Out of Track: Spinout

SPINOUT (EUA, 1966)

Alternate title: California Holiday (UK)

Filming date:

March - April 1966

Release date:

October 17,  1966

Running time:

93min

Production company:

Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer

Budget:

US$ 2 million

Box office:

US$ 3 million

Main cast:

Elvis Presley

Shelley Fabares

Diane McBain

Jack Mullaney

Soundtrack:

"Spinout" (single)
[b/w "All That I Am"]
(September 13, 1966)
"Spinout" (LP)
(October 31, 1966)
"Spinout" (CD)
(FTD - May 2004)

Spinout is Elvis' twenty-second film. In it, Mike McCoy is a singer and amateur pilot who finds himself in a complicated relationship with three women who want him as their husband.

If Elvis had already had a bad experience with "Paradise, Hawaiian Style", there would not be many changes here. On the contrary, there would be a repetition of events seen in other films, exactly like in those in which the producer tried to emulate the success of "Blue Hawaii" (1961) by taking Elvis to Hawaii on sordid - and very familiar - adventures.

Elvis and his three brides in a promotional still for the film

The production was not the richest, of course, neither in budget nor story. Of the US$ 2 million used in the project, the King of Rock received US$ 750 thousand for his participation and would still take 40% of the profits. It was the Colonel's way of keeping Elvis interested in the sordid repetitions.

His character was a caricature of all the previous ones. A handsome young man who attracted fights, trouble and women in droves. Here, the dramatic race at the end of the film was repeated, which decided, so to speak, the fate of the characters. The audience found it very familiar, as it had been less than two years since the same scene had occurred in "Viva Las Vegas" (1964).

The cast was also familiar. Shelley Fabares had previously been Elvis' co-star in "Girl Happy" (1965), while Jack Mullaney was Elvis' partner in "Tickle Me" (1965). Diane McBain, best known for her appearances in TV series and not very prolific in the cinema (she only made 3 films, this being her first) also appears as one of the love interests of Elvis' character Mike.

For the first - and only - time, an Elvis film makes subliminal comments about sexuality in Fabares' character, who was considered a tomboy (a woman who is not necessarily bisexual or lesbian, but who prefers to wear clothes similar to men's).

In terms of box office, the production failed to recoup its budget, earning back only $1 million more than it spent. In these terms, "Spinout" ranked 57th in the total box office for 1966.

SOUNDTRACK

For the first time since "Tickle Me" (1965), a single from the soundtrack is released. It is also the first time that all nine songs recorded are sung in the film.

Although not related to the film, the single of "If Every Day Was Like Christmas", recorded that year, with "How Would You Like to Be" from 1962 on the B-side, released on November 15, closes the year 1966 along with the soundtrack.

Recorded on February 16 and 17, 1966 at Radio Recorders Studios in Hollywood, the soundtrack was much better received than the film, ranking 18th among the best-selling albums of 1966.

In 2004, FTD released its version of the album, making all the outtakes from the recording sessions available as bonuses.

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SUPPORTING CAST

DIANE MCBAIN

Born in Cleveland, Ohio, on May 18, 1941, Diane Jean McBain was best known for small roles in several series under her contract with Warner Bros., such as "Maverick" and "77 Sunset Strip". Her film career spanned 25 films between 1960 and 2012, "Spinout" being her eighth.

The 1970s to 2000s saw her in several series and films that were increasingly B-movies. In 1982, Diane was raped, robbed and beaten by two men when she arrived home in the early hours of Christmas, which caused her psychological problems that led her to retire in 2001.

With no means of survival, the actress began living in the Hollywood actors' charity home, the Motion Picture Country Home, in 2009. Diane passed away there on December 21, 2022, at the age of 81, due to liver cancer.