Well it’s always going to two layers if they don’t re-key, but as seen in the comparison video it looks like they didn’t even really try to match the font graphics. I’d prefer the original graphics with a slightly burrier background. Or at least offer a branch with the original as a choice. Or include as an extra.
As posted on a number of Elvis fan sites/forums here is a pic of the forthcoming Blue Hawaii 4K limited edition disc. I hope this is a pre-release mock-up as they’re using images from Paradise, Hawaiian Style on the inside gatefold and on one of the discs. Doh! They spend all that time re-keying in the title sequence graphics but can’t figure out which pics are from the actual movie?
Updating to reflect that Spinout is streaming in HD, at least on HBOMax: Love Me Tender (1956, 20th Century Fox) – Blu-ray Loving You (1957, Paramount) - DVD Jailhouse Rock (1957, MGM) – Blu-ray King Creole (1958, Paramount) – Blu-ray but also available in 4K UHD via streaming G.I. Blues (1960, Paramount) – HD stream Flaming Star (1960, 20th Century Fox) - Blu-ray Wild in the Country (1961, 20th Century Fox) – Blu-ray Blue Hawaii (1961, Paramount) – 4K UHD streaming available now, will be on 4K UHD disc in later 2022 Follow That Dream (1962, United Artists) – Blu-ray Kid Galahad (1962, United Artists) – Blu-ray Girls! Girls! Girls! (1962, Paramount) – HD stream It Happened At the World’s Fair (1963, MGM) – Blu-ray Fun in Acapulco (1963, Paramount) – HD stream Kissin’ Cousins (1964, MGM) – HD stream Viva Las Vegas (1964, MGM) – Blu-ray Roustabout (1964, Paramount) – HD stream Girl Happy (1965, MGM) – HD stream Tickle Me (1965, Allied Artists) – German and Australian Blu-ray, HD stream Harum Scarum (1965, MGM) - DVD Frankie & Johnny (1966, United Artists) – Blu-ray Paradise Hawaiian Style (1966, Paramount) – HD stream Spinout (1966, MGM) - HD stream Easy Come, Easy Go (1967, Paramount) – HD stream Double Trouble (1967. MGM) - HD stream Clambake (1967, United Artists) – Blu-ray Stay Away, Joe (1968, MGM) – HD stream Speedway (1968, MGM) – HD stream Live A Little, Love A Little (1968, MGM) – HD stream Charro! (1969, National General) – HD stream The Trouble With Girls (1969, MGM) – HD stream Change of Habit (1969, Universal) – Blu-ray Elvis: That’s The Way It Is (1970, MGM) – Special Edition is on Blu-ray, original theatrical version on DVD Elvis On Tour (1972, MGM) – Blu-ray w/’Don’t Be Cruel’ intro, HD stream w/’Johnny B. Goode’ intro (at least via Vudu, not sure on other streaming options)
The people in the companies who put these things together were not born when Blue Hawaii was first released so any shots with an Hawaiian flavour gets picked for the artwork, they need to do a bit more research.
As a fan of the Elvis movies I ended up ordering the Bob Pakes book Celluloid Sell-Out via ShopGraceland. Everything I’ve read/seen about it looks fantastic and while I don’t have quite the level of interest around the marketing of Elvis’ 1950’s films as I do those in the 1960’s the book looks to be the be-all end-all on the topic: NEW BOOK: Celluloid Sell-Out! | Elvis - Echoes Of The Past It’s not cheap by any stretch at $130 but I hope to gain a lot of knowledge from it as well as use it for reference. This might be the only time I say this - for once I want the book and not the two FTD CDs that are bundled with it. Surely this book could stand on its own and would probably move a lot more copies if the two discs weren’t included to inflate the price. Here’s hoping Bob continues with a book on the marketing of Elvis’ 1960’s movies.
I watched Speedway tonight and it was great to see Elvis as a NASCAR stock car driver of a Hemi Charger. I liked the fact that they credited the actual stock car drivers of the era in the movie, including Richard Petty, although they had his famous #43 Plymouth being driven by his fictional rival. Nancy Sinatra wasn’t Ann Margaret, but she was OK. I also noted Bill Bixby’s manager character indulge in a bit o’ gambling, just like the Col.
I just received my Blue Hawaii 4K disc and can sadly report it only contains a modern 5.1 soundtrack and no original mono audio They go to all this bother to make the picture look great but then can’t find it in them to include the original mono as an option??? Also, the menu screen is a pic from - wait for it - Paradise, Hawaiian Style. Lastly, the packaging has a PG rating for ‘Mild Sensuality’. Interesting as the film came out 11 years before the PG rating existed so not sure how this is possible?
@Shawn: I'd bet that the movie was submitted to the MPAA at some point for a rating and, thus, the MPAA gave it a [PG] and that's why you see a rating on the packaging. I don't know how much money it costs to submit a movie to the MPAA to get a 'Rating', but I don't think there's any time limit on doing so. I recall THE THOMAS CROWN AFFAIR (1968) having no rating on the 1984 CBS/Fox Video VHS release . . . but several years later when the movie was re-issued on VHS by MGM there was now an [R]-rating on the MGM box. I could only guess the picture was submitted to the MPAA in between the '84 Fox release and when the MGM tape came out.
My Elvis fan friend has been threatening, erm, promising me, that he will give me several more Elvis DVDs as part of his Christmas gift to me.
Thank you - I learn something new every day! Now the question is why would they have bothered to submit Blue Hawaii to the MPAA to obtain a rating at a later date? @Jayson Wall perhaps you might know?
If you want to get really 'old skool', Shawn, on adding Elvis Presley movies to one's homevideo collection . . . many moons ago these seven Elvis pictures were released in 1978/79 on VHS (and ßeta as well) by the long-gone Magnetic Video Corporation: BLUE HAWAII FUN IN ACAPULCO G.I. BLUES GIRLS, GIRLS, GIRLS KING CREOLE PARADISE, HAWAIIAN STYLE ROUSTABOUT I have a couple of these aging video relics: King Creole and Roustabout. I looked for the others on Magnetic (gone since 1981; absorbed in to '20th Century Fox Video' as best as I can tell), but I waited too long and couldn't find them. → However, should anyone reading this look on eBay for Elvis movies it's certainly possible one of them could be up for sale at one time so you can see how primitive they look. There's no plot summary on these boxes. Wanna know what "King Creole" is about? You'll have to read about the plot elsewhere because the video box only shows other Magnetic release titles on the back.
They just evolved into CBS/FOX. They started out selling knock off 8 tracks and cassettes as Magnetic Tape Corporation. that lasted until 72. they went into video duplication and were among the early wild west days of VHS/Beta leaders. That was the change to MVC. They licensed Fox films among other things and Fox bought them to get into the home video market. At least thats the trail I found. They started in Livonia Michigan.
I’ll do you even one better - get those movies on Super 8: Elvis on 8 mm / Super 8 | Elvis - Echoes Of The Past
Magnetic Video's office and duplication facility was in an industrial park off Halsted and Grand River in Farmington Hills. CBS/FOX moved to a location off Seven Mile and I-275 (now a Beaumont Hospital facility) in Livonia in 1985.
Here's the address, btw, that's listed on the back of the 1978 Magnetic box for "The Long Hot Summer": Magnetic Video Corporation 23434 Industrial Park Court Farmington Hills, MI 48024
I bought a bunch of their mechanical royalty cassettes as either MTC or Pieces Of Eight labeled. 2 bucks for a recent album, Then they changed the copyright laws. You have to admire this company. Starting as a small tape duplication service, getting involved with the knock off tapes, then reemerging in the new video market(again when copyright was loose).
There's also a 1981 movie titled THIS IS ELVIS. I think it's part documentary with parts of Elvis's life re-enacted by actors along with footage of the real Elvis. I have a copy of it but haven't watched it yet.
I've got to ask about these tapes. I have several old 8 track tapes that were clearly not issued by a major label but have major label artists' music on them. They usually have a generic cover photo of a female model or of urban/country scenery. I'm sure these we're sold at flea markets, truck stops, and mom & pop stores back in the day. I would chalk it up to shady enterprises except on the back of most of these 8 tracks they have a printed notice that reads something like "Royalties have been paid to artists and labels for this material". I doubt that any major label would license such compilations. What's the deal with these notices on tapes? Was it on the up and up at all?
Read the notice on the bottom of the contents. We have discussed this elsewhere, but in a nutshell there was a loophole in copyright law that if you paid "mechanical royalties" for the music publishing. So you ended up with pirate 8 tracks and cassettes. Even some LPs. This ended in 72 when the federal law was tightened up. The little "p" in a circle showed up then. So on the one hand they were "legal" but dodgy. The artists got nothing. Jerry Lee Famously would take a baseball bat to the display case if he found them in his travels. The mob was definitely involved in some places. I was 14. My first copy of Concert For Bangladesh cost 4 dollars on two MTC tapes. I did not see the contradiction then. It's actually embarrassing to admit these days. Help Identify this old 8 Track please
It’s well done overall, with a great soundtrack (some still unique?) but the voice overs get a bit much for me at times.
There's one famous story of him taking the rack of bootleg tapes outside, taking the gas nozzle, dousing them in gas and lighting them on fire.
If anyone's interested, Elvis 4k is 10 bucks on Amazon along with a whole bunch of other movies. Black Friday has dropped early.
