''Paradise, Hawaiian Style'' is a 1966 American musical comedy film starring

Elvis Presley Elvis Aaron Presley (January 8, 1935 – August 16, 1977), or simply Elvis, was an American singer and actor. Dubbed the " King of Rock and Roll", he is regarded as one of the most significant cultural figures of the 20th century. His ener ...

. It was the third and final motion picture that Presley filmed in

Hawaii Hawaii ( ; haw, Hawaii or ) is a state in the Western United States, located in the Pacific Ocean about from the U.S. mainland. It is the only U.S. state outside North America, the only state that is an archipelago, and the only stat ...

. The film reached #40 on the ''Variety'' weekly box office chart, earning $2.5 million in theaters. In agreeing to do this film, Elvis's manager,

Colonel Tom Parker Thomas Andrew Parker (born Andreas Cornelis van Kuijk; June 26, 1909 January 21, 1997),

, was hoping to replicate the success of Presley's 1961 film, ''

Blue Hawaii ''Blue Hawaii'' is a 1961 American musical romantic comedy-drama film directed by Norman Taurog and starring Elvis Presley. The screenplay by Hal Kanter was nominated by the Writers Guild of America in 1962 in the category of Best Written Americ ...

''.

Plot

Rick Richards (Presley) returns to his home in Hawaii after being fired from his job as an airline pilot. He and his buddy Danny Kohana ( James Shigeta) go into the

helicopter A helicopter is a type of rotorcraft in which lift and thrust are supplied by horizontally spinning rotors. This allows the helicopter to take off and land vertically, to hover, and to fly forward, backward and laterally. These attribu ...

charter business together. But Rick's reckless flying and his careless flirting with local women may cost Rick the business and Danny his home. This tendency seems to get in the way of their secretary, Judy "Friday" Hudson ( Suzanna Leigh) and Rick getting together. Disaster looms as Danny becomes overdue on a flight after Rick has been grounded by government officials. Rick must decide if he should risk losing his license forever by going to look for his friend.

Cast

as Rick Richards * Suzanna Leigh as Judy "Friday" Hudson * James Shigeta as Danny Kohana *

Jan Shepard Jan Shepard (born Josephine Angela Sorbello) is a retired American actress. Early years Josephine Angela Sorbello was born in Quakertown, Pennsylvania in 1928 to parents of Sicilian descent, Mr. and Mrs. Sam Sorbello. She was valedictorian of ...

as Betty Kohana *

Philip Ahn Philip Ahn (born Pillip Ahn (), March 29, 1905 – February 28, 1978) was an American actor and activist of Korean descent. With over 180 film and television credits between 1935 and 1978, he was one of the most recognizable and prolific Asi ...

as Moki Kaimana *

Donna Butterworth Donna Lee Butterworth (February 23, 1956 – March 6, 2018) was an American actress and singer, best known for starring opposite Elvis Presley in the 1966 musical comedy '' Paradise, Hawaiian Style'', when she was 10 years old. Butterworth's c ...

as Jan Kohana * Marianna Hill as Lani Kaimana * Irene Tsu as Pua * Linda Wong as Lehua Kawena *

Julie Parrish Julie Parrish (born Ruby Joyce Wilbar; October 21, 1940 – October 1, 2003) was an American actress. Early life Parrish was born Ruby Joyce Wilbar on October 21, 1940, in Middlesboro, Kentucky, to William Robert "Bob" Wilbar (1913-1988) and G ...

as Joanna *

Red West Robert Gene "Red" West (March 8, 1936 – July 18, 2017) was an American actor, film stuntman and songwriter. He was known for being a close confidant and bodyguard for rock and roll singer Elvis Presley. Upon his firing, West wrote the cont ...

as fighter in bar (uncredited) *

Grady Sutton Grady Harwell Sutton (April 5, 1906 – September 17, 1995) was an American film and television character actor from the 1920s to the 1970s. He appeared in more than 180 films. Early years Born in Chattanooga, Tennessee, Sutton was raised ...

as Mr. Cubberson

Production

Principal photography in ''Paradise, Hawaiian Style'' began in Hawaii on July 27, 1965 (with the working title of ''Hawaiian Paradise'') and finished on September 29 in Los Angeles. Major scenes in both ''

'' (1961) and this film were shot on the island of

Kauaʻi Kauai, () anglicized as Kauai ( ), is geologically the second-oldest of the main Hawaiian Islands (after Niʻihau). With an area of 562.3 square miles (1,456.4 km2), it is the fourth-largest of these islands and the 21st largest island ...

, with the

Coco Palms Resort Coco Palms Resort was a resort hotel in Wailuā, Kauaʻi, Hawaiʻi, that was noted for its Hollywood connections, Hawaiian-themed weddings, torch lighting ceremonies, destruction by a hurricane, and long-standing land disputes. The resort incl ...

prominently featured. The famous resort was destroyed by

Hurricane Iniki Hurricane Iniki ( ; Hawaiian: ''iniki'' meaning "strong and piercing wind") was the most powerful hurricane to strike Hawaii in recorded history. Forming on September 5, 1992, during the strong 1990–1995 El Niño, Iniki was one of eleven Cent ...

in 1992 and never rebuilt. Some scenes were filmed above, at and around the

Polynesian Cultural Center The Polynesian Cultural Center (PCC) is a family-centered cultural tourist attraction and living museum located in Laie, on the northern shore of Oahu, Hawaii. The PCC is owned by the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints (LDS Church), wa ...

on O'ahu. Around the official wrap on production, Elvis met

Tom Jones Tom Jones may refer to: Arts and entertainment *Tom Jones (singer) (born 1940), Welsh singer *Tom Jones (writer) (1928–2023), American librettist and lyricist *''The History of Tom Jones, a Foundling'', a novel by Henry Fielding published in 1 ...

, who visited the set, and

The Beatles The Beatles were an English Rock music, rock band, formed in Liverpool in 1960, that comprised John Lennon, Paul McCartney, George Harrison and Ringo Starr. They are regarded as the Cultural impact of the Beatles, most influential band of al ...

, who visited Elvis’ Bel Air home a few weeks after production was completed.

Soundtrack

Reception

Released in June 1966, ''Paradise, Hawaiian Style'', despite its "stunning aerial photography", "inspired a collective yawn" with film critics. ''

The New York Times ''The New York Times'' (''the Times'', ''NYT'', or the Gray Lady) is a daily newspaper based in New York City with a worldwide readership reported in 2020 to comprise a declining 840,000 paid print subscribers, and a growing 6 million paid ...

'' film reviewer

Vincent Canby Vincent Canby (July 27, 1924 – October 15, 2000) was an American film and theatre critic who served as the chief film critic for ''The New York Times'' from 1969 until the early 1990s, then its chief theatre critic from 1994 until his death in ...

compared the film to the formulaic 1930s musicals that

Bing Crosby Harry Lillis "Bing" Crosby Jr. (May 3, 1903 – October 14, 1977) was an American singer, musician and actor. The first multimedia star, he was one of the most popular and influential musical artists of the 20th century worldwide. He was a ...

used to star in, concluding that it was "all harmless and forgettable." Kevin Thomas of the ''

Los Angeles Times The ''Los Angeles Times'' (abbreviated as ''LA Times'') is a daily newspaper that started publishing in Los Angeles in 1881. Based in the LA-adjacent suburb of El Segundo since 2018, it is the sixth-largest newspaper by circulation in the ...

'' called it "pleasant hot-weather diversion. Pretty much the usual Elvis Presley formula of songs and romance, this Paramount release ... has the added bonus of lush tropical scenery in color. And Elvis, as always, remains relaxed, enjoyable entertainer." ''

Variety Variety may refer to: Arts and entertainment Entertainment formats * Variety (radio) * Variety show, in theater and television Films * ''Variety'' (1925 film), a German silent film directed by Ewald Andre Dupont * ''Variety'' (1935 film), ...

'' called the film "a gaily-begarbed and flowing musical," with the Hawaii setting seldom before having been "utilized to such lush advantage." ''

The Monthly Film Bulletin ''The Monthly Film Bulletin'' was a periodical of the British Film Institute published monthly from February 1934 to April 1991, when it merged with ''Sight & Sound''. It reviewed all films on release in the United Kingdom, including those with a ...

'' wrote, "This is Elvis Presley right back in the old rut, parading his talents as a man of action while women swoon at his passage. The script is rather worse than routine, and the songs and choreography are undistinguished; which leaves very little but Wallace Kelley's colourful photography of the strictly tourist-eye view of the islands.""Paradise, Hawaiian Style." ''

'', Volume 33, Issue 391, August 1966, p. 127.

References

Notes

Citations

Bibliography

* Knight, Timothy. ''Elvis Presley in the Movies''. New York: Metro Books, 2009. .

External links

* * * *
Elvis in Hawaii

Review by Janet Branagan at Apollo Movie Guide

Review of the movie 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 Jon Danziger at digitallyOBSESSED!, March 2, 2003 {{Mickey Moore 1966 films 1966 musical comedy films 1966 romantic comedy films American musical comedy films American romantic comedy films American aviation films American romantic musical films Films directed by Mickey Moore Films produced by Hal B. Wallis Films set in Hawaii Films shot in Hawaii Films shot in Los Angeles Paramount Pictures films 1966 directorial debut films 1960s English-language films 1960s American films