TICKLE ME

(director: Norman Taurog; screenwriters: Elwood Ullman/Edward Bernds; cinematographer: Loyal Criggs; editor: Archie Marshek; music: Walter Scharf; cast:  Elvis Presley (Lonnie), Julie Adams (Vera Radford), Jacelyn Lane (Pam), Jack Mullaney(Stanley), Merry Anders (Estelle Penfield),  Connie Gilchrist (Hilda), Bill Williams (Deputy Sturdivant), Edward Faulkner (Brad), Barbara Werle (Barbara); Runtime: 90; MPAA Rating: NR; producer: Ben Schwalb/Emanuel L. Wolf ; Warner Home Video; 1965)

“A silly and uninviting lightweight musical comedy penned by former Three Stooges writers.”

Reviewed by Dennis Schwartz

A silly and uninviting lightweight musical comedy penned by former Three Stooges writers Elwood Ullman and Edward Bernds. It’s directed without a pulse by Norman Taurog (“The Caddy”/”Strike Me Pink”) as a star vehicle for Elvis. Even the music is stale, as The King sings nine songs from previous albums. The songs are: ‘Long Lonely Highway’, ‘Night Rider’, ‘It Feels So Right’, ‘Dirty Dirty Feeling’, ‘Easy Question’, ‘Put the Blame On Me’, ‘I’m Yours’, ‘I Feel That I’ve Known You For Ever’, ‘Slowly But Surely’.

Singing rodeo rider Lonnie (Elvis Presley) is between jobs and takes a temp ranch hand gig at an exclusive all-girls dude ranch health spa in Arizona owned by Vera Radford (Julie Adams). All the wealthy bikini clad ladies want to stay trim and chase after Lonnie, but he turns his attention to helping local staffer Pam (Jacelyn Lane), a sexy damsel in distress who is attacked by those who want a treasure map she possesses from her late grandfather.  The singer rescues her from a group of fortune hunter villains and wins the lady over despite her early doubts about him.

Elvis is jovial and seems willing to go along with the nonsense, but this one arrives D.O.A. to the screen.

REVIEWED ON 10/28/2017       GRADE: C