hyped garbage

A brilliant film that helped define a genre

It really made me laugh, but for some moments I was tearing up because I could relate so much.

The movie turns out to be a little better than the average. Starting from a romantic formula often seen in the cinema, it ends in the most predictable (and somewhat bland) way.

In this outing Elvis is the son of an oil tycoon and wants to find a girl who loves him for him, not his family money.He swaps places with Tom a water ski instructor in Miami and the hi-jinks begin!Eventually he races a speedboat and falls for a gal.Much fun, fluff and of course Elvis crooning. Just don't look too deep..

By the time Clambake was released the critics were well and truly down on his 'film quickies'. And Elvis himself is said to not have enjoyed making Clambake. However, it is a fun take on the Prince and the Pauper story with some pleasant songs and a solid supporting cast including Gary Merrill, Will Hutchins (best known as TV's Sugarfoot) and the King's favorite film co-star, Shelley Fabares. The film divides Elvis fans who either love or loathe it. There are worse ways to pass a dreary afternoon.

I've been an Elvis Presley fan since the age of 6 - that's almost 30 years, and yet I only saw 'Clambake' for the first time last week then again just before. What's the old proverb of waiting so long for a bus and then... I'd always been put off buying or even watching 'Clambake' due to the poor reviews it's always had from pretty much EVERYBODY Elvis himself and members of the support cast. But I was pleasantly surprised by it! Again, I don't think it's as bad as other films he did like "Tickle Me", "Frankie and Johnny", "Harum Scarum", "Blue Hawaii", "Girls! Girls! Girls!", "The Trouble with Girls" or the three westerns...maybe it's merely timing. One thing I can agree on is that Elvis looks his worst than in any movie he made for the first half of the movie, which was filmed when Elvis was not in good health, spirits and subsequently had a nasty fall at Graceland that suspended filming for 6 weeks in which he was told to recover (and get himself straight) - thus the second half of the film you see a much fresher, healthier, better looking Elvis although the obvious use of diet pills is...well that's another debate away from the movie that Elvis fans will have long and hard. I think this is a decent movie. I once heard dancing extra Terri Garr brand 'Clambake' as "a movie about nothing.",,,but...it is about something? It builds up toward a power boat race at the end, to which Elvis (Scott Haywood) is rebuilding a damaged boat from the year before, and win over Shelley Fabaras (Dianne Carter) - in her third Presley movie. It has the interesting sub plot of Haywood meeting a cash strapped Tom Wilson at a garage at the start of the film. Elvis/Haywood is playing the son of an oil billionaire and is concerned that women are only interested in him for his money rather than his personality. The skint Wilson wants the women but they're not interested in him because he has no money or that rich lifestyle...so en route to Miami, the two men decide to travel together, swap identities and vehicles and "see how the other half lives" which puts an interesting spin on things, for as Wilson is lapping up the playboy lifestyle that he has inherited, Elvis is struggling to land Dianne...because she's only interested in finding a rich man, therefore has her eyes on millionaire power boat champion, Bill Bixby. The soundtrack to 'Clambake' is pretty good, aside from the cringe worthy, dire "Who Needs Money?" that Haywood and Wilson duet on after swapping identities and lifestyles. "Clambake" is not a bad song, if a little daft. "Confidence" is just a kids song in the mould of Willy Wonka's "The Candy Man" and accompanies a nice scene where Elvis and his new friend Wilson are entertaining kids at a playground, but the three stand out tracks are all ballads - "A House That Has Everything" is a smooth, sexy song, "You Don't Know Me" a great cover of the Ray Charles classic, "The Girl I Never Loved" the song of the film. Throughout the film, Dianne appears to be wanting Haywood...but the gold digger craves the flashy Bixby. However, come the race, she's almost been converted and instead of cheering on her lover to another victory, instead ends up roaring Elvis to an expected last gasp win! After that, the two lead men return their identities and back to their normal lifestyles with Wilson now carrying the title of "1967 Miami Power Boat Champion" thanks to Haywood (Elvis)' exploits. The next morning, Dianne commits her future with Haywood and passes out at the news of the icing on the cake...he's filthy rich anyway!

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