G.I. Blues

1960 "Elvis scores... a singing triumph... and a romantic hit!"
6.2| 1h44m| PG| en| More Info
Released: 23 November 1960 Released
Producted By: Hal Wallis Productions
Country: United States of America
Budget: 0
Revenue: 0
Official Website:
Info

Stationed in West Germany, soldier Tulsa McLean hopes to open up a nightclub when he gets out of the army. Tulsa may lack the capital for such a venture, but a chance to raise the cash comes his way through a friendly wager. Local dancer Lili (Juliet Prowse) is a notorious ice queen, and Tulsa bets everything he has that a friend of his can earn her affections. But, when that friend is dispatched to Alaska, it's up to Tulsa to melt Lili's heart.

Genre

Comedy, Music

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Director

Norman Taurog

Production Companies

Hal Wallis Productions

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G.I. Blues Audience Reviews

KnotMissPriceless Why so much hype?
GamerTab That was an excellent one.
Kailansorac Clever, believable, and super fun to watch. It totally has replay value.
Ariella Broughton It is neither dumb nor smart enough to be fun, and spends way too much time with its boring human characters.
bigverybadtom After Elvis Presley's real-life Army service, he stars in a service comedy as Tulsa, a tank soldier nearing the end of his service along with several others, who dreams of opening a nightclub back in the USA, but needing money to be able to pull it off. The bet: a soldier has to spend the night in the apartment of a German nightclub singer known for her habitual rejection of suitors. As anticipated, Tulsa ends up having to do the job...but there are a number of complications, namely his fellow soldiers having their own romantic problems.The movie shows West Germany as a pretty soldier's outpost, and the movie makes no reference to World War Two. Elvis Presley sings a number of songs, including one based on an old German folk song in a cute scene at an outdoor puppet stand. Perhaps surprisingly for its era, the story mentions a boy born out of wedlock with the parents marrying afterward.This is an average movie, not as strong as Elvis's earlier ones but better than his later ones. Entertaining, but little better than fluff.
tilloscfc One of my favourite Elvis movies since I was 6 years old! Having just completed a two year stint in the U.S. Army, Elvis Presley's first movie back was, inevitably I guess, a movie about an American Singer-Soldier stationed in Germany. The leading lady is Frank Sinatra's then girlfriend Juliet Prowse, whom Elvis (as Tulsa McLean) has been bet a small fortune from another division within the Army, that nobody can pull the dancing "iceberg". Being Elvis...a charming, not bad looking individual, Tulsa is nominated to attempt to the pulling and win the money for the troops. Despite a few obstacles, such a house mate who just happens to land Tulsa's best pal within the Army on the same night, Tulsa finally succeeds following a string of dates (and songs!) with the only problem being that he has fallen for the red headed beauty for real, not just for the bet... G.I. Blues is an enjoyable, fun, witty movie with a good pace that flies by. It's backed up even further by Elvis' best soundtrack - G.I. Blues the album was Elvis' best selling album through his career. 'Wooden Heart' was the big hit, but songs such as 'Shoppin' Around' , 'Tonight's So Right For Love' and 'Pocketful of Rainbows' really stand up as some of Elvis' best songs (of many 'best songs'!)
Rene D This Elvis movie, the first one after his discharge from the army (and after the Sinatra Timex Special) simply is one of the better ones from his sixties movie career. And by that I mean, the movies with say 12 songs, like he used to make them.Sure, this one has a lot of music, but the setting for those songs is just right, and even if one does not like a song like Wooden Heart, seeing it midway this story, it works very well.Elvis as we all know spent his army years in Germany, Bad Nauheim and Friedberg. But we never see Elvis himself actually in Germany in this movie. Yes, it seems like we do, but no, Elvis did not make a movie outside of the US. Elvis plays Tulsa, a GI stationed in Germany, like he was in real life, and he has a combo with 2 army buddies, not including the sergeant, one that they pull jokes on.Can somebody hand me my soap during the shower scene sums it up pretty well. The guys all throw their soap at the Sergeant. A scene that always made my dad laugh, and me too.The movie of course is a musical comedy with lots of scenes like that. Real Hollywood Elvis style, but not as slick or "cheap" like later years, the years Elvis started to dislike his own movies.Juliet Prowse as the female lead is just perfect, and she works well with Elvis. They both look great, and she was just perfect for that part back in those days. Songs: of course as I mentioned Wooden Heart, the number one hit worldwide. But also good ones like the title song, and Frankfurt Special, Shopping Around, Doin The Best I Can and What's She Really Like, Didja Ever and more.Fun part is the song Blue Suede Shoes, which Elvis recorded himself of course. It is played on a jukebox when Tulsa (Elvis) is singing. That guy who put it on wanted the original. Of course that ends in a fight.I could go on about this movie, but I will say this for now (my first review on IMDb) if you like Elvis and his music, this is one to see. It has all the fun you would expect from an Elvis movie from that era. Great stuff!
SanteeFats This was Elvis' first movie after his Army release; the 1st Medium Tank Battalion, 32nd Armored was Presley's regiment when he was in the Army with the 3rd Armored Division in Germany, so it was used for the film; the soundtrack album went to No. 1 on Billboard and spent over two years (111 weeks) on the Billboard charts. This a very good Elvis movie in my opinion. It has a lot of music, hence the trio excuse, good humor, good acting and excellent scenery of sections of Germany. He shows some funny little moves when he is singing. Little mannerisms like stopping his leg shake or funny facial expressions. His character starts reluctantly trying to romance a cabaret dancer (Lili) played by Juliet Prowse to win a bet so that his trio can open a night club when they get out. It starts to turn serious and Elvis does what most GI's wouldn't, he backs out of the bet. Robert Ivers plays Cookie, the second member of the trio, a stereotypical American serviceman out for seemingly one thing (take a guess what). James Douglas is Rick, the third member of the trio, he is looking for his lost love Marla. He finds where she lives with their baby that he doesn't know about, he is told she has moved. They don't show how but Rick ends up with Marla, delirious about the fact he is a father. He gets Elvis's to baby sit while the pair run out to get married, after telling him the baby will sleep like a baby. If you have ever had a kid(s) you know how that works out!! Using the crying baby to get a panicked Elvis and Juliet back together again is a cute way to accomplish what any one watching the movie would realize was going to happen. Scheming Cookie trying to win the bet takes the roommate Tina, a girl he is trying to ????, out on the town so they other two are left alone as per the bet. Of course Lili finds out about the bet and things get tense for awhile between the two of them. Then things get cleared up, the trio gets it break by going on the Armed Forces Network. As usual in this type of film everything turns out well for every one. Tulsa (Elvis) and Lili get married, Rick and Marla too. Cookie can't scheme his way out of love. So all's well that ends happily.