More astonishing than the script for the final 2 reels in the haunted house part of TICKLE ME is the real life fright (to us 40 years later) is the phenomenal success of this Allied Artists film. In Sydney alone TICKLE ME opened at the massive, gorgeous treasure chest State Theatre and filled all 2500 seats for an unprecedented run of 8 weeks. Built in 1929 as a luxury outlet and famed for its Astaire Rogers runs in the 30s, and the Sinatra runs of the 50s, nothing but nothing topped Elvis there in 1965. Even when his films played other major luxury palaces in Sydney before and after TICKLE ME was the winner. As flabbergasted as I am to realize that success was repeated in city after city in every country it played, NOW I realize how well this film saved Allied Artists. This was their last production until 1969. They concentrated on releasing Euro dramas like A MAN AND A WOMAN and in the 70s were responsible for CABARET and PAPILLON. If the rentals in 1965 in the US alone were $3m then you can double that from the rest of the international ticket sales: $6m from a $1.4m investment. They weren't Monogram Pictures once for nothing, were they!
Review of Chatouille-moi
