Elvis’ first starring role where he plays a rising 50’s rock star

This was Elvis’ second of 31 movies, but it was his debut in the starring role and his first film to establish the ‘Elvis formula.’ Most of the rest of his movies would use this cinematic recipe with Presley’s character being in different occupations, which of course changed the setting and dynamics. For instance, in “Wild in the Country” (1961) he’s a troubled rural youth on probation, in “Blue Hawaii” (1961) he’s a tour guide, in “Kid Galahad” (1962) he’s a boxer, in “Viva Las Vegas” (1964) he’s a race car driver and in “Roustabout” (1964) he’s a carnival worker.

This one was the blueprint for all of those and works well because it’s basically a retelling of Elvis’ own rags-to-riches story and so he’s comfortable playing a rising music star with the challenges thereof.

For me, everything works except the melodramatic last act, which somewhat lost my interest. Plus the girlfriend (Dolores Hart) is deemphasized and so her relationship with the Presley character isn’t compelling. On the positive side, when he’s frolicking on the farm with her and feeding a horse and singing, there’s an innocence to treasure. Plus Elvis never looked better, being young and lean.