After arriving back in Hawaii from the Army, Chad Gates (Elvis Presley) defies his parents’ wishes for him to work at the family business and instead goes to work as a tour guide at his girlfriend’s agency.
After the latest Elvis biopic by Baz Lurhman, I was pretty interested in checking out one of the many films starring the King. In 1961, “Blue Hawaii” was Elvis’s most successful film. He plays Chad, a singing slacker who just wants to surf with his boys and spoil his girl Maile (Joan Blackman). “Blue Hawaii”’s carefree screenplay by Hal Kanter, with equally broad direction by Norman Taurog, is ideal for this picturesque musical. With its simple structure — Elvis is in a stunning location with pretty ladies, singing a bunch of songs — the film was a box office hit. Elvis’s manager, Colonel Tom Parker, even recycled this simple thematic structure for several more box office hits in the 1960s. Lurhman’s biopic, unfortunately, glossed over his debauchery and Hunter S. Thompson’s stash of drugs, instead showing how the Colonel exploited the King.
In “Blue Hawaii,” Elvis plays Chad and I pondered whether his character was the origin of the famous Chad vs the Virgin meme. I am nearly certain the hunky womanizer meme was formulated here. The film takes place after WWII when Chad has just finished a combat-free tour in Europe and is essentially a failson who refuses to work for his family’s successful pineapple plant (this SpongeBob-esque premise was adorable). When music is absent, the script is filled with misogynistic dialogue and horny lines. For instance, after Chad and his girlfriend Maile become submerged during a kiss in the ocean, she says, “I bought this dress to welcome you home, and it’s the first time I’ve worn it.” To which Chad replies, “On you, wet is my favorite color!” Oh, baby! Angela Lansbury, only ten years his senior in real life, plays Chad’s mother with slapstick vocal inflections and a conservative nostalgia for Dixieland.
I usually avoid musicals at all costs, but this was quite good. The fourteen songs are effectively arranged, and the beach concert lit by tiki torches is a highlight of the film. While some brief moments are explaining Hawaiian culture, it’s very surface-level and strictly for the audience’s entertainment.
During a tiki bar brawl scene, nicely lit with the pinks and blues of bisexual lighting, Chad fights multiple opponents and I was laughing at his unintentionally comic combat style — most action stars of this era would pose in a boxer or wrestling stance, but Elvis is straight up Karate chopping and I loved it!
Chad and his quartet of fellow Himbos continue to act out their melodies saccharinely, but it is hard not to be charmed. There’s a constant reminder that Elvis is a good ol’ boy, like the cringey comment in which his mother chastises him for taking off his army uniform since he was as handsome as Stonewall Jackson. As Chad takes a job as a tour guide escorting four teenage girls, the South Seas look idyllic. The film’s cinematography is top-notch, utilizing Technicolor to develop a rich postcard aesthetic that had me wishing I was there.
“Blue Hawaii” was Elvis at his true peak. With his androgynous looks and muscular physique, it’s no wonder why both men and women were so enamored with him. And he’s the only Southerner I want to see wielding a tiki torch.
Now available on 4K Ultra HD & Blu-ray™
