Scanialara
You won't be disappointed!
SunnyHello
Nice effects though.
Sharkflei
Your blood may run cold, but you now find yourself pinioned to the story.
Abegail Noëlle
While it is a pity that the story wasn't told with more visual finesse, this is trivial compared to our real-world problems. It takes a good movie to put that into perspective.
Michael_Elliott
Clambake (1967) * 1/2 (out of 4) Very weak Elvis film has him playing a millionaire's son who wants to meet people on his own so he trades places with a water ski instructor. There's really not too much to say about this really bland romantic comedy because there isn't any romance and not a single laugh. Even the music is pretty poor, which is a shame because you'd think they could have at least came up with one good single. Elvis seems bored and uninterested throughout the film and Shelley Fabares is oh so annoying.Get an Elvis CD instead.
wes-connors
Elvis Presley plays a wealthy racing enthusiast who switches places with poor water skiing instructor. He wants to make it "on his own" and see if he can attract women without money. As the film opens, Elvis trades places with pal Will Hutchins, who plays the lowly ski instructor; and, they sing the duet "Who Needs Money". Watch it - the unprofessional singer, Mr. Hutchins, sings the song as well as Elvis! Hutchins, Shelley Fabares, and Bill Bixby are okay; Elvis is the liability in his own movie. Hutchins, Fabares, and Bixby might have made a better film without "The King".Yet, it's not the worst film in history. The other players are entertaining, and the movie rolls along until, arguably, the scene with Elvis and the children singing "Confidence" in the playground; it's the most embarrassing song in the film. I do like "You Don't Know Me" and the title "Clambake" sounds good in the mix they released on record, but the movie is half-baked. ** Clambake (10/18/67) Arthur H. Nadel ~ Elvis Presley, Shelley Fabares, Will Hutchins
estabansmythe
As weird as this sounds, I've always preferred the Elvis movies that aren't considered among his best. His best include "Jailhouse Rock," "Loving You" and "Wild In The Country." You know, the heavier, more serious early ones.No, I'll take his later films - you got it, the dumb, stupid, oh-so light ones. Films like "Tickle Me," "Girl Happy," "Spinout" and "Double Trouble." And "Clambake." The plots were always mindless fun and "Clambake" is no different.Elvis was almost always a moody, brooding loner in the early films. He usually played unappreciative guys with chips on his shoulder the size of the Rock of Gibraltar. The characters in those films are guys I'd have little desire to know.However, the guys he played in his later movies aren't that way at all. They're nice, decent, upstanding, fun-loving fellas. I like those guys. I like watching them as heroes, as leading characters in fun, dumb little movies. Hence, I like those movies a lot more. I couldn't give a rat's rear about appraising them as serious films because they're not.In his silly mindless mid-'60s films, Elvis always had a goofy main sidekick. Here in "Clambake," it's Will Hutchins, who starred in one of Warner brothers' classic '60s television westerns, "Sugarfoot." And believe me, Hutchins can goof it up with the best of them.The two wise, sage, old guys are (1) old pro James Gregory and (2) Bette Davis' ex, Gary Merrill, who, if you really look, often looked as though he hated whatever film he was in.Elvis' Number One girl, Shelly Fabares plays the gal Elvis competes for with Bill "My Favorite Martian" Bixby. There are also plenty of Elvis Girls around, as usual.Alas, there are no true classics or any memorable songs in the entire film. Tunes like "High Hopes" clone "Confidence" aren't either."Clambake" ain't no "Tickle me," but it's still great fun!
bkoganbing
By 1967 with the Beatles leading the British invasion of new musical performers, the King of the Sixties was in decline at least in his film career.You can tell with Clambake. The plot is essentially the same story as Blue Hawaii and not half as good. Once again he's the son of a rich man who wants to make it on his own. This time though he changes places with happy-go-lucky water skiing instructor Will Hutchins. They're both headed to the same Florida resort now with each other's identities.Well of course being he's the King, he does find a girl who falls for him without knowing he's a millionaire. For the rest of it you'll have to buy or rent the film.He does have some nice songs. Two songs Who Needs Money is the kind of stuff Bing Crosby used to do in a lot of his films, the upbeat philosophical number and the song Confidence is a ripoff of Frank Sinatra's High Hopes. But Elvis does well by both.He also reprises a song he missed the first time around. You might remember that the original artist who sang the song, Jerry Vale, got to reprise it in Goodfellas. You Don't Know Me sold a whole lot of platters for Mr. Vale, but the big seller of that song was done by Ray Charles. Presley does very well by it, a pity it did not become a big hit for him like it was for the other two.As usual Elvis gets a nice supporting cast and a pretty leading lady in Shelley Fabares. In the cast we have Bill Bixby, Will Hutchins, Gary Merrill and James Gregory all of whom do a good job. Still it's all been done before.
