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The Trouble With Girls

1969, Movie, G, 97 mins

The Trouble With Girls: Review

The former king of rock and roll had taken a mighty deep fall by the time of this release. Presley is woefully miscast as the manager of a traveling educational-theater group circa 1927. He's got a hankering for Mason, a member of the company who's trying to unionize the players. When the company arrives in a small Iowa town, Mason picks local kid Jones (of TV's "Family Affair") to appear with the group. This upsets local politicos, who expected one of their own kids to appear with the company. Coleman, in one of his early roles, plays a sneering pharmacist who employs Jones's mother, North. When he's found dead, Teague is blamed, but Presley discovers that North is the real murderer. She was distraught after Coleman forced her into an unwanted affair, and Presley convinces the woman to confess. She does and is exonerated of the crime, of course. Because the confession was good promotion for the company, however, Mason is enraged. Presley manages to convince her of his integrity in a nice, standard conclusion, and all ends happily. Presley has little singing to do in what was his next-to-last film and merely goes through the acting motions. He sings "Almost" and "Clean Up Your Own Back Yard" by Scott Davis and Billy Strange, and both are all wrong for Presley's style. It's rather sad to see this giant reduced to such material. The story is unbelievable tripe, and it has bad performances and confusing direction. Surprisingly, period detail is given close attention, making a handsome though hollow movie. The title too is wrong for the story, probably tagged on to cash in on Presley's long-gone reputation. leave a comment