Frankie and Johnny (1966)
| Movie | |
|---|---|
| German title | Frankie and Johnny |
| Original title | Frankie and Johnny |
| Country of production | United States |
| original language | English |
| Publishing year | 1966 |
| length | 87 minutes |
| Rod | |
| Director | Frederick de Cordova |
| script | Alex Gottlieb |
| production | Edward Small |
| music | Fred Karger |
| camera | Jacques R. Marquette |
| cut | Grant Whytock |
| occupation | |
| |
Frankie and Johnny (original title Frankie and Johnny ) is an American musical film from 1966 . It was the 20th feature film in which Elvis Presley took a role. From a musical point of view, it wasn't a typical Elvis film, but rather a musical à la Hollywood of the 1930s and 1940s . The film also features the song of the same name, Frankie and Johnny , which is performed twice in the style of a stage musical , but the theme song is Come Along .
action
Johnny is an addicted gamer who never misses an opportunity to gamble away his own money and that of his girlfriend Frankie. At the beginning of the film, the two perform the song Petunia, the Gardener's Daughter together on the riverboat stage in the entertainment program of Mr. Clint Braden .
Because Johnny and his older friend Cully are on a playful streak of bad luck, they seek out the gypsy Zolita, from whom they hope to get a crucial tip for a phase of happiness. Zolita tells them that a red-haired woman will bring them luck. At the end, the gypsy says the word Chesay , which is supposed to bring luck to the two, and hands them a drink. Elvis is now singing the song of the same name.
Back on the riverboat, the two friends go in search of a red-haired woman and find her in Nellie Bly , who has just arrived on board , is in love with Mr. Braden and wants to visit him. Johnny asks Nellie for her lucky number and promptly wins the wheel of fortune.
During his subsequent appearance, Johnny sings the song What Every Woman Lives For , where he stands for a long time at his boss Braden's table and adores Nellie sitting next to him. This does not escape Frankie, whereupon a first argument between Frankie and Johnny unfolds. Shortly afterwards they rehearse and perform the musically backed piece Frankie and Johnny . It's the story of Johnny, who first sits at the gaming table and then - when Frankie is already at home - dances tightly with Nellie Bly. Nellie's friend Mitzi watches them and then rushes over to Frankie to tell her about her boyfriend Johnny's infidelity. In their fury Frankie accesses one lying in a drawer revolver and examined for the game room, where the two red-handed caught and Johnny from jealousy shoots. Of course, this was a theatrical performance and the shot was just a blank cartridge .
A music producer present at the performance then visits the actors in the booth and certifies Frankie and Johnny that they would be suitable for Broadway . The two see each other in their joy on Broadway and Johnny sings the song Look Out, Broadway .
Hardly any more money, Johnny and Cully look for a redhead and find Abigail, bet twice on their favorite number 13 and win a large sum. But Abigail wants to keep playing and persuades Johnny to put the total return on 31. However, the 13 wins again and all the money is lost. In his grief, Johnny sings the love song Beginner's Luck addressed to Frankie .
Convinced that Nellie Bly is the right redhead, Johnny wants to try his luck with her again.
In the next scene the riverboat docks in New Orleans . The musicians leave the ship and Johnny sings a medley of the songs Down by the Riverside and When the Saints Go Marching In .
The troupe attends a costume ball where Johnny sings Shout It Out . Because Frankie, Nellie and Mitzi all unwittingly wear the same costume (including identical wig and face mask), there is a lot of confusion. The most tragic of all is that Blackie, loyal to his boss, Mr. Braden, has the impression that Johnny and Nellie are in love with each other. To bring Nellie back together with his boss, he has a diabolical plan. He swaps the blank cartridge for live ammunition so that Frankie shoots Johnny on stage.
Meanwhile, Johnny takes Frankie to the gaming table because he mistakes her for Nellie. Together they win ten thousand dollars, and when he finally recognizes his Frankie, he knows that she is the only woman who brings him happiness in every way. But Frankie is still angry with Johnny, who supposedly wanted to kiss Nellie and throws all the money out the window. Johnny rushes out into the street, but the money has already been collected from the people walking by and is lost forever. In his grief over the loss of Frankie and the huge amount of money, Johnny sings the song Hard Luck .
Johnny then goes back to the riverboat and sings Frankie Please Don't Stop Loving Me in front of the cabin window to win her back, but gets no positive reaction.
During the subsequent stage performance of Frankie and Johnny , Frankie unwittingly shoots Johnny with a live cartridge. When Johnny falls to the floor and Mr. Braden, who has just learned the truth from Blackie, storms into the room and yells that the cartridges have been replaced, Frankie becomes aware of her love for Johnny again. She bends over him when Johnny suddenly opens his eyes and slowly gets up. The bullet ricocheted off the medallion Frankie had once given him and had just saved his life.
The film concludes with the subsequent stage performance with the song Everybody come Aboard sung by Johnny .
Reviews
“Something like the film adaptation of the evergreen 'Frankie and Johnny', which is sung twice. The joke rate is poorer than in other Elvis films. The King wears a ruffled shirt, silk tie, striped jacket and a carnation in his buttonhole and looks mighty smart with it. With fourteen songs behind 'Blaues Hawaii' (record holder with 15 titles) the film with the most Elvis songs. The historical background is the civil war from 1861 to 1865, which is not discussed. "
"The film does provide nice ideas for the next carnival costume, but is otherwise as unrocked as the oldies that Elvis performs in his shows."
“A series of Elvis Presley numbers, kept in the garden gnome style and supported by a thin plot, which only shows in a single place how good the film could have been. Measured against the current musical desires of the mostly young audience, the strip is a mistake (also in terms of taste). Elvis no longer shows [...] the old swing. "
Web links
- Frankie and Johnny in the Internet Movie Database (English)
Notes and individual references
- ↑ Helmut Radermacher: The great Elvis Presley film book. Medien Publikations- und Werbegesellschaft GmbH, Hille 2010, ISBN 978-3-942621-01-4 , p. 425.
- ↑ Film review at kino.de
- ↑ Film review at cinema.de
- ↑ Evangelischer Presseverband München, Review No. 165/1966.