Movies: “Girl Happy”

Mar. 12, 1965 - Opening today is “Girl Happy,” a musical romantic comedy starring Elvis Presley in his 18th feature. The supporting cast includes Shelley Fabares, Gary Crosby, Nita Talbot, Mary Ann Mobley, Harold J. Stone, and Chris Noel. Filming began on June 22, 1964, and finished in late July.

Although MGM is presenting Girl Happy as a beach party film (“Elvis brings his beat to the beach!,” “Elvis jumps with the campus crowd to make the beach ‘ball’ bounce!”) and while Presley has appeared shirtless in prior films, he wears long sleeve shirts for most of the film, even while water-skiing.

In the film’s story, a Chicago mobster (Stone) hires a rock ’n’ roll singer (Presley) and his band to keep an eye on his daughter (Fabares) during spring break in Fort Lauderdale, Florida.

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