ELVIS MONTH Day 20 Frankie and Johnny (1966)

Year: 1966

Age: 30

Movie: 20th

Set on a paddle steamer. Johnny entertains on the boat with ~~Elly May~~ Donna Douglas and ~~Col. Sherman T. Potter~~ Harry Morgan plays piano. Johnny just can’t stop gambling and visits a fortune teller. She tells him his gal is bad luck and to try a red head. They all sing the little known song, Chesay. Elvis’s voice is just getting better and better.

Nancy Kovak, a red head, turns up playing Nellie Bly, and Frankie is not gonna be happy about it. They act out the song Frankie and Johnny on stage, while singing a version of Frankie and Johnny. It turns out that Nellie is actually the girl of the river boat owner. Keep an eye out for the drunk red head girl helping Johnny win at the tables, she’s hilarious. Oh there’s a dream sequence, which is nice enough. The costumes in this movie are just beautiful. When The Saints Go Marching number is nicely done for the budget given. Elvis looks like a tin soldier…in good way.

All the lead girls go shopping for Mardi Gras costumes and they all pick the same, one of a kind, dress. Johnny is dress as a cowboy with lots of fringe and sings Shout It Out, which is quite upbeat and really enjoyable. And three girls are all dress as Madam Pompadore, and they all swap places and confusion reigns. Johnny gets caught with Nellie, river boat owner cranky, Frankie cranky.

Frankie inadvertently suggests shooting Johnny on stage and the Boss’s right hand man decides it will solve everyone’s problems if Johnny is shot with real bullets while acting out the title song on stage. Frankie throws a vase and it smashes in Johnny’s face while he’s trying to apologise, looks like that one could have gone wrong.

All the confusion has resulted in the boss proposing to Nellie. Nellie goes to start the performance of the title song Frankie and Johnny, but the fake bullets have been replaced with real ones. Will Johnny survive? Frankie’s lucky cricket saves the day and they’re all back in love.