G.I. Blues

Director: Norman Taurog Norman Taurog

Overview

Elvis Presley stars in GI Blues as Tulsa McLean, a soldier stationed in Germany, who pulls strings to stage a big show for his fellow GI's. In the tradition of the musical chestnut The Fleet's In, Tulsa also bets his buddies that he can date "ice princess" entertainer Lili (Juliet Prowse). Song highlights include "Wooden Heart," "Blue Suede Shoes" and the title number. The spectacular box-office performance of G.I. Blues proved that Elvis' popularity had not only survived his Army tenure, but had actually increased.

Product Details

Release Date:	03/30/2021
UPC:	0810072541659
Original Release:	1960
Rating:	PG
Source:	Paramount
Language:	English
Time:	1:43:00
Sales rank:	25,218

Cast & Crew

Performance Credits

Elvis Presley	Tulsa McLean
Juliet Prowse	Lili
Leticia Roman	Tina
Arch Johnson	Sgt. McGraw
Robert Ivers	Cookey
James Douglas	Rick
Sigrid Maier	Marla
Mickey Knox	Jeeter
John Hudson	Capt. Hobart
Kenneth Becker	Mac,Mac
Jeremy Slate	Turk
Beach Dickerson	Warren,Warren
Trent Dolan	Mickey
Carl Crow	Walt
Fred Essler	Papa Mueller
Ludwig Stossel	Puppet Show Owner
Letícia Román	Tina
Ron Starr	Harvey
Erika Peters	Trudy
Edit Angold	Mrs. Hagermann
Robert Boon	German Guitarist
Harper Carter	MP #1
Edward Coch	Bandleader
Walter Conrad	Chaplain
Joseph J. Lilley	Composer
Sid Tepper	Composer

Technical Credits

Edmund Beloin

Henry Garson

Norman Taurog	Director
Hal B. Wallis	Producer
Edmund Beloin	Screenwriter
Henry Garson	Screenwriter
Farciot Edouart	Special Effects

Editorial Reviews

There's nothing blue about G.I. Blues, one of those Elvis Presley escape vehicles for which a plot has not so much been written as pasted together from various scraps of paper that blew in through the window. "Slight" doesn't begin to describe the story, any more than "vapid" describes the dialogue or "essentially non-existent" the character development -- but it really doesn't matter. This kind of movie always exists in spit of, not because of, its screenplay; it is never intended to be great art, and its success as sheer entertainment depends on other things. In this case, "other things" is most obviously Mr. Presley, and one's reaction to the film will depend upon whether or not one is a fan. He's in good voice here, delivering a fair number of songs in various moods and styles -- and of varying quality. The best Presley performance, ironically, is heard in "Blue Suede Shoes," played on a jukebox during a fight sequence. His amiable, simple persona carries him more than his acting, but he does have a quiet presence that counts for more than acting talent. The "girl" in the picture -- a stunning Juliet Prowse -- is unusual for a Presley vehicle, being more independent and less pliable than most. While Prowse is hampered by a dreadful German accent that derails many of her scenes, she does have a couple of dance numbers that generate tremendous heat.

All Movie Guide - Craig Butler