Rating summary

Movie		2.5
Video		5.0
Audio		5.0
Extras		1.5
Overall		3.0

Spinout Blu-ray Movie Review

LOL, more like "burnout".

Reviewed by Randy Miller III September 11, 2023

It's damn near impossible not to watch older movies through some sort of modern lens... but in just about any decade, Norman Taurog's lukewarm musical comedy Spinout would have a pretty high "WTF" factor. I mean, it's literally about a noticeably less graceful Elvis -- the roaming lead singer of a swinging four-person rock combo and a champion racecar driver -- rebuffing the advances of three doe-eyed women presented like smorgasbord selections, one of which stalks him mercilessly and another who's fifteen and being married off by her rich father. (The third is his band's cute-as-a-button drummer, who also pulls triple duty as a car mechanic and gourmet cook yet is seen as a tomboy.)

It's a setup that totally reeks of "Elvis is in it, kids", though at least Spinout carries a solid amount of watchability due to his still-potent star power. The full story goes like this: Mike McCoy (Presley) is single with a capital "S", the kind of carefree traveling musician and racecar enthusiast who loves the ladies but refuses to settle down. His band includes guitarist Larry (Jimmy Hawkins), bassist Curly (Jack Mullaney), and female drummer Les (Deborah Walley); they hit the road between shows and usually camp out in the middle of nowhere but are being followed by author Diana St. Clair (Diane McBain), who's writing a piece on "The Perfect American Male". Guess who's up for the award?

Mike's band is decently popular but not enough to turn down an easy payday, which comes in the form of a cool $5,000 from millionaire Howard Foxhugh (Carl Betz) for just one song, a private performance for his spoiled daughter Cynthia's (Shelley Fabares) fifteenth birthday. Unfortunately, Cynthia's the same reckless driver who ran Mike off the road just a few days earlier, and he's not looking to break up his concert schedule just for "Daddy's little girl". Nonetheless, Howard basically forces them into it so, just to spite him, Mike ends up entering an upcoming race to compete against Howard and his new concept car, The Fox Five. All the while, Mike's got to choose between three lovely ladies... so will it be the cool drummer, the psycho author, or the rich heiress? Or maybe -- stay with me here -- none at all?

Proving that expanding a plot synopsis sometimes raises more questions, Spinout barely makes sense in-the-moment and damn sure doesn't add up in hindsight. Its formulaic plot is weighed down by several odd detours, the characters are broadly painted, and only a handful of mid-tier song breaks and unconvincing but kinda fun racing scenes break up what's otherwise a pinball game of almost random occurrences and convenient developments. Almost everyone here is either a creep, a hapless victim, or comedy relief, from the forgettable banter of Larry and Curly to Howard's yes-man assistant Philip (Warren Berlinger), who's prone to fainting. Yet the end result is still goofy fun and at least good for a run-through, yet will likely be more fondly remembered by die-hard Elvis fans who stuck around this late in both his film and music career. He would only star in two more musicals: the next year's Live a Little, Love a Little (director Norman Taurog's final film) and his own final film appearance, 1969's crime drama Change of Habit.

There are Elvis pictures much more deserving of the royal treatment given by Warner Archive, but it's hard not to admire their unyielding commitment to quality. Great visuals -- which extend more to the costumes and cars than the obvious backlot sets -- are Spinout's biggest asset and they benefit greatly from this new 4K-sourced restoration, and even the mid-tier rock performances end up being a highlight due to the sparkling lossless audio mix.

Spinout Blu-ray Movie, Video Quality 

I've done enough write-ups for Warner Archive's reliably great restorations that Spinout's exceptional 1080p transfer -- which is sourced from a new 4K scan of the original camera negative -- should basically speak for itself through these impressive screesnhots. It's yet another top-tier effort that features crisp fine detail, noticeable textures, an authentic Technicolor reproduction and, as usual, rock-solid disc authoring with a high bit rate and no compression issues such as posterization, macro blocking, or black crush. This is, quite simply, yet another Blu-ray that sets the standard for HD excellence and proves that Warner Archive continues to lead the pack for boutique label consistency.

Spinout Blu-ray Movie, Audio Quality 

Warner Archive's robust and often rowdy DTS-HD 2.0 Master Audio mix was sourced from Spinout's original magnetic print master and, according to a reliable source, given light restorative love to eliminate any remaining hiss or static. The result is absolutely one of the cleanest and most impactful mono tracks I've heard on disc with a strong overall presence, crisp dialogue, plenty of weight during the musical numbers, and enough power under the hood to make its sporadic driving scenes roar to life. Not being quite as familiar with Spinout I initially assumed this to be true stereo but, surprise surprise, it's "just" a split one-channel presentation polished to perfection.

Optional English (SDH) subtitles are offered during the main feature only -- not the extras below.

Spinout Blu-ray Movie, Special Features and Extras 

This one-disc release ships in a keepcase with attractive vintage poster artwork and no inserts. On-board extras are limited to mostly pre-show entertainment but it's certainly better than nothing.

• Tom and Jerry Shorts - Chuck Jones T&J is hardly my favorite... but the more of these vintage cartoons remastered in HD, the better. I'm all but convinced a new Golden Collection is around the corner.

• Catty-Cornered (6:27) - Not to be confused with the 1953 Merrie Melodies short starring Sylvester and Tweety, this 1966 cartoon sees Jerry shrewdly pit Tom against a neighbor cat, Lightning.
• Filet Meow (6:24) - Another 1966 short directed by Abe Levitow and produced by Jones, this one finds Tom hunting for a pet goldfish instead of Jerry, who enlists the help of a shark (!) to protect it.

• Theatrical Trailer (2:21) - This surprisingly long vintage promotional piece can also be seen here.

• Song Selection - Instant access to all 11 of the film's main musical numbers.

• Main Title (Spinout)
• Stop, Look, Listen
• Adam and Evil
• All That I Am
• Never Say Yes
• Am I Ready
• Beach Shack
• Spinout
• Smorgasbord
• I'll Be Back
• End Cast

Spinout Blu-ray Movie, Overall Score and Recommendation 

Norman Taurog's musical comedy Spinout is decidedly mid-tier Elvis on the big screen, which applies to both the laughably bonkers script and a handful of fun but frivolous song breaks. This odd fusion of music, creepy romance, and high-speed racing barely hangs together by a thread but is still fairly watchable almost in spite of itself, mostly due to its curiously lightweight tone and Elvis' durable on-screen charisma. Warner Archive's new Blu-ray is clearly aimed at die hard fans, even if the outstanding A/V restoration pushes this into "mildly curious blind buy" territory.