Elvis journied to his beloved Hawaii once again in April 1962 to commence filming on his latest Paramount - Hal Wallis movie, Girls! Girls! Girls! Directed by Norman Taurog, Elvis was this time supported by Stella Stevens, Laurel Goodwin and Jeremy Slate. In a small but recurring role was Robert Strauss, who would appear with Elvis again three years later in Frankie and Johnny. Prior to its final title, the project had various names including A Girl in Every Port, Welcome Aboard and Gumbo Ya Ya. The role of a dedicated tuna boat skipper at least offered Elvis a chance at a different kind of characterization. Befitting the role he was playing, Elvis sported a yachting cap (among his favourite headgear, as evidenced by many candid photos) for much of the screen time - dressed all in black for many of the scenes.

Throughout Elvis's considerable time as a screen performer, and indeed since then, there have been many positive comments from co-stars regarding his professionalism, his courtesy etc. when working on film sets. Interestingly, his main female co-star in Girls! Girls! Girls! - Stella Stevens - offered a very different perspective on Elvis some years later in an interview included on the Definitive Elvis documentary video and DVD box set. Ms. Stevens had this to say:

"He was not very much interested in acting, as I was. He was interested in his own success. I was actually miserable making that film, and that's the one film I've done that I've never seen in my life, nor will I ever see it. So I hesitate to talk about it in that it was such an unpleasant experience for me".

The soundtrack for the film was of a fairly high standard and it has to be said that there are several interesting facts connected with these recordings. The album featured 13 songs, although two of these were in fact cut from the final film release - those being I Don't Want To and Where Do You Come From. Strange events often surround Elvis recordings and this set was no exception. Although cut from the actual film release, I Don't Want To was featured in part in the film's cinema trailer, whilst Where Do You Come From became the 'B' side of the single selected to promote the film!! That single release was of course the terrific Return To Sender, which became a no. 1 hit in the U.K. and reached a high of no.2 Stateside. Elvis recorded two other songs not used in the film - Plantation Rock and Mama. Mama was featured in the film, but sung by the Amigos and not Elvis. Elvis's recording of the song was released several years later on the Singer Flaming Star album (the first Elvis 'budget' album release). Plantation Rock eventually surfaced as a bootleg release and was officially released and included on the soundtrack album when it was re-issued on the 'Double Features' 1990's CD series. The original soundtrack album achieved a no.2 position in the U.K. and no.3 in the U.S., both in late 1962.

This information was produced by the Elvis Presley Film Society in December 2003