The Coolest Elvis Dance Sequence.
Moderators: Moderator5, Moderator3, FECC-Moderator, Site Mechanic
-
Topic author - Posts: 3818
- Registered for: 8 years 1 month
- Has thanked: 1727 times
- Been thanked: 1494 times
The Coolest Elvis Dance Sequence.
Elvis could sing and Elvis could dance so between the Jailhouse Rock dance and the C'mon Everybody dance,which one is the coolest.
"Well sir,to be honest with you,we just stumbled upon it." - 1954
-
Topic author - Posts: 3818
- Registered for: 8 years 1 month
- Has thanked: 1727 times
- Been thanked: 1494 times
Re: The Coolest Elvis Dance Sequence.
..
..
..
"Well sir,to be honest with you,we just stumbled upon it." - 1954
-
- Posts: 225
- Registered for: 15 years 8 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.
The coolest: Jailhouse Rock
The hottest: C'mon Everybody
The hottest: C'mon Everybody
"People think you’re crazy if you talk about things they don’t understand.” ― Elvis Presley
-
- Posts: 4644
- Registered for: 19 years 7 months
- Location: Newcastle upon Tyne, England
- Has thanked: 5867 times
- Been thanked: 5227 times
Re: The Coolest Elvis Dance Sequence.
This 1962 Christmas UK Number 1 is very cool.
..
Andy
..
Andy
Elvis - King of the UK charts
-
- Posts: 16766
- Registered for: 21 years
- Location: Canada
- Has thanked: 3993 times
- Been thanked: 5530 times
- Age: 89
-
- Posts: 7583
- Registered for: 12 years
- Has thanked: 2479 times
- Been thanked: 6844 times
Re: The Coolest Elvis Dance Sequence.
.
..
.
..
.
Mike
------
lay back,
take it easy
And try a smile...
.
------
lay back,
take it easy
And try a smile...
.
Re: The Coolest Elvis Dance Sequence.
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':
..
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':
..
-
- Posts: 107468
- Registered for: 21 years
- Location: United States of America
- Has thanked: 11797 times
- Been thanked: 34266 times
- Age: 89
Re: The Coolest Elvis Dance Sequence.
More importantly, "Return To Sender" hit #1 in the U.S. on the Cash Box "Top 100" for the week ending December 15, 1962.jetblack wrote:This 1962 Christmas UK Number 1 is very cool.
..
Andy
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!
Dr. John Carpenter, M.D.
Stop, look and listen, baby <<--->> that's my philosophy!
-
- Posts: 7378
- Registered for: 20 years 11 months
- Has thanked: 757 times
- Been thanked: 1403 times
Re: The Coolest Elvis Dance Sequence.
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.
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.
Other notable dance moves: Do The Clam and also, his moves during the chorus of If You Love Me Let Me Know from EIC.
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.
Re: The Coolest Elvis Dance Sequence.
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.
..
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.
..
-
- Posts: 7146
- Registered for: 19 years 10 months
- Has thanked: 27 times
- Been thanked: 861 times
- Contact:
Re: The Coolest Elvis Dance Sequence.
"Mean Woman Blues" has natural and cool dance moves. Much of what came after was a bit too staged and artificial.
-
- Posts: 899
- Registered for: 9 years 2 months
- Location: Romania
- Has thanked: 119 times
- Been thanked: 437 times
- Age: 42
Re: The Coolest Elvis Dance Sequence.
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...
Man, what a sequence...
-
- Posts: 12437
- Registered for: 11 years 8 months
- Has thanked: 13729 times
- Been thanked: 2608 times
Re: The Coolest Elvis Dance Sequence.
And Got A Lot O' Livin' to Do - the final of Loving You - great sequence!
Re: The Coolest Elvis Dance Sequence.
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.
Re: The Coolest Elvis Dance Sequence.
"she resembles a ginger-haired goldfish (which squeals and yells occasionally).
Re: The Coolest Elvis Dance Sequence.
You think that's shocking? You should hear Elvis swear before American Trilogy in 1974!skatterbrane wrote:"she resembles a ginger-haired goldfish (which squeals and yells occasionally).
-
- Posts: 5735
- Registered for: 12 years
- Been thanked: 1607 times
Re: The Coolest Elvis Dance Sequence.
That's the one. When he jumps down, glides and grinds, all with the grace of a ballet dancer.MikeFromHolland wrote:.
..
>>>
some people say i done all right for a girl . . . oh yeah yeah
some people say i done all right for a girl . . . oh yeah yeah
-
- Posts: 4254
- Registered for: 14 years 10 months
- Has thanked: 1086 times
- Been thanked: 854 times
Re: The Coolest Elvis Dance Sequence.
I remember, Paul Gambaccini, describing this scene like that some 30 odd years ago...he said his moves "rival the best Ballet"mike edwards66 wrote:That's the one. When he jumps down, glides and grinds, all with the grace of a ballet dancer.MikeFromHolland wrote:.
..
Re: The Coolest Elvis Dance Sequence.
I think Ann Margaret is beautiful but many of her affectations bug the hell out of me too.poormadpeter2 wrote:You think that's shocking? You should hear Elvis swear before American Trilogy in 1974!skatterbrane wrote:"she resembles a ginger-haired goldfish (which squeals and yells occasionally).
Re: The Coolest Elvis Dance Sequence.
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.
-
- Posts: 12437
- Registered for: 11 years 8 months
- Has thanked: 13729 times
- Been thanked: 2608 times
-
- Posts: 16766
- Registered for: 21 years
- Location: Canada
- Has thanked: 3993 times
- Been thanked: 5530 times
- Age: 89
Re: The Coolest Elvis Dance Sequence.
Not by this 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.