ELVIS MONTH Day 13 Fun In Acapulco (1963

Year: 1963

Age: 28

Movie: 13th

We open the title song, Fun In Acapulco, such a great feel already. Elvis is working on a boat with a troublesome young lady, (bum close up) when a band of seafaring mexicans happen to show up…I don’t know why. E goes into town to visit the bar in which the Mexicans work. His voice is perfect from the start. And get this…Mike meets a beautiful girl. The lady bullfighter.

They start doing tequila shots and all is good. Until Mike gets fired. His little mexican friend is pretty cheeky but really likable. He goes to see his cousin and when he is at the front desk it looks like there is a model of the pink car from Blue Hawaii is sitting on the desk.

The outside scenes are a little distracting because we can clearly see Elvis isn’t there. And the standin riding through the streets looks weird, he appears to be a bit taller than Elvis. He meets Alejandro Rey by the pool, very recognisable from The Flying Nun. Mike takes a job as a life guard, and part time singer, and is upset at the thought of the high dive platform at the pool, due to an earlier trapeze accident. I feel really bad about saying this, but the stand in for Mike’s shots in Acapulco has a much bigger butt than Elvis’s. (Sorry standin guy!) The desk girl is eager to help Mike with his problem…it’s an amusing scene.

When we first see Ursula Andress she is in a bikini, it seems to fit her well…She plays the social director and the daughter of the very entertaining head chef.

El Toro, OMG the outfit… He takes Margarita (Ursula) outside, kinda looks like a kidnapping really.

And of course Elvis is working two girls at the same time, and we just have to wait to see who wins.

Not my favourite song…There’s No Room To Rhumba In A Sportscar, they’re not all gems. But then you get Bossa Nova Baby my all time favourite.

I was just reading that Elvis was declared a persona non grata (unwelcomed person) by the Mexican government due to unruly (riots) behaviour at the showing of G.I. Blues. this is the reason why a standin was used.

The strongest memory I have of watching this movie is the cliff diving scene. When I was a kid I was completly enthralled by this scene, I watch it now and…what can I say…not much has changed for me. And I’m happy about that too. Mike finally dives, waves to the audience and climbs back to see his manager, apparently visiting the hair and make up department on the way up the cliff.