A Lot of Bull: Stay Away, Joe

STAY AWAY, JOE (US, 1968)

Original title: Stay Away, Joe

Filming date:

July - September 1967

Release date:

March 8, 1968

Running time:

102min

Production company:

Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer

Budget:

US$ 2,5 million

Box office:

US$ 1,5 million

Main cast:

Elvis Presley

Katy Jurado

Burgess Meredith

Joan Blondell

Quentin Dean

Soundtrack:

"Stay Away" (single)
[b/w "U.S. Male"]
(February 27, 1968)

"Let's Be Friends" (LP)

(April 1970)

"Almost in Love" (LP)

(November 1970)
"Stay Away, Joe" (CD/LP)
(FTD, 2013/2014)

Stay Away, Joe Is Elvis' twenty-sixth film. In it, Joe Lightcloud must fight to prevent his relatives' land from being stolen by a self-serving politician while dealing with a stubborn ox and lovelorn girls.

After the accidents and conflicts during the filming of "Clambake" (1967), one would think the studios would offer Elvis better material. However, the opposite happened. MGM hired him for $850,000 plus 40% of the profits to play cowboy Joe Lightcloud in a Western comedy where he even sings to the cattle. The film is the first of his last five (Speedway was released later, but recorded before) to not prioritize the soundtrack, having few songs and trying, at least, to focus on Elvis' acting and dramatic abilities.

The cast, at least, was of better quality and more prestige than the relatively unknown actors from the previous films. Burgess Meredith came from the hit "Batman" series (1966-1968), where he played the Penguin, and from several renowned film productions, to play his father, Charlie Lightcloud; Katy Jurado, a successful actress in Mexican and American cinema since 1943, played his mother, Annie Lightcloud; Joan Blondell, a film muse of the 1930s, was brought in to add a comedic element.

The film had its charm. It told of a Navajo family, of which Elvis' character is a member, who didn't quite accept the changes of the modern world and wanted to help their clan, becoming the target of a congressman's scheme to steal their land. However, part of the plot, perhaps the main one, involves Joe trying to get a discouraged bull (Dominick) interested in breeding with some cows.

In an attempt to cheer the animal up, Elvis even sings to it (although the bull isn't around, and he actually sings to two girls in a bizarre scene, to say the least). Had this part been left out, "Stay Away Joe" might have been one of the singer's best films of the late 1960s.

Upon its US release, the film grossed just over $1.5 million, a considerable loss for its $2.5 million budget. The film ranked 65th in box office sales in 1968.

SOUNDTRACK

Unlike most of his films, Stay Away, Joe was one of the few not to have a soundtrack album released at the time. Instead, RCA chose to issue only a single of "Stay Away", the song heard during the film's opening, with "U.S. Male", recorded for the film but not used, on the B-side, both cut at the January 16, 1968 session.

The other three songs recorded for the film on October 1, 1967, at RCA Studio B in Nashville were released over two years on various budget LPs, with the exception of "Dominick", which Elvis personally requested Felton Jarvis never release. It was only officially released in 1994, long after Jarvis' passing.

In 2013, FTD released the official soundtrack CD with extras and outtakes.

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SUPPORTING CAST

KATY JURADO

María Cristina García Jurado was born in Guadalajara, Mexico, on January 16, 1924, to wealthy parents whose ancestors had owned much of the land in Texas. The actress studied journalism and, in 1942, was discovered by Mexican filmmaker Emilio Fernández.

Jurado began acting in Mexican films in 1943 with "No Matarás", where she played a femme fatale, a role that would characterize her entire career. Her big break came when John Wayne invited her to co-star in "Bullfighter and the Lady" (1951). "High Noon" (1952) would earn her a Golden Globe for Best Supporting Actress. Virtually forgotten in the 1960s, she returned to Mexico, briefly returning to the US to film "Stay Away, Joe".

In the 1980s and 1990s, Jurado appeared in Mexican telenovelas. Her last appearance was in "Un secreto de Esperanza", released after her passing. Katy passed away from kidney and lung failure on July 5, 2002, at the age of 78, at her home in Cuernavaca, Mexico.

BURGESS MEREDITH

Oliver Burgess Meredith was born on November 16, 1907, in Cleveland, Ohio. A prominent figure in the 1940s, he was blacklisted from Hollywood and labeled a Communist in 1948. In 1965, he was personally recommended to play the Penguin in the "Batman" series (1966-1969). During the break between seasons, he filmed his scenes in "Stay Away, Joe".

The 1970s would bring major success and nominations for BAFTAs, Golden Globes, and Oscars. He would then play Coach Mickey Goldmill in the first three films of the "Rocky" franchise (1976-2015). In the 1990s, he played Jack Lemmon's father in "Grumpy Old Men" (1993) and "Grumpier Old Men" (1995).

In 1994, Meredith published his autobiography, "So Far, So Good". In the book, he confessed to suffering from violent mood swings caused by bipolar disorder. Burgess passed away of complications from Alzheimer's and melanoma on September 9, 1997, at the age of 89, at his home in Malibu.

JOAN BLONDELL

Rose Joan Blondell was born in New York City on August 30, 1909. As a member of the Bouncing Blondells, a Vaudeville family, she saw much of the world. Living in Texas, she won the 1926 Miss Dallas pageant and was a finalist in an early version of Miss Universe, finishing fourth in the Miss America pageant that same year. Discovered by Warner Bros. in the play "Penny Arcade" (1929), she appeared in over 50 productions in the 1930s.

The following years were devoted to theater, but the actress continued to appear in other films until the late 1960s, when she explored her comedic side in "Stay Away, Joe". Joan is widely remembered for two films released not long before her passing: "Grease" (1978) and "The Champ" (1979).

Blondell passed away of leukemia on Christmas Day 1979, at the age of 73.

QUENTIN DEAN

Quintin Corinne Margolin was born on July 27, 1944, in Los Angeles, California, and did not have many roles in film or other media.

Her screen debut was as a seductive girl in "In the Heat of the Night" (1967), with Sidney Poitier, for which she received a Golden Globe nomination for Best Supporting Actress. Besides this and "Stay Away, Joe", the actress only appeared in two more films and ended her career in 1969.

Quintin passed away of cancer on May 8, 2003, at the age of 58, in Los Angeles, California.