S1E8 - The Elvis Episode w/ Roustabout (1964) & The World's Greatest Sinner (62)

Baz Luhrmann's ELVIS is upon us, so it is now time for OMFYS' ELVIS EPISODE! First, Elvis Presley himself is a karate-chopping, motorcycle-riding, rock and roll rebel with a big chip on his shoulder who falls in with a traveling carnival in ROUSTABOUT (1964). Only Elvis' singing can keep the carnival from being gobbled up by a sideshow conglomerate, so it's up to carny queen Barbara Stanwyck (!) to convince him to stop being a dick long enough to save the show in what is (kinda sorta) the Elvis movie version of Nightmare Alley. Also starring Joan Freeman and the age appropriate love interest and Leif Erickson as the drunken carnival foreman who runs Elvis off the road in a fit of rage + Richard Kiel as the strong man, Teri Garr shaking her tail as a cooch tent dancer and Billy Barty as the butt of Elvis' cancellable jokes. Raquel Welch is also in here somewhere. Produced by Hal Wallis (Casablanca, The Maltese Falcon, True Grit) if you can believe that! Roustabout is currently streaming for free with ads on Pluto. And next, we go for a bit of ELVIS PANIC with THE WORLD'S GREATEST SINNER (1962), the zero-budget passion project from Timothy Carey, the unhinged character actor who once drove Marlon Brando to stab him with a pencil. Best known for small but utterly engrossing performances in Kubrick's The Killing (1956) and Paths of Glory (1957), Carey poured everything he had (including the labor of several family members) into this tale of Clarence Hilliard, a bored insurance salesman who transforms himself into a dangerous cult leader and proclaims himself a god through very Elvis-like rock and roll performances. Featuring Paul Frees (Mars and Beyond/Episode 3) as the voice of the Devil himself and music by a very young Frank Zappa. Now streaming on Prime for an extra 99¢ rental. All this plus Robert Lopez AKA EL VEZ stops by to discuss the upcoming mega Elvis biopic, Elvis Presley's own movie career and the continuing impact of the King of Rock and Roll on pop culture. Hosts: Bob Calhoun, Cory Sklar, and the father-daughter duo of Greg Franklin & Philena Franklin Weed is available at your local dispensary in participating states. Contact Email: oldmoviesforyoungstoners AT gmail dot com Twitter: OM4YStoners Instagram/Facebook (Meta): oldmoviesforyoungstoners Mastadon: [email protected]