Laurel Goodwin was only 19 when she made her film debut opposite Elvis Presley in Girls! Girls! Girls! Yet the young actress did far more than stand beside the world’s biggest singer. She became the woman his character chose, shared several screen kisses with him and carried away revealing memories of the shy, protective man hidden behind Hollywood’s most famous smile.
Filmed in Hawaii and at Paramount Studios, the 1962 musical placed Goodwin’s Laurel Dodge in pursuit of Elvis’s fisherman, Ross Carpenter. Although she was a newcomer, she received remarkable screen time and enough confidence to compete with established actress Stella Stevens. Behind the camera, Elvis made sure the intimidating opportunity never overwhelmed her.
Laurel Goodwin Shares Stories From the Set of Girls! Girls! Girls!
Goodwin remembered Elvis as informal, considerate and like a big brother. He helped her relax during difficult dialogue, accepted blame when smaller crew members might have suffered and quietly intervened when a boyfriend caused trouble. Between scenes, they played touch football, laughed together and briefly forgot that one of them was already a worldwide phenomenon.
She also noticed Elvis felt safer singing than performing serious dramatic scenes and sometimes wanted Goodwin behind the camera during musical numbers. One performance, “The Walls Have Ears,” later became their most discussed sequence after Joe Esposito described an embarrassing problem caused by Elvis’s tight trousers during its demanding choreography.
Elvis Presley Performs The Walls Have Ears in Girls! Girls! Girls!
Watching the sequence after hearing Goodwin’s memories changes its meaning. Elvis appears playful and completely in control while Laurel matches his timing through every movement. Yet she knew the nervous man beneath that polished image. It captures the contrast that followed him everywhere: effortless magnetism before an audience and deep shyness when attention became personal.
Goodwin later appeared in the original Star Trek pilot, but Elvis remained a defining memory. She believed sadness lived inside him because fame never allowed him to escape the phenomenon he had become. Elvis made 31 films and created enduring soundtrack moments. Watch both videos and discover the man his young leading lady never forgot.