King of the Road: Five Great Elvis Travel Movies

Lists: Eva Holland and Eli Ellison go traveling with The King on his 75th birthday.

Blue Hawaii (1961)

A Trip Fit for The King: Chad Gates (our man Elvis) hoped a dose of military service in Europe might help reconcile him to his pre-assigned life in the family business. But when he returns to Honolulu after two years overseas, he realizes he can’t stomach a respectable career at the pineapple plantation after all. Instead, he gets a job as a tour guide—and promptly gets assigned to a saucy schoolmistress and her flock of teenage charges.

Love Me Tender: The flick has as many romantic interests as Hawaii has islands. But the one we’re all rooting for is feisty local girl Maile (Joan Blackman), who waited around while Chad was overseas and doesn’t plan on letting a pack of malihinis get in her way now.

Best Song: Go ahead, call us sentimental—Chad serenading Maile’s grandmother with I Can’t Help Falling in Love With You wins it every time.

Worst Song: Ito Eats. You know you’re in trouble when a good Mississippi boy suddenly acquires a psuedo-islander accent.

Does Elvis Leave The Building? “Blue Hawaii” was filmed on location on Oahu and Kauai, and features all the tourist standbys—the luau, the hokelau and an endless supply of mai tais.

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Eva Holland is co-editor of World Hum. She is a former associate editor at Up Here and Up Here Business magazines, and a contributor to Vela. She's based in Canada's Yukon territory.

Eli Ellison


2 Comments for King of the Road: Five Great Elvis Travel Movies

Matt 02.01.10 | 4:56 PM ET

Surely you forgot the most important Elvis travel movie of all! http://www.theelvisproject.com/home.html

Eli 02.05.10 | 2:15 AM ET

Elvis battles Royal Mounties and Hustler magazine? Sounds like a winner to me. Thank for the tip, Matt.

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