• Skip to primary navigation
  • Skip to main content
  • Skip to primary sidebar

Casa Bouquet

let your joy bloom

  • Home
  • About
  • Culture
  • Home-making
  • Education
  • Travel
  • Style
  • Series
You are here: Home / Culture / Lisa’s Home Bijou: Girls! Girls! Girls! Elvis sings

Lisa’s Home Bijou: Girls! Girls! Girls! Elvis sings

October 23, 2017 by Lisa Grable 8 Comments

Film Festival: Elvis in Hawaii

Girls! Girls! Girls! (1962) stars Elvis Presley as a poor orphan working man, making his money by leading sport fishing tours, maintaining boats, catching tuna, and singing in a nightclub. There are two main girls in the film, Stella Stevens and Laurel Goodwin.Elvis Presley is a singing tuna fisherman in Hawaii trying to buy the boat his father built. Lisa's Home Bijou: Girls! Girls! Girls! (1962)

I thought Stella Stevens would be the star of this movie. She gets to sing and have a few key scenes with Elvis. I definitely would have liked more from such a 1960s icon. Stella plays Robin, Ross’ old girlfriend.girls-robin

Ross Carpenter (Elvis Presley) takes out private charters on the boat Kingfisher. His clients want sport fishing for marlin and swordfish. Elvis gets to show some muscle reeling in the huge fish.girls-sea-fishing

“And you want to keep them away? –Ah no! I like girls! –But not as much as the boat. –I live on the boat. I’d like to own her. –What’s stopping you? –Money!” Ross and Mrs. Morgan

As an orphan, Ross has made his own family relationships with people around Oahu.

“When I was a kid after my father died I lived on what other people gave me. Clothes that other kids had outgrown and didn’t fit me. Toys that had been broken and thrown out. I even got to where I thought the food I ate was given to me because someone else had finished with it.” –Ross

First, Papa Stavros owns a fleet of boats including the Westwind, a sailboat Ross built with his father before he died. He and Mama have to move to Arizona and they have to sell all their boats. Ross takes Laurel to a big Greek anniversary party for Mama and Papa.girls-stavros-party

Next, Ross is buddies with the folks at the Pirates Den nightclub. Robin Gantner (Stella Stevens) is the headliner. Sam offers him a job singing anytime. Ross meets Laurel Dodge (Laurel Goodwin) at the club. Laurel is from out of town – very cagey about who she is, where she’s from.girls-pirates-den

“Sir Galahad. You’re Sir Galahad, Don Juan, and Casanova rolled into one. If it isn’t this boat it’s girls. Girls, girls, girls!” –Robin

Ross introduces Laurel to another family of his, the Yungs. They live in a plantation-style house at Paradise Cove (this could be on the leeward side, at today’s Ko Olina). Kin Yung (the great Benson Fong) runs a fishing operation. His son Chen works for Ross.

girls-paradise-cove
girls-yung-dinner

The plot revolves around Ross’ conflict with Wesley. Wesley Johnson (Jeremy Slate) is a broker at the marina with a reputation for drinking and chasing women. He decides to buy all of Papa’s boats. Ross needs $10,000 to buy the Westwind back from him. He has to go to work as a tuna boat captain for Wesley and a singer for Sam at the Pirates Den.

girls-tuna
girls-bumble-bee

“She wrote upon it / Return to sender / Address unknown / No such number / No such zone” –Ross

girls-ross-sings
Elvis Presley is a singing tuna fisherman in Hawaii trying to buy the boat his father built. Lisa's Home Bijou: Girls! Girls! Girls! (1962)

Girls! Girls! Girls! never mentions Hawaii. The Pirates Den is nautical. Street scenes look like they are on set. The movie theater posters on the street show Blue Hawaii. I kept wondering if the original script was supposed to be in New Orleans or Florida and the producers went for Hawaii instead.girls-street-scene

The Ala Wai Boat Harbor in Honolulu is prominently featured along with the Kewalo Basin Harbor. Bit parts are filled with Hawaiian extras. Outrigger canoes are in the Paradise Cove scenes and a cat named Kapu. The Ala Moana Building is in the skyline, with the first revolving restaurant in the US.girls-ala-moana-bldg

The tuna boat called Kilohana and the fishing scenes are off the Waimanalo coast. Today the tuna market is near Sand Island and the Kapalama Basin. At the party at the end we have Japanese, Chinese, Spanish, Brazilian, Tahitian, Phillipine, and Balinese dancers.girls-tahitianThe top hit from the movie is Return to Sender and watching Elvis sing it on stage is just great. Other songs on the soundtrack:

  • Girls! Girls! Girls!
  • Never Let Me Go
  • I Don’t Wanna Be Tied
  • Mama
  • We’ll Be Together
  • A Boy Like Me, A Girl Like You
  • Earth Boy
  • The Nearness of You
  • Because of Love
  • Thanks to the Rolling Sea
  • Song of the Shrimp
  • The Walls have Ears girls-tango
  • We’re Coming in Loaded
  • Baby, Baby, Baby
  • Dainty Little Moonbeams

Elvis looks really good in Girls! Girls! Girls! He’s skippering the boats, reeling in fish, wielding tools, dancing, and singing. The Sixties’ women’s fashion are so much fun! All the Elvis movie plot points are here: fighting over a woman, lame comedy, and interaction with sweet little children.

Resource links for Girls! Girls! Girls!

  • http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0056023/?ref_=nm_knf_t1
    • Girls! Girls! Girls! From IMDb
  • http://stellastevens.biz/
    • Official Stella Stevens website
  • http://www.elvisinhawaii.com/
    • Elvis in Hawaii website
  • http://evols.library.manoa.hawaii.edu/bitstream/handle/10524/47783/1962v52no7.pdf?sequence=1
    • 1962 view of Ala Moana Building from University of Hawaii
  • http://nicospier38.com/about/
    • Nico’s Pier 38 restaurant

Affiliate links: if you make a purchase using these links, I’ll receive a small compensation towards maintaining this blog, at no extra cost to you.

Share this post:
error
fb-share-icon
Tweet
fb-share-icon

Filed Under: Culture, Movies Tagged With: 1962, classic film, Elvis Presley, Girls Girls Girls, Hawaii movie locations, Hawaii movies, Lisa's Home Bijou, musical, Stella Stevens

Previous Post: « Denver Part 3 – Cherry Creek and Washington Park
Next Post: Denver Part 4 Brown House Museum, Buckhorn Exchange »

Reader Interactions

Comments

  1. honeybeerosewritings

    January 27, 2018 at 1:21 pm

    I remember hearing about how back in the day when he was starting out that the TV industry when they showed Elvis dancing they only showed the upper half of his body. They censored his gyrating hips.

    Reply
    • Lisa Grable

      January 28, 2018 at 1:14 pm

      Hey HBRW, That’s right, Elvis would come on Ed Sullivan on Sunday nights and they were afraid of his moves! You might enjoy Blue Hawaii and Paradise, Hawaiian Style too.

      Reply
  2. Christina A.

    November 15, 2017 at 2:31 pm

    I don’t think I’ve ever seen this but I’ve had a renewed interest in Elvis recently after a couple of treks to Nashville! #addingtomovielist!

    Reply
    • Lisa Grable

      November 15, 2017 at 3:35 pm

      Hey Christina, Elvis movies aren’t the best, but they are fun! The music is really good in Blue Hawaii.

      Reply
  3. Amber Ludwig

    November 15, 2017 at 11:10 am

    My stepdad adores Elvis so Ive seen thins a few times but never actually paid much attention lol!! Maybe I will have to! I don’t know much of Elvis besides his obvious music 😉

    Reply
    • Lisa Grable

      November 15, 2017 at 3:36 pm

      Amber, I hope you will check out Elvis’ Hawaii trilogy.

      Reply
  4. Patrick weseman

    October 23, 2017 at 8:36 pm

    Very cool.

    Reply
    • Lisa Grable

      October 24, 2017 at 8:00 am

      Thanks for visiting! There is a lot of 60’s coolness in this film!

      Reply

What are your thoughts? Cancel reply

This site uses Akismet to reduce spam. Learn how your comment data is processed.

Primary Sidebar

Hey, I’m Lisa

Lisa Grable, Casa BouquetI’m an educator, grandmother, classic movie fan, sewer and crafter, and I love Hawaii. Read more about me …

Subscribe for email updates

Don't miss a post! Receive an email when new posts are published. Get freebies!

Please follow & like us :)

Facebook
Facebook
fb-share-icon
Pinterest
Pinterest
fb-share-icon
Instagram
Follow by Email
RSS

Amazon

The Radiant One: A Story of Life, Loss & Legacy by Kauʻi Dalire

#thatsmykumu Kumu Kau’i Dalire has released her first book. From a family with 8 generations of hula legacy, she won Merrie Monarch’s Miss Aloha Hula and is a fierce mom, songwriter, athlete, world traveler, and entrepreneur. Read about finding strength after heartbreaking loss, fueled by hula and family.Dalire book The Radiant One

More in Lisa’s Home Bijou

vintage movie theater sign

Recent Posts

ice cream maker giveaway

Ice cream maker giveaway 06.18.22 – 07.18.22

travelon bag giveaway

Travelon bag giveaway 05.14.22 – 06.14.22

75 Amazon Gift Card Giveaway

Amazon gift card giveaway 03.19 – 04.19.22

Shrimp gumbo, a Louisiana classic soup served with rice. Shrimp, okra, and gumbo file provide flavor, and you can add more seafood and chicken - tasty!

Shrimp gumbo for Mardi Gras – okra, shrimp, filé

Posts by Category

Casa Bouquet parties

Over the Moon

Lou Lou Girls Fabulous Party
Wonderful Wednesday
Thursday Favorite Things

Featured series

Casa Bouquet pie recipes series.
College planning posts for middle and high school students. Download free checklist, cost calculation, and career interest worksheets. Resource links!

Copyright © 2022 · Foodie Pro & The Genesis Framework · Design by Stephanie Jones

 

Loading Comments...