Elvis and the Girls: Girls! Girls! Girls!

GIRLS! GIRLS! GIRLS! (Us, 1962)

Original title: Girls! Girls! Girls!

Filming date:

February / March 1962

Release date:

November 21, 1962

Running time:

106min

Production company:

Paramount Pictures

Budget:

US$ 1 million

Box office:

US$ 2,5 millions

Main cast:

Elvis Presley

Stella Stevens

Jeremy Slate

Laurel Goodwyn

Soundtrack:

"Return to Sender" (single)
[b/w "Where Do You Come From"]
(October 2, 1962)
"Girls! Girls! Girls!" (LP)
(November 9, 1962)
"Girls! Girls! Girls!" (CD / LP)
(FTD - November 12, 2007 / July 2021)

Girls! Girls! Girls! is Elvis' 11th film and marks the point where the routine of repetition of character types and plots really began. And it didn't stop until mid-1968, taking Elvis more and more to the brink of total loss of patience with the Colonel and even with his family and friends.

Shot entirely on location in Hawaii, the film was not as successful, but became known through the ages for a near-fatal accident that ended up being in the final edit.

In the scene where Elvis makes the heroic rescue of Laurel Goodwyn's character from the hands of Wesley Johnson, it can be seen that the larger boat clearly passes over the smaller boat where the stuntmen were representing the aforementioned duo and there is an immediate cut. The scene, which could have ended in death, mysteriously was not cut and remains in all editions.

Elvis signs autographs for fans during filming

Despite not being as popular upon its release, the film opened at No. 6 and ended 1962 holding the No. 31 grossing position. The song "Return to Sender", which is sung in the film, was much more successful, reaching number 2 on the pop singles list.


SOUNDTRACK

Recorded in four sessions between March 26 and May 23, 1962 at Radio Recorders, 13 of the film's 16 songs were well received on the LP release on November 9, 1962. Of these, only "Return to Sender" and "Where do You Come From" had previously been released as a single.

In November 2007 FTD released its CD version, which brought all the Masters together in a single work for the first time and all excerpts from surviving recording sessions. The label made the same tracks available on a double LP in 2021.

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SUPPORTING CAST

STELLA STEVENS

Born October 1, 1938 in Mississippi, Estelle (her original name) moved with her family to Memphis when she was 4 years old. It was there that she got to know Elvis' country music, studied and got married in 1954, at the age of 16. It was also in Memphis that she studied medicine and became interested in acting, earning a contract with 20th Century Fox in 1959.

From there came excellent opportunities in theater, TV and cinema, where she acted alongside big names like Jerry Lewis, Elvis and Bing Crosby. On TV she is well remembered for her participation in the series "Fantasy Island" (1983), "The Love Boat" (1983), "Highlander: The Series" (1995) and "General Hospital" (1996 - 1999). Her last works for TV and cinema date from 2005.

The actress lived in Washington and continued to act, direct and make guest appearances on shows until she was 79. She was diagnosed with Alzheimer's in 2015 and went to live in a clinic specializing in the disease the following year. Stella passed away due to health complications on February 17, 2023, aged 84.

LAUREL GOODWYN

Laurel was born on August 11, 1942 in Wichita, Kansas and has been a model since she was a child. Her first film was exactly with Elvis. From then on, she only appeared in three more film productions and a few TV series. In this medium, her most remembered role is that of Captain Kirk's orderly in the pilot episode of "Star Trek" (1966-1968).

Laurel left her acting career completely aside in the 1970s and became a nurse specializing in the care of the elderly at home, a profession she even practiced for her husband, who died in 2010. The actress passed away on February 25, 2022, at age 79.