Blue Hawaii is the film that introduced the hit song “Can’t Help Falling In Love”….

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 American Musical. The film opened at number two in box-office receipts for that week and, despite mixed reviews from critics, finished as the 10th top-grossing film of 1961 and 14th for 1962 in the Variety national box office survey, earning $5 million.  The film won a fourth place prize Laurel Award in the category of Top Musical of 1961.

Blue Hawaii was the first of three Elvis films shot in Hawaii, followed by Girls! Girls! Girls! in 1962 and Paradise, Hawaiian Style in 1965. Producer Hal B. Wallis was keen to put Presley in a film that showed how the army affected a man.  Actress Juliet Prowse, who had starred with Presley in GI Blues, was approached to be his love interest again. But after her demands were put forward, Paramount decided to drop her for the role, choosing Joan Blackman instead.

Presley was 26 at the time this film was released, and a not-yet-36-year-old Angela Lansbury played his character's mother. Nancy Walters, who was cast as the older schoolteacher, was in reality only 18 months older than Presley.  Much of the film was shot on location at the Coco Palms Resort on the east coast of Kauai.

Presley's remake of the title song “Blue Hawaii” introduced it to an audience too young to remember Bing Crosby's original hit version. The soundtrack album was on the Billboard Pop Albums chart for 79 weeks, where it spent 20 weeks at #1. It has been certified by the RIAA for sales of three million copies in the U.S.

The soundtrack album was nominated for a Grammy Award in 1961 in the category of Best Sound Track Album or Recording of Original Cast from a Motion Picture or Television.

The soundtrack featured the hit song "Can't Help Falling in Love" sung by Elvis, which is certified platinum by the RIAA, for U.S. sales in excess of one million copies. The song peaked at No. 2 on the U.S. Billboard Billboard Hot 100 and hit No. 1 on the Adult Contemporary chart for six weeks, as well as topping the British charts in 1962.

7:20 pm evening screening
Note: Vintage shorts begin at 7 pm.

Tickets:  All ages $7
(or included in the series pass available through Sept 30)
General Admission Seating