Charro!

Last updated

Charro!
CharroElvis.jpg
Theatrical release poster
Directed by Charles Marquis Warren
Screenplay byCharles Marquis Warren
Story byFrederick Louis Fox
Produced byCharles Marquis Warren
Starring
Cinematography Ellsworth Fredericks
Edited by Al Clark
Music by Hugo Montenegro
Production
company
Distributed byNational General Pictures
Release date
  • March 12, 1969 (1969-03-12)(USA) [1]
Running time
98 minutes
CountryUnited States
LanguageEnglish
Box office$1.5 million (US/ Canada rentals) [2]

Charro! is a 1969 American Western film starring Elvis Presley, shot on location at Apacheland Movie Ranch and Old Tucson Studios in Arizona. This was Presley's only film in which he did not sing on-screen; the film featured no songs at all other than the main title theme, which was played over the opening credits. [3] It was also the only movie in which Presley wore a beard. [3] The film was novelized by Harry Whittington. [4] [5]

Contents

Ina Balin, Victor French, Barbara Werle, and Solomon Sturges co-starred. It was the final film for director Charles Marquis Warren, who also produced and wrote it. [3] It was also the only Presley film distributed by National General Pictures. [6] The film made a profit but was not a runaway success, and remains one of Presley's least-seen films despite being regarded among his best in terms of his acting (as opposed to his singing). [3]

Plot

Jess Wade, a former member of a gang of outlaws led by Vince Hackett, is led to believe that an old flame, Tracy Winters, wants to meet him in a seedy Mexican saloon. Jess sees Billy Roy Hackett, Vince's younger brother, summoning Vince and the other members of the gang into the saloon, and realizes he has been set up. Jess orders the bar patrons to leave before a shootout ensues. Making a break for the door, Jess is stopped by Gunner, another gang member, and is forced to relinquish his gun and to go with them to their hideout in the mountains. Vince later tells him that the gang has stolen a gold-plated cannon that was used by Emperor Maximilian in his ill-fated fight against popular Mexican leader Benito Juárez. Vince informs him that a wanted poster has been produced: it says that Jess is in the gang who stole the cannon and has sustained a neck wound as a result of being shot by one of the guards. Ordering his men to subdue Jess on the ground, Vince uses a branding iron to burn his neck. They take his horse, leaving him stranded. He captures a wild horse in the desert and saddle-breaks it. The gang's motive is to force a ransom from the town they stole the cannon from, but the gang also use the cannon to hold the townspeople at bay. Only Jess can save the people from his former gang.

Cast

Background

The role of Jess Wade was originally offered to Clint Eastwood, who turned it down. [3] The budget for the movie was estimated at $1.5 million. Working titles for the film included Jack Valentine, Johnny Hang, and Come Hell or Come Sundown. [3] Presley signed up to the project with high hopes after reading the serious, song-free script, [7] but was left disappointed when he arrived for his first day of shooting on July 22, 1968, to find that the script he had originally signed up for had been changed beyond recognition. [7]

The original opening scene, which was to feature female nudity, was dropped in favor of a more gentle bar scene. [7] The story of Charro, which was written by Frederick Louis Fox, contained many violent scenes that were dropped from the film altogether. Harry Whittington based his novelization Charro on Fox's story, and included the scenes that Warren deemed too violent for the film. [3] [5] A scene which featured Ina Balin nude climbing from a bath was also removed. [3] Location scenes were shot at Apache Junction and the Apacheland Movie Ranch in Arizona. [3]

Reception

The film, although successful, was not received as well as Presley's previous films. [3] Many of Presley's fans were put off by the lack of songs, and critics were generally unimpressed with the film as a whole. [3] Despite this, the film made a good profit and Presley received $850,000 for his work. [6]

Roger Greenspun of The New York Times wrote of Presley's performance, "He treats his part rather as a minor embarrassment, and he seems determined not to push himself in a role that could have used a stronger personality to fill the lapses in the story and the wide open spaces in the dialogue." [8] Variety wrote that "Presley strolls through a tedious role that would have driven many another actor up the wall ... Even more at fault than Presley, who has occasionally responded in the past to the demands of a good director, is Charles Marquis Warren, who takes credit (or blame?) for the script, the direction, and even part of the production." [9] Kevin Thomas of the Los Angeles Times wrote that in the film Presley "sings nary a note, which is too bad. A song or two, though arguably inappropriate, would have helped to relieve the tedium of this trite low-budget Western that has quick-sale-to-TV stamped all over it." [10] Gary Arnold of The Washington Post called it "the least kinesthetic Western I've ever seen," which "seems to have conceived for the small screen. A plot that might suffice for 30 minutes of restless entertainment has been stretched to a somnambulent 98 minutes." [11] Allan Eyles of The Monthly Film Bulletin wrote, "Unfortunately, Charro is fatally undermined by the slack staging of its action highlights and by a plot riddled with irrational behaviour and dialogue ... As if to compensate for the film's lack of impact, Hugo Montenegro's lively but over-attentive score does too much underlining of mood and character." [12]

Soundtrack

In June 1968, Presley had already completed the sequences and recorded the songs for what would be his comeback television special and its attendant album, Elvis , that put his musical talents back on display after the long slog of the soundtrack years. [13] During the special, Presley erroneously states that he had made twenty-nine '"pictures" up to that time. The actual tally was twenty-eight at taping. Charro would be the twenty-ninth. By the time the special aired in December, 1968, Presley had completed his thirtieth film, The Trouble with Girls (and How to Get into It) .

His confidence and enthusiasm restored, Presley turned to his musical obligations for Charro! Appropriately for a Western, the studio hired Hugo Montenegro to produce the two songs intended for the film. The recording session took place at Samuel Goldwyn Studio in Hollywood, California on October 15, 1968. [14] The title song appeared in the movie during the opening credits, and was released commercially on February 25, 1969, as the b-side to RCA 47-9731 "Memories," which had also appeared on the TV special and album. [15] The other song recorded for the film, but not used, "Let's Forget About the Stars", appeared on the budget album Let's Be Friends in 1970. [14] This song is erroneously referred to in some sources as an outtake from the soundtrack of the later Presley film Change of Habit . [16]

Home media

Charro! was released on Video CD in 1996. [17] Charro! was released to DVD in the summer of 2007.[ citation needed ] It marked the very first time that an uncut release of the film was presented to the retail market, and in its original wide-screen letterbox format.[ citation needed ] This DVD version underwent an extensive re-mastering process to restore the original 35mm film-print quality. Previous VHS issues of the film, notably the 1990 Warner Home Video release, were of an inferior standard, mainly due to poor picture quality and minor edits throughout the movie.[ citation needed ] An oddity concerning Charro! is the film's classification. Despite containing violence and partial nudity (the latter a scene in which Ina Balin's character is shown exiting a bath tub), it was released with an MPAA G rating, even though other Presley films from the 1968-69 period carry PG ratings. These latter releases are somewhat less 'adult' than Charro!.

See also

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Heartbreak Hotel</span> Song recorded by Elvis Presley

"Heartbreak Hotel" is a song recorded by American singer Elvis Presley. It was released as a single on January 27, 1956, Presley's first on his new record label RCA Victor. It was written by Mae Boren Axton and Tommy Durden, with credit being given also to Presley. A newspaper article about the suicide of a lonely man who jumped from a hotel window inspired the song. Axton presented the song to Presley in November 1955 at a country music convention in Nashville. Presley recorded it on January 10, 1956, in a session with his band, the Blue Moon Boys, the guitarist Chet Atkins and the pianist Floyd Cramer. "Heartbreak Hotel" comprises an eight-bar blues progression, with heavy reverberation throughout the track, to imitate the character of Presley's Sun recordings.

<i>Jailhouse Rock</i> (film) 1957 film by Richard Thorpe

Jailhouse Rock is a 1957 American musical drama film directed by Richard Thorpe and starring Elvis Presley, Judy Tyler, Mickey Shaughnessy, Vaughn Taylor and Jennifer Holden. Adapted by Guy Trosper from a story written by Nedrick Young, the film tells the story of Vince Everett (Presley), a convict who learns the guitar while in prison and later becomes a star following his release.

<i>Change of Habit</i> 1969 film by William A. Graham

Change of Habit is a 1969 American crime drama musical film directed by William A. Graham, and starring Elvis Presley and Mary Tyler Moore. Written by James Lee, S.S. Schweitzer, and Eric Bercovici, based on a story by John Joseph and Richard Morris, the film is about three Catholic nuns, preparing for their final vows, who are sent to a rough inner city neighborhood dressed as lay missionaries to work at a clinic run by a young doctor. Their lives become complicated by the realities they face in the inner city, and by the doctor who falls in love with one of the nuns.

<i>Love Me Tender</i> (film) 1956 film directed by Robert D. Webb

Love Me Tender is a 1956 American musical Western film directed by Robert D. Webb, and released by 20th Century Fox on November 15, 1956. The film, named after the song, stars Richard Egan, Debra Paget, and Elvis Presley in his acting debut. As Presley's movie debut, it was the only time in his acting career that he did not receive top billing.

<i>King Creole</i> 1958 film by Michael V. Gazzo, Hal B. Wallis, Herbert Baker, Michael Curtiz

King Creole is a 1958 American musical drama film directed by Michael Curtiz and based on the 1952 novel A Stone for Danny Fisher by Harold Robbins. Produced by Hal B. Wallis, the film stars Elvis Presley, Carolyn Jones, Walter Matthau, Dolores Hart, Dean Jagger, and Vic Morrow, and follows a nineteen-year-old (Presley) who gets mixed up with crooks and involved with two women.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Ina Balin</span> American actress (1937–1990)

Ina Balin was an American stage, film, and television actress. She is best known for her role in the film From the Terrace (1960), for which she received two Golden Globe Award nominations and won one for Most Promising Newcomer – Female.

<i>Stay Away, Joe</i> 1968 film by Peter Tewksbury

Stay Away, Joe is a 1968 American comedy western film with musical interludes, set in modern times and starring Elvis Presley, Burgess Meredith, Katy Jurado and Joan Blondell. Directed by Peter Tewksbury, the film is based on the 1953 satirical farce novel of the same name by Dan Cushman. The film reached number 65 on the Variety weekly national box office chart in 1968.

<i>Live a Little, Love a Little</i> 1968 film by Norman Taurog

Live a Little, Love a Little is a 1968 American musical comedy film starring Elvis Presley. It was directed by Norman Taurog, who had directed several previous Presley films. This was to be Taurog's final film, as he went blind shortly after production ended. Presley shares the screen with fellow legendary singing idol Rudy Vallee, whose career dated to the 1920s, but Vallee, in his late 60s, did not sing in the film.

<i>The Trouble with Girls</i> (film) 1969 film by Peter Tewksbury

The Trouble with Girls (and How to Get into It), also known as simply The Trouble with Girls, is a 1969 film directed by Peter Tewksbury and starring Elvis Presley. It was one of Presley's final acting roles, along with the same year's Change of Habit. It is based on the 1960 novel Chautauqua by Day Keene and Dwight Vincent Babcock.

<i>Elvis for Everyone!</i> 1965 studio album by Elvis Presley

Elvis for Everyone! is the eighth studio album by American singer and musician Elvis Presley, issued by RCA Victor in mono and stereo, LPM/LSP 3450, on August 10, 1965. Recording sessions took place over a ten-year span at Sun Studio in Memphis, RCA Studio B in Nashville, Tennessee, and Radio Recorders in Hollywood, California. It peaked at number 10 on the Top Pop Albums chart.

<i>Elvis Sings Flaming Star</i> Album by Elvis Presley

Singer Presents Elvis Singing Flaming Star and Others is a compilation album by American singer and musician Elvis Presley, released by RCA Records on October 1, 1968. It spent five months available only at select retail stores featuring products by the Singer Sewing Machine Company as a promotional tie-in with Presley's upcoming Christmas television special on the NBC network, which Singer had sponsored. It was reissued for normal retail channels as Elvis Sings Flaming Star in April 1969, becoming the first Elvis Presley budget album on the RCA Camden label, catalogue CAS 2304. The 1969 release peaked at number 96 on the Billboard 200 album chart. It was certified Gold on July 15, 1999, and Platinum on January 6, 2004, by the Recording Industry Association of America.

<i>Lets Be Friends</i> 1970 compilation album by Elvis Presley

Let's Be Friends is a compilation album by American singer and musician Elvis Presley, released by RCA Records CAS 2408, in April 1970. It is the second Presley budget album to appear on the low-priced RCA Camden label. It peaked at number 105 on the Billboard 200 album chart. It was certified Gold on June 15, 1999 and Platinum on January 6, 2004 by the Recording Industry Association of America.

<i>Elvis: A Legendary Performer Volume 4</i> 1983 compilation album by Elvis Presley

Elvis: A Legendary Performer Volume 4 is a compilation album featuring recordings by American singer Elvis Presley. It was the last in a series of albums that began with Elvis: A Legendary Performer Volume 1 in 1974, and the first since Elvis: A Legendary Performer Volume 3 in 1979. It was also the final album by any artist in the RCA A Legendary Performer series to be issued. This album was made up entirely of heretofore unissued recordings by Presley, with the exception of one track that was previously released in the Elvis Aron Presley boxed set in 1980.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">It Hurts Me</span> 1964 single by Elvis Presley

"It Hurts Me" is a 1964 Top 40 song recorded by Elvis Presley on RCA Victor. Credited to Joy Byers and Charles E. Daniels, "It Hurts Me" is a ballad that was recorded by Elvis Presley on January 12, 1964. It was first released as a single by Elvis in February 1964.

<i>Speedway</i> (soundtrack) 1968 soundtrack album by Elvis Presley

Speedway is the seventeenth soundtrack album by American singer and musician Elvis Presley, released by RCA Victor in mono and stereo, LPM/LSP 3989, on June 25, 1968. It serves as the soundtrack album for the 1968 film Speedway starring Presley. Recording sessions took place at Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer studios in Hollywood, California, on June 20 and 21, 1967. It peaked at number 82 on the Billboard 200.

<i>Elvis</i> (1968 album) 1968 live album by Elvis Presley

Elvis is the soundtrack album for American rock and roll singer Elvis Presley's 1968 television special of the same title, released by RCA Records. It was recorded live at NBC Studios in Burbank, California, with additional studio work taking place at Western Recorders, in June 1968. The album peaked at No. 8 on the Billboard 200; along with the TV special, it revitalized Presley's career after years of diminishing commercial and critical success. It was certified Gold on July 22, 1969, and Platinum on July 15, 1999, by the RIAA.

<i>Elvis Greatest Shit</i> 1982 compilation album (bootleg) by Elvis Presley

Elvis' Greatest Shit is a bootleg recording of Elvis Presley, released in July 1982. It assembles a number of studio recordings—including some film scores—and outtakes intended to represent the worst recordings Presley made in his career.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Memories (Elvis Presley song)</span> 1969 single by Elvis Presley

"Memories" is a 1968 song originally recorded by Elvis Presley.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Charro (song)</span> 1969 single by Elvis Presley

"Charro" is a song first recorded by Elvis Presley as part of the soundtrack for his 1969 motion picture Charro!, a western directed by Charles Marquis Warren. It is the film's title song and the only song featured, as Charro! was Presley's first film in which he didn't sing in character.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Let Yourself Go (Elvis Presley song)</span> 1968 single by Elvis Presley

"Let Yourself Go" is a song first recorded by Elvis Presley as part of the soundtrack for his 1968 motion picture Speedway.

References

  1. ↑ Charro! - History. AFI Catalog of Feature Films . American Film Institute. Retrieved April 21, 2019.
  2. ↑ "Big Rental Films of 1969" in Variety, 7 January 1970 p. 15.
  3. 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 Victor, Adam (2008). The Elvis Encyclopedia. Gerald Duckworth & Co Ltd. pp. 75, 76. ISBN   978-0-7156-3816-3.
  4. ↑ Bridges, Ben. "Harry Whittington." www.benbridges.com.uk. Retrieved December 9, 2016.
  5. 1 2 De Jong, Gerrit. "Original Books Adapted Into Elvis Presley’s Movies." www.elvisechoesofthepast.com. Retrieved December 9, 2016.
  6. 1 2 Victor, Adam (2008). The Elvis Encyclopedia. Gerald Duckworth & Co Ltd. p. 362. ISBN   978-0-7156-3816-3.
  7. 1 2 3 Guralnick, Peter (1999). Careless Love: the Unmaking of Elvis Presley . Little, Brown & Company. p.  319. ISBN   978-0-316-64402-0.
  8. ↑ Greenspun, Roger (September 4, 1969). "'A Fine Pair' and 'Charro' on Double Bill in Neighborhoods". The New York Times . 51.
  9. ↑ "Film Reviews: Charro". Variety . March 12, 1969. 26.
  10. ↑ Thomas, Kevin (March 26, 1969). "'Charro!' Playing a Citywide Engagement". Los Angeles Times Part IV, p. 19.
  11. ↑ Arnold, Gary (May 24, 1969). "Elvis Trots Out a Horse Opera". The Washington Post . F7.
  12. ↑ "Charro". The Monthly Film Bulletin . 38 (450): 139. July 1971.
  13. ↑ Jorgensen, Ernst. Elvis Presley A Life in Music: The Complete Recording Sessions. New York: St. Martin's Press, 1998; pp. 255-259.
  14. 1 2 Jorgensen, op. cit., p. 260.
  15. ↑ Jorgensen, op. cit., p. 249.
  16. ↑ Roy Carr and Mick Farren, Elvis: The Illustrated Record. New York: Harmony Books, 1982; p. 133.
  17. ↑ "CD Films/Music". Sega Saturn Magazine . No. 10. Emap International Limited. August 1996. p. 95.
This page is based on this Wikipedia article
Text is available under the CC BY-SA 4.0 license; additional terms may apply.
Images, videos and audio are available under their respective licenses.