Stay Away, Joe

Stay Away, Joe (1968)

* (out of 4)

Incredibly bad film has Elvis playing an Indian who also just happens to be a rodeo champion. He decides to return to the reservation so that he can help his father (Burgess Meredith) raise cows but soon he gets into trouble with various women and some government men. I'm really curious if Marlon Brando watched this movie and that's what set him off about how Indians were being treated in film because this movie is so outrageous that even D.W. Griffith and John Ford would blush. For starters, all of the white cast members are wearing tan paint to make them look like Indians and the first time we see Meredith he's an ignorant drunk. In fact, all of the Indians do nothing more than get drunk, fall down and start fights. The stereotypes here are outrageous but the film is so poorly done that you can't even get any politically incorrect laughs at of it. I'm really not sure what in the hell was going on with the story but it was incredibly stupid and full of large plot holes. The songs were equally as bad including one scene where Elvis sings to a bull. The supporting cast are all pretty bad but Meredith comes off the worse with the most embarrassing performance and part I've ever seen him do. He was such a great character actor that it was rather sad seeing him in something like this. Elvis, on the other hand, actually manages to be the only decent thing here but that's still not saying too much.

It's been a looooonnnggg time since I saw this comedy, and I'd forgotten just how idiotic it is. I'd place this easily in the lower two or three of Elvis Presley's very worst movies. Presley plays Joe Whitecloud, a half-breed Indian bull rider who returns home to Arizona and the broken-down shack where his family lives, and where his friends love to party all night long. His parents are played by Burgess Meredith and Katy Jurado, and his old Indian grandpa is Thomas Gomez. None of the three offer anything of substance , comically or otherwise. The government has invested in the family's cattle, but they're lacking a bull. Elvis gets to sing just a few utterly worthless songs, and is pursued by a young boy-crazy gal and her gun-toting mother. This is just a real slapdash of a mess, and the dilapidated surroundings practically stink of manure and don't make this much easier. The one thing that puzzles me, however, is that Elvis actually seems to be having a good time in the film. Hard to believe, considering he got so upset about being stuck making so many mediocre movies. *1/2 out of ****

I have to disagree with a previous comment that this is Elvis' worst film. OK, it's not a comedy classic but surely, at least in my opinion, "Harum Scarum", "Paradise, Hawaiian Style" and "Easy Come, Easy Go" are much more inferior to this rather enjoyable yarn. I for one always enjoy watching it whenever it's screened on Cable TV and it's a pity it has not been released on DVD yet. Besides a very good-looking Elvis, the supporting cast Burgess Meredith, Katy Jurado & the wise-cracking Thomas Gomez (as grandpa) are a joy to watch. And the opening title sequence with the camera flying over the Grand Canyon while the lovely "Stay Away" (a re-working of "Greensleeves") plays on the soundtrack must rank as one of the most beautiful openings in all of Elvis' movies.

OK I have seen almost all of Elvis movies, most of them are great. Even with not such great scripts Elvis always manages to carry the story. But this one was terrible. Perhaps they were trying to make him a more reckless rebel because of the late 60's vibe that was happening in the country. Really dumb story, too much fighting and beating each other up, him being attracted to Joan Blondell who looked like his grandmother. Whoever the makeup person was they did a bad job on Elvis dad and grandfather they both did not look like Indians. Burgess Meridith hair was not even dyed black well and in the beginning of the movie grandfather had pale skin that later turned tan. I have to say Elvis looked fantastic, tan and fit and as bad as the movie was he kept me interested that's how good an actor he was and a really handsome man.

This movie is not very good.In fact, it is the worst Elvis movie I have seen.It has very little plot,mostly partying,beer drinking and fighting. Burgess Meredith and Thomas Gomez are wasted. I don't know why they did this movie.You could say Elvis was wasted as well,he is much,much better in "Follow That Dream."