Blue Hawaii is a 1961 American musical romantic comedy-drama film directed by Norman Taurog and starring Elvis Presley. The screenplay by Hal Kanter was nominated by the Writers Guild of America in 1962 in the category of Best Written American Musical. The film opened at number two in box office receipts for that week and, despite mixed reviews from critics, finished as the 10th top-grossing film of 1961 and 14th for 1962 on the Variety national box office survey, earning $5 million. The film won a fourth place prize Laurel Award in the category of Top Musical of 1961. Plot Having been released from the Army, Chadwick "Chad" Gates is eager to return to Hawaii with his surfboard, his native Hawaiian beach friends, and his mixed-race girlfriend Maile Duval. His mother, Sarah Lee, wants him to follow in his father's footsteps and take over management at the Great Southern Hawaiian Fruit Company, the family business, but Chad is reluctant and goes to work as a tour guide at his girlfriend's agency. His slightly scatter-brained boss is Mr. Chapman. The first clients Chad has are an attractive school teacher, Abigail Prentice, and four teenage female students. One of the students, 17-year-old Ellie Corbett, is portrayed as a self-centered young woman who doesn't get along with the other three in her group, but still becomes smitten with Chad. Chad's girlfriend, Maile, becomes jealous of the teacher who is quite fond of Chad. After Ellie's flirtatious ways with another tourist cause a wild fight to erupt in a restaurant, Chad is fired from his position as tour guide by Mr. Chapman. Maile quits her job in protest. Maile and Chad independently continue providing tourist activities to Abigail and the four youths, including Hawaiian-themed cookouts with live native music, parties, boating, horseback riding on Kauai, and a visit to a pineapple plantation. One night Ellie attempts to seduce Chad in his hotel room, but he refuses her advances, at the same moment that Maile pays a surprise visit to the hotel. Ellie despondently flees in a stolen jeep with the intent to commit suicide. Before Ellie can drown herself, Chad pulls her out from the shore and first attempts to speak to her but then decides to punish Ellie by forcing her in a spanking. In the following scene the girls, including Ellie, are having breakfast. Ellie is now pleasant, friendly and well mannered,