{PDF EPUB} Frankie & Johnny & Nellie Bly
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Read Ebook {PDF EPUB} Frankie & Johnny & Nellie Bly Fifteen Stories About What Never Was and Never Will Be by Richard Wolk Frankie and Johnny (1966 film) Frankie and Johnny is a 1966 American musical film starring Elvis Presley as a riverboat gambler. The role of "Frankie" was played by Donna Douglas from The Beverly Hillbillies TV series. The film reached #40 on the Variety weekly national box office list for 1966. The budget of the film was estimated at $4.5 million. The director was Frederick De Cordova, who in 1970 went on to become the director and producer of The Tonight Show Starring Johnny Carson . Contents. Plot Primary cast Production Reception Soundtrack See also References External links. Johnny and girlfriend Frankie are performers on a Mississippi River riverboat, which also has a casino. Johnny is a compulsive gambler who is down on his luck and in debt. Johnny and his friend Cully, a musician and composer, visit a gypsy camp to get his fortune told. A lady reads tea leaves and tells Johnny that he will soon meet a red-haired woman who will bring him luck. Back on the boat, Johnny and Cully promptly encounter Nellie Bly, their boss Clint Braden's on-again, off-again girlfriend. Nellie has just caught Braden seducing another singer, Mitzi. Since she has red hair, Nellie is persuaded by Johnny to touch his chips for luck. After he wins, Johnny is convinced that the gypsy must be correct. Frankie finds out and becomes jealous, as does Johnny's boss. In a bit of musical theatre, Frankie shoots Johnny for dancing with Nellie Bly while singing Cully's latest song. A Broadway recruiter sees the riverboat show and buys the rights to this new song, suggesting that Frankie and Johnny should work together with him in New York City. Landing in New Orleans, the musical cast and riverboat crew attend a masked ball. Frankie, Nellie and Mitzi all rent the same Madame Pompadour costume. Johnny is eager for the luck of redhead Nellie to win more money, contrary to Frankie's expressed wishes. Being masked and in costume, Frankie and Nellie scheme to switch places to test Johnny's lucky-redhead theory. Johnny wins $10,000 at roulette, but when he kisses the woman he believes to be Nellie, he discovers the switch. Frankie is furious and throws all the winnings out of a window, into the street. Blackie, a dim-witted stooge who works for the boss, hears Braden drunkenly complain about how he has lost Nellie. Thinking he can be of help, Blackie switches the blank cartridge in Frankie's stage gun for a real bullet. The boss tries to prevent the impending disaster, but arrives on stage too late and Johnny is shot for real. Frankie forgives his gambling as the love of her life appears to be dying but he stands up, apparently unhurt. Johnny was saved because the bullet struck a lucky medallion he was wearing that Frankie had given him. Primary cast. Elvis Presley as Johnny Donna Douglas as Frankie Harry Morgan as Cully Sue Ane Langdon as Mitzi Nancy Kovack as Nellie Bly Audrey Christie as Peg Anthony Eisley as Clint Braden Robert Strauss as Blackie Joyce Jameson as Abigail Naomi Stevens as Princess Zolita (uncredited) Dave Willock as the bartender (uncredited) Production. Filming started in May 1965 and took place in Hollywood and New Orleans. [2] Under his contract with United Artists, Presley was paid $700,000 plus 50% of the profits. [3] Reception. Howard Thompson of The New York Times reported that the film opened with a "dull thud" and "sheds feathers almost from the start" stating that Presley's formula never before "seemed so feeble and so obvious." [4] Variety wrote that the film "hits the mark as pleasant entertainment, and is certain to be another Presley money-winner." [5] Kevin Thomas of the Los Angeles Times felt that despite "generally mediocre production values" particularly lacking in good dance numbers, the film was "fast-moving fun" and a good vehicle for Presley. [6] The Monthly Film Bulletin wrote: "After a long series of lifeless flops, Elvis Presley is here right back on form; or at least the film round him is (Elvis himself rarely changes) . Although the story tends to sag a little during the romantic complications, the script is pleasantly witty, with Henry Morgan and the enchanting Nancy Kovack outstanding." [7] Soundtrack. See also. Related Research Articles. Grease is a 1978 American musical romantic comedy film based on the 1971 musical of the same name by Jim Jacobs and Warren Casey. Written by Bronte Woodard and directed by Randal Kleiser in his theatrical feature film debut, the film depicts the lives of greaser Danny Zuko and Australian transfer student Sandy Olsson who develop an attraction for each other. 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"Return to Sender", which reached No. 2 on the Billboard pop singles chart, is featured in the film. The film opened at #1 on the Variety box office chart and finished the year at #19 on the year-end list of the top-grossing films of 1962. The film earned $2.6 million at the box office. Norman Rae Taurog was an American film director and screenwriter. From 1920 to 1968, Taurog directed 180 films. At the age of 32, he received the Academy Award for Best Director for Skippy (1931). He is the second youngest person ever to win the award after Damien Chazelle, who won for La La Land in 2017. He was later nominated for Best Director for the film Boys Town (1938). He directed some of the best-known actors of the twentieth century, including his nephew Jackie Cooper, Spencer Tracy, Mickey Rooney, Judy Garland, Deanna Durbin, Fred Astaire, Gene Kelly, Deborah Kerr, Peter Lawford, Dean Martin, Jerry Lewis, and Elvis Presley. Taurog directed six Martin and Lewis films, and nine Elvis Presley films, more than any other director. For his contribution to the motion picture industry, Norman Taurog has a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame at 1600 Vine Street. Tickle Me is a 1965 American musical comedy film directed by Norman Taurog and starring Elvis Presley as a champion rodeo bull rider and bronco buster. Harum Scarum is a 1965 American musical comedy film starring Elvis Presley, which was shot on the original Cecil B. DeMille set from the film The King of Kings , with additional footage shot on location at the Iverson Movie Ranch in Chatsworth, Los Angeles. Some of the film was based on Rudolph Valentino's The Sheik released in 1921. The film reached #11 on the Variety national weekly box office chart, earned $2 million at the box office, and finished #40 on the year end list of the top-grossing films of 1965. 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Uniquely, this was Presley's only film in which he did not sing on-screen, and the film featured no songs at all except for the main title theme, which was played over the opening credits.