"As far as I know, nothing was ever written about this clip in the Elvis press for 40 plus years, till it became available a couple of years ago. Why would Paramount have made such a film clip and not mentioned it in their promotion campaign, back in 61? This promo trailer must be, without a doubt, the rarest film footage meant for screening, not having been used, outside of the ONE surviving copy found in Denmark! So until professionally film footage is found from 1955, this 1960 clip is the rarest Elvis film ever found!"
With a marvelous early sixties feel of Elvis coming alive within a girl's framed photo...rare & unknown to me facts about the movie, plus some interesting new insights into Elvis' character.
For instance Robert Allison Baker III 'The Puppeteer' on the making of G.I. Blues:
"On the third day Elvis came in to kind of run through this (puppet piece). He stepped up on to the stage and walked up to the puppets. We started working the little girl with him. He turned to the director and he said, "I can not perform with this puppet. It's alive! And it's freaking me out! I have got to take a little time out and get myself calm because I don't like the feeling I have".
So he went back to his dressing room for over an hour.
Finally they told him, he had to come back so they could get the scene shot that day.... Finally by the end of the number, the director said, "Can I have the father puppet" And without Elvis knowing it, he put the puppet on his hand and he began hitting Elvis on the head with his stick. And Elvis at first got very angry - and then turned around and saw it was the director and he said it was OK.
Basically, Juliet (Prowse) was on the set during the whole thing. She was out in the audience with the children. We did everything and then a run-through after the audience left, for close-ups and angles. And that's when Elvis actually put one of the puppets on his hand and worked it. He found it kind of interesting. He seemed to work better with the puppets after that."
I particularly enjoyed Elvis & cast away from the film set.
Examining the look on Elvis' face throughout, you can observe plenty of emotions, including, but not limited to . . .
a) The professional worker.
b) Lust, with Juliet Prowse.
c) Sheer happiness at being home and out of the army.
d) That anxious look of 'What am I doing in this lightweight musical?'.
Running just over 2 minutes, this bonus is one of the world's rarest Elvis promo-promos - including terrible fake Japanese accent-versions and some great sixties TV footage of Elvis meeting the King & Queen of Thailand on set.
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