Clambake (1967)

a film so unique, intoxicating and bizarre that it not only demands another viewing, but is also forgivable as a satirical comedy where the jokes eventually take the back seat.

The film's masterful storytelling did its job. The message was clear. No need to overdo.

It is interesting even when nothing much happens, which is for most of its 3-hour running time. Read full review

Not sure how, but this is easily one of the best movies all summer. Multiple levels of funny, never takes itself seriously, super colorful, and creative.

Most of them cast Elvis as the juvenile heir to a rich and powerful family hiding out as if poor and unfriended at a resort to find a lady who won't pursue him for his family connection. Elvis gained 30 pounds while seriously ill just before shooting, hence appears chunkier and less super machismo in this film. As do most of them, there are just enough ridiculous gaffes in both the editing and in the storyline to give the audience extra fun waiting for the next to screen and enough variety in the highly personal songs created on Elvis to create a memorable concert album. This film gains extra depth and excitement by cutting in actual newsreel footage of a famous Florida annual motorboat race and offering expanded character depth for Elvis to probe as to why this stock character must seek a mate while masking his true identity. Name stars adding glamor to this outing include Shelley Farbares, Bill Bixby and Gary Merrill.

Although it has the worst title of any Elvis movie, "Clambake" (1967) is actually one of his better films. Which is surprising as it is one of his last and generally speaking each film seemed a bit worse than its predecessor. "Clambake's" salvation is certainly not in the soundtrack which is at best very ordinary, only the title song has any energy. Although there is an actual clambake scene on the beach about midway into the film, it seems thrown in just to justify the title, more impressive is a cameo of "Flipper" who had his own television show at that time.I'm inclined to credit Shelley Fabares for the good vibe I got from this film. She plays "golddigger with a heart of gold" Dianne Carter, Elvis' ultimate love interest. I never cared for her uptight Mary Stone character on reruns of "The Donna Reed Show", and therefore paid almost no attention to her until recently. But since seeing her in "Ride the Wild Surf" and "Clambake" I've had a major attitude adjustment. "Clambake" was the third time she was tapped for the love interest role in an Elvis film so obviously she and the King had grown comfortable working together. Their romance is a little different than the Elvis standard. In "Clambake" she does not start out hating or ignoring him. Instead they quickly become friends and she is obviously attracted, but she puts the brakes on any romance because she is hunting for a rich husband and has tycoon J.J. Jamison (Bill Bixby) squarely in her sights. She comes around in the end and their chemistry actually feels real, much like it did with Ann Margret in "Viva Las Vegas".The comfort factor is also apparent between Elvis and Will Hutchins, his real-life buddy. Oil tycoon Scott (Elvis) pulls a "Prince and the Pauper" and swaps places with drifter Tom Wilson (Hutchins). He wants to find someone who loves him for himself. Hutchins is supposed to provide the film's main comic relief as he enjoys the life of the rich and famous, driving Scott's "Munsters" inspired convertible and surrounding himself with gorgeous women who can't dance very well. Although the director had Hutchins overplay the part it is so poorly written that they can't squeeze many laughs out of the premise. But having most of his scenes with Fabares and Hutchins seems to have relaxed Elvis considerably, which makes both he and his film more likable. Contrary to most, I enjoyed the corny playground scene with the little girl who was afraid of the slide. The "Confidence" song is not a rip off of "High Hopes", the whole scene is a variation on the "Bounce Right Back" number Donald O'Connor did in "Anything Goes". While "Confidence" is not much of a song, this surreal scene is priceless. I wonder what long-time fans thought as they watched Elvis and Hutchins do something so totally "Guffman"? Most entertainers only do embarrassing stuff like this when they are first breaking into the business. Then again, what do I know? I'm only a child.

An awful, idiotic Elvis movie. The acting is wooden, and the only laughs that come are unintentional.For example: we're in the middle of a bland musical number, when suddenly the screen is tipped upside down. It stays like that for a while, then goes back to normal. None of this happens for a reason.Even my drunk cousin was confused by this.The story was nice and original when it was The Prince and the Pauper, but by the time Clambake was made, it had been done to death.As for Elvis' acting: either he based his performance on an ironing board, or he was drunk.I personally hope for the latter.You could replace his character with a plank with a mopey face and you wouldn't be able to tell the difference.Avoid.

Fans of second unit location footage and rear screen projection will be in love with this late day Presley vehicle. Set in Miami, Florida, Presley plays the son of an oil tycoon who longs to prove himself without the benefit of his name and privileges. He happens upon water-ski instructor Hutchins who wishes he could live the life of a big shot money man. The two trade names, cars and clothes (even though Hutchins is pencil thin) and head to the hotel where they will begin their ruse. Pretty Fabares is a young guest there who's bent on landing a millionaire. She sets her sites on speedboat racer Bixby and uses Presley to get his attention. It isn't hard to see that Presley is the one she'll eventually fall for. Presley decides to make a name for himself by improving on a glue formula that his father's company had failed with prior. He takes a broken down boat from Merrill and works overtime to fix it up and repair it with the new and improved glue so that his father (Gregory) will be able to acknowledge his enterprising spirit and his reliability. Meanwhile, Hutchins cavorts with numerous curvy beach blondes, whom he believes wouldn't give him a second glance if not for his "wealth". Presley's considerable charisma is put to the test here as he slogs through a pretty hackneyed and silly plot line. Though he couldn't be considered "fat", he has carbface and just generally doesn't look good. His complexion seems wan, his eyes rather hollow and his hair is the messiest and most unkempt that he probably ever let it be in any other film. All Presley movies feature songs that are bland and indistinguishable from each other except to his most avid fans, but the ones here are particularly resistible. He does get a somewhat fun song in the ski shop and another one at the title occasion, but there's one in a playground that is legendarily bad. Fabares (dipping into Pamela Tiffin's area of expertise and appearance) is lovely to look at with her thick, attractive fall and her wardrobe of kicky 60's clothes. However, her character is shallow and she isn't given much to work with. Hutchins (35 but looking 45) wears more eyeliner than Fabares and performs a lot of annoying, unfunny schtick very badly. If that's his voice in his (awful) duet with Presley, he should have been dubbed and if it's not his voice, whoever it belongs to needed another occupation. Bixby (whose hair is dyed a yucky rust color) is appropriately smarmy and devious, but not as villainous as one might expect in a shallow piece of tripe like this. Veterans Merrill and Gregory add a certain amount of weight to their roles. Gregory comes off best, despite his hamminess, because he gets to evolve by the end. Merrill looks awfully tired shaking his pathetic paintbrush during one of Presley's numbers. Peary (whose inimitable voice was heard for years on radio's "The Great Gildersleeve") has a small role as the hotel doorman. All the wonderfully innocent and fun elements of 60's fluff are on hand... the bright colors, big hair, fun clothes, unique sets and production design, etc.... However, the overuse of rear projection and body doubles puts a bit of a damper on things. The actors pretend like they're skiing and boating while little sprinkles of water hit their faces. Long shots show folks who look nothing like the stars (Fabares' double has hair about 6 inches shorter than hers!) taking part in things that the real actors are sort of doing in a studio. This was the way for all films for decades, but here it is relied upon far too heavily. Besides, it's just all a little tired and routine at this point. Presley did do worse, but not often.