Wild in the Country (Widescreen)

Elvis can act, and sing and love!!! This movie, based very loosly on the JD Salamenca novel Lost In The Country, is about Glen who is put on probation after a run in with his drunk borhter(and a previous charge of car theft). He is to move in with his Uncle Rolfe and cousin Nory and work in Uncle Rolfe's Snake-Oil Medicine factory and he must meet with social worker Irene Sperry. He still finds time to spend time with girlfriend BettyLee but is warned to leave her alone, by her father. Even from the beginnig Glen is a sour, angry young man and only finds time to soften up to BettyLee and later Ms. Sperry who he considers an enemy who's trying to find out if he's "touched in the head". When he can no longer carry on with BettyLee he has a fling with his cousin Nory(who has an illegitimate baby) whom he butts heads with at first. Uncle Rolfe, in a way, encourages this but then seems outraged(when it really happens) causing Glen to lash out and run away to work at a car garage. Right now the only women he can turn to is Ms. Sperry who finds a hidden writing talent in Glen and asks him to write in a journal and present it to him. ONe day she takes him to a prestigious University and encourages his writing talent. ON the way back they stop over in a motel during a storm and of course they attempt to make love only to have Irene come to her senses. While there a young man(Glen's enemy) reads the motel register and realizes the two are there. The young man's father is the town lawyer who is married and carrying on with Ms. Sperry. When he tells his father(whom he can't stand), the man confronts Irene who confesses she is in love with Glen. She tries to discourage Glen, who feels the same way, when she explains her husband felt the same way but he was not ready for marriage and it led to his accidental death. Unfortunately, Glen is at the house when Irene is confronted by her lawyer lover and Glen then claims that the young man will die for this and the boy does after being hit by Glen. Glen is put on trial but Ms. Sperry arrives saying the deceased had a heart problem(she overheard this from the boy's father) but the father vehemently denies it. Irene is ruined and attempts suicide. Glen has been exonerated(after the boy's father realizes he cannot hide the heart condition and hurt Irene) and is released and tells her he will always be there. Glen then goes to college but still says he will be back for her. I can believe it! This is a rare opportunity to see an angry and sensitive Elvis who can act and he does very little singing. It's a shame his movie career didn't continue on this course. Hope Lange is excellent but she seems to play "the other women" alot, but always harmless. It's the first time she plays a rather weak one, especially when she tries to kill herself. This is a wonderful movie

Another good movie with Elvis. Not very much singing. Good acting, nice to see John Ireland again. A good story line. Dianne

When I say "safe", I mean where Elvis does not killed in the end like in "Love Me Tender", and "Flaming Star." This something that's much better and I prefer a whole lot. Elvis has not one but three female costars: Hope Lange, Tuesday Weld, and Millie Perkins. I don't know about you but he gives an equal amount of attention to every one of them except near the end when he focuses more on Hope Lange. I love the songs which are: "Wild In The Country", "I Slipped, I Stumbled, I Fell", "In My Way", and "Husky Dusky Day". My favorite line is when Elvis as Glenn Tyler says "This routine of yours could stagger a billygoat." That's one of his best lines. All Elvis fans should see this once in their lifetime. It's a must!