List of Elvis Presley films
Encyclopedia
Elvis Presley
became a film star in 1956
with Love Me Tender
, and would go on to appear in a total of 33 feature films (31 musicals and two concert documentaries). Despite a strong, promising start to his acting career with films like Love Me Tender, Jailhouse Rock, and King Creole, Presley's films, following his return from his military obligation, were made cheaply and quickly to keep costs as low as possible, whilst at the same time keeping profits high. Although critically panned throughout the 1960s, Presley's films were mostly well received by his fans, and led to Hal Wallis describing them as "the only sure thing in Hollywood." The singer would go on to star alongside several well-established actors, including Walter Matthau
, Carolyn Jones
, Angela Lansbury
, Barbara Stanwyck
, Jack Albertson
, Gig Young
, and Mary Tyler Moore
. And others who would later become famous, like as an 11-year-old Kurt Russell
, making his screen debut in It Happened at the World's Fair
(1963). None of Presley's films portrayed his character as a family man or a married man.
Presley left Hollywood and returned to live performing in 1969, and following the success of his sell out tours and Las Vegas shows, he allowed cameras to film him in concert and backstage in the early 1970s. One of these films, Elvis on Tour
, won the 1973 Golden Globe award for Best Documentary film.
students recall that he was often cast as the lead in the Shakespeare plays they studied in English class. He admired actors such as James Dean
and Marlon Brando
, and reportedly paid close attention to their performing styles long before he ever set foot on a movie set. On March 26–28, 1956, just days after the release of his first album, he did a screen test for Paramount Pictures
. His first screen test, a scene from the William Inge
play The Girls of Summer, resulted in drama coach Charlotte Clary declaring to her class of students, "Now that is a natural born actor". Another test was an audition for a supporting role in The Rainmaker
, starring Burt Lancaster
. Screenwriter Allen Weiss compared his acting to that of "the lead in a high school play." Then, to his recording of "Blue Suede Shoes", Presley gave a lip-synced performance, complete with gyrations. In Weiss's description, "The transformation was incredible...electricity bounced off the walls. ... [It was] like an earthquake". In a radio interview two weeks later, Presley excitedly declared that he would be making his motion picture debut in The Rainmaker. The part ultimately went to Earl Holliman
.
, Little Caesar
, and The Maltese Falcon
, had promised Presley that he would look for dramatic roles to let the singer take his acting career seriously. Wallis considered Presley for a role in The Rat Race
, a film about a "naive, innocent boy" who was struggling to make it as a musician in Manhattan, but he decided against it after another studio executive said, "Elvis Presley just doesn't look like that". The film was eventually made in 1960 with Tony Curtis
in the lead role. Another possible idea that Wallis mulled over was to pair Presley with Jerry Lewis
. Lewis had just separated from his comedy partner Dean Martin
after a successful run of seventeen movies together, but again the idea was shelved.
Eventually Wallis loaned Presley out to Twentieth Century-Fox, and in November, he made his big-screen debut with the musical western Love Me Tender
. The original title—The Reno Brothers—was changed to capitalize on the advanced sales of the song "Love Me Tender". Presley was not too upset about the addition of the title song, he quite liked it, but when several more songs were added he blasted them as "garbage" and "silly songs". The film was generally panned by the critics, although a number of them viewed it in a positive light. The Los Angeles Times wrote: "Elvis can act. S'help me the boy's real good, even when he isn't singing". Despite mostly negative reviews, the film did well at the box office, generating $540,000 in its first week alone.
Although Presley was angered by the addition of songs to his film, the fans loved them. The success of both the single and EP set the tone for every Presley picture that was to follow, and the commercial success led to the release of three more Presley film vehicles over the next twenty months; Loving You, Jailhouse Rock, and King Creole. Jailhouse Rock
and King Creole
(1958), called for relatively dramatic performances. The erotic, if not homo-erotic, dance sequence to the former's title song is often cited as his greatest moment on screen. It was choreographed by Alex Romero after watching Presley himself. Howard Thompson
of the New York Times began his review of the latter movie, "As the lad himself might say, cut my legs off and call me Shorty! Elvis Presley can act."
(1960), directed by Norman Taurog
, set the tone for Presley's Hollywood output in the 1960s. Presley fans loved the mix of songs, romance and humor, and, perhaps surprisingly considering his experiences during the 1950s, critics were also warming to the new formulaic approach and clean-cut characters. Presley was not so thrilled, and thought many of the songs in G.I. Blues made no sense to the plot. He was concerned about the number of songs in it; unlike his earlier films, which consisted of fewer songs usually resulting in only an EP release, G.I. Blues had enough to release a full LP in its own right. As described by critic Al Clark, it was the "first in a series of nine bland Presley vehicles directed by Taurog, and the film which engendered a career formula of tepid, routine comedy-musicals." Presley at first insisted on pursuing more serious roles, but when two films in a more dramatic vein — Flaming Star
(1960) and Wild in the Country
(1961) — were less commercially successful, he reverted to the formula. So formulaic that his output has been called "Elvis movies," and a genre unto themselves. The majority of Presley's movies aimed for little more than reliable returns on modest investments and the promotion of their accompanying soundtrack albums. To maintain box office success, he would later even shift "into beefcake
formula comedy mode for a few years." For most of the 1960s, during which he made 27 movies, there were few exceptions, such as the non-musical western, Charro!
Presley's movies were generally poorly received—one critic dismissed them as a "pantheon of bad taste." As a typical comment put it, the scripts "were all the same". It was further noted that the songs seemed to be "written on order by men who never really understood Elvis or rock and roll." Indeed, for Blue Hawaii
, "fourteen songs were cut in just three days." Julie Parrish, who appeared in Paradise, Hawaiian Style
, says that Presley hated many of the songs chosen for his films; he "couldn't stop laughing while he was recording" one of them. In Sight and Sound (1959) Peter John Dyer wrote that in his movies "Elvis Presley, aggressively bisexual in appeal, knowingly erotic, [was] acting like a crucified houri and singing with a kind of machine-made surrealism
." Hal Wallis, who produced nine of Presley's films, also had a reputation for such prestige productions as Becket (1964), starring Richard Burton
and Peter O'Toole
, and he received 16 Academy Award nominations for his movies. But Wallis's goals were clearly very different for his most reliably profitable star: "A Presley picture is the only sure thing in Hollywood," he said. Presley later branded Wallis "a double-dealing sonofabitch", realizing there had never been any intention to let him develop into a serious actor. Critics maintained that "No major star suffered through more bad movies than Elvis Presley." According to Priscilla Presley
, in the late 1960s, "He blamed his fading popularity on his humdrum movies" and "... loathed their stock plots and short shooting schedules." She also notes: "He could have demanded better, more substantial scripts, but he didn't." Wallis defended his actions decades later, telling critics, "Elvis was a great entertainer, a great personality. . .and that is what we bought when we bought him. The idea of tailoring Elvis for dramatic roles is something that we never attempted because we did not sign Elvis as a second Jimmy Dean. We signed him as a number one Elvis Presley."
For all that, Presley's films were indeed commercially successful, and he "became a film genre of his own." On December 1, 1968, the New York Times wrote: "Three times a year Elvis Presley ... [makes] multi-million dollar feature-length films, with holiday titles like Blue Hawaii
, Fun in Acapulco
, Viva Las Vegas
, Tickle Me
, Easy Come, Easy Go, Live a Little, Love a Little
and The Trouble with Girls. For each film, Elvis receives a million dollars in wages and 50per cent of the profits ... [E]very film yields an LP sound-track record which may sell as many as two-million copies."
David Winters
of "West Side Story
" fame worked with Presley as a choreographer on four of his movies Viva Las Vegas
, Tickle Me
, Easy Come, Easy Go and Girl Happy
.. Ann-Margret
, who co-starred in Viva Las Vegas
with Presley, introduced him to Winters, and recommended Winters as the film's choreographer, Winters' first feature film choreography job. Ann-Margret
was Winters' dance student at the time. The dynamic combination of Presley, Ann-Margret
and Winters' choreography helped make Viva Las Vegas
Presley's most successful film at the box office, returning more than $5 million to MGM, more than double the average gross on most other Presley movies of that decade. Winters also convinced the studios to let him use his own dancers in Presley's movies, most of whom were also Winters' dance students, including Teri Garr
, who later received an Academy Award nomination for Tootsie
. Garr, who was brought in by Winters to dance in Viva Las Vegas, appeared in eight other Presley films.
The silver screen gave many of his fans around the world their only opportunity to see him, given the almost complete absence of international appearances by the singer. (The only concerts Presley ever gave outside of the United States were in three Canadian cities in 1957.) Still, as film critic and historian David Thomson
asked, "Is there a greater contrast between energy and routine than that between Elvis Presley the phenomenon, live and on record, and Presley the automaton on film?"
Change of Habit
(1969) was Presley's final non-concert movie. His films were no longer profitable, for by the late sixties the Hippie
movement had developed and musical acts like The Beatles
(who dominated the 1960s), The Rolling Stones
, Bob Dylan
, Jefferson Airplane
, Sly and the Family Stone, Grateful Dead
, The Doors
and Janis Joplin
were dominating the airwaves. Therefore, Presley shifted his career back to recording and touring. However, his musical career would never again play a large role in popular music and culture.
in a big-budget remake of A Star Is Born
when Parker demanded 50 percent of the profits from the production along with other extravagant financial demands. Joe Esposito also recalls that Presley was unsure about the project himself because he did not want to play a loser. With Kris Kristofferson
as the male lead, the film became a major hit.
The type of Elvis Presley film varied widely, from the drama of Jailhouse Rock (1957) and King Creole, the latter directed by Michael Curtiz
and based on the Harold Robbins
1952 novel A Stone for Danny Fisher
, to the light comedies Kissin' Cousins
(1964) and Tickle Me
(1965). A quote attributed to Elvis Presley in the documentary This is Elvis
alleged that some of the films even made him physically ill.
was the montage supervisor for the film. Andrew W. Solt was a researcher on the movie.
Elvis Presley won a 1966 Golden Laurel Award for best male performance in a musical film for Tickle Me
(1965). This was the only acting award that he received during his movie career.
For Viva Las Vegas
(1964), he received a 3rd place prize 1965 Laurel Award for best male performance in a musical film. Viva Las Vegas also was runner-up in the category of the best musical of 1964 in the 1965 Laurel Awards.
Girls! Girls! Girls!
was nominated for a Golden Globe Award for Best Motion Picture - Musical at the 1963 ceremony. Elvis Presley received a 2nd place Laurel Award for the best male performance in a musical for his acting role in this movie.
Screenwriters Gene Nelson
and Gerald Drayson Adams
were nominated by the Writers Guild of America
for the best written musical for their screenplay for Kissin' Cousins
(1964).
Anthony Lawrence and Allan Weiss were nominated for the award for Best Written American Musical by the Writers Guild of America for writing the script for the 1964 film Roustabout (1964).
The G.I. Blues
soundtrack album was nominated for two Grammy Awards in 1960 in the categories Best Sound Track Album Or Recording Of Original Cast From A Motion Picture Or Television and Best Vocal Performance Album, Male. Edmund Beloin and Henry Garson were both nominated in 1961 by the Writers Guild of America for G.I. Blues in the category of Best Written American Musical.
The Blue Hawaii
soundtrack was nominated for a Grammy Award in 1961 in the category of Best Sound Track Album Or Recording Of Original Cast From A Motion Picture Or Television. Hal Kanter
was nominated by the Writers Guild of America in 1962 in the category Best Written American Musical for the Blue Hawaii screenplay.
In 2004, Jailhouse Rock (1957) was selected for preservation in the United States National Film Registry as being deemed "culturally, historically, or aesthetically significant."
Elvis Presley
Elvis Aaron Presley was one of the most popular American singers of the 20th century. A cultural icon, he is widely known by the single name Elvis. He is often referred to as the "King of Rock and Roll" or simply "the King"....
became a film star in 1956
1956 in film
The year 1956 in film involved some significant events.-Events:* October 5 - The Ten Commandments opens in cinemas and becomes one of the most successful and popular movies of all time, currently ranking 5th on the list of all time moneymakers * February 5 - First showing of documentary films by...
with Love Me Tender
Love Me Tender (1956 film)
Love Me Tender is a 1956 American black-and-white CinemaScope motion picture directed by Robert D. Webb, and released by 20th Century Fox on November 21, 1956. The film, named after the song, stars Richard Egan, Debra Paget, and Elvis Presley in his film debut. It is in the Western genre with...
, and would go on to appear in a total of 33 feature films (31 musicals and two concert documentaries). Despite a strong, promising start to his acting career with films like Love Me Tender, Jailhouse Rock, and King Creole, Presley's films, following his return from his military obligation, were made cheaply and quickly to keep costs as low as possible, whilst at the same time keeping profits high. Although critically panned throughout the 1960s, Presley's films were mostly well received by his fans, and led to Hal Wallis describing them as "the only sure thing in Hollywood." The singer would go on to star alongside several well-established actors, including Walter Matthau
Walter Matthau
Walter Matthau was an American actor best known for his role as Oscar Madison in The Odd Couple and his frequent collaborations with Odd Couple star Jack Lemmon, as well as his role as Coach Buttermaker in the 1976 comedy The Bad News Bears...
, Carolyn Jones
Carolyn Jones
Carolyn Sue Jones was an American actress.Jones began her film career in the early 1950s, and by the end of the decade had achieved recognition with a nomination for an Academy Award for Best Supporting Actress for The Bachelor Party and a Golden Globe Award as one of the most promising actresses...
, Angela Lansbury
Angela Lansbury
Angela Brigid Lansbury CBE is an English actress and singer in theatre, television and motion pictures, whose career has spanned eight decades and earned her more performance Tony Awards than any other individual , with five wins...
, Barbara Stanwyck
Barbara Stanwyck
Barbara Stanwyck was an American actress. She was a film and television star, known during her 60-year career as a consummate and versatile professional with a strong screen presence, and a favorite of directors including Cecil B. DeMille, Fritz Lang and Frank Capra...
, Jack Albertson
Jack Albertson
Jack Albertson was an American character actor dating to vaudeville. A comedian, dancer, singer, and musician, Albertson is perhaps best known for his roles as Manny Rosen in The Poseidon Adventure , Grandpa Joe in Willy Wonka & the Chocolate Factory, Amos Slade in the 1981 animated film The Fox...
, Gig Young
Gig Young
Gig Young was an American film, stage, and television actor. Known mainly for second leads and supporting roles, Young won an Academy Award for his performance as a dance-marathon emcee in the 1969 film, They Shoot Horses, Don't They?.-Early life and career:Born Byron Elsworth Barr in St...
, and Mary Tyler Moore
Mary Tyler Moore
Mary Tyler Moore is an American actress, primarily known for her roles in television sitcoms. Moore is best known for The Mary Tyler Moore Show , in which she starred as Mary Richards, a 30-something single woman who worked as a local news producer in Minneapolis, and for her earlier role as...
. And others who would later become famous, like as an 11-year-old Kurt Russell
Kurt Russell
Kurt Vogel Russell is an American television and film actor. His first acting roles were as a child in television series, including a lead role in the Western series The Travels of Jaimie McPheeters...
, making his screen debut in It Happened at the World's Fair
It Happened at the World's Fair
It Happened at the World's Fair is a 1963 musical film starring Elvis Presley as a cropdusting pilot.The motion picture was filmed in Seattle, Washington, site of the Century 21 Exposition, the 1962 World's Fair. The governor of Washington at the time, Albert Rosellini, suggested the setting to...
(1963). None of Presley's films portrayed his character as a family man or a married man.
Presley left Hollywood and returned to live performing in 1969, and following the success of his sell out tours and Las Vegas shows, he allowed cameras to film him in concert and backstage in the early 1970s. One of these films, Elvis on Tour
Elvis on Tour
Elvis on Tour is a Golden Globe Award-winning American musical documentary motion picture released by MGM in 1972. It was the thirty-third and final motion picture to star Elvis Presley before his death in 1977.-Background:...
, won the 1973 Golden Globe award for Best Documentary film.
Screen tests
Presley first became interested in acting in his youth; despite later declarations that he had no acting experience, fellow Humes High SchoolHumes High School
L. C. Humes High School, better known as simply Humes High School, was a high school located in Memphis, Tennessee. It was open from the 1930s through 1967 as a high school and is most remembered as Elvis Presley's high school. Elvis graduated from Humes on June 3, 1953...
students recall that he was often cast as the lead in the Shakespeare plays they studied in English class. He admired actors such as James Dean
James Dean
James Byron Dean was an American film actor. He is a cultural icon, best embodied in the title of his most celebrated film, Rebel Without a Cause , in which he starred as troubled Los Angeles teenager Jim Stark...
and Marlon Brando
Marlon Brando
Marlon Brando, Jr. was an American movie star and political activist. "Unchallenged as the most important actor in modern American Cinema" according to the St...
, and reportedly paid close attention to their performing styles long before he ever set foot on a movie set. On March 26–28, 1956, just days after the release of his first album, he did a screen test for Paramount Pictures
Paramount Pictures
Paramount Pictures Corporation is an American film production and distribution company, located at 5555 Melrose Avenue in Hollywood. Founded in 1912 and currently owned by media conglomerate Viacom, it is America's oldest existing film studio; it is also the last major film studio still...
. His first screen test, a scene from the William Inge
William Inge
William Motter Inge was an American playwright and novelist, whose works typically feature solitary protagonists encumbered with strained sexual relations. In the early 1950s, he had a string of memorable Broadway productions, and one of these, Picnic, earned him a Pulitzer Prize...
play The Girls of Summer, resulted in drama coach Charlotte Clary declaring to her class of students, "Now that is a natural born actor". Another test was an audition for a supporting role in The Rainmaker
The Rainmaker (1956 film)
The Rainmaker is a 1956 film directed by Joseph Anthony and adapted by N. Richard Nash from his play The Rainmaker. The film tells the story of a middle-aged woman, suffering from unrequited love for the local town sheriff; however, she falls for a con man who comes to town with the promise that he...
, starring Burt Lancaster
Burt Lancaster
Burton Stephen "Burt" Lancaster was an American film actor noted for his athletic physique and distinctive smile...
. Screenwriter Allen Weiss compared his acting to that of "the lead in a high school play." Then, to his recording of "Blue Suede Shoes", Presley gave a lip-synced performance, complete with gyrations. In Weiss's description, "The transformation was incredible...electricity bounced off the walls. ... [It was] like an earthquake". In a radio interview two weeks later, Presley excitedly declared that he would be making his motion picture debut in The Rainmaker. The part ultimately went to Earl Holliman
Earl Holliman
-Early life:Earl Holliman was born at Delhi in Richland Parish of northeastern Louisiana. Holliman’s biological father died before he was born, and his biological mother, living in poverty with several other children, gave him up for adoption at birth...
.
1956–1958
On April 25, Presley signed a seven-year contract with Paramount and producer Hal Wallis that also allowed him to work with other studios. Wallis, who had produced classics such as CasablancaCasablanca (film)
Casablanca is a 1942 American romantic drama film directed by Michael Curtiz, starring Humphrey Bogart, Ingrid Bergman and Paul Henreid, and featuring Claude Rains, Conrad Veidt, Sydney Greenstreet, Peter Lorre and Dooley Wilson. Set during World War II, it focuses on a man torn between, in...
, Little Caesar
Little Caesar (film)
Little Caesar is a 1931 Warner Bros. Pre-Code crime film. It tells the story of a hoodlum who ascends the ranks of organized crime until he reaches its upper echelons. Directed by Mervyn LeRoy, the film stars Edward G. Robinson and Douglas Fairbanks, Jr.. The story was adapted by Francis Edward...
, and The Maltese Falcon
The Maltese Falcon (1941 film)
The Maltese Falcon is a 1941 Warner Bros. film based on the novel of the same name by Dashiell Hammett and a remake of the 1931 film of the same name...
, had promised Presley that he would look for dramatic roles to let the singer take his acting career seriously. Wallis considered Presley for a role in The Rat Race
The Rat Race
The Rat Race is a 1960 American drama film directed by Robert Mulligan and starring Tony Curtis and Debbie Reynolds as struggling young entertainment professionals in New York City. Filming took place in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania.- Plot :...
, a film about a "naive, innocent boy" who was struggling to make it as a musician in Manhattan, but he decided against it after another studio executive said, "Elvis Presley just doesn't look like that". The film was eventually made in 1960 with Tony Curtis
Tony Curtis
Tony Curtis was an American film actor whose career spanned six decades, but had his greatest popularity during the 1950s and early 1960s. He acted in over 100 films in roles covering a wide range of genres, from light comedy to serious drama...
in the lead role. Another possible idea that Wallis mulled over was to pair Presley with Jerry Lewis
Jerry Lewis
Jerry Lewis is an American comedian, actor, singer, film producer, screenwriter and film director. He is best known for his slapstick humor in film, television, stage and radio. He was originally paired up with Dean Martin in 1946, forming the famed comedy team of Martin and Lewis...
. Lewis had just separated from his comedy partner Dean Martin
Dean Martin
Dean Martin was an American singer, film actor, television star and comedian. Martin's hit singles included "Memories Are Made of This", "That's Amore", "Everybody Loves Somebody", "You're Nobody till Somebody Loves You", "Sway", "Volare" and "Ain't That a Kick in the Head?"...
after a successful run of seventeen movies together, but again the idea was shelved.
Eventually Wallis loaned Presley out to Twentieth Century-Fox, and in November, he made his big-screen debut with the musical western Love Me Tender
Love Me Tender (1956 film)
Love Me Tender is a 1956 American black-and-white CinemaScope motion picture directed by Robert D. Webb, and released by 20th Century Fox on November 21, 1956. The film, named after the song, stars Richard Egan, Debra Paget, and Elvis Presley in his film debut. It is in the Western genre with...
. The original title—The Reno Brothers—was changed to capitalize on the advanced sales of the song "Love Me Tender". Presley was not too upset about the addition of the title song, he quite liked it, but when several more songs were added he blasted them as "garbage" and "silly songs". The film was generally panned by the critics, although a number of them viewed it in a positive light. The Los Angeles Times wrote: "Elvis can act. S'help me the boy's real good, even when he isn't singing". Despite mostly negative reviews, the film did well at the box office, generating $540,000 in its first week alone.
Although Presley was angered by the addition of songs to his film, the fans loved them. The success of both the single and EP set the tone for every Presley picture that was to follow, and the commercial success led to the release of three more Presley film vehicles over the next twenty months; Loving You, Jailhouse Rock, and King Creole. Jailhouse Rock
Jailhouse Rock (1957 film)
Jailhouse Rock is an American musical film directed by Richard Thorpe for MGM. The film stars Elvis Presley in his third film and MGM debut, Judy Tyler, and Mickey Shaughnessy....
and King Creole
King Creole
King Creole is a 1958 American film directed by Michael Curtiz and produced by Hal B. Wallis. The story was adapted from the Harold Robbins novel A Stone for Danny Fisher and featured Elvis Presley, Carolyn Jones, and Walter Matthau. The film tells the story of a nineteen-year-old who gets mixed...
(1958), called for relatively dramatic performances. The erotic, if not homo-erotic, dance sequence to the former's title song is often cited as his greatest moment on screen. It was choreographed by Alex Romero after watching Presley himself. Howard Thompson
Howard Thompson (film critic)
Howard Thompson was an US journalist and film critic whose career of forty-one years was spent at the New York Times....
of the New York Times began his review of the latter movie, "As the lad himself might say, cut my legs off and call me Shorty! Elvis Presley can act."
1960s
His first film after his return from the Army, G.I. BluesG.I. Blues
G.I. Blues is a 1960 Elvis Presley musical motion picture played as a romantic comedy. It was filmed at Paramount's Hollywood studios, with some pre-production scenery shot on location in Germany before Presley's release from the army. The movie reached #2 on the Variety weekly national box office...
(1960), directed by Norman Taurog
Norman Taurog
Norman Rae Taurog was an American film director, and screenwriter.Between 1920 and 1968, Taurog directed over 140 films, and directed Elvis Presley in more movies than any other director...
, set the tone for Presley's Hollywood output in the 1960s. Presley fans loved the mix of songs, romance and humor, and, perhaps surprisingly considering his experiences during the 1950s, critics were also warming to the new formulaic approach and clean-cut characters. Presley was not so thrilled, and thought many of the songs in G.I. Blues made no sense to the plot. He was concerned about the number of songs in it; unlike his earlier films, which consisted of fewer songs usually resulting in only an EP release, G.I. Blues had enough to release a full LP in its own right. As described by critic Al Clark, it was the "first in a series of nine bland Presley vehicles directed by Taurog, and the film which engendered a career formula of tepid, routine comedy-musicals." Presley at first insisted on pursuing more serious roles, but when two films in a more dramatic vein — Flaming Star
Flaming Star
Flaming Star is a 1960 western film starring Elvis Presley, based on the book Flaming Lance by Clair Huffaker. Critics agreed that Presley gave one of his best acting performances as the mixed-blood "Pacer Burton", a dramatic role. The film was directed by Don Siegel, and had a working title of...
(1960) and Wild in the Country
Wild in the Country
Wild in the Country is a 1961 film drama starring Elvis Presley in which he portrays a troubled young man from a dysfunctional family who pursues a literary career. The screenplay was written by playwright Clifford Odets.-Synopsis:...
(1961) — were less commercially successful, he reverted to the formula. So formulaic that his output has been called "Elvis movies," and a genre unto themselves. The majority of Presley's movies aimed for little more than reliable returns on modest investments and the promotion of their accompanying soundtrack albums. To maintain box office success, he would later even shift "into beefcake
Beefcake
Beefcake is a term denoting the use of nude or semi-nude male bodies. It can refer to a genre or a person. It often is used to denote male sexual attractiveness stemming from physical build but the definition has expanded to include anyone interested in physical fitness, bodybuilding and weight...
formula comedy mode for a few years." For most of the 1960s, during which he made 27 movies, there were few exceptions, such as the non-musical western, Charro!
Charro!
Charro! is a 1969 Western film starring Elvis Presley. It was his only role that didn't feature him singing on-screen, and is the only Presley film to feature no songs at all except for the main title theme. It also features a bearded Presley for the first and last time in any of his films.The film...
Presley's movies were generally poorly received—one critic dismissed them as a "pantheon of bad taste." As a typical comment put it, the scripts "were all the same". It was further noted that the songs seemed to be "written on order by men who never really understood Elvis or rock and roll." Indeed, for Blue Hawaii
Blue Hawaii
Blue Hawaii is a 1961 musical film set in the state of Hawaii 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 movie opened at no...
, "fourteen songs were cut in just three days." Julie Parrish, who appeared in Paradise, Hawaiian Style
Paradise, Hawaiian Style
Paradise, Hawaiian Style is a 1966 musical comedy film starring Elvis Presley. It was the third and final motion picture that Presley filmed in Hawaii. The film reached #40 on the Variety weekly box office chart, earning $2.5 million in theaters....
, says that Presley hated many of the songs chosen for his films; he "couldn't stop laughing while he was recording" one of them. In Sight and Sound (1959) Peter John Dyer wrote that in his movies "Elvis Presley, aggressively bisexual in appeal, knowingly erotic, [was] acting like a crucified houri and singing with a kind of machine-made surrealism
Surrealism
Surrealism is a cultural movement that began in the early 1920s, and is best known for the visual artworks and writings of the group members....
." Hal Wallis, who produced nine of Presley's films, also had a reputation for such prestige productions as Becket (1964), starring Richard Burton
Richard Burton
Richard Burton, CBE was a Welsh actor. He was nominated seven times for an Academy Award, six of which were for Best Actor in a Leading Role , and was a recipient of BAFTA, Golden Globe and Tony Awards for Best Actor. Although never trained as an actor, Burton was, at one time, the highest-paid...
and Peter O'Toole
Peter O'Toole
Peter Seamus Lorcan O'Toole is an Irish actor of stage and screen. O'Toole achieved stardom in 1962 playing T. E. Lawrence in Lawrence of Arabia, and then went on to become a highly-honoured film and stage actor. He has been nominated for eight Academy Awards, and holds the record for most...
, and he received 16 Academy Award nominations for his movies. But Wallis's goals were clearly very different for his most reliably profitable star: "A Presley picture is the only sure thing in Hollywood," he said. Presley later branded Wallis "a double-dealing sonofabitch", realizing there had never been any intention to let him develop into a serious actor. Critics maintained that "No major star suffered through more bad movies than Elvis Presley." According to Priscilla Presley
Priscilla Presley
Priscilla Presley is an American actress and businesswoman. She is the ex-wife of singer Elvis Presley, and the mother of singer-songwriter Lisa Marie Presley....
, in the late 1960s, "He blamed his fading popularity on his humdrum movies" and "... loathed their stock plots and short shooting schedules." She also notes: "He could have demanded better, more substantial scripts, but he didn't." Wallis defended his actions decades later, telling critics, "Elvis was a great entertainer, a great personality. . .and that is what we bought when we bought him. The idea of tailoring Elvis for dramatic roles is something that we never attempted because we did not sign Elvis as a second Jimmy Dean. We signed him as a number one Elvis Presley."
For all that, Presley's films were indeed commercially successful, and he "became a film genre of his own." On December 1, 1968, the New York Times wrote: "Three times a year Elvis Presley ... [makes] multi-million dollar feature-length films, with holiday titles like Blue Hawaii
Blue Hawaii
Blue Hawaii is a 1961 musical film set in the state of Hawaii 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 movie opened at no...
, Fun in Acapulco
Fun in Acapulco
Fun in Acapulco is a 1963 American musical comedy film starring Elvis Presley and Ursula Andress. While some exterior scenes were shot in Acapulco, Mexico, Elvis's scenes were shot in Hollywood. He never went to Acapulco. The movie featured the Top 10 Billboard hit "Bossa Nova Baby". The film...
, Viva Las Vegas
Viva Las Vegas
Viva Las Vegas is a 1964 American romantic musical movie starring music icon Elvis Presley and actress/dancer Ann-Margret. This movie is regarded by many fans of these actors and by film critics as one of Presley's best movies, and it is noted for the apparent on-screen chemistry between Presley...
, Tickle Me
Tickle Me
Tickle Me is a 1965 Western musical comedy film starring Elvis Presley as a champion rodeo bull-rider and bronco-buster. Elvis Presley won a 1966 Golden Laurel Award as the best male actor in a musical film for his role in this comedy. It is also the only Elvis film released by Allied Artists...
, Easy Come, Easy Go, Live a Little, Love a Little
Live a Little, Love a Little
Live A Little, Love A Little is a 1968 musical comedy starring Elvis Presley. It was directed by Norman Taurog, who had directed several previous Presley films. This was to be Taurog's final film. Shortly thereafter, he went blind...
and The Trouble with Girls. For each film, Elvis receives a million dollars in wages and 50per cent of the profits ... [E]very film yields an LP sound-track record which may sell as many as two-million copies."
David Winters
David Winters (choreographer)
David Winters is an English-born American dancer, choreographer, producer, director, screenwriter, and actor. Winters has participated in, directed and produced over 400 television series, specials, and motion pictures...
of "West Side Story
West Side Story
West Side Story is an American musical with a script by Arthur Laurents, music by Leonard Bernstein, lyrics by Stephen Sondheim, and choreographed by Jerome Robbins...
" fame worked with Presley as a choreographer on four of his movies Viva Las Vegas
Viva Las Vegas
Viva Las Vegas is a 1964 American romantic musical movie starring music icon Elvis Presley and actress/dancer Ann-Margret. This movie is regarded by many fans of these actors and by film critics as one of Presley's best movies, and it is noted for the apparent on-screen chemistry between Presley...
, Tickle Me
Tickle Me
Tickle Me is a 1965 Western musical comedy film starring Elvis Presley as a champion rodeo bull-rider and bronco-buster. Elvis Presley won a 1966 Golden Laurel Award as the best male actor in a musical film for his role in this comedy. It is also the only Elvis film released by Allied Artists...
, Easy Come, Easy Go and Girl Happy
Girl Happy
Girl Happy is a 1965 American musical romantic comedy in the beach party film and spring break style, starring Elvis Presley.This was the last mega-successful Elvis Presley film at the box office, finishing at #25 on the Variety year-end top-grossing films of 1965 chart and making $3 million,...
.. Ann-Margret
Ann-Margret
Ann-Margret Olsson is a Swedish-American actress, singer and dancer whose professional name is Ann-Margret. She became famous for her starring roles in Bye Bye Birdie, Viva Las Vegas, The Cincinnati Kid, Carnal Knowledge, and Tommy...
, who co-starred in Viva Las Vegas
Viva Las Vegas
Viva Las Vegas is a 1964 American romantic musical movie starring music icon Elvis Presley and actress/dancer Ann-Margret. This movie is regarded by many fans of these actors and by film critics as one of Presley's best movies, and it is noted for the apparent on-screen chemistry between Presley...
with Presley, introduced him to Winters, and recommended Winters as the film's choreographer, Winters' first feature film choreography job. Ann-Margret
Ann-Margret
Ann-Margret Olsson is a Swedish-American actress, singer and dancer whose professional name is Ann-Margret. She became famous for her starring roles in Bye Bye Birdie, Viva Las Vegas, The Cincinnati Kid, Carnal Knowledge, and Tommy...
was Winters' dance student at the time. The dynamic combination of Presley, Ann-Margret
Ann-Margret
Ann-Margret Olsson is a Swedish-American actress, singer and dancer whose professional name is Ann-Margret. She became famous for her starring roles in Bye Bye Birdie, Viva Las Vegas, The Cincinnati Kid, Carnal Knowledge, and Tommy...
and Winters' choreography helped make Viva Las Vegas
Viva Las Vegas
Viva Las Vegas is a 1964 American romantic musical movie starring music icon Elvis Presley and actress/dancer Ann-Margret. This movie is regarded by many fans of these actors and by film critics as one of Presley's best movies, and it is noted for the apparent on-screen chemistry between Presley...
Presley's most successful film at the box office, returning more than $5 million to MGM, more than double the average gross on most other Presley movies of that decade. Winters also convinced the studios to let him use his own dancers in Presley's movies, most of whom were also Winters' dance students, including Teri Garr
Teri Garr
-Early life:Garr was born in Lakewood, Ohio in 1947. Her father, Eddie Garr , was a vaudeville performer, comedian and actor whose career peaked when he briefly took over the lead role in the Broadway drama Tobacco Road...
, who later received an Academy Award nomination for Tootsie
Tootsie
Tootsie is a 1982 American comedy film that tells the story of a talented but volatile actor whose reputation for being difficult forces him to go to extreme lengths to land a job. The movie stars Dustin Hoffman and Jessica Lange, with a supporting cast that includes Teri Garr, Dabney Coleman,...
. Garr, who was brought in by Winters to dance in Viva Las Vegas, appeared in eight other Presley films.
The silver screen gave many of his fans around the world their only opportunity to see him, given the almost complete absence of international appearances by the singer. (The only concerts Presley ever gave outside of the United States were in three Canadian cities in 1957.) Still, as film critic and historian David Thomson
David Thomson (film critic)
David Thomson is a film critic and historian based in the United States and the author of more than 20 books, including The New Biographical Dictionary of Film.-Career:...
asked, "Is there a greater contrast between energy and routine than that between Elvis Presley the phenomenon, live and on record, and Presley the automaton on film?"
Change of Habit
Change of Habit
Change of Habit is a 1969 musical drama film starring Elvis Presley and Mary Tyler Moore. It was Presley's 31st and final film acting role; his remaining two film appearances were concert documentaries. It was also Moore's fourth and final film under her brief Universal Pictures contract; she...
(1969) was Presley's final non-concert movie. His films were no longer profitable, for by the late sixties the Hippie
Hippie
The hippie subculture was originally a youth movement that arose in the United States during the mid-1960s and spread to other countries around the world. The etymology of the term 'hippie' is from hipster, and was initially used to describe beatniks who had moved into San Francisco's...
movement had developed and musical acts like The Beatles
The Beatles
The Beatles were an English rock band, active throughout the 1960s and one of the most commercially successful and critically acclaimed acts in the history of popular music. Formed in Liverpool, by 1962 the group consisted of John Lennon , Paul McCartney , George Harrison and Ringo Starr...
(who dominated the 1960s), The Rolling Stones
The Rolling Stones
The Rolling Stones are an English rock band, formed in London in April 1962 by Brian Jones , Ian Stewart , Mick Jagger , and Keith Richards . Bassist Bill Wyman and drummer Charlie Watts completed the early line-up...
, Bob Dylan
Bob Dylan
Bob Dylan is an American singer-songwriter, musician, poet, film director and painter. He has been a major and profoundly influential figure in popular music and culture for five decades. Much of his most celebrated work dates from the 1960s when he was an informal chronicler and a seemingly...
, Jefferson Airplane
Jefferson Airplane
Jefferson Airplane was an American rock band formed in San Francisco in 1965. A pioneer of the psychedelic rock movement, Jefferson Airplane was the first band from the San Francisco scene to achieve mainstream commercial and critical success....
, Sly and the Family Stone, Grateful Dead
Grateful Dead
The Grateful Dead was an American rock band formed in 1965 in the San Francisco Bay Area. The band was known for its unique and eclectic style, which fused elements of rock, folk, bluegrass, blues, reggae, country, improvisational jazz, psychedelia, and space rock, and for live performances of long...
, The Doors
The Doors
The Doors were an American rock band formed in 1965 in Los Angeles, California, with vocalist Jim Morrison, keyboardist Ray Manzarek, drummer John Densmore, and guitarist Robby Krieger...
and Janis Joplin
Janis Joplin
Janis Lyn Joplin was an American singer, songwriter, painter, dancer and music arranger. She rose to prominence in the late 1960s as the lead singer of Big Brother and the Holding Company and later as a solo artist with her backing groups, The Kozmic Blues Band and The Full Tilt Boogie Band...
were dominating the airwaves. Therefore, Presley shifted his career back to recording and touring. However, his musical career would never again play a large role in popular music and culture.
1970s
Presley's last two theatrical films were concert documentaries in the early 1970s. In 1974 he lost the opportunity to co-star with Barbra StreisandBarbra Streisand
Barbra Joan Streisand is an American singer, actress, film producer and director. She has won two Academy Awards, eight Grammy Awards, four Emmy Awards, a Special Tony Award, an American Film Institute award, a Peabody Award, and is one of the few entertainers who have won an Oscar, Emmy, Grammy,...
in a big-budget remake of A Star Is Born
A Star Is Born (1976 film)
A Star Is Born is a 1976 American rock music musical film telling the story of a young woman, played by Barbra Streisand who enters show business, and meets and falls in love with an established male star, played by Kris Kristofferson, only to find her career ascending while his goes into decline...
when Parker demanded 50 percent of the profits from the production along with other extravagant financial demands. Joe Esposito also recalls that Presley was unsure about the project himself because he did not want to play a loser. With Kris Kristofferson
Kris Kristofferson
Kristoffer "Kris" Kristofferson is an American musician, actor, and writer. He is known for hits such as "Me and Bobby McGee", "For the Good Times", "Sunday Mornin' Comin' Down", and "Help Me Make It Through the Night"...
as the male lead, the film became a major hit.
The type of Elvis Presley film varied widely, from the drama of Jailhouse Rock (1957) and King Creole, the latter directed by Michael Curtiz
Michael Curtiz
Michael Curtiz was an Academy award winning Hungarian-American film director. He had early creditsas Mihály Kertész and Michael Kertész...
and based on the Harold Robbins
Harold Robbins
Harold Robbins was one of the best-selling American authors of all time. During his career, he wrote over 25 best-sellers, selling over 750 million copies in 32 languages....
1952 novel A Stone for Danny Fisher
A Stone for Danny Fisher
A Stone For Danny Fisher is a very serious, early novel by Harold Robbins that looks at the effect of the Great Depression on a lower-middle class Jewish family. Written in 1952 it is actually set in the period up to 1944.-Plot summary:...
, to the light comedies Kissin' Cousins
Kissin' Cousins
Kissin' Cousins is a 1964 musical film comedy starring Elvis Presley in two roles, one as an American soldier, the other a hillbilly. The screenplay was nominated in the category of best written American musical by the Writers Guild of America...
(1964) and Tickle Me
Tickle Me
Tickle Me is a 1965 Western musical comedy film starring Elvis Presley as a champion rodeo bull-rider and bronco-buster. Elvis Presley won a 1966 Golden Laurel Award as the best male actor in a musical film for his role in this comedy. It is also the only Elvis film released by Allied Artists...
(1965). A quote attributed to Elvis Presley in the documentary This is Elvis
This Is Elvis
This Is Elvis is a 1981 documentary film directed by Andrew Solt and Malcolm Leo, based on the life of Elvis Presley. It combined archival footage with reenactments, and narration by pop singer Ral Donner. It was screened out of competition at the 1981 Cannes Film Festival...
alleged that some of the films even made him physically ill.
Top grossing movies at the box office
Based on the Box Office Report database, the top grossing Elvis Presley movies based on the yearly Top 20 box office rankings were:- Viva Las Vegas (May, 1964, MGM), no. 11 on the list of the top grossing movies of the year in the U.S., $
- Jailhouse Rock (October, 1957, MGM), no. 12, $
- Blue Hawaii (November, 1961, Paramount), no. 13, $
- G.I. Blues (August, 1960, Paramount), no. 15, $
- Loving You (July, 1957, Paramount), tied for no. 15, $
- Girls! Girls! Girls! (November, 1962, Paramount), no. 19, $
- Love Me Tender (November, 1956, Twentieth Century Fox), no. 20, $
- Girl Happy (1965, MGM), no. 25, $
- Kissin' Cousins (1964, MGM), no. 26, $
- Roustabout (1964, Paramount), no. 28, $
- Please note that these figures have been adjusted for inflation.
Awards and nominations
Elvis on Tour (1972) won the 1973 Golden Globe award for Best Documentary film. Academy Award-winning director Martin ScorseseMartin Scorsese
Martin Charles Scorsese is an American film director, screenwriter, producer, actor, and film historian. In 1990 he founded The Film Foundation, a nonprofit organization dedicated to film preservation, and in 2007 he founded the World Cinema Foundation...
was the montage supervisor for the film. Andrew W. Solt was a researcher on the movie.
Elvis Presley won a 1966 Golden Laurel Award for best male performance in a musical film for Tickle Me
Tickle Me
Tickle Me is a 1965 Western musical comedy film starring Elvis Presley as a champion rodeo bull-rider and bronco-buster. Elvis Presley won a 1966 Golden Laurel Award as the best male actor in a musical film for his role in this comedy. It is also the only Elvis film released by Allied Artists...
(1965). This was the only acting award that he received during his movie career.
For Viva Las Vegas
Viva Las Vegas
Viva Las Vegas is a 1964 American romantic musical movie starring music icon Elvis Presley and actress/dancer Ann-Margret. This movie is regarded by many fans of these actors and by film critics as one of Presley's best movies, and it is noted for the apparent on-screen chemistry between Presley...
(1964), he received a 3rd place prize 1965 Laurel Award for best male performance in a musical film. Viva Las Vegas also was runner-up in the category of the best musical of 1964 in the 1965 Laurel Awards.
Girls! Girls! Girls!
Girls! Girls! Girls!
Girls! Girls! Girls! is a 1962 musical comedy film starring Elvis Presley as a penniless Hawaiian fisherman who loves his life on the sea and dreams of owning his own boat. "Return to Sender", which reached #2 on the Billboard pop singles chart, is featured in the movie...
was nominated for a Golden Globe Award for Best Motion Picture - Musical at the 1963 ceremony. Elvis Presley received a 2nd place Laurel Award for the best male performance in a musical for his acting role in this movie.
Screenwriters Gene Nelson
Gene Nelson
Gene Nelson was an American dancer, actor, screenwriter, and director.-Biography:Born Leander Eugene Berg in Astoria, Oregon, he moved to Seattle when he was one year old. He was inspired to become a dancer by watching Fred Astaire and Ginger Rogers films when he was a child...
and Gerald Drayson Adams
Gerald Drayson Adams
Gerald Drayson Adams was a former business executive and literary agent when he began writing for films in the 1940s. The Oxford University-educated Adams specialized in action/adventure and western films...
were nominated by the Writers Guild of America
Writers Guild of America Award
The Writers Guild of America Award for outstanding achievements in film, television, and radio has been presented annually by the Writers Guild of America, East and Writers Guild of America, West since 1949...
for the best written musical for their screenplay for Kissin' Cousins
Kissin' Cousins
Kissin' Cousins is a 1964 musical film comedy starring Elvis Presley in two roles, one as an American soldier, the other a hillbilly. The screenplay was nominated in the category of best written American musical by the Writers Guild of America...
(1964).
Anthony Lawrence and Allan Weiss were nominated for the award for Best Written American Musical by the Writers Guild of America for writing the script for the 1964 film Roustabout (1964).
The G.I. Blues
G.I. Blues
G.I. Blues is a 1960 Elvis Presley musical motion picture played as a romantic comedy. It was filmed at Paramount's Hollywood studios, with some pre-production scenery shot on location in Germany before Presley's release from the army. The movie reached #2 on the Variety weekly national box office...
soundtrack album was nominated for two Grammy Awards in 1960 in the categories Best Sound Track Album Or Recording Of Original Cast From A Motion Picture Or Television and Best Vocal Performance Album, Male. Edmund Beloin and Henry Garson were both nominated in 1961 by the Writers Guild of America for G.I. Blues in the category of Best Written American Musical.
The Blue Hawaii
Blue Hawaii
Blue Hawaii is a 1961 musical film set in the state of Hawaii 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 movie opened at no...
soundtrack was nominated for a Grammy Award in 1961 in the category of Best Sound Track Album Or Recording Of Original Cast From A Motion Picture Or Television. Hal Kanter
Hal Kanter
Hal Kanter was a writer, producer and director, principally for comedy actors such as Bob Hope, Jerry Lewis, and Elvis Presley , for both feature films and television...
was nominated by the Writers Guild of America in 1962 in the category Best Written American Musical for the Blue Hawaii screenplay.
In 2004, Jailhouse Rock (1957) was selected for preservation in the United States National Film Registry as being deemed "culturally, historically, or aesthetically significant."
Filmography
| Year | |Role | 1956 1956 in film The year 1956 in film involved some significant events.-Events:* October 5 - The Ten Commandments opens in cinemas and becomes one of the most successful and popular movies of all time, currently ranking 5th on the list of all time moneymakers * February 5 - First showing of documentary films by... | Love Me Tender Love Me Tender (1956 film) Love Me Tender is a 1956 American black-and-white CinemaScope motion picture directed by Robert D. Webb, and released by 20th Century Fox on November 21, 1956. The film, named after the song, stars Richard Egan, Debra Paget, and Elvis Presley in his film debut. It is in the Western genre with... |
Clint Reno | Richard Egan Richard Egan (actor) Richard Egan was an American actor. In some films he is credited as Richard Eagan.-Career:Born in San Francisco, California, Egan served in the United States Army as a judo instructor during World War II... , Debra Paget Debra Paget Debra Paget is an American actress and entertainer who rose to prominence in the 1950s and early 1960s in a variety of feature films including Cecil B. DeMille's epic The Ten Commandments and Love Me Tender, the film début of Elvis Presley.-Early life and career:Paget was born in Denver, Colorado... |
Elvis' first movie role. It's the only film in which Presley did not get top billing (he came third after Egan and Paget). This was also the only film he made where his character was killed on screen. |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1957 1957 in film The year 1957 in film involved some significant events.-Events:* October 21 - The movie Jailhouse Rock, starring Elvis Presley, opens.-Top grossing films : After theatrical re-issue-Awards:... |
Loving You Loving You Loving You is an American motion picture directed by Hal Kanter, released by Paramount Pictures on July 9, 1957. The film stars Elvis Presley, Lizabeth Scott and Wendell Corey... |
Jimmy Tompkins (Deke Rivers) | Lizabeth Scott Lizabeth Scott Lizabeth Scott is an American actress and singer widely known for her film noir roles.-Early life:She was born Emma Matzo in the Pine Brook section of Scranton, Pennsylvania, one of six children, to Ruthenian parents who had emigrated from Uzhgorod, in what is now Ukraine... , Wendell Corey Wendell Corey Wendell Reid Corey was an American actor and politician.He was born in Dracut, Massachusetts, the son of Milton Rothwell Corey and Julia Etta McKenney . His father was a Congregationalist clergyman... , Dolores Hart Dolores Hart Dolores Hart is an American Roman Catholic nun and former actress. She made 10 films in 5 years, playing opposite Stephen Boyd, Montgomery Clift, George Hamilton and Robert Wagner, having made her movie debut with Elvis Presley in Loving You .-Background:Dolores Hicks was the only child of the... |
The first Elvis film in color. Presley's parents were cast as audience members. After his mother's death in 1958, Elvis never watched this movie again. | ||
| Jailhouse Rock | Vince Everett | Judy Tyler Judy Tyler Judy Tyler was an American actress.-Early life and career:Born Judith Mae Hess in Milwaukee, Wisconsin, she came from a show business family and was encouraged to study dance and acting... , Mickey Shaughnessy Mickey Shaughnessy Joseph Michael "Mickey" Shaughnessy was an Irish American character actor who specialized in playing lovable, but not-too-bright lugs... |
Judy Tyler and her husband were killed in a car wreck on July 3, 1957, just days after filming ended. A devastated Elvis refused to watch the movie as a result. Composer Mike Stoller appears in the movie as the band pianist. | |||
| 1958 1958 in film The year 1958 in film involved some significant events.-Events:* February 16- "In the Money" by William Beaudine is released on this date. It would be the last installment of The Bowery Boys series which began back in 1946.... |
King Creole King Creole King Creole is a 1958 American film directed by Michael Curtiz and produced by Hal B. Wallis. The story was adapted from the Harold Robbins novel A Stone for Danny Fisher and featured Elvis Presley, Carolyn Jones, and Walter Matthau. The film tells the story of a nineteen-year-old who gets mixed... |
Danny Fisher | Carolyn Jones Carolyn Jones Carolyn Sue Jones was an American actress.Jones began her film career in the early 1950s, and by the end of the decade had achieved recognition with a nomination for an Academy Award for Best Supporting Actress for The Bachelor Party and a Golden Globe Award as one of the most promising actresses... , Walter Matthau Walter Matthau Walter Matthau was an American actor best known for his role as Oscar Madison in The Odd Couple and his frequent collaborations with Odd Couple star Jack Lemmon, as well as his role as Coach Buttermaker in the 1976 comedy The Bad News Bears... , Dean Jagger Dean Jagger Dean Jagger was an Academy Award winning American film actor.-Career:Born Ira Dean Jagger in Columbus Grove, Ohio, Jagger made his film debut in The Woman from Hell with Mary Astor... , Dolores Hart Dolores Hart Dolores Hart is an American Roman Catholic nun and former actress. She made 10 films in 5 years, playing opposite Stephen Boyd, Montgomery Clift, George Hamilton and Robert Wagner, having made her movie debut with Elvis Presley in Loving You .-Background:Dolores Hicks was the only child of the... |
Presley's favorite of the films he made. This was also the last Elvis movie filmed in black and white and his last movie before going into the Army. The movie was loosely based on a 1952 novel A Stone for Danny Fisher A Stone for Danny Fisher A Stone For Danny Fisher is a very serious, early novel by Harold Robbins that looks at the effect of the Great Depression on a lower-middle class Jewish family. Written in 1952 it is actually set in the period up to 1944.-Plot summary:... by Harold Robbins Harold Robbins Harold Robbins was one of the best-selling American authors of all time. During his career, he wrote over 25 best-sellers, selling over 750 million copies in 32 languages.... . |
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| 1960 1960 in film The year 1960 in film involved some significant events, with Alfred Hitchcock's Psycho the top-grossing release in the U.S.-Events:* April 20 - for the first time since coming home from military service in Germany, Elvis Presley returns to Hollywood, California to film G.I... |
G.I. Blues G.I. Blues G.I. Blues is a 1960 Elvis Presley musical motion picture played as a romantic comedy. It was filmed at Paramount's Hollywood studios, with some pre-production scenery shot on location in Germany before Presley's release from the army. The movie reached #2 on the Variety weekly national box office... |
Tulsa McLean | Juliet Prowse | The 32nd Armored was Presley's regiment when he was in the Army, so it was used for the film. Incidentally, this was Elvis' first movie after his Army release. The soundtrack album went to No. 1 on Billboard Billboard 200 The Billboard 200 is a ranking of the 200 highest-selling music albums and EPs in the United States, published weekly by Billboard magazine. It is frequently used to convey the popularity of an artist or groups of artists... and spent over two years (111 weeks) on the Billboard charts. |
||
| Flaming Star Flaming Star Flaming Star is a 1960 western film starring Elvis Presley, based on the book Flaming Lance by Clair Huffaker. Critics agreed that Presley gave one of his best acting performances as the mixed-blood "Pacer Burton", a dramatic role. The film was directed by Don Siegel, and had a working title of... |
Pacer Burton | Barbara Eden Barbara Eden Barbara Eden is an American film and television actress and singer who is best known for her starring role in the sitcom I Dream of Jeannie.-Early years:... , Steve Forrest, Dolores del Rio Dolores del Río Dolores del Río was a Mexican film actress. She was a star of Hollywood films during the silent era and in the Golden Age of Hollywood... , John McIntire John McIntire John McIntire was an American character actor.-Career:The craggy-faced film actor was born in Spokane in eastern Washington State but reared in Montana, growing up around ranchers and cowboys, an experience that would later inspire his performances in dozens of westerns.A graduate of USC, McIntire... |
Andy Warhol Andy Warhol Andrew Warhola , known as Andy Warhol, was an American painter, printmaker, and filmmaker who was a leading figure in the visual art movement known as pop art... 's famous diptych of Presley as a cowboy came from a shot in this movie. This is the second movie that Elvis' character dies, but after the outcry following Love Me Tender, Elvis rides into the wilderness to die. |
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| 1961 1961 in film The year 1961 in film involved some significant events, with West Side Story winning 10 Academy Awards.-Top grossing films : After theatrical re-issue- Awards :Academy Awards:* Atlantis, the Lost ContinentB... |
Wild in the Country Wild in the Country Wild in the Country is a 1961 film drama starring Elvis Presley in which he portrays a troubled young man from a dysfunctional family who pursues a literary career. The screenplay was written by playwright Clifford Odets.-Synopsis:... |
Glenn Tyler | Hope Lange Hope Lange Hope Elise Ross Lange was an American stage, film, and television actress.- Early life :Lange was born into a theatrical family in Redding, Connecticut... , Tuesday Weld Tuesday Weld Tuesday Weld is an American actress.Weld began her acting career as a child, and progressed to more mature roles during the late 1950s. She won a Golden Globe Award for Most Promising Female Newcomer in 1960... , Millie Perkins Millie Perkins Millie Perkins is an American film and television actress.Born in Passaic, New Jersey, Millie grew up in Fair Lawn, New Jersey. Her father was a merchant marine captain... |
Millie Perkins broke her arm when she had to slap Presley's character. | ||
| Blue Hawaii Blue Hawaii Blue Hawaii is a 1961 musical film set in the state of Hawaii 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 movie opened at no... |
Chad Gates | Joan Blackman Joan Blackman Joan Blackman is an American actress.-Biography:Blackman made her television acting debut as a guest performer in a 1957 series, Hawkeye and the Last of the Mohicans, and then appeared in her first motion picture, Good Day for a Hanging, in 1959. She had a significant role in two Elvis Presley films... , Angela Lansbury Angela Lansbury Angela Brigid Lansbury CBE is an English actress and singer in theatre, television and motion pictures, whose career has spanned eight decades and earned her more performance Tony Awards than any other individual , with five wins... |
The soundtrack for this movie became Presley's most successful chart album. It spent twenty consecutive weeks at #1 on the Billboard Top LP's chart in 1961-1962. Golden Globe Golden Globe Award The Golden Globe Award is an accolade bestowed by the 93 members of the Hollywood Foreign Press Association recognizing excellence in film and television, both domestic and foreign... and Tony Award Tony Award The Antoinette Perry Award for Excellence in Theatre, more commonly known as a Tony Award, recognizes achievement in live Broadway theatre. The awards are presented by the American Theatre Wing and The Broadway League at an annual ceremony in New York City. The awards are given for Broadway... winning actress Lansbury co-starred as Elvis' mother, although in reality she was only nine years older than he was. |
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| 1962 1962 in film The year 1962 in film involved some significant events.-Events:*May - The Golden Horse Film Festival and Awards are officially founded by the Taiwanese government.... |
Follow That Dream Follow that Dream Follow That Dream is a 1962 musical film starring Elvis Presley made by Mirisch Productions. The movie was based on the 1959 novel Pioneer, Go Home! by Richard P. Powell. Producer Walter Mirisch liked the song Follow that Dream and retitled the picture... |
Toby Kwimper | Arthur O'Connell Arthur O'Connell Arthur O'Connell was an American stage and film actor. He appeared in films in 1941 and television programs... , Anne Helm Anne Helm Anne Helm is a retired actress, born in Toronto, Ontario, Canada, and currently resides in Pasadena, CA.Living in New York City, she began pursuing a career as an actress which eventually led to Hollywood. Beginning in the 1950s, she made guest appearances on different television series and made... |
This was Shot in Citrus County, Florida Citrus County, Florida Citrus County is a county located in the U.S. state of Florida. As of 2000, the population was 118,085. The U.S. Census Bureau 2008 estimate for the county was 141,416 . Its county seat is Inverness, Florida... and Levy County, Florida Levy County, Florida Levy County is a county located in the state of Florida. As of 2000, the population was 34,450. The U.S. Census Bureau 2005 estimate for the county is 37,998. Its county seat is Bronson, Florida. Levy is pronounced lee vee.- History :... . |
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| Kid Galahad Kid Galahad Kid Galahad is a 1962 musical film starring Elvis Presley as a boxer. The film was released by United Artists. The film opened at #9 at the box office when released in the United States in August 1962... |
Walter Gulick / Dustin Holmes / Kid Galahad | Charles Bronson Charles Bronson Charles Bronson , born Charles Dennis Buchinsky was an American actor, best-known for such films as Once Upon a Time in the West, The Magnificent Seven, The Dirty Dozen, The Great Escape, Rider on the Rain, The Mechanic, and the popular Death Wish series... , Gig Young Gig Young Gig Young was an American film, stage, and television actor. Known mainly for second leads and supporting roles, Young won an Academy Award for his performance as a dance-marathon emcee in the 1969 film, They Shoot Horses, Don't They?.-Early life and career:Born Byron Elsworth Barr in St... , Lola Albright Lola Albright Lola Jean Albright is an American singer and actress.Albright worked as a model before moving to Hollywood. She began her motion picture career with a bit part in the 1948 film The Pirate, and followed it with an important role in the acclaimed 1949 hit Champion... , Joan Blackman Joan Blackman Joan Blackman is an American actress.-Biography:Blackman made her television acting debut as a guest performer in a 1957 series, Hawkeye and the Last of the Mohicans, and then appeared in her first motion picture, Good Day for a Hanging, in 1959. She had a significant role in two Elvis Presley films... |
This is a remake of a 1937 1937 in film The year 1937 in film involved some significant events, including the Walt Disney production of the first full-length animated film, Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs.- Events :*April 16 - Way Out West premieres in the US.... film Kid Galahad (1937 film) Kid Galahad is a 1937 prizefighter film starring Edward G. Robinson, Bette Davis, and Humphrey Bogart. The movie was directed by Michael Curtiz.... . |
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| Girls! Girls! Girls! Girls! Girls! Girls! Girls! Girls! Girls! is a 1962 musical comedy film starring Elvis Presley as a penniless Hawaiian fisherman who loves his life on the sea and dreams of owning his own boat. "Return to Sender", which reached #2 on the Billboard pop singles chart, is featured in the movie... |
Ross Carpenter | Stella Stevens Stella Stevens Stella Stevens Stella Stevens Stella Stevens (born October 1, 1938 is an American film, television and stage actress, who began her acting career in 1959 and starred in such popular films as The Nutty Professor, The Courtship of Eddie's Father, The Silencers, The Ballad of Cable Hogue and The... , Jeremy Slate Jeremy Slate Jeremy Slate was an American film and television actor.-Early life:He attended a military academy and joined the navy when he was 16. He was barely 18 when his destroyer assisted in the Normandy Invasion on D-Day . After the war he attended St. Lawrence University where he graduated with honors in... , Laurel Goodwin Laurel Goodwin Laurel Goodwin is a former American actress.A child model, Goodwin made her screen debut as the love interest of Elvis Presley in the 1962 film, Girls! Girls! Girls!. Between then and 1969, she appeared in three more films and as a guest actor on several television series, including the role of... |
The only one of his feature films to be nominated for a Golden Globe. | |||
| 1963 1963 in film The year 1963 in film involved some significant events.-Events:* June 12 - Cleopatra starring Elizabeth Taylor, Rex Harrison and Richard Burton premieres at the Rivoli Theatre in New York City.... |
It Happened at the World's Fair It Happened at the World's Fair It Happened at the World's Fair is a 1963 musical film starring Elvis Presley as a cropdusting pilot.The motion picture was filmed in Seattle, Washington, site of the Century 21 Exposition, the 1962 World's Fair. The governor of Washington at the time, Albert Rosellini, suggested the setting to... |
Mike Edwards | Joan O'Brien Joan O'Brien Joan O'Brien is an American actress and singer. She made a name for herself acting in television shows in the 1950's and 1960's, and as a film co-star with Cary Grant, Elvis Presley, John Wayne and Jerry Lewis.... , Gary Lockwood Gary Lockwood Gary Lockwood is an American actor probably best known for his iconic 1968 role as the astronaut Dr. Frank Poole in 2001: A Space Odyssey.-Early life:... , Vicky Tiu |
Kurt Russell Kurt Russell Kurt Vogel Russell is an American television and film actor. His first acting roles were as a child in television series, including a lead role in the Western series The Travels of Jaimie McPheeters... makes his movie debut (uncredited)—the kid who kicks Elvis in the shin. |
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| Fun in Acapulco Fun in Acapulco Fun in Acapulco is a 1963 American musical comedy film starring Elvis Presley and Ursula Andress. While some exterior scenes were shot in Acapulco, Mexico, Elvis's scenes were shot in Hollywood. He never went to Acapulco. The movie featured the Top 10 Billboard hit "Bossa Nova Baby". The film... |
Mike Windgren | Ursula Andress Ursula Andress Ursula Andress is a Swiss actress and a sex symbol of the 1960s. She is known for her roles as Bond girl Honey Ryder in Dr... , Elsa Cardenas Elsa Cárdenas Elsa Cárdenas is a Mexican actress. She has appeared in over 100 films and television shows since 1954. She starred in the film Happiness, which was entered into the 7th Berlin International Film Festival.-Selected filmography:... , Alejandro Rey Alejandro Rey Alejandro Rey was an Argentine actor. He immigrated to the United States in 1960, later became a U.S. citizen and gained his widest acclaim there.-Career:... , |
Teri Garr Teri Garr -Early life:Garr was born in Lakewood, Ohio in 1947. Her father, Eddie Garr , was a vaudeville performer, comedian and actor whose career peaked when he briefly took over the lead role in the Broadway drama Tobacco Road... makes an uncredited movie debut as an extra. |
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| 1964 1964 in film The year 1964 in film involved some significant events.-Events:* January 29 - The film Dr. Strangelove or: How I Learned to Stop Worrying and Love the Bomb is released.... |
Kissin' Cousins Kissin' Cousins Kissin' Cousins is a 1964 musical film comedy starring Elvis Presley in two roles, one as an American soldier, the other a hillbilly. The screenplay was nominated in the category of best written American musical by the Writers Guild of America... |
Josh Morgan / Jodie Tatum | Arthur O'Connell Arthur O'Connell Arthur O'Connell was an American stage and film actor. He appeared in films in 1941 and television programs... , Glenda Farrell Glenda Farrell -Career:Farrell came to Hollywood towards the end of the silent era. Farrell began her career with a theatrical company at the age of 7. She played Little Eva in Uncle Tom's Cabin... , Jack Albertson Jack Albertson Jack Albertson was an American character actor dating to vaudeville. A comedian, dancer, singer, and musician, Albertson is perhaps best known for his roles as Manny Rosen in The Poseidon Adventure , Grandpa Joe in Willy Wonka & the Chocolate Factory, Amos Slade in the 1981 animated film The Fox... , Pamela Austin, Yvonne Craig Yvonne Craig Yvonne Joyce Craig is an American actress best known for her role as Batgirl from the 1960s TV series Batman, and as the Orion Marta in the Star Trek: The Original Series episode “Whom Gods Destroy”.-Early life and career:... |
Filmed after Viva Las Vegas, this is Elvis' first dual role. Presley loathed the "strawberry blond" wig he had to wear as the hillbilly cousin in this film, in part because it made him look as he had before deciding to dye his hair black in 1957. The film and soundtrack would be The King's final work preceding the arrival of The Beatles The Beatles The Beatles were an English rock band, active throughout the 1960s and one of the most commercially successful and critically acclaimed acts in the history of popular music. Formed in Liverpool, by 1962 the group consisted of John Lennon , Paul McCartney , George Harrison and Ringo Starr... . |
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| Viva Las Vegas Viva Las Vegas Viva Las Vegas is a 1964 American romantic musical movie starring music icon Elvis Presley and actress/dancer Ann-Margret. This movie is regarded by many fans of these actors and by film critics as one of Presley's best movies, and it is noted for the apparent on-screen chemistry between Presley... |
Lucky Jackson | Ann-Margret Ann-Margret Ann-Margret Olsson is a Swedish-American actress, singer and dancer whose professional name is Ann-Margret. She became famous for her starring roles in Bye Bye Birdie, Viva Las Vegas, The Cincinnati Kid, Carnal Knowledge, and Tommy... , Cesare Danova Cesare Danova Cesare Danova was a television and screen actor. Born as Cesare Deitinger in Bergamo, Italy to an Austrian father and an Italian mother, he adopted Danova as his stage name after becoming an actor in Rome at the end of World War II. He emigrated to the United States in the 1950s to make the film... , William Demarest William Demarest Carl William Demarest was an American character actor. He frequently played crusty but good-hearted roles.-Early life and career:... |
Filmed before Kissin' Cousins. Elvis had an off-screen romance with his co-star Ann-Margret. This would be Presley's most successful film at the box office, returning more than $5 million to MGM on an investment of less than $1 million due to the dynamic combination of Presley, Ann-Margret and David Winters' choreography. Winters' first of four films he choreographed for Elvis. However, $5,000,000 would still be short of the box office returns of The Beatles' first movie A Hard Day's Night (film) A Hard Day's Night is a 1964 British black-and-white comedy film directed by Richard Lester and starring The Beatles—John Lennon, Paul McCartney, George Harrison and Ringo Starr—during the height of Beatlemania. It was written by Alun Owen and originally released by United Artists... which premiered two months after 'Viva'. |
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| Roustabout | Charlie Rogers | Barbara Stanwyck Barbara Stanwyck Barbara Stanwyck was an American actress. She was a film and television star, known during her 60-year career as a consummate and versatile professional with a strong screen presence, and a favorite of directors including Cecil B. DeMille, Fritz Lang and Frank Capra... , Leif Erickson Leif Erickson Leif Erickson was an American film and television actor.-Background:Leif Erickson was born William Wycliffe Anderson in Alameda, California. His father was commander of a fleet of ships and his mother was a noted newspaperwoman and writer... , Joan Freeman Joan Freeman Joan Freeman is an American actress.Freeman was a child actor, having appeared in her first film in 1949 at the age of seven... |
Presley insisted on doing his own stunt work, including a fight scene in which he incurred a head wound. The film and soundtrack would be Presley's first work following the arrival of The Beatles. | |||
| 1965 1965 in film The year 1965 in film involved some significant events, with The Sound of Music topping the U.S. box office.-Top grossing films : After theatrical re-issue- Awards :Academy Awards:... |
Girl Happy Girl Happy Girl Happy is a 1965 American musical romantic comedy in the beach party film and spring break style, starring Elvis Presley.This was the last mega-successful Elvis Presley film at the box office, finishing at #25 on the Variety year-end top-grossing films of 1965 chart and making $3 million,... |
Rusty Wells | Shelley Fabares Shelley Fabares Michele Ann Marie "Shelley" Fabares is an American actress and singer. Fabares is known for her roles as Donna Reed's oldest child, Mary Stone, on The Donna Reed Show , and as Craig T. Nelson's love interest and eventual wife, Christine Armstrong Fox, on the sitcom Coach. She also was Elvis... , Harold J. Stone Harold J. Stone Harold J. Stone was an American film and television character actor.Born Harold Hochstein to a Jewish acting family, he began his career on Broadway in 1939 and appeared in five plays in the next six years, including One Touch of Venus and Stalag 17, following which he made his motion picture... , Mary Ann Mobley Mary Ann Mobley Mary Ann Mobley is a former Miss America, actress, and television personality.-Career:After serving her reign as Miss America 1959, Mobley embarked on a career in both film and television... , Nita Talbot Nita Talbot Nita Talbot is an American actress. Talbot was a leading lady who spent the first decade or so of her career playing "slick chicks" and sharp-witted career girls, but is perhaps best known for her role as Marya, the White Russian spy in the 1960s sitcom, Hogan's Heroes, as well as Sheila Fine in... |
Shelley Fabares' first of three films she co-starred in with Elvis. Elvis would get so disgusted at the music he was given to sing, he wouldn't return to the studio for another session for eight months. | ||
| Tickle Me Tickle Me Tickle Me is a 1965 Western musical comedy film starring Elvis Presley as a champion rodeo bull-rider and bronco-buster. Elvis Presley won a 1966 Golden Laurel Award as the best male actor in a musical film for his role in this comedy. It is also the only Elvis film released by Allied Artists... |
Lonnie Beale / Panhandle Kid | Julie Adams Julie Adams Julie Adams is an American film and television actress, sometimes credited as Julia Adams or Betty Adams.-Life and career:... , Jocelyn Lane Jocelyn Lane Jocelyn Lane, also known as Jackie Lane, was a model and actress active in the 1960s. She was married to Prince Alfonso of Hohenlohe-Langenburg.-Early life:... , Jack Mullaney Jack Mullaney Jack Mullaney was an American actor, born in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. Mullaney acted in several television series and films throughout his career.... |
This is the only movie for which Presley did not record a new soundtrack; all songs had been recorded between 1960 and 1963 and already released. | |||
| Harum Scarum Harum Scarum Harum Scarum is a 1965 musical comedy film starring Elvis Presley which was shot on the original Cecil B. DeMille set from the film The King of Kings. Some of the film was based on Rudolph Valentino's The Sheik released in 1921... |
Johnny Tyronne | Mary Ann Mobley Mary Ann Mobley Mary Ann Mobley is a former Miss America, actress, and television personality.-Career:After serving her reign as Miss America 1959, Mobley embarked on a career in both film and television... , Fran Jeffries Fran Jeffries Fran Jeffries is an American singer, actress, and model.-Career:She had a cameo in the 1963 film The Pink Panther, in which she sang a song called "Meglio Stasera " while she danced provocatively around a fireplace... |
Col. Tom Parker wanted a talking camel in the movie. | |||
| 1966 1966 in film The year 1966 in film involved some significant events.-Events:Animation legend Walter Disney, well known for his creation of Mickey Mouse, died in 15 December 1966 of acute circulatory collapse following a diagnosis of, and surgery for, lung cancer... |
Frankie and Johnny Frankie and Johnny (1966 film) Frankie and Johnny is a 1966 musical film starring Elvis Presley as a riverboat gambler. The role of "Frankie" was played by Donna Douglas from The Beverly Hillbillies TV series. The film reached #40 on the Variety weekly national box office list for 1966. The budget of the film was estimated at... |
Johnny | Donna Douglas Donna Douglas Donna Douglas is an American actress best known for her role as Elly May Clampett, in the long-running television series The Beverly Hillbillies.-Early life:... , Harry Morgan Harry Morgan Harry Morgan is an American actor. Morgan is well-known for his roles as Colonel Sherman T. Potter on M*A*S*H , Pete Porter on both Pete and Gladys and December Bride , Detective Bill Gannon on Dragnet , and Amos Coogan on Hec Ramsey... , Sue Anne Langdon |
This is one of several movie variations based on the mid-19th century song of the same title | ||
| Paradise, Hawaiian Style Paradise, Hawaiian Style Paradise, Hawaiian Style is a 1966 musical comedy film starring Elvis Presley. It was the third and final motion picture that Presley filmed in Hawaii. The film reached #40 on the Variety weekly box office chart, earning $2.5 million in theaters.... |
Rick Richards | Suzanna Leigh Suzanna Leigh Suzanna Leigh is a former English actress.Born to a manufacturer of car engines Suzanna Leigh grew up in the Belgrave district of Leicester, England and later went to convent schools outside London... , James Shigeta James Shigeta James Shigeta is an American film and television actor. He is also a standards singer, musical theatre and nightclub performer, and recording artist. He is a Nisei or second-generation American of Japanese ancestry.-Early life:... , Donna Butterworth Donna Butterworth Donna Butterworth is an American motion picture performer who acted in The Family Jewels with Jerry Lewis and Paradise, Hawaiian Style with Elvis Presley, as well as a television movie, A Boy Called Nuthin with Ron Howard... |
This was 10-year-old Donna Butterworth's second and final film. | |||
| Spinout Spinout Spinout is a 1966 musical film and comedy starring Elvis Presley as the lead singer of a band and part-time race car driver. The movie was #57 on the year end list of the top-grossing films of 1966.-Plot:... |
Mike McCoy | Shelley Fabares Shelley Fabares Michele Ann Marie "Shelley" Fabares is an American actress and singer. Fabares is known for her roles as Donna Reed's oldest child, Mary Stone, on The Donna Reed Show , and as Craig T. Nelson's love interest and eventual wife, Christine Armstrong Fox, on the sitcom Coach. She also was Elvis... , Diane McBain Diane McBain Diane McBain is an American actress who, as a Warner Brothers contract player, reached a brief peak of popularity during the early 1960s... , Deborah Walley Deborah Walley Deborah Walley was an American actress.-Biographical Information:Deborah Walley was born in Bridgeport, Connecticut, to Ice Capades skating stars and choreographers Nathan and Edith Walley. She attended Central High School in Bridgeport. At fourteen she was playing summer-stock theatre. She... , Carl Betz Carl Betz Carl Betz was an American film and television actor. A native of Mount Lebanon, Pennsylvania, Betz participated in childhood theatricals and later worked in summer stock. He graduated from Mount Lebanon High School in 1939 and then served in the military... |
The final film of veteran actress Una Merkel Una Merkel Una Merkel was an American Tony Award-winning stage and film actress.-Life and career:Una Merkel was born in Covington, Kentucky, and grew up in Philadelphia and New York City. She bore a resemblance to actress Lillian Gish and began her career as a stand-in for Gish, most notably in the 1928... ; President Lyndon Johnson visited Elvis on the set of this film. |
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| 1967 1967 in film The year 1967 in film involved some significant events. It is widely considered as one of the most ground-breaking years in film.-Events:* December 26 - The Beatles Magical Mystery Tour airs on British television.... |
Easy Come, Easy Go | Lt. (j.g.) Ted Jackson | Dodie Marshall, Pat Priest, Pat Harrington, Jr. Pat Harrington, Jr. Pat Harrington, Jr., is an American voice, stage, and television actor most popularly known for his role as building superintendent "Schneider" on the CBS sitcom One Day At A Time. He is the son of Pat Harrington, Sr.- Biography :... , Elsa Lanchester Elsa Lanchester Elsa Sullivan Lanchester was an English-American character actress with a long career in theatre, film and television.... |
The ship featured in the first part of the movie is the USS Gallant USS Gallant (MSO-489) USS Gallant , an , was the second ship of the United States Navy to be named Gallant. The ship served in the US Navy from 1954 until 1994, when it was sold to Taiwan under the Security Assistance Program and renamed to Yung Ku .... , an ocean-going minesweeper. |
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| Double Trouble | Guy Lambert | Annette Day, John Williams John Williams John Towner Williams is an American composer, conductor, and pianist. In a career spanning almost six decades, he has composed some of the most recognizable film scores in the history of motion pictures, including the Star Wars saga, Jaws, Superman, the Indiana Jones films, E.T... , Norman Rossington Norman Rossington Norman Rossington was an English actor best remembered for his roles in The Army Game, the Carry On films and the Beatles film A Hard Day's Night.-Early life:... |
This was the only movie Annette Day ever made. | |||
| Clambake Clambake Clambake is a 1967 musical film starring Elvis Presley, and co-starring Shelley Fabares and Bill Bixby—the last of his four films for United Artists. The movie reached No. 15 on the national weekly box office charts.-Plot:... |
Scott Heyward / 'Tom Wilson' | Shelley Fabares Shelley Fabares Michele Ann Marie "Shelley" Fabares is an American actress and singer. Fabares is known for her roles as Donna Reed's oldest child, Mary Stone, on The Donna Reed Show , and as Craig T. Nelson's love interest and eventual wife, Christine Armstrong Fox, on the sitcom Coach. She also was Elvis... , Will Hutchins Will Hutchins Will Hutchins is an American actor most noted for playing the lead role of the young lawyer Tom Brewster in the Warner Brothers Western television series Sugarfoot on ABC from 1957-1961.-Biography:... , Gary Merrill Gary Merrill Gary Fred Merrill was an American film and television character actor whose credits included more than fifty feature films, a half-dozen mostly short-lived TV series, and dozens of television guest appearances.... , Bill Bixby Bill Bixby Wilfred Bailey Everett “Bill” Bixby III was an American film and television actor, director, and frequent game show panelist.His career spanned over three decades; he appeared on stage, in motion pictures and TV series... |
The red sports car in this film is a 1959 Chevrolet Corvette Chevrolet Corvette The Chevrolet Corvette is a sports car by the Chevrolet division of General Motors that has been produced in six generations. The first model, a convertible, was designed by Harley Earl and introduced at the GM Motorama in 1953 as a concept show car. Myron Scott is credited for naming the car after... Stingray Racer. |
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| 1968 1968 in film The year 1968 in film involved some significant events.-Events:* October 30 - The film The Lion in Winter, starring Katharine Hepburn, debuts.* November 1 - The MPAA's film rating system is introduced.-Top grossing films :- Awards :... |
Stay Away, Joe Stay Away, Joe Stay Away, Joe is a 1968 comedy-drama western film with musical interludes set in modern times and starring Elvis Presley, Burgess Meredith and Joan Blondell. The film was based on the 1953 novel by Dan Cushman, a satirical farce... |
Joe Lightcloud | Burgess Meredith Burgess Meredith Oliver Burgess Meredith , known professionally as Burgess Meredith, was an American actor in theatre, film, and television, who also worked as a director... , Joan Blondell Joan Blondell Rose Joan Blondell was an American actress who performed in movies and on television for five decades as Joan Blondell.After winning a beauty pageant, Blondell embarked upon a film career... , Katy Jurado Katy Jurado Katy Jurado , born María Cristina Estela Marcela Jurado García in Mexico, D.F., was a Mexican actress who had a successful film career both in Mexico and in Hollywood.... |
Elvis as an Indian rodeo rider. Filmed after Speedway | ||
| Speedway Speedway (film) Speedway is a 1968 action film musical film starring Elvis Presley as a racecar driver and Nancy Sinatra as his love interest.Scenes were shot at the Lowe's Motor Speedway in Concord, North Carolina... |
Steve Grayson | Nancy Sinatra Nancy Sinatra Nancy Sandra Sinatra is an American singer and actress. She is the daughter of singer/actor Frank Sinatra, and remains best known for her 1966 signature hit "These Boots Are Made for Walkin'".... , Bill Bixby, Gale Gordon Gale Gordon Gale Gordon was an American character actor perhaps best remembered as Lucille Ball's longtime television foil—and particularly as cantankerously combustible, tightfisted bank executive Theodore J. Mooney, on Ball's second television situation comedy, The Lucy Show... , William Schallert William Schallert William Joseph Schallert is an American actor who has appeared in many films and in such television series as The Smurfs, The Rat Patrol, Gunsmoke, The Patty Duke Show, The Many Loves of Dobie Gillis, The Waltons, Bonanza, Leave It to Beaver, The Dick Van Dyke Show, Love, American Style, Get... |
The film features cameos by several professional NASCAR NASCAR The National Association for Stock Car Auto Racing is a family-owned and -operated business venture that sanctions and governs multiple auto racing sports events. It was founded by Bill France Sr. in 1947–48. As of 2009, the CEO for the company is Brian France, grandson of the late Bill France Sr... drivers. Filmed before Stay Away, Joe. |
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| Live a Little, Love a Little Live a Little, Love a Little Live A Little, Love A Little is a 1968 musical comedy starring Elvis Presley. It was directed by Norman Taurog, who had directed several previous Presley films. This was to be Taurog's final film. Shortly thereafter, he went blind... |
Greg Nolan | Michele Carey Michele Carey Michele Carey is an American actress. She was also a child piano prodigy and a model. Touted as a discovery of Howard Hawks, she made her film debut in Hawks' El Dorado , starring John Wayne and Robert Mitchum... , Rudy Vallee Rudy Vallée Rudy Vallée was an American singer, actor, bandleader, and entertainer.-Early life:Born Hubert Prior Vallée in Island Pond, Vermont, the son of Charles Alphonse and Catherine Lynch Vallée... , Don Porter Don Porter Donald Porter was an American actor who appeared in a number of films in the 1940s, including Top Sergeant and Eagle Squadron, but is perhaps best known for his role as Russell Lawrence, the widowed father of 15-year old Frances "Gidget" Lawrence in the 1965 ABC television series... , Dick Sargent Dick Sargent Richard Stanford Cox , known professionally as Dick Sargent, was an American actor, notable as the second actor to portray Darrin Stephens on the television series Bewitched... |
Albert, the Great Dane in the movie, was played by Presley's own dog Brutus. Presley's father Vernon is featured as a model for one of the photo shoots. Final film before taping of the '68 T.V. Special | |||
| 1969 1969 in film The year 1969 in film involved some significant events.-Events:* Last year for prize giving at the Venice Film Festival until it is revived in 1980... |
Charro! Charro! Charro! is a 1969 Western film starring Elvis Presley. It was his only role that didn't feature him singing on-screen, and is the only Presley film to feature no songs at all except for the main title theme. It also features a bearded Presley for the first and last time in any of his films.The film... |
Jess Wade | Ina Balin Ina Balin Ina Balin was an American actress on Broadway and in film.Born as Ina Rosenberg to a Jewish family in Brooklyn, she first appeared on television on The Perry Como Show... , Victor French Victor French Victor Edwin French was an American actor and director.-Early career:Born in Santa Barbara, California,... |
The only Presley film in which he was not filmed singing. The only movie in which Presley wears a beard. Gunsmoke Gunsmoke Gunsmoke is an American radio and television Western drama series created by director Norman MacDonnell and writer John Meston. The stories take place in and around Dodge City, Kansas, during the settlement of the American West.... and Rawhide Rawhide (TV series) Rawhide is an American Western series that aired for eight seasons on the CBS network on Friday nights, from January 9, 1959 to September 3, 1965, before moving to Tuesday nights from September 14, 1965 until January 4, 1966, with a total of 217 black-and-white episodes... producer Charles Marquis Warren Charles Marquis Warren -External links:... was the director and screenwriter. |
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| The Trouble with Girls | Walter Hale | Marlyn Mason Marlyn Mason Marlyn Mason is an American actress.Her acting credits include roles in My Three Sons, Burke's Law, Kentucky Jones, Bonanza, Ben Casey, Dr... , Sheree North Sheree North Sheree North was an American actress, singer, and dancer. She was known for being 20th Century Fox's answer to Marilyn Monroe from 1954 to 1956... |
The only Presley release that was part of a double bill—with The Green Slime The Green Slime is a 1968 science-fiction film produced by MGM in the United States and shot in Japan at the studios of Toei Company by director Kinji Fukasaku. The film was spearheaded by the same creative team who produced similar Italian outings including Wild, Wild Planet, Ivan Reiner and Walter... (1968). Anissa Jones Anissa Jones Mary Anissa Jones was an American child actress known for her role as Buffy on the CBS sitcom Family Affair. She died from combined drug intoxication at the age of 18.-Early years:... , best known for playing Buffy on the television program Family Affair Family Affair Family Affair is an American sitcom that aired on CBS from September 12, 1966 to September 9, 1971. The series explored the trials of well-to-do civil engineer and bachelor Bill Davis as he attempted to raise his brother's orphaned children in his luxury New York City apartment. Davis' traditional... , stars in her only motion picture. Upon completion, Presley begins recording non-soundtrack material at American Sound Studios in Memphis. |
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| Change of Habit Change of Habit Change of Habit is a 1969 musical drama film starring Elvis Presley and Mary Tyler Moore. It was Presley's 31st and final film acting role; his remaining two film appearances were concert documentaries. It was also Moore's fourth and final film under her brief Universal Pictures contract; she... |
Dr. John Carpenter | Mary Tyler Moore Mary Tyler Moore Mary Tyler Moore is an American actress, primarily known for her roles in television sitcoms. Moore is best known for The Mary Tyler Moore Show , in which she starred as Mary Richards, a 30-something single woman who worked as a local news producer in Minneapolis, and for her earlier role as... , Barbara McNair Barbara McNair Barbara McNair was an African American singer and actress.Born Barbara Jean McNair in Chicago, Illinois and raised in Racine, Wisconsin, McNair studied music at the American Conservatory of Music in Chicago... , Edward Asner |
Featuring Mary Tyler Moore and Ed Asner less than a year before their success on TV with Mary Tyler Moore Show. His only movie for Universal Studios Universal Studios Universal Pictures , a subsidiary of NBCUniversal, is one of the six major movie studios.... . Playing a doctor who falls for a nun, this would be Presley's last feature film role. |
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| 1970 1970 in film The year 1970 in film involved some significant events.-Events:* January 9 - Larry Fine, the second member of The Three Stooges, suffers a massive stroke, therefore ending his career.... |
Elvis: That's the Way It Is Elvis: That's the Way it Is Elvis: That's the Way It Is is a documentary movie directed by Denis Sanders about Elvis Presley that was released on November 11, 1970. The film documents Elvis' Summer Festival in Las Vegas during August 1970... |
Himself | The Imperials The Imperials The Imperials are an American Christian music group that has been around for over 45 years. Originating as a southern gospel quartet, the innovative group would become pioneers of contemporary Christian music in the 1960s. There have been many changes for the band in membership and musical styles... , The Sweet Inspirations |
Concert documentary; shot during Presley's third season in Las Vegas. | ||
| 1972 1972 in film The year 1972 in film involved some significant events.-Top grossing films :- Awards :Academy Awards:*Avanti!, directed by Billy Wilder, starring Jack Lemmon and Juliet MillsB... |
Elvis On Tour Elvis on Tour Elvis on Tour is a Golden Globe Award-winning American musical documentary motion picture released by MGM in 1972. It was the thirty-third and final motion picture to star Elvis Presley before his death in 1977.-Background:... |
Himself | J.D. Sumner & The Stamps | Concert documentary; 1973 Golden Globe Golden Globe Award The Golden Globe Award is an accolade bestowed by the 93 members of the Hollywood Foreign Press Association recognizing excellence in film and television, both domestic and foreign... winner for Best Documentary film (it tied with Walls of Fire Walls of Fire Walls of Fire is a 1971 documentary film directed by Herbert Kline and Edmund Penney. Narrated by Ricardo Montalbán, this documentary examines the history of Mexican murals and their artists. Among the works examined are those by José Clemente Orozco, Diego Rivera and David Alfaro Siqueiros... [1971]). |