Total Colapse: Clambake

CLAMBAKE (US, 1967)

Original title: Clambake

Filming date:

March - April 1967

Release date:

October 18, 1967

Running time:

100min

Production company:

United Artists

Budget:

US$ 2,5 million

Box office:

US$ 3,1 million

Main cast:

Elvis Presley

Shelley Fabares

Will Hutchins

Bill Bixby

Soundtrack:

"Big Boss Man" (single)
[b/w "You Don't Know Me"]
(September 23, 1967)
"Clambake" (LP)
(October 23, 1967)
"Clambake" (CD)
(FTD - July 2006)

Clambake is Elvis' twenty-fifth film. In it, Scott Hayward decides to part with his possessions and fortune after his millionaire father forces him to follow his path, finding happiness - and trouble - as he tries to find his way in life.

With Elvis extremely unhappy with the direction of his recent productions, tempers were running high behind the scenes. As a result of several arguments, "Clambake" was the last film for which he was able to demand and receive a $1,000,000 fee, as the lackluster box office performance of his previous films, combined with his desire to make more serious, less commercial films, meant that studios were no longer willing to guarantee seven-figure paydays.

Promotional poster with Elvis and Shelley Fabares

After numerous delays, principal photography began on March 22, 1967. In her 1985 book "Elvis and Me," Priscilla Presley writes that during filming, Elvis' growing distress over the quality of his films led to a depression accompanied by overeating, which caused his weight to quickly increase from 175 to 200 pounds.

Albert Goldman, in his biography of Elvis, corroborates this. He claims that a studio executive ordered him to lose weight quickly, marking the introduction of diet pills to his already excessive list of medications.

Elvis visibly swollen and a notably unconfortable Shelley Fabares pose for the cameras during filming

During this time, Presley was becoming increasingly interested in religious studies and spirituality, and read extensively on the subjects. Colonel Tom Parker, feeling that this was distracting, reportedly ordered the singer not to read books while filming, but there is no evidence that Presley complied with this directive.

Production was halted for nearly two weeks after Elvis fell and hit his head in the mansion where he was living during filming, resulting in a mild concussion. Although the singer always maintained that it was an accident, some biographers believe that Presley intentionally injured himself in order to be dismissed from the film; others, more morbidly, suggest that he attempted suicide.

Although the story is set in Florida, only a few scenes were shot there by the second unit. Almost the entire film was shot in Southern California, resulting in numerous errors. Several exterior scenes set in Florida have the very conspicuous California mountains in the background, the oil fields are nonexistent in Florida, and the boats in the marina have registration numbers that begin with "CF" (California) rather than "FL" (Florida).

Promotional still for the film

Clambake premiered timidly on October 18, 1967, but only reached the general public in December. The production was highly criticized for its story, lack of direction, use of supporting actresses already seen in several films with Elvis (such as Shelley Fabares, who was his partner for the third time), excessive use of chromakey and scenes obviously filmed outside of Florida. In order to sell something in Japan, the film had its title changed to "Blue Miami", in the hope of attracting audiences who had enjoyed "Blue Hawaii" (1961).

SOUNDTRACK

The Nashville sessions, held between February 21 and September 11, 1967, were a fiasco; of the eight songs recorded, two had been cut from the film, and even with "How Can You Lose What You Never Had" placed on the album without being in production, the LP still only had seven songs.

Despite the setbacks, this release would mark a turning point in Elvis' career. In breach of copyright, he decided to record songs he liked to close the album with the minimum required 10 tracks or 20 minutes of duration. Among them were "Guitar Man", "You Don't Know Me" and "Big Boss Man". The latter two were released as a single with little success a few days before the film's soundtrack.

The official album hit stores on October 23, 1967, and finished the year at #40 on the charts, something Elvis' soundtracks hadn't achieved in quite some time. Even with this boost, it sold less than 200,000 copies, much worse than its predecessor Double Trouble, which had been his lowest-selling album to date.

Including this LP, of his fifteen albums since Pot Luck with Elvis in 1962, only three had not been film soundtracks: one (Elvis' Golden Records, Volume 3) was a compilation of hit singles, another (Elvis for Everyone!) a compilation of outtakes, and the third (How Great Thou Art) a gospel album.






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SUPPORTING CAST

WILL HUTCHINS

Marshall Lowell Hutchason was born in Atwater Village, Los Angeles, California, on May 5, 1930. As a child, he visited Hollywood movie sets and was fortunate enough to be an extra in the film Never Give a Sucker an Even Break (1941). Hutchins attended Pomona High School and majored in Greek Theater, then went on to study film in California.

Will spent the 1950s and early 1960s working in television, appearing in such series as Cheyenne (1955) and Maverick (1957–1962), and starred in his own series, Sugarfoot, in 1961. His Warner contract also put him in a few films in the late 1950s, but none of any major importance. In his career, Hutchins considered The Shooting (1965) and Clambake to be his best films.

Will Hutchins passed away on April 21, 2025, at the age of 94, due to respiratory failure.

BILL BIXBY

Wilfred Bailey Everett Bixby III was born on January 22, 1934, in San Francisco, California. In 1942, his father enlisted in the Navy and left him with his mother in California, where he joined the Grace Cathedral choir. In 1946, his mother encouraged him to take dance lessons and improve his public speaking. After graduating from high school in 1952, against his parents' wishes, he majored in theater at San Francisco City College. He later attended the University of California, but dropped out to join the Marines.

He then moved to Hollywood, where he worked as a bellhop and lifeguard before being hired in 1959 to work as a model and do commercials for General Motors and Chrysler. In 1963, after appearing as an extra on several successful series, Bixby starred in his own, My Favorite Martian (1963–1966). This earned him roles in several films after the series ended, such as Ride Beyond Vengeance (1966), Clambake and Speedway (1968). In 1969, he starred in a new series, The Courtship of Eddie's Father (1969-1972), which put him in the spotlight. The Magician (1973-1974) was another series that made his name grow among producers.

All these successes, and his participation in renowned series in the 1970s, led to a contract with CBS/NBC in 1977 to play David Bruce Banner, the protagonist of the series The Incredible Hulk (1977-1982). The death of his only son in 1981 weighed heavily on his career, as the actor lost interest in work due to depression. Diagnosed with prostate cancer in 1991, the actor began to speak publicly about his health after newspapers published articles about his supposed death.

Bill Bixby passed away on November 21, 1993, at the age of 59, due to the disease.