Stay Away, Joe
Encyclopedia
Stay Away, Joe is a 1968 comedy-drama western film with musical interludes set in modern times and starring Elvis Presley
, Burgess Meredith
and Joan Blondell
. The film was based on the 1953 novel by Dan Cushman, a satirical farce. The movie reached #65 on the Variety
weekly national box office chart in 1968.
rider Joe Lightcloud, a Navajo
whose family still lives on the reservation
. He returns to the reservation in a white Cadillac convertible with which he proceeds to drive cattle.
Joe persuades his Congressman, played by Douglas Henderson
to give him 20 heifers and a prize bull
so he and his father, played by Tony and Emmy Award-winning actor Burgess Meredith
, can prove that the Navajos can successfully raise cattle on the reservation. If their experiment is successful, then the government will help all the Navajo people. But Joe's friend, Bronc Hoverty, played by veteran actor and director L.Q. Jones, who had also appeared in Flaming Star
(1960), accidentally barbecues the prize bull, while Joe sells the heifers to buy plumbing and other home improvements for his stepmother, Annie Lightcloud, portrayed by Katy Jurado
.
Joe is able to borrow a bull, Dominick, but the bull is lackadaisical and shows no interest in the heifers. Former leading lady Joan Blondell
appears as shot gun-toting tavern owner Glenda Callahan, whose daughter, Mamie Callahan, played by Quentin Dean
, can't seem to stay away from the girl-chasing Joe. Joe also trades in his horse at a used car dealership from Dick Wilson
for a red convertible automobile from which he sells the parts off to obtain cash from a salvage yard. After almost all of the usable car parts are sold, he rides around in a beat-up motorcycle.
In order to raise money, Joe organizes a contest in which riders have to stay on Dominick, the unresponsive bull he procured from his friend as a replacement. In addition, Joe himself has to ride Dominick and stay on in order to win the prize money. Joe wins the contest and receives the prize money. In a fight at his father's house, Joe and his friends are involved in a large fight that destroys the house they have been building.
, neither an LP album
nor and extended play single
was planned for a Presley film soundtrack
. Three songs were written for the film by the stalwart team of Sid Wayne
and Ben Weisman
, who had already contributed close to 50 songs for various Elvis movies in the decade.
Although released before Speedway
, this film and its soundtrack were made after, the first of Presley's last five films in the 1960s
where musical numbers were kept to a minimum. The recording session took place at RCA Studio B
in in Nashville, Tennessee
, on October 1, 1967, Presley making his record producer
Felton Jarvis
promise never to release the song written for Elvis to sing to a bull
in the movie, "Dominick." However, the song is actually sung to two women in the movie, and the bull is nowhere to be seen in the scene, making a rather strange scene. The other two songs, "Stay Away, Joe" and "All I Needed Was the Rain," wouldn't even be featured on a promotional single
for the film premiere, but instead respectively appeared on the budget albums Let's Be Friends
in 1970 and Elvis Sings Flaming Star
in 1969.
Two additional songs related to the film were recorded at sessions on January 10 and 11, 1968, at the same studio
. "Goin' Home" by Joy Byers would not be used, surfacing on the soundtrack to the next movie
, while a different song entitled "Stay Away" rewritten from the tune of "Greensleeves
" by Sid Tepper
and Roy C. Bennett
would appear as the b-side to the #28 hit single
"U.S. Male
." Released as catalogue item 47-9465b on February 28, 1968, the b-side "Stay Away" would peak at #68 on the Billboard Hot 100
independently of "U.S. Male." The producer in charge of the recordings for MGM was Jeff Alexander
.
Elvis Presley
Elvis Aaron Presley was one of the most popular American singers of the 20th century. A cultural icon, he is widely known by the single name Elvis. He is often referred to as the "King of Rock and Roll" or simply "the King"....
, Burgess Meredith
Burgess Meredith
Oliver Burgess Meredith , known professionally as Burgess Meredith, was an American actor in theatre, film, and television, who also worked as a director...
and Joan Blondell
Joan Blondell
Rose Joan Blondell was an American actress who performed in movies and on television for five decades as Joan Blondell.After winning a beauty pageant, Blondell embarked upon a film career...
. The film was based on the 1953 novel by Dan Cushman, a satirical farce. The movie reached #65 on the Variety
Variety (magazine)
Variety is an American weekly entertainment-trade magazine founded in New York City, New York, in 1905 by Sime Silverman. With the rise of the importance of the motion-picture industry, Daily Variety, a daily edition based in Los Angeles, California, was founded by Silverman in 1933. In 1998, the...
weekly national box office chart in 1968.
Plot
Elvis Presley stars as Native American rodeoRodeo
Rodeo is a competitive sport which arose out of the working practices of cattle herding in Spain, Mexico, and later the United States, Canada, South America and Australia. It was based on the skills required of the working vaqueros and later, cowboys, in what today is the western United States,...
rider Joe Lightcloud, a Navajo
Navajo people
The Navajo of the Southwestern United States are the largest single federally recognized tribe of the United States of America. The Navajo Nation has 300,048 enrolled tribal members. The Navajo Nation constitutes an independent governmental body which manages the Navajo Indian reservation in the...
whose family still lives on the reservation
Indian reservation
An American Indian reservation is an area of land managed by a Native American tribe under the United States Department of the Interior's Bureau of Indian Affairs...
. He returns to the reservation in a white Cadillac convertible with which he proceeds to drive cattle.
Joe persuades his Congressman, played by Douglas Henderson
Douglas Henderson (actor)
Douglas Henderson was an American film and television actor....
to give him 20 heifers and a prize bull
Bull
Bull usually refers to an uncastrated adult male bovine.Bull may also refer to:-Entertainment:* Bull , an original show on the TNT Network* "Bull" , an episode of television series CSI: Crime Scene Investigation...
so he and his father, played by Tony and Emmy Award-winning actor Burgess Meredith
Burgess Meredith
Oliver Burgess Meredith , known professionally as Burgess Meredith, was an American actor in theatre, film, and television, who also worked as a director...
, can prove that the Navajos can successfully raise cattle on the reservation. If their experiment is successful, then the government will help all the Navajo people. But Joe's friend, Bronc Hoverty, played by veteran actor and director L.Q. Jones, who had also appeared in Flaming Star
Flaming Star
Flaming Star is a 1960 western film starring Elvis Presley, based on the book Flaming Lance by Clair Huffaker. Critics agreed that Presley gave one of his best acting performances as the mixed-blood "Pacer Burton", a dramatic role. The film was directed by Don Siegel, and had a working title of...
(1960), accidentally barbecues the prize bull, while Joe sells the heifers to buy plumbing and other home improvements for his stepmother, Annie Lightcloud, portrayed by Katy Jurado
Katy Jurado
Katy Jurado , born María Cristina Estela Marcela Jurado García in Mexico, D.F., was a Mexican actress who had a successful film career both in Mexico and in Hollywood....
.
Joe is able to borrow a bull, Dominick, but the bull is lackadaisical and shows no interest in the heifers. Former leading lady Joan Blondell
Joan Blondell
Rose Joan Blondell was an American actress who performed in movies and on television for five decades as Joan Blondell.After winning a beauty pageant, Blondell embarked upon a film career...
appears as shot gun-toting tavern owner Glenda Callahan, whose daughter, Mamie Callahan, played by Quentin Dean
Quentin Dean
Quentin Dean was an American actress of the 1960s.Born Quintin Corinne Margolin, she was introduced as the 16-year old temptress Delores Purdy in Norman Jewison's 1967 hit film, In the Heat of the Night, for which she received a Golden Globe nomination for Best Supporting Actress...
, can't seem to stay away from the girl-chasing Joe. Joe also trades in his horse at a used car dealership from Dick Wilson
Dick Wilson
Dick Wilson, born Riccardo DiGuglielmo , was a British-born American character actor who played the role of finicky grocery store manager Mr...
for a red convertible automobile from which he sells the parts off to obtain cash from a salvage yard. After almost all of the usable car parts are sold, he rides around in a beat-up motorcycle.
In order to raise money, Joe organizes a contest in which riders have to stay on Dominick, the unresponsive bull he procured from his friend as a replacement. In addition, Joe himself has to ride Dominick and stay on in order to win the prize money. Joe wins the contest and receives the prize money. In a fight at his father's house, Joe and his friends are involved in a large fight that destroys the house they have been building.
Cast
- Elvis PresleyElvis PresleyElvis Aaron Presley was one of the most popular American singers of the 20th century. A cultural icon, he is widely known by the single name Elvis. He is often referred to as the "King of Rock and Roll" or simply "the King"....
: Joe Lightcloud - Burgess MeredithBurgess MeredithOliver Burgess Meredith , known professionally as Burgess Meredith, was an American actor in theatre, film, and television, who also worked as a director...
: Charlie Lightcloud - Joan BlondellJoan BlondellRose Joan Blondell was an American actress who performed in movies and on television for five decades as Joan Blondell.After winning a beauty pageant, Blondell embarked upon a film career...
: Glenda Callahan - Katy JuradoKaty JuradoKaty Jurado , born María Cristina Estela Marcela Jurado García in Mexico, D.F., was a Mexican actress who had a successful film career both in Mexico and in Hollywood....
: Annie Lightcloud - Thomas GomezThomas GomezThomas Gomez was an American actor.Born Sabino Tomas Gomez in New York City, Gomez began his acting career in theater during the 1920s and was a student of the actor Walter Hampden...
: Grandpa - Henry JonesHenry Jones (actor)Henry Burk Jones was an American actor of stage, film and television.Jones was born in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, the son of Helen and John Francis Xavier Jones. He was the grandson of Pennsylvania Representative Henry Burk...
: Hy Slager - L.Q. Jones : Bronc Hoverty
- Quentin DeanQuentin DeanQuentin Dean was an American actress of the 1960s.Born Quintin Corinne Margolin, she was introduced as the 16-year old temptress Delores Purdy in Norman Jewison's 1967 hit film, In the Heat of the Night, for which she received a Golden Globe nomination for Best Supporting Actress...
: Mamie Callahan - Douglas HendersonDouglas Henderson (actor)Douglas Henderson was an American film and television actor....
: Congressman Morrissey - Dick WilsonDick WilsonDick Wilson, born Riccardo DiGuglielmo , was a British-born American character actor who played the role of finicky grocery store manager Mr...
: Car Salesman - Joe EspositoDiamond Joe EspositoJoe Esposito is a veteran author and publisher, who along with his long time business partner Daniel Lombardy, have several best selling books to their credit....
: (uncredited) - Charlie HodgeCharlie Hodge (guitarist)Charles Franklin Hodge , better known as Charlie Hodge, was an American singer, vocal coach and musician who was a confidant and associate of Elvis Presley.- Early music career :...
: (uncredited) Guitar player
Soundtrack
For the first time since Wild in the CountryWild in the Country
Wild in the Country is a 1961 film drama starring Elvis Presley in which he portrays a troubled young man from a dysfunctional family who pursues a literary career. The screenplay was written by playwright Clifford Odets.-Synopsis:...
, neither an LP album
LP album
The LP, or long-playing microgroove record, is a format for phonograph records, an analog sound storage medium. Introduced by Columbia Records in 1948, it was soon adopted as a new standard by the entire record industry...
nor and extended play single
Extended play
An EP is a musical recording which contains more music than a single, but is too short to qualify as a full album or LP. The term EP originally referred only to specific types of vinyl records other than 78 rpm standard play records and LP records, but it is now applied to mid-length Compact...
was planned for a Presley film soundtrack
Soundtrack
A soundtrack can be recorded music accompanying and synchronized to the images of a motion picture, book, television program or video game; a commercially released soundtrack album of music as featured in the soundtrack of a film or TV show; or the physical area of a film that contains the...
. Three songs were written for the film by the stalwart team of Sid Wayne
Sid Wayne
Sid Wayne was an American songwriter, lyricist and composer, who wrote a number of well-known songs from the 1950s to the 1980s...
and Ben Weisman
Ben Weisman
Ben Weisman was an eccentric American composer significant for having written more songs recorded by Elvis Presley than any other songwriter in history. The "Mad Professor" as Weisman was nicknamed by Elvis, worked with the King from 1956 to 1971...
, who had already contributed close to 50 songs for various Elvis movies in the decade.
Although released before Speedway
Speedway (film)
Speedway is a 1968 action film musical film starring Elvis Presley as a racecar driver and Nancy Sinatra as his love interest.Scenes were shot at the Lowe's Motor Speedway in Concord, North Carolina...
, this film and its soundtrack were made after, the first of Presley's last five films in the 1960s
1960s
The 1960s was the decade that started on January 1, 1960, and ended on December 31, 1969. It was the seventh decade of the 20th century.The 1960s term also refers to an era more often called The Sixties, denoting the complex of inter-related cultural and political trends across the globe...
where musical numbers were kept to a minimum. The recording session took place at RCA Studio B
RCA Studio B
RCA Studio B is a noted recording studio in Nashville, Tennessee. Situated at 30 Music Square W and originally known simply as RCA Studios, it became famous in the 1960s for being a part of what many refer to as the Nashville Sound...
in in Nashville, Tennessee
Nashville, Tennessee
Nashville is the capital of the U.S. state of Tennessee and the county seat of Davidson County. It is located on the Cumberland River in Davidson County, in the north-central part of the state. The city is a center for the health care, publishing, banking and transportation industries, and is home...
, on October 1, 1967, Presley making his record producer
Record producer
A record producer is an individual working within the music industry, whose job is to oversee and manage the recording of an artist's music...
Felton Jarvis
Felton Jarvis
Felton Jarvis, , produced most of Elvis Presley's recordings from 1966-1977.He also released several singles in the late 1950s and early 1960s...
promise never to release the song written for Elvis to sing to a bull
Cattle
Cattle are the most common type of large domesticated ungulates. They are a prominent modern member of the subfamily Bovinae, are the most widespread species of the genus Bos, and are most commonly classified collectively as Bos primigenius...
in the movie, "Dominick." However, the song is actually sung to two women in the movie, and the bull is nowhere to be seen in the scene, making a rather strange scene. The other two songs, "Stay Away, Joe" and "All I Needed Was the Rain," wouldn't even be featured on a promotional single
Single (music)
In music, a single or record single is a type of release, typically a recording of fewer tracks than an LP or a CD. This can be released for sale to the public in a variety of different formats. In most cases, the single is a song that is released separately from an album, but it can still appear...
for the film premiere, but instead respectively appeared on the budget albums Let's Be Friends
Let's Be Friends
Let's Be Friends is the thirty-seventh album by Elvis Presley, released on RCA Camden Records CAS 2408, in April 1970. It is the second Presley budget album to appear on the RCA subsidiary label. It peaked at #105 on the Billboard 200 album chart...
in 1970 and Elvis Sings Flaming Star
Elvis Sings Flaming Star
Singer Presents Elvis Singing Flaming Star and Others is the thirty-third album by Elvis Presley, released on RCA Records in stereo, PRS 279, in October 1968...
in 1969.
Two additional songs related to the film were recorded at sessions on January 10 and 11, 1968, at the same studio
Recording studio
A recording studio is a facility for sound recording and mixing. Ideally both the recording and monitoring spaces are specially designed by an acoustician to achieve optimum acoustic properties...
. "Goin' Home" by Joy Byers would not be used, surfacing on the soundtrack to the next movie
Speedway (film)
Speedway is a 1968 action film musical film starring Elvis Presley as a racecar driver and Nancy Sinatra as his love interest.Scenes were shot at the Lowe's Motor Speedway in Concord, North Carolina...
, while a different song entitled "Stay Away" rewritten from the tune of "Greensleeves
Greensleeves
"Greensleeves" is a traditional English folk song and tune, a ground of the form called a romanesca.A broadside ballad by this name was registered at the London Stationer's Company in September 1580 as "A New Northern Dittye of the Lady Greene Sleeves". It then appears in the surviving A Handful of...
" by Sid Tepper
Sid Tepper
Sid Tepper is an American songwriter, best known for his collaborations with Roy C. Bennett, which spawned several hits for Elvis Presley. Between 1945 and 1970, Tepper and Bennett published over 300 songs.-Biography:...
and Roy C. Bennett
Roy C. Bennett
Roy C. Bennett is an American songwriter known for the songs he wrote with Sid Tepper, which spawned several hits for Elvis Presley...
would appear as the b-side to the #28 hit single
Hit single
A hit single is a recorded song or instrumental released as a single that has become very popular. Although it is sometimes used to describe any widely-played or big-selling song, the term "hit" is usually reserved for a single that has appeared in an official music chart through repeated radio...
"U.S. Male
U.S. Male
U.S. Male is a song by Elvis Presley.It was recorded in January 1968 and followed the kind of country music Elvis Presley had already recorded in September 1967 with songs like Big Boss Man and Guitar Man. Elvis Presley recorded these three songs accompanied by Jerry Reed on lead guitar...
." Released as catalogue item 47-9465b on February 28, 1968, the b-side "Stay Away" would peak at #68 on the Billboard Hot 100
Billboard Hot 100
The Billboard Hot 100 is the United States music industry standard singles popularity chart issued weekly by Billboard magazine. Chart rankings are based on radio play and sales; the tracking-week for sales begins on Monday and ends on Sunday, while the radio play tracking-week runs from Wednesday...
independently of "U.S. Male." The producer in charge of the recordings for MGM was Jeff Alexander
Jeff Alexander
Jeff Alexander was an American conductor, arranger, and composer of film, radio and television scores.-Career:...
.
Personnel
- Elvis PresleyElvis PresleyElvis Aaron Presley was one of the most popular American singers of the 20th century. A cultural icon, he is widely known by the single name Elvis. He is often referred to as the "King of Rock and Roll" or simply "the King"....
- vocals - The JordanairesThe JordanairesThe Jordanaires are an American vocal quartet, which formed as a gospel group in 1948. They are best known for providing vocal background for Elvis Presley, in live appearances and recordings from 1956 to 1972...
- backing vocals - Pete DrakePete DrakePete Drake , born Roddis Franklin Drake, was a major Nashville, Tennessee-based record producer and pedal steel guitar player....
- pedal steel guitarPedal steel guitarThe pedal steel guitar is a type of electric guitar that uses a metal bar to "fret" or shorten the length of the strings, rather than fingers on strings as with a conventional guitar. Unlike other types of steel guitar, it also uses pedals and knee levers to affect the pitch, hence the name "pedal"... - Scotty MooreScotty MooreWinfield Scott "Scotty" Moore III is an American guitarist. He is best known for his backing of Elvis Presley in the first part of his career, between 1954 and the beginning of Elvis' Hollywood years...
, Chip Young, Jerry ReedJerry ReedJerry Reed Hubbard , known professionally as Jerry Reed, was an American country music singer, innovative guitarist, songwriter, and actor who appeared in more than a dozen films...
- guitarGuitarThe guitar is a plucked string instrument, usually played with fingers or a pick. The guitar consists of a body with a rigid neck to which the strings, generally six in number, are attached. Guitars are traditionally constructed of various woods and strung with animal gut or, more recently, with...
and electric guitarElectric guitarAn electric guitar is a guitar that uses the principle of direct electromagnetic induction to convert vibrations of its metal strings into electric audio signals. The signal generated by an electric guitar is too weak to drive a loudspeaker, so it is amplified before sending it to a loudspeaker... - Charlie McCoyCharlie McCoyCharles "Charlie" Ray McCoy is an American musician noted for his harmonica playing. In his career, McCoy has backed several notable musicians including Bob Dylan, Johnny Cash, Tom Astor, Elvis Presley and Ween. He has also recorded thirty-seven studio albums, including fourteen for Monument Records...
- harmonicaHarmonicaThe harmonica, also called harp, French harp, blues harp, and mouth organ, is a free reed wind instrument used primarily in blues and American folk music, jazz, country, and rock and roll. It is played by blowing air into it or drawing air out by placing lips over individual holes or multiple holes... - Floyd CramerFloyd CramerFloyd Cramer was an American Hall of Fame pianist who was one of the architects of the "Nashville sound." He popularized the "slip note" piano style where an out-of-tune note slides effortlessly into the correct note...
- pianoPianoThe piano is a musical instrument played by means of a keyboard. It is one of the most popular instruments in the world. Widely used in classical and jazz music for solo performances, ensemble use, chamber music and accompaniment, the piano is also very popular as an aid to composing and rehearsal... - Bob MooreBob MooreBob Loyce Moore is an American session musician, orchestra leader, and bassist who was a member of the legendary Nashville A-Team during the 1950s and 60s.-Biography:...
- bassBass guitarThe bass guitar is a stringed instrument played primarily with the fingers or thumb , or by using a pick.... - D.J. Fontana, Buddy HarmanBuddy HarmanBuddy Harman was an American session musician.-Career:Born in Nashville, Tennessee, he played drums on over 18,000 sessions for artists such as Elvis Presley, Patsy Cline, Dolly Parton, Brenda Lee, Tammy Wynette, Loretta Lynn, Roy Orbison, Connie Francis, Chet Atkins, Marty Robbins, Roger Miller,...
- drumsDrum kitA drum kit is a collection of drums, cymbals and often other percussion instruments, such as cowbells, wood blocks, triangles, chimes, or tambourines, arranged for convenient playing by a single person ....
Film music track listing
- "Stay Away" (Sid TepperSid TepperSid Tepper is an American songwriter, best known for his collaborations with Roy C. Bennett, which spawned several hits for Elvis Presley. Between 1945 and 1970, Tepper and Bennett published over 300 songs.-Biography:...
and Roy C. BennettRoy C. BennettRoy C. Bennett is an American songwriter known for the songs he wrote with Sid Tepper, which spawned several hits for Elvis Presley...
) - heard over opening credits - "Stay Away, Joe" (Sid WayneSid WayneSid Wayne was an American songwriter, lyricist and composer, who wrote a number of well-known songs from the 1950s to the 1980s...
and Ben WeismanBen WeismanBen Weisman was an eccentric American composer significant for having written more songs recorded by Elvis Presley than any other songwriter in history. The "Mad Professor" as Weisman was nicknamed by Elvis, worked with the King from 1956 to 1971...
) - "All I Needed Was the Rain" (Sid Wayne and Ben Weisman)
- "Dominick" (Sid Wayne and Ben Weisman)
External links
- For Elvis Fans Only Website dedicated to Elvis Presley's Movies.
DVD Reviews
- Elvis - The Hollywood Collection (Kissin' Cousins/Girl Happy/Tickle Me/Stay Away, Joe/Live a Little, Love a Little/Charro!) Review by Stuart Galbraith IV at DVD Talk, September 11, 2007.