Frankie and Johnny Blu-ray Movie

Rating summary

Movie		3.0
Video		4.0
Audio		3.0
Extras		1.0
Overall		3.5

Frankie and Johnny Blu-ray Movie Review

Reviewed by Brian Orndorf August 4, 2017

Arriving at the midway point in Elvis Presley’s career as a Hollywood leading man, 1966’s “Frankie and Johnny” is sadly emblematic of the legendary singer’s film achievements. It’s not a bad movie, far from it, but carries a distinct programmed feel, with the production getting its star up, acting, and singing before he’s on to the next project, keeping the gravy train rolling along.

Elvis stars as Johnny, a riverboat performer with a furious gambling addiction, testing his friendship with piano player Cully (Harry Morgan) and a lively relationship with his girlfriend, Frankie (Donna Douglas). Shenanigans surrounding the lure of luck keep the characters busy, with Johnny resorting to a meeting with a fortune teller to repair his karma, finding new inspiration with the arrival of Nellie (Nancy Kovack). As with most Elvis endeavors, there’s a degree of filler here between musical numbers, but there’s amusing interplay between Morgan and the star, who share surprisingly effective buddy chemistry (it’s a strange visual to see these two palling around, but it works). Douglas is also a firecracker the picture needs to maintain focus, with director Frederick de Cordova (who went on to a long career with Johnny Carson and “The Tonight Show”) wisely keeping his cast together, keeping pressure off Elvis to carry the whole endeavor.

Frankie and Johnny Blu-ray Movie, Video Quality 

The AVC encoded image (1.67:1 aspect ratio) presentation is filled with blazing color, showcasing bright, memorable hues that leap off costuming, which offers an excitable rainbow of fabrics to study. It's a vivid looking feature, and the viewing experience looks intact, delivering reasonable sharpness with period cinematography, capturing decorative details and facial particulars. Performances sequences also provide textured theatricality. Delineation is agreeable. Source is in decent shape, without overt points of damage.

Frankie and Johnny Blu-ray Movie, Audio Quality 

The 2.0 DTS-HD MA sound mix isn't in pristine shape, which is a disappointment considering just how much of a musical "Frankie and Johnny" is. Dialogue exchanges are on the muddy side, lacking sharpness and dimension, hit with age-related issues. While nothing is explicitly lost, the mix doesn't carry much emphasis, which extends to the musical numbers, which also sound a little muted, missing vibrancy. Atmospherics are acceptable, offering bustling casino visits.

Frankie and Johnny Blu-ray Movie, Special Features and Extras 

• A Theatrical Trailer (2:52, HD) is included.

Frankie and Johnny Blu-ray Movie, Overall Score and Recommendation 

The soundtrack is the big draw here, and "Frankie and Johnny" has a few inviting tracks, but the core appeal of the feature remains in its musical numbers, which provide a sense of theater to the songs, also using stage suspense to feed cinematic tension. "Frankie and Johnny" is middling Elvis for sure, hitting the basics in wisecracks, fisticuffs, and swoonable close-ups, but it goes down smooth enough.