MovieChat Forums > Speedway (1968) Discussion > Dumbest Elvis Movie EVER

Dumbest Elvis Movie EVER

posted 18 years ago by thefabslv
13 replies | jump to latest

And that's goin' some...

Some of Elvis' movies weren't too bad (Viva Las Vegas was actually good)... There were a couple of bright spots over the years and most of them at least had understandable, i.e., simple for children and simpletons, plot lines. "Speedway" makes no sense at all. Even has a song that includes choreography in an IRS office (run by Gale Gordon, with his assistant, Nancy Sinatra. *LOL*)

Elvis plays a race car driver with $145,000 in 'denied' business expenses on a tax return completed for him by Bill Bixby, who also had a gambling problem and was in trouble with bookies, so he was stealing from Elvis on the side, but they remained friends - for no apparent reason.

Nancy Sinatra was assigned to put Elvis on a $100 per week budget until he paid back the IRS, but he was also paying them interest to make things tough, which she made of point of repeating several times. Elvis managed to talk her down in the amount owed to $12,000 he planned on getting when he sold his race car, but then he crashed it after successfully qualifying for a race.

Then William Schallert (sp?) showed up in a cowboy hat, with five little white-trash girls for no apparent reason and they wound up sleeping in Nancy Sinatra's bed (the little girls, not Schallert) - for no apparent reason.

DUMB MOVIE!

[–] omnizimri 18 years ago

no, it wasn't the dumbest ever. i think most of his movies had potential, just poor writers. the IRS office scene, though, had me laughing my butt off. that was so beyond cheesy. my biggest complaint about the movie was nancy sinatra actually. her acting was poor, and her singing did not impress me. but no, as i've said in other posts, his worst movie has to be 'live a little, love a little.'

[–] thefabslv 18 years ago

I'm sure I've seen that, but don't remember it... I'll watch for it to come on AMC and do a comparison. *LOL*

[–] Wuchakk 8 years ago

his worst movie has to be 'live a little, love a little.'

No way. "Live a Little, Love a Little" actually isn't too bad; and at least the screenwriters were trying to move Elvis into the new era with more realistic adult situations. So far, "Harum Scarum" is the worst Elvis movie I've seen (although I haven't seen 'em all).

My 150 (or so) favorite movies:
http://www.imdb.com/list/ls070122364/

[–] mgibson-18 18 years ago

I don't care what anyone says. Any movie Elvis was in is mighty fine to me!
Even he didn't like most of them but he ALWAYS did the best he could and that's alright with me. If he was given a chance (which he wasn't because of Col.Parker)he really could have suceeded in becoming the best actor ever!
May he live forever in our thoughts and in our hearts!

[–] thefabslv 18 years ago

Easy there... I never said Elvis wasn't talented. ;-)

Col. Tom sucked the big one... So did Hal Wallis. Elvis deserved better roles - that's an understatement. His movies were - for the most part - lousy. It's unfortunate he didn't take more control over his own career.

[–] 18 years ago

[deleted]

[–] this_is_the_way_the_world_ends 14 years ago

I agree with mgibson-18. Any movie Elvis was in is mighty fine to me!

Elvis movies might be cheesy, but I enjoy them. The Spy Who Shagged Me is cheesier than hell and lot's of people enjoy them. I think that James Bond movies are rather cheesy, and they have lots of fans.

I noticed today, like mgibson said, Elvis may not have liked the movies he was in, but he gives his best performance. AND there is no trace as you watch that Elvis hates the movie or wishes he wasn't there. Amazing.

Not to mention, the King is hot. Truly swoonworthy.

_______
The night Max wore his wolf suit and made mischief of one kind and another

[–] blakeman422 15 years ago

How about a movie where Elvis plays an American Action Actor/Singer who gets kidnapped and forced by an evil Arab organization to assassinate an Arab King? Of course as he is trying to escape, he falls for the King's daughter. Add lots of forced humor and typical bad Elvis songs and you have a movie that even most Elvis fans would rather avoid.

Welcome to Harum Scarum (1965)!!!

[–] Glen_and_Glenda 15 years ago

I actually LIKE "Harum Scarum". Though being both a huge Elvis fan and a huge cheesy-movie fan probably helped me enjoying it. Though I do feel the pacing is too slow.

"The porpoise is laughing, goodbye, goodbye!.."

[–] misscsquared 14 years ago

I like the Elvis movies because of the high cheese factor--I love the swingin' 60's fashions, and the crazy nightclubs like the Drive-In-A-GoG0 where they all watusi and frug with wild abandon--I did find the scene where he and Bill Bixby sing to that group of little girls a bit odd---I always find the scenes he plays with children in these movies a bit cringe-worthy, and super CHEESY even for Elvis movies.

[–] this_is_the_way_the_world_ends 14 years ago

"Speedway makes no sense at all."

Well, this is just not true. Sure there is some silliness (sending a hot IRS agent to spy and never do anything remotely like an IRS agent would do). But there is a plot, simple though it might be.

Elvis plays a highly successful race-car driver with a big heart. He's extremely generous. (This seems to be the part you have the most trouble with) He throws money around like it aint no thang. He seems somebody who needs something and he buys it for them. He doesn't seem to bright and he puts up with a lot of crap from his manager/friend.

The five little girls are daughters to a fellow race-car driver who is in the poor house due to an injury he's sustained. (I thought the girls were adorable) Elvis's character can not turn his back on five adorable little homeless girls so he buys them a new car that runs (why not a house? idk. like I said, he doesn't seem that bright) and a months worth of groceries.

When the IRS audits him it turns out that he owes them money so they garnish pretty much all of his winnings. He still feels responsible for the people he thought he had helped so he continues to do what he can for them.

Is it goofy and are there plot holes? yes. But for the most part, their are reasons for everything that happens. I just don't see how you can say that it "Makes no sense at all." That's like saying Gremlins makes no sense at all because the kid coulda just followed three simple rules or because it's always after midnight.

_______
The night Max wore his wolf suit and made mischief of one kind and another

[–] oscarunger 12 years ago

im giving this one a pass, elvis knows the plot is a turkey (he's in extra smirk mode throughout) plus nancy sinatras number at the speedway cafe is worth the price of admission in camp. probably took a week to film ( aside from stock race car footage did they ever leave the lot? ) but 'let yourself go' and dig it, baby!

[–] elizabethdicely 8 years ago

I just watched a lot of this movie again. This was rated 3 out of 4 stars. Dumb movie? HA!!! And saying that those adorable little girls are white trash shows EVERYONE who is white trash and that must be you. I love this movie. If I could find it to buy it, I would.