Norman Taurog Movies
Chicago-born Norman Taurog was performing on stage from his early childhood, long before he began work as a child actor in movies. He entered films at age 14 with Thomas Ince's studios, and turned to directing comedy in 1919 with Larry Semon. For the next four decades, right up to the end of the '60s, Taurog was one of Hollywood's busiest directors, winning the "Best Director" Oscar in 1931 for Skippy, and although he was best known for comedy, he occasionally worked very successfully in more serious movies, most notably Boys Town (1938), which got him an Academy Award nomination. Additionally, he directed one of the liveliest and most successful of all movie adaptations of classic literature, David O. Selznick's 1938 production of The Adventures of Tom Sawyer, starring Tommy Kelly, and was in the director's chair for the last of MGM's big pre-war musical showcases, Broadway Melody of 1940 (one was planned for 1942, but seemed inappropriate during the war and the series ended). Taurog was especially well liked by Elvis Presley (and, one presumes, his manager Colonel Tom Parker), and directed the former King of Rock 'N Roll in nine movies between 1960 and 1968, including Blue Hawaii, Spinout, and Live a Little, Love a Little. Additionally, he directed Jerry Lewis, both in partnership with Dean Martin and solo, in The Stooge, The Caddy, Living It Up, Don't Give Up the Ship, and Visit to a Small Planet (the latter a distant predecessor to the TV series Mork and Mindy). Never a noted stylist in either comedy or drama, Taurog knew how to stage a scene for the strongest audience reaction, whether that entailed tears or laughter, and also how to do so quickly and economically, especially with child stars, neophyte performers, and non-actors. ~ Bruce Eder, Rovi
Singing stars from two very different generations appear in Live A Little, Love A Little. Elvis Presley plays Greg, a photographer who divides his time working for a skin magazine and a conservative newspaper. Rudy Valle plays Penlow, the veteran newspaper publisher. Lansdown (Don Porter) is the publisher of a girly magazine as Greg tries to work for both without the other finding out. Greg falls in love with a fashion model (Michele Carey) in this situation comedy that even die-hard Elvis fans have a hard time swallowing. By this time, Elvis planned to fulfil his remaining movie obligations and return to the stage, as his 1960s film career had failed to take on the dramatic seriousness he desperately sought. ~ Dan Pavlides, Rovi
- Starring:
- Elvis Presley, Michele Carey, (more)
Steve Grayson (Elvis Presley) is a swinging racecar driver whose manager Kenny (Bill Bixby) has bet his money on the horses. Most of the horses didn't win, causing Steve to be visited by IRS agent Susan Jacks (Nancy Sinatra). Gale Gordon plays Hepworth, her stuffy supervisor, and William Shallert has the role of Abel Esterlake, former racecar driver who helps Steve on the track. Steve engages in the stock-car races at the Charlotte Speedway to get back the money to keep him and his manager out of jail. Presley delivers 11 songs, the most notable being "Let Yourself Go." Elvis by now was just playing out the innocuous string of movies that his musically insensitive, cigar-chomping manager Colonel Tom Parker had contracted for him. Soon Elvis would undertake the most successful live comeback by any performer in history and leave these trashy features behind. ~ Dan Pavlides, Rovi
- Starring:
- Elvis Presley, Nancy Sinatra, (more)
Elvis Presley plays Guy Lambert, a musician (so far, so good) who is touring Great Britain (something Elvis never managed in real life). Jill Conway (Annette Day), a wealthy heiress, is a big fan of Guy's who has developed a very serious crush on him; her family wants to keep her away from the romantically-inclined singer, so they send her to Belgium, not realizing that Guy has a string of gigs set up there. En route to Brussels, a pair of hapless jewel thieves (Norman Rossington and Chips Rafferty) hide their loot in Guy's luggage, which makes the singer the unwitting target of three equally inept detectives (Harry, Herbert, and Sylvester Wiere). While wooing Jill and avoiding her treacherous uncle Gerald (John Williams), Guy also finds himself pursued by the worldly Claire Dunham (Yvonne Romain). Elvis sings nine songs along the way, including "Long Legged Girls with Short Dresses On" and "Baby, if You Give Me All Your Love." 18 months after Double Trouble was released, Presley's career was revitalized by his 1968 comeback special, though he would also release four more films before it aired. ~ Mark Deming, Rovi
- Starring:
- Elvis Presley, Annette Day, (more)
Elvis Presley plays rock singer and racecar driver Mike McCoy in the typical musical romp Spinout, directed by Norman Taurog. His band includes Curly Jack Mullaney, Larry Jimmy Hawkins and the female tomboy drummer Les Deborah Walley. Mike is coveted by a bevy of beauties that include the intellectual journalist Diana St. Clair Diane McBain, Susan Dodie Marshall and the spoiled rich girl Cynthia Foxhugh Shelley Fabares. Cynthia's millionaire father Howard Carl Betz wants Mike to race his newly built auto. All the girls want Mike, but he manages to marry them off to different paramours and in the end falls for his replacement drummer Susan. The 12-song album of the same title contained a musical curiosity, Bob Dylan's Tomorrow Is A Long Time. It was the only Dylan song ever recorded by Presley -- and the longest, at over five minutes in length. ~ Dan Pavlides, Rovi
- Starring:
- Elvis Presley, Shelley Fabares, (more)
The original king of rock-n-roll (Elvis Presley) stars in this light comedy musical as a singing buck who finds employment at an all femme ranch & spa. After kissing the girls and making them cry, the stud-clad crooner is sent away, but soon comes back to rescue a pretty maiden from the hands of fortune-seeking baddies. ~ Kristie Hassen, Rovi
- Starring:
- Elvis Presley, Julie Adams, (more)
- 1965
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The great Vincent Price obviously had fun with his characterization of Dr. Goldfoot in this campy spy spoof directed by Norman Taurog. With his henchman Igor (Jack Mullaney), the demented doctor builds a machine that mass-produces an army bikini-clad babes. Goldfoot programs his vixens to seduce the wealthiest men alive and convince them to sign their fortunes over to him - thus enabling the fiendish doctor to amass tremendous wealth and take over the world. Frankie Avalon co-stars as Secret Agent Craig Gamble, who sets out to destroy the women and bring Goldfoot's plan to a screeching halt. Annette Funicello and Harvey Lembeck provide cameo appearances. Strictly for fans who loved those 1960s drive-in quickies. ~ Dan Pavlides, Rovi
- Starring:
- Vincent Price, Frankie Avalon, (more)
- 1965
In this comedy, a hapless Army sergeant's plans to marry are temporarily delayed after he accidentally ends up launched into space with a chimpanzee. Upon his return, he is a changed man and is ultimately sent to prison after he threatens to go public with the mix-up. Meanwhile, suave Sgt. Donovan, Deadhead's double, takes his place at the altar. To stop him, Deadhead breaks out of prison and becomes his old self again just as he arrives at the honeymoon suite. Naturally he wins his rightful bride and happiness ensues. ~ Sandra Brennan, Rovi
- Starring:
- Frankie Avalon, Deborah Walley, (more)
- 1963
This light romantic comedy filmed on location in Palm Springs finds couples engaging in a kissing frenzy of puppy love. Jim (Troy Donahue) has eyes for Bunny (Stephanie Powers), unaware she is the daughter of the local chief of police (Andrew Duggan). Connie Stevens, Jack Weston, Ty Hardin and Jerry Van Dyke. The Modern Folk Quartet makes an out-of-place appearance performing in a casino. Robert Conrad is the spoiled rotten rich kid who tries to interfere with love and romance with his lupine lusting. ~ Dan Pavlides, Rovi
- Starring:
- Troy Donahue, Connie Stevens, (more)
- 1963
- Add It Happened at the World's Fair to Queue Add It Happened at the World's Fair to top of Queue
This Elvis Presley vehicle is close to a lemon, even for his die-hard fans. Elvis is Mike Edwards, a pilot of a small plane who has a faithful sidekick, Danny (Gary Lockewood), and a penchant for singing. The story, such as it is, takes place in-between a total of ten different songs, the most memorable being "One Broken Heart for Sale". Mike is tough on the outside but he is willing to take up a good cause when he finds Sue Lin (Vicky Tiu) temporarily abandoned at the Seattle Worlds Fair. Aside from Sue Lin, he also finds an attractive nurse who is not abandoned but might still need attention. ~ Eleanor Mannikka, Rovi
- Starring:
- Elvis Presley, Joan O'Brien, (more)
One of Elvis Presley's biggest moneymakers, Girls Girls Girls casts ol' swivel-hips as a tuna-boat fisherman working out of Hawaii. Elvis chases after all the wrong girls, while ignoring the girls who genuinely care for him. Here, as Ross Carpenter, Presley has two main love interests: sexy vocalist Robin (Stella Stevens and heiress Laurel (Laurel Goodwin), who pretends to be poor so as not to wound Ross's pride. When rude 'n' crude Wesley Johnson (Jeremy Slate), who owns Ross's boat, makes a play for Laurel, Ross punches him out. He loses his boat, but it hardly matters since he and Laurel have found true love. Songs crucial to the action are the title tune, "Return to Sender," and "Song of the Shrimp." ~ Hal Erickson, Rovi
- Starring:
- Elvis Presley, Stella Stevens, (more)
One of Elvis Presley's most successful post-Army vehicles, Blue Hawaii casts Elvis as scion to a Hawaiian pineapple fortune. His snooty mother Angela Lansbury wants Presley to take over the management of the family business, but he'd rather make his own way in the world. He lands a job at a tourist agency, and incidentally finds time to dally with such lovelies as Joan Blackman and Nancy Walters. Steve Brodie, as ever, is on hand to inveigle Elvis into an outsized brawl. Among the songs featured in the film are the title number (originally written in 1937 for Bing Crosby) and "Can't Help Falling in Love." ~ Hal Erickson, Rovi
- Starring:
- Elvis Presley, Joan Blackman, (more)
- 1961
This is a somewhat serviceable, light comedy by prolific director Norman Taurog (a favored helmer of Elvis Presley and Jerry Lewis films). Squeaky-clean Pat Boone is a singing lieutenant who has to briefly ship out to the Aleutians and regrettably leave Sally (Barbara Eden), his new love behind. Taking off with the ship is a stowaway turkey, nurtured by Garfield (Buddy Hackett), a zany sailor with a soft heart for the avian critter. The problem is, the turkey has a special attachment to the captain (Dennis O'Keefe). By the time the ship docks in Long Beach again, the turkey and an amorous pelican have produced a strange-looking egg, and Sally has just smuggled herself onboard, anxious to see her lieutenant. Now comes the inspection of the ship by Commander Bintle (Gale Gordon). ~ Eleanor Mannikka, Rovi
- Starring:
- Pat Boone, Buddy Hackett, (more)
Elvis Presley stars in GI Blues as Tulsa McLean, a soldier stationed in Germany, who pulls strings to stage a big show for his fellow GI's. In the tradition of the musical chestnut The Fleet's In, Tulsa also bets his buddies that he can date "ice princess" entertainer Lili (Juliet Prowse). Song highlights include "Wooden Heart," "Blue Suede Shoes" and the title number. The spectacular box-office performance of G.I. Blues proved that Elvis' popularity had not only survived his Army tenure, but had actually increased. ~ Hal Erickson, Rovi
- Starring:
- Elvis Presley, Juliet Prowse, (more)
- 1960
When a space alien's fascination with Earthlings gets the better of him, he breaks one of his planet's laws and speeds off to visit the blue planet. Once there the alien (Jerry Lewis) encounters a nice family who kindly take him in. The father is a news commentator. Ironically, just prior to meeting the visitor, he had just aired a piece in which he derided all notions of extraterrestrial visits. In exchange for having them teach him about human ways, he uses his many fantastic powers to help them. ~ Sandra Brennan, Rovi
- Starring:
- Jerry Lewis, Joan Blackman, (more)
- 1959
Don't Give Up the Ship stars Jerry Lewis as a navy officer who is whisked away from his honeymoon by a senate investigating committee. The committee would like to know what happened to the U.S.S. Kornblatt, the battleship Lewis had commandeered during the War; the crew arrived home safely, but the battleship completely disappeared! Jerry suffers from a mental block concerning the Kornblatt, so the navy assigns a beautiful psychiatrist (Dina Merrill) to probe his subconscious. With the help of an ex-sailor from the Kornblatt (Mickey Shaughnessy), Jerry locates the wreckage of the ship, tracing the responsibility of its disappearance to the investigating committee chairman (Gale Gordon). Based on a true incident (!), Don't Give Up the Ship stands up today as one of Jerry Lewis' best films. ~ Hal Erickson, Rovi
- Starring:
- Jerry Lewis, Dina Merrill, (more)
- 1958
In his third starring feature, Onionhead, Andy Griffith plays a character somewhere inbetween the bucolic ingenuousness of Will Stockdale in No Time for Sergeants and the hotheaded truculence of Lonesome Rhodes in A Face in the Crowd. Griffith is cast as Al Woods, a college student majoring in girls and parties. When his grades drop and his relationship with girlfiend Jo Hill (Erin O'Brien) sours, Al joins the Coast Guard as assistant cook on the SS Periwinkle, fully expecting to sit out WW2 in peace and quiet. Instead, he runs afoul of navy protocol in general and mess officer Red Wildoe (Walter Matthau) in particular. In or out of trouble, Al remains a stubborn individualist, and it is this quality that attracts him to Wildoe's erstwhile fiancee Stella (Felica Farr). Strong support is provided by Roscoe Karns as Al Woods' crusty father, James Gregory as the skipper of thePeriwinkle, and Joey Bishop is the inevitable Brooklynite. ~ Hal Erickson, Rovi
- Starring:
- Andy Griffith, Felicia Farr, (more)
- 1957
Coproduced by actress Jane Russell and her husband Robert Waterfield, The Fuzzy Pink Nightgown represented Russell's final starring film of the 1950s--and her last movie appearance until 1964. Decked out in an unbecoming blonde wig, Jane is cast as Hollywood starlet Laurel Stevens. On the eve of her latest picture,"The Kidnapped Bride", Laurel is kidnapped for real by Runyonesque crooks Mike (Ralph Meeker) and Dandy (Keenan Wynn). She assumes it's a publicity stunt staged by her studio, but soon figures out what's what. When the kidnappers fall for Laurel and decide to set her free, she insists that they go through with their ransom demands, lest she be accused of faking the abduction for publicity purposes. Based on a much funnier novel by Sylvia Tate, The Fuzzy Pink Nightgown was an enormous flop which not even the combined comic expertise of supporting players Fred Clark, Una Merkel and Benay Venuta could salvage. Thanks to constant TV showings in the 1960s, however, the film finally posted a profit. ~ Hal Erickson, Rovi
- Starring:
- Jane Russell, Keenan Wynn, (more)
- 1956
This Dean Martin-Jerry Lewis romp is liberally based on the 1936 Bing Crosby film Rhythm on the Range. Set around 1910, the film stars Lewis as the pampered son of female tycoon Agnes Moorehead. Yearning to return to the Wild West where his father was a famed peacekeeper, Lewis purchases a prize bull, destined for the ranch inherited by rodeo star Dean Martin. It so happens that Martin and Lewis' late fathers were "pardners", so Martin takes it upon himself to protect Lewis from the various and sundry tough hombres in the region. Through a series of bizarre plot convolutions, Lewis gains a reputation as a rootin' tootin' gunslinger, and in his hubris he decides to round up a gang of outlaws headed by Jeff Morrow. As a result, he nearly gets himself blown to smitherines, but Martin shows up in the nick of time to rescue Lewis and help him capture the bad guys. Lori Nelson and Jackie Loughery supply the film's peripheral romantic angle. Pardners ends with Dean Martin and Jerry Lewis turning to the camera and promising that they'll keep on making pictures for their faithful fans; ironically, the team was breaking up even while the cameras were turning. ~ Hal Erickson, Rovi
- Starring:
- Dean Martin, Jerry Lewis, (more)
- 1956
This comedy is a remake of 1941's The Lady Eve, and tells the story of the vegetarian son of a prominent meat packer who is sailing back from an African safari when he meets and falls in love with a con-artist's lovely daughter. Posing as a military officer, the card-sharp and his boys have come to fleece a few wealthy passengers at poker. The daughter finds the milque-toast son irresistible and much to her father's dismay, they fall in love. Unfortunately their happiness is nearly destroyed when someone tells him the truth about her father. Fortunately, that is not the end of their affair. ~ Sandra Brennan, Rovi
- Starring:
- George Gobel, Mitzi Gaynor, (more)
- 1956
This musicalized remake of the 1939 comedy Bachelor Mother stars Debbie Reynolds and Eddie Fisher (then Mr. and Mrs.) in the roles originated by Ginger Rogers and David Niven. Reynolds plays a department store salesgirl whose life is turned topsy-turvy when she finds an abandoned baby. Despite her protestations, everyone assumes that she's the mother of the child, including Fisher, the son of store owner Adolphe Menjou. Meanwhile, Menjou convinced that his son is the baby's father, is determined that his boy will "do right" by the innocent Reynolds. Much of the comic zest of the original film is diluted by the lackluster performance of Eddie Fisher, though Debbie Reynolds and the rest of the cast are in fine form. ~ Hal Erickson, Rovi
- Starring:
- Eddie Fisher, Debbie Reynolds, (more)
- 1955
You're Never Too Young is a slapstick-with-songs remake of the 1944 Ray Milland/Ginger Rogers vehicle The Major and the Minor. Dean Martin plays the Milland part, while Ginger's shoes are filled by...Jerry Lewis? Lewis plays an apprentice barber who inadvertently crosses a homicidal jewel thief (Raymond Burr), and equally inadvertently hightails it out of town with the crook's jewels in his possession. Desperate to escape the crook's clutches, and lacking the necessary funds for a train ticket, Lewis disguises himself as a 12-year-old boy so he can travel half fare. He latches onto Dean, a music teacher heading for an all-girls school. After innumerable routines sparked by Lewis's adolescent disguise, the jewel thief catches up with him, leading to a rollicking climactic speedboat chase. Dean Martin has plenty of opportunities to serenade leading lady Diana Lynn (who'd played a supporting role in The Major and the Minor), while Jerry Lewis is in peak form doing his usual "waah-waah-waah" schtick. The original Billy Wilder/Charles Brackett script for The Major and the Minor was reshaped into You're Never Too Young by future bestselling novelist Sidney Sheldon. ~ Hal Erickson, Rovi
- Starring:
- Dean Martin, Jerry Lewis, (more)
- 1954
The 1954 Martin-and-Lewis romp Living It Up is an amusing remake of the 1937 comedy classic Nothing Sacred. More specifically, it is the film version of the Broadway musical Hazel Flagg, which was based on Nothing Sacred. The heroine of the original undergoes a sex change to become feckless Homer Flagg (Jerry Lewis), who is led to believe that he's dying of radiation poisoning. Manhattan newspaperwoman Wally Cook (Janet Leigh), hoping to improve circulation of her paper, convinces her boss, Oliver Stone (Fred Clark), to fete Homer as a hero with an all-expenses-paid trip to the Big Apple. Meanwhile, Homer learns from local doctor Steve (Dean Martin) that he isn't dying at all. But Steve talks Homer into taking advantage of the celebrity treatment bestowed on him by Wally, and a good time is had by all -- until medical specialist Dr. Egelhofer (Sig Rumann) insists upon examining Homer. Highlights include a hilarious bit at Yankee Stadium, and an energetic jitterbug number featuring Jerry Lewis and Sheree North. The handful of songs retained from Hazel Flagg include "Every Street's a Boulevard in Old New York." ~ Hal Erickson, Rovi
- Starring:
- Dean Martin, Jerry Lewis, (more)
- 1953
Not only are stars Anna Maria Alberghetti and Rosemary Clooney singing, but also a medium-sized roster of "special guest stars." Alberghetti plays an illegal Polish alien, while Clooney is a dewey-eyed showbiz aspirant who protects the refugee girl. The two ladies pin their hopes on a TV talent contest. Alberghetti becomes an opera star, while Clooney becomes a pop singer, solely (or so it seems) on the basis of the top-10 hit "Come On'a My House." The guest performers in The Stars are Singing include Metropolitan Opera luminary Lauritz Melchior, dancer Tom Morton, and the comedy dog act team of Bob Williams and Red Dust. ~ Hal Erickson, Rovi
- Starring:
- Rosemary Clooney, Anna Maria Alberghetti, (more)
- 1953
Martin and Lewis tee each other off on a PGA tour in The Caddy. Harvey Miller (Jerry Lewis) is an expert with his golf club, except when he tries to play in front of a crowd -- then he completely loses control. With his mind set on getting into the PGA one way or another, he latches onto Joe Anthony (Dean Martin), a stylish gadabout. Harvey teaches Joe everything he knows about the game, and when Joe enters a tournament, Harvey does too -- as his caddy. But while the golf fans still make Harvey go wild, laid-back Joe feeds upon their applause. As Joe's game improves, his ego grows, and he begins to think Harvey is useless and wants to take the tour alone. The Caddy introduced the Dean Martin classic That's Amore to the world of kitsch and features a bevy of real life professional golfers in cameo roles -- including Sam Snead, Byron Nelson, and Julius Boros. ~ Paul Brenner, Rovi
- Starring:
- Dean Martin, Jerry Lewis, (more)
- 1952
Although The Stooge had been filmed right after Martin and Lewis' Sailor Beware, the film was temporarily shelved so that the team could continue their winning streak of military comedies with Jumping Jacks. This time, Dean Martin plays Chick Allen, a paratrooper-in-training whose commanding officer intends to do away with all camp variety shows. In desperation, Chick sends for his old nightclub partner Hap Smith (Jerry Lewis) to change the CO's mind. In order to gain entry to the military base, Hap is forced to pose as a GI, and thus the plot proper gets under way. Most of the "awkward squad" gags are straight out of Abbott and Costello, with Lewis messing up at each and every turn while Martin lags behind for damage control. The film concludes with a routine from Abbot and Costello's Keep 'Em Flying, wherein Martin and Lewis bail out from a plane in flight, with one parachute between them. Robert Strauss repeats his Sailor Beware duties as Lewis' irascible topkick, while nominal leading lady Mona Freeman does practically nothing magnificently. Dean's songs include the deathless "Do the Parachute Jump". ~ Hal Erickson, Rovi
- Starring:
- Dean Martin, Jerry Lewis, (more)
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