Wardrobe malfunctions are incredibly common in Hollywood, even for A-list celebrities. And they were happening even back in the 1960s.
Elvis Presley’s road manager Joe Eposito recalled the time Elvis experienced an embarrassing incident while filming the movie Girls! Girls! Girls!.
And while most actors in modern times have the benefit of editing in post-production, Elvis was not as lucky. The King had to see the results of pants that rubbed the wrong way even in the finished cut of the movie.
Elvis Presley became a film star after dominating the music industry
Not all musicians make a successful transition from recording artist to film star. But Elvis was one of the exceptions. His popularity transcended any genre, which encouraged fans to buy tickets to every movie he appeareed in.
Elvis was a huge fan of James Dean and always intended to make his mark in the film industry. In the end, he starred in just over 30 movies, including the 1962 Golden Globe-nominated musical comedy Girls! Girls! Girls!.
The King’s pants rubbed him wrong while filming ‘Girls! Girls! Girls!’
In Girls! Girls! Girls!, Elvis plays a Hawaiian fishing guide named Ross Carpenter who becomes caught in a love triangle. It’s one of his most popular movies and shows the entertainer at the top of his game. But filming the movie was a little awkward at one point.
In his book Good Rockin’ Tonight, Esposito recalled how Elvis reacted during a scene with co-star Laurel Goodwin, Express reported. Apparently, the King told his manager that the pants were a little too tight. He allegedly said, “Hey Joe, these pants don’t feel right.”
Esposito wrote, “The dance scene with Laurel was complicated … at some point during all the wiggling and jumping, those pants really rubbed him the wrong way, and Little Elvis, as he called it, became erect.”
Elvis’ arousal didn’t get cut from the movie
Esposito said he tried to reassure Elvis that his erection was difficult to see unless you were looking for it because of his dark colored pants. But then when they saw the footage, it was unmistakably there.
His manager said Elvis lamented, “Hot damn! Will you look at that? I was hoping it wouldn’t show because the pants were black. But there it is, sticking out like a sore thumb… well, sort of like a sore thumb.”
Esposito replied, “Don’t worry, E. Maybe they’ll be able to cut it out in the editing.”
Elvis shot back, “Man, I hope they don’t see it and decide to cut it off before we get out of here.”
The wardrobe malfunction is evident in the movie
But Esposito was wrong about having the moment edited out. In Good Rockin’ Tonight, Elvis’ manager wrote,
“I couldn’t believe it when the movie came out. There was Elvis, dancing around the apartment with Little Elvis at attention and aimed directly at Laurel!”
He continued: “Of course, you had to be looking for it to notice. I’m guessing that only the few of us who knew were looking in that area and saw Little Elvis in action.”
Girls! Girls! Girls! is still massively popular even if it includes a very awkward moment for the King.
