zardoz-13 Review of Roustabout

Roustabout (1964)

Routine Elvis Epic With A Cold Fish For A Leading Lady

[5/10 · 23 August 2013]

Director John Rich's musical melodrama "Roustabout" qualifies as a standard-issue Elvis opus. Elvis and love interest Joan Freeman never generate sparks in their on-screen relationship and this shortage of chemistry isn't good for the action. When the leading man and the leading lady lack chemistry, the movie can do little to save itself from the doldrums. The most suspenseful thing in "Roustabout" occurs with Elvis mounts a motorcycle and rides in circles in a gigantic barrel. We don't even actually see Elvis riding inside the barrel in this Hall B. Wallis' production. We see him climb on the bike, but we don't see him ride the barrel. Elvis appears in a number of long shots where he straddles a bike, but a stunt man substitutes for him during a wreck that has the character smashing through a white wooden fence. Meanwhile, Elvis has a tougher time with Leif Erickson as a pugnacious father who doesn't want him hanging out with his daughter. The bad blood between these two characters doesn't change until the last minute. Barbara Stanwyck seems to be in charge of the carnival that she runs. She has a couple of scenes with the King of Rock'n Rock, but she spends most of her time lecturing him. Actually, Elvis plays a louse. He hits the road after a rather one-sided bar fracas where he drops three irate college students with his karate chops. It seems that they sought to assault him for warbling anti-college lyrics. Our hero gets back on his bike after a girl who worked in the bar with him pays his bail. As Charlie Rogers, Elvis tells her that bailing him out doesn't mean the same thing as buying him and he leaves her standing. As he heads for the west coast for a better job, he spots Joan riding in a jeep with her parents. Naturally, the father --Leif Erickson—is not amused by Elvis's flirtatious behavior and runs him off the road. Elvis loses control of his bike and his guitar is damaged. He sticks around with Stanwyck and helps out as a roustabout for her carnival until she can have both his bike and guitar repaired. Of course, the girl wins in the end after Elvis has proved that he can draw big crowds at the carnival.