THE FILM
FILM DIRECTOR: Gordon Douglas
SCREENWRITER: Charles Lederer, Herman Raucher (uncredited – he apparently had a hand in transforming the novel into a play before it became a film. I know very little (nothing) about the play).
FILM STARS: Elvis Presley, Arthur O’Connell, Anne Helm, Simon Oakland, Roland Winters.
COUNTRY: USA
THIS BOOK
AUTHOR: Richard Powell
TYPE: Novel
PUBLISHER: Hodder
THIS EDITION PUBLISHED: 1962
COUNTRY: Great Britain
COVER: Paperback
THE ORIGINAL BOOK
ORIGINAL AUTHOR: As Above
YEAR FIRST PUBLISHED: 1959
ORIGINAL BOOK TITLE: Pioneer Go Home
NOTES
GENRE: Comedy
WORDS: One of Elvis Presley’s most underrated films. It’s laugh out loud and good natured, as is the novel. Powell, popular then, but largely forgotten now, had written the the dramatic domestic drama best seller “The Philadelphian” (1956), immediately before this. A comedy was unexpected. The book is evocative of time and place and is gently anti-establishment without the black humour cynicism that was to come in the 1960s. In any event it caused me to go out and read other novels by Powell, all, thus far, good. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pioneer,_Go_Home!
extract page 170 – Toby Kwimper (as played by Elvis). A naive country boy with a big heart, who is unofficial sheriff of the community, confronts four hired guns who have been sent to deal with him for closing down the gambling …
LINKS
TRAILER
TITLE SONG FROM THE FILM
yep re Kirk … no one pushes Kirk around. His Bryna Production Company was involved with (partially funded) POG ..and…