Kissin’ Cousins ** (1964, Elvis Presley, Arthur O’Connell, Glenda Farrell, Jack Albertson, Pam Austin, Yvonne Craig, Donald Woods, Tommy Farrell, Beverly Powers, Robert Stone) – Classic Movie Review 4701

Director/ co-writer Gene Nelson’s 1964 dual role musical has as its main attraction in Elvis Presley sharing 10 songs between two Presleys – one blond, the other dark. But, at the end, the two characters share the screen to perform a number. Elvis plays both Josh Morgan and Jodie Tatum, while nice old-timers Arthur O’Connell and Glenda Farrell play Pappy and Ma Tatum.

Written by Nelson (screenplay) and Gerald Drayson Adams (story and screenplay), this contrived hillbilly musical is something about a military man planning to erect a missile site on his lookalike country cousin’s land. It starts when the American Army officer returns to the Smoky Mountains to try to convince his relations to allow the US Army to build the site on their land and that’s when he discovers he has a doppelganger cousin.

Ex-dancer Nelson directs without flair, while Elvis performs awkwardly and proves that he looks daft as a blond. And, with a lack of good acting, songs and dancing, the movie is not much to write home about. The best of the numbers is the title track Kissin’ Cousins written by Fred Wise and Randy Starr and performed by Elvis Presley and The Jordanaires vocal group over the opening credits.

Also in the cast are Jack Albertson, Pam Austin, Yvonne Craig, Donald Woods, Tommy Farrell, Beverly Powers, Cynthia Pepper, Hortense Petra and Robert Stone.

© Derek Winnert 2016 Classic Movie Review 4701

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