The Coolest Elvis Dance Sequence.

Anything about Elvis
More than 100 Million visitors can't be wrong

Moderators: Moderator5, Moderator3, FECC-Moderator, Site Mechanic

Post Reply

Coolest Elvis Dance Sequence in an Elvis Film.

Poll ended at Sun Apr 02, 2017 5:09 pm

The Jailhouse Rock dance from Jailhouse Rock.
22
81%
The C'mon Everybody dance from Viva Las Vegas.
5
19%
 
Total votes: 27


User avatar

Topic author
Domino
Posts: 3815
Registered for: 8 years
Has thanked: 1727 times
Been thanked: 1491 times

The Coolest Elvis Dance Sequence.

#1569314

Post by Domino »

Elvis could sing and Elvis could dance so between the Jailhouse Rock dance and the C'mon Everybody dance,which one is the coolest.


8) "Well sir,to be honest with you,we just stumbled upon it." - 1954
Image
ImageImage

User avatar

Topic author
Domino
Posts: 3815
Registered for: 8 years
Has thanked: 1727 times
Been thanked: 1491 times

Re: The Coolest Elvis Dance Sequence.

#1569315

Post by Domino »

..

..


8) "Well sir,to be honest with you,we just stumbled upon it." - 1954
Image
ImageImage

User avatar

Bilbo Baggins
Posts: 225
Registered for: 15 years 7 months
Location: The Netherlands, aka Holland, wich means I’m Dutch :-)
Has thanked: 108 times
Been thanked: 181 times

Re: The Coolest Elvis Dance Sequence.

#1569318

Post by Bilbo Baggins »

The coolest: Jailhouse Rock
The hottest: C'mon Everybody


"People think you’re crazy if you talk about things they don’t understand.” ― Elvis Presley


skatterbrane

Re: The Coolest Elvis Dance Sequence.

#1569319

Post by skatterbrane »

..



User avatar

jetblack
Posts: 4613
Registered for: 19 years 6 months
Location: Newcastle upon Tyne, England
Has thanked: 5782 times
Been thanked: 5169 times

Re: The Coolest Elvis Dance Sequence.

#1569322

Post by jetblack »

This 1962 Christmas UK Number 1 is very cool.

..

Andy


Elvis - King of the UK charts

User avatar

elvis-fan
Posts: 16714
Registered for: 20 years 11 months
Location: Canada
Has thanked: 3951 times
Been thanked: 5487 times
Age: 89

Re: The Coolest Elvis Dance Sequence.

#1569323

Post by elvis-fan »

..



User avatar

MikeFromHolland
Posts: 7583
Registered for: 11 years 11 months
Has thanked: 2479 times
Been thanked: 6842 times

Re: The Coolest Elvis Dance Sequence.

#1569339

Post by MikeFromHolland »

.

..

.


Mike

------
lay back,
take it easy
And try a smile...

.


StefanKock1

Re: The Coolest Elvis Dance Sequence.

#1569352

Post by StefanKock1 »

From these two definitely 'Jailhouse Rock' for me ! In my opinion it has by far the best thought out (and performed) choreography in an Elvis movie.

It probably doesn't count as a 'dance sequence' but my favorite 'song' sequence is the 1968 'Swing Down Sweet Chariot' from 'The Trouble With Girls':

..



User avatar

drjohncarpenter
Posts: 107019
Registered for: 20 years 11 months
Location: United States of America
Has thanked: 11700 times
Been thanked: 33635 times
Age: 89

Re: The Coolest Elvis Dance Sequence.

#1569369

Post by drjohncarpenter »

jetblack wrote:This 1962 Christmas UK Number 1 is very cool.

..

Andy
More importantly, "Return To Sender" hit #1 in the U.S. on the Cash Box "Top 100" for the week ending December 15, 1962.

Elvis is channelling the stage moves of Jackie Wilson in this sequence, having recently seen him in a Los Angeles club performance.


.
Dr. John Carpenter, M.D.
Stop, look and listen, baby <<--->> that's my philosophy!


stevelecher
Posts: 7378
Registered for: 20 years 10 months
Has thanked: 756 times
Been thanked: 1403 times

Re: The Coolest Elvis Dance Sequence.

#1569493

Post by stevelecher »

Answering the original question, Jailhouse Rock, by a mile.

Other notable dance moves: Do The Clam and also, his moves during the chorus of If You Love Me Let Me Know from EIC. :sosorry: :mrgreen:

Seriously again now, I like the production number of the title song, Viva Las Vegas, which was done as part of the talent show in the movie. Not overly ambitious but it's exciting and I like it.




poormadpeter2

Re: The Coolest Elvis Dance Sequence.

#1569508

Post by poormadpeter2 »

Ironically, Elvis often looked least comfortable in his films when he was supposed to be on a stage performing, particularly during the 1960s movies - but we also see the start of that even in the Welcome Home Elvis special during the rather stiff and starchy movements during Stuck on You. No mic, no guitar: "what the hell do I do with my hands?" seems to be the question on Elvis's mind.

And this is even present through the C'mon Everybody routine. Not only is the song itself rather limp as a piece of material - all about clapping and moving your head to the left, its more like a game of Simon Says - but Elvis and Ann-Margret are forced to try to breathe some life into it in the film. Elvis is at least given something to do, and George Sidney does his best to direct with zest, but it never takes off. Elvis spends part of the song holding his ear on for some reason, and Ann-Margret has her mouth permanently open, so that she resembles a ginger-haired goldfish (which squeals and yells occasionally).

There are a number of things at play - firstly, most of the songs he was asked to perform in these movies were watered down efforts compared to his 50s material. Therefore he's trying to inject movement into music that actually doesn't require it a great deal. It's rather like Elvis shouting during the recording of Clambake. He's trying to convince us that he's into this, and he's not. And it all comes over as rather fake and forced. Give him a microphone and/or a guitar and the performances change quite considerably, and he looks more at ease. He has something to hide behind. That doesn't mean to say that the no guitar or microphone scenario always has to fail or look awkward. Elvis looks considerably more comfortable in Let Yourself Go in Speedway than he does during C'mon Everybody, Return to Sender or any number of other similarly-staged numbers, but then he's not left to his own devices as in Return to Sender - instead, the song is well-choreographed and Elvis isn't confined to a small stage, and the song has much more grit than the limp C'mon Everybody.

..

But does Elvis look cool in Bossa Nova Baby when he looks like he's trying to do the twist on an ice rink? No, not really. The problem isn't so obvious during the slower numbers, of course, as less movement is expected, but there are some really awful routines in the mid-60s movies. Has a decent song ever fell more flat in a movie than the title song of Spinout? It's like a C-grade C'mon Everybody.

..

Elvis trying to look hip and cool is generally the problem - either he was or he wasn't, you can't force it. The same with a song. It either works how it's staged in a movie or it doesn't. Elvis can't change that. The problem with the Spinout routine is that there IS no routine. Just Elvis wandering around and some girls waving their arms about trying to look trendy. Let Yourself Go, on the other hand, has proper staging and some decent direction. But sometimes no movement is required at all. Elvis looks perfectly at ease in the clip from Trouble with Girls, posted earlier.

The other issue here is framing - the more Elvis in fully in the frame (rather than a close-up) in those standing on a stage routines, the more uncomfortable he seems to look. From the waist up in Return to Sender he looks fine and natural. But when we get to see more than that, it looks awkward and forced. The more often the camera shows Elvis completely, the more likely the routine is to fail.

And that brings up back to Jailhouse Rock and the original question. Not only was Jailhouse Rock impeccably staged, Elvis doesn't look awkward or embarrassed doing the dancing required of him. And there's relatively few upbeat songs in his movies after King Creole where that is the case - but there's also relatively few fully-choreographed routines in his films anyway. C'mon Everybody is the exception, not the rule. Oddly, Elvis rarely looked cool when singing in his movies. Jailhouse Rock and King Creole, sure. And there were others where he looked completely natural and at ease, such as G I Blues and Blue Hawaii. But after that, it's very hit and miss. Compare two songs in Fun in Acapulco. El Toro has Elvis wandering aimlessly around the stage with no direction, but Bullfighter was a Lady gives him something to do as he twirls his cape and does a small dance routine with the backing singers.

But Elvis cool on film? For me, there's not a cooler sequence than this one. If only all his routines were as well directed and had Elvis looking so good.

..



User avatar

TJ
Posts: 7144
Registered for: 19 years 9 months
Has thanked: 27 times
Been thanked: 858 times
Contact:

Re: The Coolest Elvis Dance Sequence.

#1569524

Post by TJ »

"Mean Woman Blues" has natural and cool dance moves. Much of what came after was a bit too staged and artificial.


Image


Chucky99
Posts: 896
Registered for: 9 years 1 month
Location: Romania
Has thanked: 118 times
Been thanked: 431 times
Age: 42

Re: The Coolest Elvis Dance Sequence.

#1569529

Post by Chucky99 »

I think for me the coolest sequence in a film is when he does Baby I don' t Care , with the sweater on and those sexy moves, the beginning with the bass, the girls in the audience by the pool watching him , Scotty Moore appearing with and without the sunglasses and the movie line: Real flippy.
Man, what a sequence...



User avatar

jurasic1968
Posts: 12401
Registered for: 11 years 7 months
Has thanked: 13259 times
Been thanked: 2586 times

Re: The Coolest Elvis Dance Sequence.

#1569543

Post by jurasic1968 »

And Got A Lot O' Livin' to Do - the final of Loving You - great sequence!




r&b

Re: The Coolest Elvis Dance Sequence.

#1569566

Post by r&b »

Jailhouse Rock is widely recognized by most people and critics as the best song/dance sequence Elvis ever filmed. It doesnt hurt that the L/S song is a stone cold classic either, which is not the case with Cmon Everybody. It does remind one of Simon Says with a backbeat. The dance scene with AM is very good though and elevates the song more than just hearing it on record. I remember actually saying to myself when seeing this in the movies in '64, Elvis is back! But Jailhouse by a mile. Nothing comes close.




skatterbrane

Re: The Coolest Elvis Dance Sequence.

#1569577

Post by skatterbrane »

"she resembles a ginger-haired goldfish (which squeals and yells occasionally). :shock: :wink: :lol: :smt003




poormadpeter2

Re: The Coolest Elvis Dance Sequence.

#1569699

Post by poormadpeter2 »

skatterbrane wrote:"she resembles a ginger-haired goldfish (which squeals and yells occasionally). :shock: :wink: :lol: :smt003
You think that's shocking? You should hear Elvis swear before American Trilogy in 1974! :wink:



User avatar

mike edwards66
Posts: 5729
Registered for: 11 years 11 months
Been thanked: 1600 times

Re: The Coolest Elvis Dance Sequence.

#1569753

Post by mike edwards66 »

MikeFromHolland wrote:.

..
That's the one. When he jumps down, glides and grinds, all with the grace of a ballet dancer.


>>>


some people say i done all right for a girl . . . oh yeah yeah

User avatar

Dan_T
Posts: 4242
Registered for: 14 years 9 months
Has thanked: 1074 times
Been thanked: 842 times

Re: The Coolest Elvis Dance Sequence.

#1569782

Post by Dan_T »

mike edwards66 wrote:
MikeFromHolland wrote:.

..
That's the one. When he jumps down, glides and grinds, all with the grace of a ballet dancer.
I remember, Paul Gambaccini, describing this scene like that some 30 odd years ago...he said his moves "rival the best Ballet" :)




skatterbrane

Re: The Coolest Elvis Dance Sequence.

#1569801

Post by skatterbrane »

poormadpeter2 wrote:
skatterbrane wrote:"she resembles a ginger-haired goldfish (which squeals and yells occasionally). :shock: :wink: :lol: :smt003
You think that's shocking? You should hear Elvis swear before American Trilogy in 1974! :wink:
I think Ann Margaret is beautiful but many of her affectations bug the hell out of me too.




Mister Moon

Re: The Coolest Elvis Dance Sequence.

#1569839

Post by Mister Moon »

The fact that "Viva Las Vegas" is one of Elvis' most appreciated movies among fans (and non-fans) really tells us everything we need to know about Elvis' film career.



User avatar

jurasic1968
Posts: 12401
Registered for: 11 years 7 months
Has thanked: 13259 times
Been thanked: 2586 times

Re: The Coolest Elvis Dance Sequence.

#1569844

Post by jurasic1968 »

Agree.




jerrynodak

Re: The Coolest Elvis Dance Sequence.

#1569861

Post by jerrynodak »

I prefer Bossa Nova, Baby



User avatar

elvis-fan
Posts: 16714
Registered for: 20 years 11 months
Location: Canada
Has thanked: 3951 times
Been thanked: 5487 times
Age: 89

Re: The Coolest Elvis Dance Sequence.

#1569878

Post by elvis-fan »

Mister Moon wrote:The fact that "Viva Las Vegas" is one of Elvis' most appreciated movies among fans (and non-fans) really tells us everything we need to know about Elvis' film career.
Not by this fan... :wink:


Post Reply