The Trouble with Girls (1969)

User Rating:

5.3/10   

Director:

Peter Tewksbury

Writers:

Mauri Grashin (story)
Day Keene (novel) ...

Release Date:

3 September 1969 (USA)

Genre:

Comedy | Drama | Musical

Tagline:

Elvis crosses the country...into trouble! trouble! trouble!

Plot:

Chautauqua manager Walter Hale and his loyal business manager struggle to keep their traveling troupe together in small town America.

Plot Keywords:

Chautauqua | Business Manager | Speaker | Murder | Tent

Cast

Elvis Presley	...	Walter Hale
Marlyn Mason	...	Charlene
Nicole Jaffe	...	Betty
Sheree North	...	Nita Bix
Edward Andrews	...	Johnny
John Carradine	...	Mr. Drewcolt
Anissa Jones	...	Carol
Vincent Price	...	Mr. Morality
Joyce Van Patten	...	Maude
Pepe Brown	...	Willy
Dabney Coleman	...	Harrison Wilby
Bill Zuckert	...	Mayor Gilchrist
Pitt Herbert	...	Mr. Perper
Anthony 'Scooter' Teague	...	Clarence (as Anthony Teague)
Med Flory	...	Constable

Also Known As:

The Chautauqua (USA) (working title)
The Trouble with Girls (and How to Get Into It) (USA) (working title)

Runtime:

97 min

Country:

USA

Language:

English

Color:

Black and White | Color (Metrocolor)

Aspect Ratio:

2.35 : 1

Sound Mix:

Mono (Westrex Recording System)

Certification:

Australia:G | Finland:K-8 | Sweden:11 | UK:U | USA:G (original rating) | West Germany:o.Al.

Filming Locations:

Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer Studios - 10202 W. Washington Blvd., Culver City, California, USA

Company:

Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer (MGM)

Trivia:

On its theatrical release, this was part of a double bill with The Green Slime (1968).

Quotes:

Walter Hale: Sit down!
Charlene: Why?
Walter Hale: 'Y' is a crooked letter.

Movie Connections:

Featured in The Definitive Elvis: The Army Years (2002) (V)

Soundtrack:

Almost

The Trouble with Girls (1969) **1/2

One of the few of Elvis' last movies I'd never seen before, and kind of refreshing. The action takes place in 1927 and that setting looks and feels very much in the spirit of the period as Presely plays the cool manager of a traveling show, or a "Chautauqua". He tries to keep the show going on and the profits coming in, while all sorts of crazy situations present themselves, including a murder. There's quite a cast of characters on hand: Marlyn Mason is the union shop steward and piano player, Sheree North is the local town slut, Dabney Coleman plays a despicable gambling drug store merchant, and even Vincent Price and John Carradine get into the act as members of the troupe (Price is delightful as an energetic Philosopher, but Carradine not so much in a wasted quickie as a Shakespearean actor). Also featuring little Anissa Jones (Buffy from "Family Affair") and a quick singing turn by Susan Olsen (Cindy of "The Brady Bunch").

The direction here is sometimes odd, but some handling of sequences are interesting. Elvis is solid in the film and really looks great if not a true reflection of the times, but the only song of note is his rather nifty rendition of "Clean Up Your Own Back Yard", one of the film's highlights. Someone really made a mistake in coming up with this extremely inappropriate title, though -- this is not one of Presley's typical formula films about girls, girls, and more girls ... it's misleading and doesn't do the movie justice.