie that exists in this small town. Walter is a great example of how a character can be of a high moral standing without being annoyingly pious or a complete doormat. I don't care that he doesn't have a character arc because his status does change. Seeing him make those friends and fall in love with Rose was done so well. I don't know if it was the writing that allowed for the characters to exist in a slice of life environment or if the actors had that great of relationship with each other, but all of the character interactions worked so well. The amount of subtlety that exists in this movie is a refreshing vibe because it shows that the writers don't believe in spoon feeding the audience every single piece of information. There's that perfect balance between showing and telling here that demonstrates what Elvis working on an actual movie would look like. My only criticism was the last five minutes where Otto wasn't properly dealt with. Sure his lackeys were arrested, but Otto is still out there. Given what I've stated about Sugar Boy being in that system of exploitation, I actually felt scared for him as we have no idea as to what will happen to him since he lost. But something like that is such an easy fix that I still gave it my highest rating yet. Definitely an underrated gem that I highly recommend watching.

AN: For those on my tag list that I didn't get to, I'm sorry. Tumblr wouldn't post anymore names. I promise that in my New Year's post you will be tagged. Thank you all for reading my reviews and providing your own input/opinions on the movies I've watched. Expect my New Year's post to come out on New Year's Eve.

Tagging: @bluesuedesouls, @searchingforgravity, @velvetelvis, @vampireego, @blueinhawaii,

@alienelvisobsession, @eapep, @peaceloveelvis, @i-r-i-n-a-a, @tacozebra051,

@vintagepresley, @atleastpleasetelephone, @ahundredlifetime, @thelonelyheart, @arrolyn1114,

@ssinnerplazahotel, @lilmisspeaches, @an-americcan-trilogy, @xanatenshi, @smokeymountainboy,

@iuv0ana, @lustnhim, @ladelinee, @pebbles403, @jhoneybees,

@somethingaboutelvis, @tupelomiss, @elvis-presleys-stuff, @elvispresley1956, @elvispresley1935,

@hooked-on-elvis, @everythingelvispresley, @elvispresleywife, @lett-them-eatt-cake, @sillybookmarks,

@yourapple56-blog, @iloveelvis2, @mercsandmonsters, @50sexyshadesfashionista, @blighted-star,

@arianatheangel-girl, @littlejoecartwright1842, @cutie46, @elvisvideos, @almightybigbrain,

@whositmcwhatsit, @theelvisprincess, @theelvispres-blog, @freudianslumber, and @cccayliexx.

[thetaoofzoe]

If I told you these were two different films, would you believe me?

[everythingelvispresley]

Beautiful photos from the Fun in Acapulco photoshoot Credit _elvis_is on Instagram

[twobootsgirl]

[dopescissorscashwagon]

Elvis Presley in Fun In Acapulco

[edenbluesky]

Elνis Pɾesleʮ ɑs Miƙe Wiƞɗgɾeƞ iƞ "Fuƞ iƞ Acɑpulcσ" -1963-. Tɦe ɗiνiƞg sceƞe.

[hooked-on-elvis]

ᴇʟᴠɪꜱ' ᴏᴡɴ ᴛᴀꜱᴛᴇ ɪɴ ꜰᴀꜱʜɪᴏɴ ɪɴᴛᴏ ʜɪꜱ ᴄʜᴀʀᴀᴄᴛᴇʀꜱ' ᴄᴏꜱᴛᴜᴍᴇꜱ ɪɴ ᴛʜᴇ ᴍᴏᴠɪᴇꜱ

A personal Elvis touch to some of his characters's wardrobe.

Recently me and @jhoneybees were drooling over Elvis in Girls! Girls! Girls! (1962) and Fun In Acapulco (1963). I couldn't stop thinking about the backwards rolled up cuffs shirts that his characters wear in some scenes in both films because they look so good in him! Then I realized that Elvis used to wear his shirts just like this occasionally in the 1950s, before his Hollywood career had begun.

(2-3) Elvis on May 21, 1955 backstage at the Louisiana Hayride at the Municipal Auditorium in Shreveport, Louisiana. (4-6) January 25, 1955. Elvis Presley. Tyler, TX. backstage Mayfair building.

(7) Elvis in Graceland in 1960. Here Elvis' acting career was already happening but he hadn't used the rolled-backwards sleeve cuffs shirts in the movies just yet (at least that I remember of), but that's gonna change in a couple of years.

(8-10) Elvis as Ross Carpenter in Girls! Girls! Girls! (1962).

(11-13) Elvis as Mike Windgren in Fun In Acapulco (1963).

Looking at those pictures I can imagine that Elvis himself did some styling to his character's wardrobe occasionally, very seldom I think. However it doesn't stop at the early 60s films… I noticed that again in Charro! (1969).

(14-15) The King as Jess Wade, with his one of his signature looks, the high collars (the jacket just appears for a brief moment in the film but when I saw it I was like 'Oh, Elvis... anyone could recognize you just by looking at your back from miles away...'

It's not like we need any pictures to proof high-collars were his thing but it won't cause any harm too, so...

Cool, isn't it? But, wait a minute, there's more! The next one was prior to Charro!

Right now, I can't say that Elvis in fact had any say-so concerning his characters costumes but that's my assumption based on a little studying on his history and by watching his movies but another thing gave me the idea he could do something about his costumes for the films.

Sandi Miller (fan/gate girl) shared on her Facebook account that she and another fan gave Elvis a jacket in 1966 while Double Trouble (MGM, 1967) was in production. Principal filming for Elvis's twenty-fourth movie began on July 11, 1966 and was finished by August 30, 1966. After the movie was released, visiting the fans as usual, Elvis told Sandi to watch a specific scene in the film and there it was! He was wearing the jacket she gave him.

August 3rd, 1966. Elvis off to the studio to film 'Double Trouble'. Candids by fan Sandi Miller.

On the pictures above, Sandi (on her Facebook account) said: "Elvis on his way to the studio to film 'Double Trouble.' On his lap is a jacket we gave him purchased from St. James mens shop in Fullerton." Fan Kathryn Harper Sherrill then asked Sandi: "And didn't he tell you to watch closely part of that film & your jacket was used in a scene of the film when he was packing or unpacking?" For what Sandi replied: "Yes, he did!"

On that post Sandi doesn't specify which jacket it was, unfortunately, but I followed the hint and looked for a scene Elvis' character was packing in the film. The jacket Sandi Miller gave EP is most likely this one below. He's wearing it while he sings 'City By Night' and also 'Old MacDonald' in that portion of the film.

Wasn't it thoughtful of him to wear a jacket gifted to him by a fan in one of his films?

This is Elvis in 1966, returning or leaving his Hillcrest home in California, during the Double Trouble movie production period. The jacket looks like the same he wore in the film for those scenes I mentioned previously.

Conclusion: I guess it's safe to say that Elvis sometimes would style his costumes a little bit, putting something more of himself into his characters beyond the unmistakable charm, humor and talent. i don't know if that's a good thing to do because most actors' goals is to have a character that requires them to transform their image and behaviors to a point the characters don't resemble their off-screen personas in the slightest but, knowing how Elvis' movies were so… unusual… specially made to please Elvis' audience as they were (always craving for more) and how that caused the screenplays not to have real efforts put into that would give EP the need to really become someone else for his movies, it's not exactly wrong of him to incorporate his own persona (to a given extent) into the characters he played. All in all, I guess that makes his acting career even more unique. Elvis was not an ordinary artist after all. At times being that spectacular human being backfired, and Elvis just… went with the flow.

Those are just a few moments I noticed when Elvis' fashion style was lent to his on-screen characters. Have you noticed any other moments in the movies where this happens?

[ilookatthings]

Fun in Acapulco (1963)

[zanygardenherowobbler]

Elvis Presley - Bossa Nova Baby ( Fun In Acapulco) REACTION

[mrspresleys-blog]

Happy Birthday Elsa Cardenás! 🩷

The co-star of the Elvis in the movie

🎞️ Fun in Acapulco!

#elvispresleyfans #elvispresley