This is yet another resistible vehicle for Elvis Presley with a silly plot (here he's an irresponsible playboy pilot who opens up his own helicopter service), tropical setting, a plethora of girls, child interest, and below-par musical numbers (his crooning to a bunch of dogs while up in the air has to be the nadir of his singing career!). Elvis had already done something similar with BLUE HAWAII (1961) but that's one which I haven't caught up with so far.
Michael Moore (no relation to the controversial documentarist of the same name) had been the assistant or second-unit director of six previous Elvis titles; considering the dire results here, it's no wonder he wasn't called upon to helm another later on! Popular Asian-American actor James Shigeta is Presley's business partner; the female cast includes Suzanna Leigh (later a British horror/Hammer starlet) and Marianna Hill (she had already appeared uncredited in the Elvis film ROUSTABOUT [1964] and would go on to feature in such heavyweight modern classics as MEDIUM COOL [1969] and THE GODFATHER PART II [1974]!). Shigeta's little girl she even gets to duet with Elvis on a couple of songs is played by Donna Butterworth, who had debuted in the Jerry Lewis comedy THE FAMILY JEWELS (1965); it was also nice to see Grady Sutton, a favorite W.C. Fields foil back in the day, as the enthusiastic but nervous crocodile-shoe salesman.
Michael Moore (no relation to the controversial documentarist of the same name) had been the assistant or second-unit director of six previous Elvis titles; considering the dire results here, it's no wonder he wasn't called upon to helm another later on! Popular Asian-American actor James Shigeta is Presley's business partner; the female cast includes Suzanna Leigh (later a British horror/Hammer starlet) and Marianna Hill (she had already appeared uncredited in the Elvis film ROUSTABOUT [1964] and would go on to feature in such heavyweight modern classics as MEDIUM COOL [1969] and THE GODFATHER PART II [1974]!). Shigeta's little girl she even gets to duet with Elvis on a couple of songs is played by Donna Butterworth, who had debuted in the Jerry Lewis comedy THE FAMILY JEWELS (1965); it was also nice to see Grady Sutton, a favorite W.C. Fields foil back in the day, as the enthusiastic but nervous crocodile-shoe salesman.