Vino, Dinero y Amor: Fun in Acapulco

FUN IN ACAPULCO (EUA, 1963)

Original title: Fun in Acapulco

Filming date:

June - july 1963

Release date:

November 27, 1963

Running time:

97min

Production company:

Paramount Pictures

Budget:

US$ 2 million

Box office:

US$ 3,1 million

Main cast:

Elvis Presley

Ursula Andress

Elsa Cárdenas
Paul Lukas
Alejandro Rey
Larry Domasin

Soundtrack:

"Bossa Nova Baby" (single)
[b/w "Witchcraft"]
(October 1, 1963)
"Fun in Acapulco" (LP)
(November 15, 1963)
"Fun in Acapulco" (CD)
(FTD, 2003/2019)

Fun in Acapulco is Elvis' thirteenth film and the one that has earned the most in the marketing sphere. In it, Elvis "leaves the US" for the second and last time in his career, now to promote Mexico, which at the time was beginning a lasting friendship with that country.

But in fact, the first and only time that Elvis actually left the US was for his brief visit to Canada in 1957. The King of Rock didn't even leave Hollywood to film, because he wouldn't be very well received in Mexico, since he was persona non grata there due to several factors (his "lascivious music" being the main one) since 1961.

For his scenes at the Hotel Emporio Acapulco in Mexico, Elvis only acted alongside the main actors in front of a chroma key at the MGM studios in the US.

The production's cast included both successful names in Europe and the US, such as Elvis and Ursula Andress (who had become famous after playing Bond Girl Honey Ryder the previous year), and Mexican names, such as Elsa Cárdenas and little Larry Domasin, and even Argentine Alejandro Rey.

Elvis, Ursula Andress (E) and Elsa Cárdenas in promotional still for the film

The objective of the production was to show the good side of Mexico, the exotic foods and drinks (although the filming team took shipments of American water to the location in Acapulco), as well as, of course, the beautiful women (who are missing in this film ).

It also aimed to promote the music (however, Bossa Nova is a Brazilian rhythm) and Elvis' image in "third world countries", even though he spoke the perfect "Spanglish" when singing "Guadalajara".

Promotional poster with Elvis, Ursula Andress and Alejandro Rey

The film functioned more as an advertisement for Elvis in the pre-Beatlemania era, which would take hold in 1964. If the Beatles only went as far as the US, Elvis would go to hell (or Mexico) if necessary to maintain the little dignity that his movies gave him. As a result, "Fun in Acapulco" became the production with the most gifts for fans in Elvis' cinematic history.

Elvis and Parker showcase the promotional material for the film

The film was a huge success upon its release, reaching number one on the charts shortly after the great national tragedy of President John Fitzgerald Kennedy's assassination. Elvis' last film before the sweeping arrival of Beatlemania in the US, it was the highest-grossing production of 1963.


SOUNDTRACK

Recorded in four sessions at Radio Recorders and RCA Studio B, this is also one of the greatest soundtracks from Elvis' films.

The single "Bossa Nova Baby", featuring "Witchcraft" on the B-side, was produced in advance and hit stores on October 1, 1963. Although Bossa Nova was a Brazilian rhythm, it was a frenetic wave in the US in the 1960s, its release on a Mexican-oriented album did not affect sales, having ranked 8th among the most profitable albums of 1963.

The LP arrived a month and a half after the single, but there is controversy regarding the official release date: while RCA claims it was November 15, 1963, other sources place it as a December release due to the fact that the film premiered on November 27th.

In addition to the single's non-soundtrack track, "Witchcraft", the LP also features two songs from the May 1963 sessions: "Love Me Tonight" and "Slowly But Surely".

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SUPPORTING CAST

URSULA ANDRESS

Born in Switzerland on March 19, 1936, Andress began her career in Italian cinema in 1954. She was James Dean's girlfriend in 1955 and married actor/director John Derek in 1957. Her name gained notoriety when she was called to co -star in the first cinematographic film about James Bond, "Dr. No", in 1962.

In 1963, the actress appeared alongside Elvis Presley in "Fun in Acapulco", causing her career to take off and her name to be associated with productions with icons such as Frank Sinatra, Dead Martin and Marcello Mastroianni. She gained the definitive nickname of "sex symbol" in 1966, when she played the villain in the film "She".

That same year, Andress divorced and began a romance that lasted 12 years with actor Jean-Paul Belmondo - while he was still married. In 1981, the actress co-starred in the film "Clash of the Titans" alongside Laurence Olivier and Harry Hamlin, with whom she had a son the same year. From 1982 onwards, the actress focused her career on European cinema and TV, retiring in 2005.

Currently (2024) Ursula Andress is 87 years old and lives in Italy with her husband, actor Lorenzo Rispoli.

ELSA CÁRDENAS

Born in Tijuana, Mexico, on August 3, 1935, Cárdenas became interested in acting in her early years. She has participated in several plays and TV shows since she was 18 years old.

In cinema she made only seven films, three of which were very well known: "Giant", from 1956, "Fun in Acapulco", with Elvis in 1963, and "The Wild Bunch", in 1969. In productions by Mexican and world TV, her participation is more extensive, with more than 100 titles.

Cárdenas began to act exclusively in soap operas from 1977 onwards. The actress retired in 2011, but still makes special appearances in some soap operas.

Elsa Cárdenas, today (2024) aged 91, lives in Mexico City with her family.

PAUL LUKAS

Born Pál Lukács on May 26, 1894 in the city of Budapest, then in the Austro-Hungarian Republic, he developed an interest in acting from an early age and performed in theater for the first time in 1916. First playing seductive and elegant men, he began to be cast as a villain, a position he would maintain in his future work.

Active in Hungarian, German and Austrian cinema since 1920, the actor made his first major appearance in a production in 1938's "The Lady Vanishes" by Alfred Hitchcock, but his triumph would come in 1943 with "Watch On the Rhine", which awarded him an Oscar for Best Actor in a Leading Role, beating Humphrey Bogart and Mickey Rooney.

His last major role was in the Disney version of "20,000 Leagues Under the Sea" in 1954, at the age of 60 and suffering from memory loss on the set, which led him to outbursts of rage that did not even spare his friend Peter Lorre. "Fun in Acapulco" would become one of his last films, with only 3 more productions until his retirement in 1970.

Paul Lukas passed away on August 15, 1971, at the age of 77, while looking for a place to spend his old age in Tangier, Morocco.

ALEJANDRO REY

Born in Buenos Aires, Argentina, on February 8, 1930, he began his career in cinema in his country in 1957 with the drama "La Casa del Angel". Seeking new opportunities, Rey emigrated to the United States in 1960 and became part of the cast of extras at several studios.

His best-known role is that of the diver Moreno in "Fun in Acapulco", in which, despite being uncredited, he has an exposure time on screen equivalent to any main actor. On TV, he is best remembered for his participation as Carlos Ramirez in the series "The Flying Nun" (1967-1970), a role that made him internationally known. His only credited appearance as a leading actor was in the 1972 film "The Stepmother", a drama directed by Howard Avedis.

The actor remained active until he passed away from lung cancer on May 21, 1987, at the age of 57.

LARRY DOMASIN

Born Larry Edward Domasin on March 5, 1955, in Los Angeles, the actor is known for the few films he made as a child. Among the most famous are his first, "Dime With a Halo", and "Fun in Acapulco", both from 1963.

From 1964 to 1978, the actor made cameo appearances and secondary characters in series such as "Alfred Hitchcock Presents" (1955-1965) and "Daniel Boone" (1964-1974), and films such as "The Rare Breed" (1966).

The actor abandoned his career in 1979. He is 70 years old (2024) and lives in Los Angeles.