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The Trouble With Girls 1 / 2
Elvis' thirtieth movie was shot in 1968 and was called "The Trouble
With Girls (And How To Get Into It)". It was the only Elvis movie to
have a subtitle in its name.
The story for the film was based on the Chautauqua, which was
founded in 1874 by Lewis Miller, an Akron, Ohio inventor and the
father-in-law of inventor Thomas Edison; and John H. Vincent, a
Methodist minister and eventual bishop. Their original goal was to
provide adult education in the summer for Sunday school teachers.
With the success of the program it evolved to include academic
subjects, music, art and physical education. From the very start it
included many religious denominations. The home base for Chautauqua
is the southwest corner of New York State near Lake Chautauqua,
where the institute still thrives today.
In the early 1900's the Chautauqua program traveled by train across
the country bringing its lectures to the people.
(This is the era of Chautauqua depicted in "The Trouble with Girls".
) With the advent of film and radio programs the traveling stopped.
Today the Chautauqua Institution is a 750-acre educational center
with an average visitor ship of 150,000 each summer.
It has been visited by nine U.S. Presidents, including Franklin D.
Roosevelt, who delivered his "I Hate War" speech from there in
1936, and Ronald Reagan,
who addressed a conference on U.S.-Soviet relations there via
satellite in 1987.
And George Gershwin composed his "Concerto in F" while visiting in
1925. The Athenaeum Hotel on the grounds was one of the first hotels
to have electric lights.
The story had a long road to production as a movie. As early as
December 1960, Glenn Ford was set to star in the film. By February
1961, Elvis was to join as Ford's co-star along with Hope Lange and
Arthur O'Connell. Screenwriters changed over and over and, by July
1961, Glenn Ford was out and Elvis was in as the star. In August
1964, Elvis was out and Dick Van Dyke was chosen to star. After more
screenwriter changes MGM sold its rights to Columbia Pictures. In
April 1968 MGM bought back the rights to the film and Elvis was back
in as the star. Production finally began in October 1968 and was
finished by December 18, 1968. Filming took place at the MGM
studios. Among the film's working titles had been "Big America"
(during the Columbia possession) and "Chautauqa" (including the time
of production with Elvis). Ultimately, it was released as "The
Trouble with Girls (And How to Get Into It)".
It was directed by Peter Tewksbury, who also directed the Elvis film
"Stay Away Joe". Mr. Tewksbury received three Emmy Award nominations
for his work in television, winning one in 1959 for directing an
episode of "Father Knows Best". Upon his retirement from show
busines he relocated to Vermont.
There he became known as "Henry The Cheeseman", having become the
manager of the cheese department at the Brattleboro,
Vermont Food Co-Op and writing a book called "The Cheeses of
Vermont". Tewksbury died in February 2003.
Unique camera angles were used by cinematographer Jacques R.
Marquette, who also worked on the Elvis movie "Frankie & Johnny".
Mr. Marquette began his career in newsreel photography and served in
World War II as an Air Force photographer. He has worked on numerous
movie and television projects. |
