Fun in Acapulco
Encyclopedia
Fun in Acapulco is a 1963 American musical comedy film starring Elvis Presley
and Ursula Andress
. While some exterior scenes were shot in Acapulco
, Mexico
, Elvis's scenes were shot in Hollywood. He never went to Acapulco. The movie featured the Top 10 Billboard hit "Bossa Nova Baby
". The film reached #1 on the national weekly box office charts. The film was released five days after the assassination of President John F. Kennedy in Dallas, Texas
. The film, and its accompanying soundtrack album
, would be Presley's last release before the arrival of Beatlemania
. Fun in Acapulco was the top grossing movie musical of 1963.
, Mexico. When the bratty daughter of the boat owner gets him fired, Mike must find new work. A Mexican boy named Raoul helps him get a job as a lifeguard and singer at a local hotel. Clashes abound when Mike runs into a rival lifeguard, who is the champion diver of Mexico
. He is angry at Mike for taking some of his hours, and for stealing his woman. However, when Mike sees the lifeguard perform a death-defying dive off a 136-foot cliff
, he is inspired and eventually sets himself up to perform the same dive in front of thousands of people. Mike dives of the cliff, and successfully lands in the water, earning the lifeguard's respect. As the crowd and the lifeguard applaud, Mike leaves with Margarita and Raoul.
Teri Garr
was an uncredited extra.
Elvis Presley
Elvis Aaron Presley was one of the most popular American singers of the 20th century. A cultural icon, he is widely known by the single name Elvis. He is often referred to as the "King of Rock and Roll" or simply "the King"....
and Ursula Andress
Ursula Andress
Ursula Andress is a Swiss actress and a sex symbol of the 1960s. She is known for her roles as Bond girl Honey Ryder in Dr...
. While some exterior scenes were shot in Acapulco
Acapulco
Acapulco is a city, municipality and major sea port in the state of Guerrero on the Pacific coast of Mexico, southwest from Mexico City. Acapulco is located on a deep, semi-circular bay and has been a port since the early colonial period of Mexico’s history...
, Mexico
Mexico
The United Mexican States , commonly known as Mexico , is a federal constitutional republic in North America. It is bordered on the north by the United States; on the south and west by the Pacific Ocean; on the southeast by Guatemala, Belize, and the Caribbean Sea; and on the east by the Gulf of...
, Elvis's scenes were shot in Hollywood. He never went to Acapulco. The movie featured the Top 10 Billboard hit "Bossa Nova Baby
Bossa Nova Baby
"Bossa Nova Baby" is a song written by Jerry Leiber and Mike Stoller and recorded on May 27, 1963, in RCA Studio B, in Nashville, Tennessee by Elvis Presley as part of the soundtrack of the 1963 motion picture Fun in Acapulco....
". The film reached #1 on the national weekly box office charts. The film was released five days after the assassination of President John F. Kennedy in Dallas, Texas
Dallas, Texas
Dallas is the third-largest city in Texas and the ninth-largest in the United States. The Dallas-Fort Worth Metroplex is the largest metropolitan area in the South and fourth-largest metropolitan area in the United States...
. The film, and its accompanying soundtrack album
Fun in Acapulco (album)
Fun in Acapulco is the nineteenth album by Elvis Presley, released on RCA Victor Records in mono and stereo, LPM/LSP 2756, in November 1963 - the November 1 date is disputed. Recording sessions took place at Radio Recorders in Hollywood on January 22 and 23, 1963, and at RCA Studio B in Nashville,...
, would be Presley's last release before the arrival of Beatlemania
Beatlemania
Beatlemania is a term that originated during the 1960s to describe the intense fan frenzy directed toward The Beatles during the early years of their success...
. Fun in Acapulco was the top grossing movie musical of 1963.
Plot
Mike Windgren works on a boat in AcapulcoAcapulco
Acapulco is a city, municipality and major sea port in the state of Guerrero on the Pacific coast of Mexico, southwest from Mexico City. Acapulco is located on a deep, semi-circular bay and has been a port since the early colonial period of Mexico’s history...
, Mexico. When the bratty daughter of the boat owner gets him fired, Mike must find new work. A Mexican boy named Raoul helps him get a job as a lifeguard and singer at a local hotel. Clashes abound when Mike runs into a rival lifeguard, who is the champion diver of Mexico
Mexico
The United Mexican States , commonly known as Mexico , is a federal constitutional republic in North America. It is bordered on the north by the United States; on the south and west by the Pacific Ocean; on the southeast by Guatemala, Belize, and the Caribbean Sea; and on the east by the Gulf of...
. He is angry at Mike for taking some of his hours, and for stealing his woman. However, when Mike sees the lifeguard perform a death-defying dive off a 136-foot cliff
Cliff
In geography and geology, a cliff is a significant vertical, or near vertical, rock exposure. Cliffs are formed as erosion landforms due to the processes of erosion and weathering that produce them. Cliffs are common on coasts, in mountainous areas, escarpments and along rivers. Cliffs are usually...
, he is inspired and eventually sets himself up to perform the same dive in front of thousands of people. Mike dives of the cliff, and successfully lands in the water, earning the lifeguard's respect. As the crowd and the lifeguard applaud, Mike leaves with Margarita and Raoul.
Cast
- Elvis PresleyElvis PresleyElvis Aaron Presley was one of the most popular American singers of the 20th century. A cultural icon, he is widely known by the single name Elvis. He is often referred to as the "King of Rock and Roll" or simply "the King"....
as Mike Windgren - Ursula AndressUrsula AndressUrsula Andress is a Swiss actress and a sex symbol of the 1960s. She is known for her roles as Bond girl Honey Ryder in Dr...
as Margarita Dauphin - Elsa CárdenasElsa CárdenasElsa Cárdenas is a Mexican actress. She has appeared in over 100 films and television shows since 1954. She starred in the film Happiness, which was entered into the 7th Berlin International Film Festival.-Selected filmography:...
as Dolores Gomez - Paul LukasPaul LukasPaul Lukas was an Austrian-Hungarian-born actor.-Biography:Born Pál Lukács in Budapest, he arrived in Hollywood in 1927 after a successful stage and film career in Hungary, Germany and Austria where he worked with Max Reinhardt. He made his stage debut in Budapest in 1916 and his film debut in 1917...
as Maximilian Dauphin - Larry Domasin as Raoul Almeido
- Alejandro ReyAlejandro ReyAlejandro Rey was an Argentine actor. He immigrated to the United States in 1960, later became a U.S. citizen and gained his widest acclaim there.-Career:...
as Moreno - Robert Garricart as Jose Garcia
- Teri HopeTeri HopeTeri Hope is an American model and actress She was Playboy magazine's Playmate of the Month for the September 1958 issue. Her centerfold was photographed by Don Bronstein and Mike Shea....
as Janie Harkins - Genaro Gomez as Bullfighter (uncredited)
- Red WestRed WestRed West is an American actor, film stuntman and songwriter.West was born Robert Gene West in Memphis, Tennessee, the son of Lois and Newton Thomas West. He was a close high school friend of rock and roll singer Elvis Presley. An excellent athlete and former U.S...
as Poolside Guest (uncredited)
Teri Garr
Teri Garr
-Early life:Garr was born in Lakewood, Ohio in 1947. Her father, Eddie Garr , was a vaudeville performer, comedian and actor whose career peaked when he briefly took over the lead role in the Broadway drama Tobacco Road...
was an uncredited extra.
External links
- Review by Kevin Laforest at Apollo Movie Guide
- Review of the collection "Lights! Camera! Elvis! Collection (King Creole, Blue Hawaii, G.I. Blues, Fun in Acapulco, Roustabout, Girls! Girls! Girls!, Paradise, Hawaiian Style, Easy Come, Easy Go) by Paul Mavis at DVD Talk, August 6, 2007
- Review by Mark Zimmer at digitallyOBSESSED!, January 22, 2003