Clambake was Elvis Presley's 25th film. It was filmed in 1967, and was the third of his three films co-starring Shelley Fabares. It also featured Bill Bixby (of The Courtship of Eddie's Father fame) as a rich playboy who battles for the affection of the lovely Shelley. In the film, Elvis plays a millionaires son who trades places with a poor water ski instructor, attempting to convince himself and his father that he can make his way in the world without his dad's millions. Of course Elvis (Scott Heywood in the movie) succeeds, and has plenty of chances to sing and dance and win speedboat races.
Immediately after the filming of this movie, Elvis married Priscilla Beaulieu in Las Vegas. He had just won his first GRAMMY® for How Great Thou Art, his second Gospel album.
Clambake was released in December 1967, and topped out at #15 at the box office. The soundtrack for the movie only reached #40. Elvis managed to fit in 7 songs between winning the girl, fully clothed watersking, inventing a secret compound that patches boats and allows him to win races and of course clambakes. Actually, there are no clambakes in the movie. The scene where Elvis sings Clambake and jumps around a bonfire surrounded by bikini clad girls is just an ordinary beach party, with no clams to be found. Go Figure. The songs are Clambake, Who Needs Money, A House That Has Everything, Confidence, Hey Hey Hey, You Don't Know Me, and The Girl I Never Loved.
And because I can't resist...here are the words to the song Clambake:
Clambake
(Words & music by Weisman - Wayne)
All right, Hmm
Mamma's little baby loves clambake, clambake
Mamma's little baby loves clambake too
Mamma's little baby loves clambake, clambake
Mamma's little baby loves clambake too
Hey listen world you've gotta know
I'm cuttin loose and lettin' go
Who needs the worry and the strife
Life can be a ball now just followin' my life
clambake, gonna have a clambake
clambake, gonna have a clambake
Look for the brightest lights in town
That's where you'll find me hanging round
I've got this feeling to be free
I pick and choose the life I want
And that's the life for me
clambake, gonna have a clambake
clambake, gonna have a clambake
Mamma's little baby loves clambake, clambake
Mamma's little baby loves clambake too
Mamma's little baby loves clambake, clambake
Mamma's little baby loves clambake too
All right
Look for the brightest lights in town
That's where you'll find me hanging round
I've got this feeling to be free
I pick and choose the life I want
And that's the life for me
clambake, gonna have a clambake
clambake, gonna have a clambake
Mamma's little baby loves clambake, clambake
Mamma's little baby loves clambake too
Mamma's little baby loves clambake, clambake
Mamma's little baby loves clambake too
Hey!
Mamma's little baby loves clambake, clambake
Mamma's little baby loves clambake too
Mamma's little baby loves clambake, clambake
Mamma's little baby loves clambake too
Mamma's little baby loves clambake, clambake
Mamma's little baby loves clambake too