Tickle Me

For the soundtrack EP by Elvis Presley, see Tickle Me (EP).
Not to be confused with Tickle Me Elmo.

Tickle Me
Theatrical release poster
Directed byNorman Taurog
Written by
Produced byBen Schwalb
Starring
CinematographyLoyal Griggs
Edited byArchie Marshek
Music byWalter Scharf
Production
company
Distributed byAllied Artists Pictures
Release date
Running time
91 minutes
CountryUnited States
LanguageEnglish
Budget$1,500,000[2]
Box office$3,400,000 (US/ Canada rentals)[3]
$5,000,000 (worldwide)[2]

Tickle Me is a 1965 American musical comedy western film directed by Norman Taurog and starring Elvis Presley as a champion rodeo bull rider and bronco buster.

Presley won a 1966 Golden Laurel Award as best male actor in a musical film for his role. It is the only Presley film released by Allied Artists Pictures, and it saved the studio from financial collapse and bankruptcy.[4] The film made $5 million at the box office.

For the first and only time in a Presley film, the soundtrack had no new material, utilizing album cuts dating back as early as 1960. Some of these tracks were overdubbed for the film. In one case, a different take was used ("I Feel That I've Known You Forever", featuring what appears to be a vocal done on the soundstage). In another case, a song was presented without the harmony vocal and narration of the original release ("I'm Yours"). The cost-cutting experiment of recycling older recordings would not be repeated by Presley. However, another song from its recycled soundtrack, "(Such an) Easy Question", peaked at #11 on the Billboard Hot 100 and #1 on the Billboard Easy Listening chart in July 1965.[4]

Julie Adams and Jocelyn Lane co-star with Presley. The screenplay was written by Elwood Ullman and Edward Bernds, who had written The Three Stooges film shorts and theatrical films as well as scripts for The Bowery Boys. They brought to the film a sizable quota of slapstick, sight gags and general silliness not found in any other Presley vehicle.

  1. ^ "Tickle Me - Details". AFI Catalog of Feature Films. Retrieved July 25, 2018.
  2. ^ a b Cite error: The named reference norman was invoked but never defined (see the help page).
  3. ^ This figure consists of anticipated rentals accruing distributors in North America. See "Big Rental Pictures of 1965", Variety, 5 January 1966 p 6
  4. ^ a b Elvis in Hollywood broadcast of October 6, 2007, Elvis Radio; Sirius Radio Channel 13.