Viva Las Vegas | |
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![]() Theatrical release poster | |
Directed by | George Sidney |
Written by | Sally Benson |
Produced by | |
Starring |
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Cinematography | Joseph F. Biroc |
Edited by | John McSweeney, Jr. |
Music by | George E. Stoll |
Production company | Jack Cummings Productions |
Distributed by | Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer |
Release date |
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Running time | 85 minutes |
Country | United States |
Language | English |
Budget | $1 million |
Box office | $9.4 million [1] |
Viva Las Vegas is a 1964 American rock and roll musical film directed by George Sidney, written by Sally Benson, choreographed by David Winters, and starring Elvis Presley, Ann-Margret, Cesare Danova, William Demarest and Nicky Blair. Set in Las Vegas, Nevada, the film is about two competing race car drivers who also compete for the same girl.
The film's theme song "Viva Las Vegas" (written by Doc Pomus and Mort Shuman) did well on the year's record sales and has since become a theme song for the titular city.
The film is regarded by Elvis fans and film critics as one of Presley's best films, and it is noted for the real-life on-screen chemistry between Presley and Ann-Margret.
Viva Las Vegas was a hit at film theaters, as it was No. 14 on the Variety entertainment trade magazine's year end box office list of the top-grossing films of 1964. [2]
Lucky Jackson (Elvis) goes to Las Vegas, Nevada to participate in the city's first annual Grand Prix Race. However, his race car, an Elva Mark VI, is in need of a new engine to compete in the event.
Lucky raises the necessary money in Las Vegas, but he loses it when he is shoved into the pool by the hotel's young swimming instructor, Rusty Martin (Ann-Margret). Lucky then has to work as a waiter at the hotel to replace the lost money to pay his hotel bill, as well as enter the hotel's talent contest in hopes of winning a cash prize sizable enough to pay for his car's engine.
During all this time, Lucky attempts to win the affections of Rusty. His main competition arrives in the form of Count Elmo Mancini (Cesare Danova) and his Ferrari 250 GT Berlinetta. Mancini attempts to win both the Grand Prix and the affections of Rusty. Rusty soon falls in love with Lucky, and immediately tries to change him into what she wants.
George Sidney later said "that was one of those cases where we had no script and we had a commitment. Originally it was something about an Arabian or something... But we turned it around and we wrote the script in about eleven days... We changed the whole thing and decided to do it in Las Vegas." [3]
In March 1963, Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer president Robert O'Brien announced Viva Las Vegas would be one of 20 films made at the studio the following year. [4] By May, Ann-Margret signed to co-star. [5] She was paid $15,000 a week over ten weeks. [6] Viva Las Vegas was filmed during the summer of 1963, before production of Presley's film Kissin' Cousins , but was released after Kissin' Cousins in the summer of 1964.
In Great Britain, both the film and its soundtrack were sold as Love in Las Vegas, since there was another, different film called Viva Las Vegas that was being shown in British cinemas at the same time that Presley's was released.
The chemistry between the two stars [7] was genuine during filming. Presley and Ann-Margret began an affair, and this received considerable attention from film and music gossip columnists. This reportedly led to a showdown with Presley's worried girlfriend Priscilla Beaulieu. (Elvis and Priscilla married in 1967.) In her 1985 book Elvis and Me , Priscilla Presley describes the difficulties that she experienced when the gossip columnists erroneously "announced" that Ann-Margret and Presley had become engaged to be married.
In her memoirs, Ann-Margret refers to Elvis Presley as her "soulmate" and stated: "We felt there was a need in 'The Industry' for a female Elvis Presley." [8] [9]
In addition, the filming of Viva Las Vegas reportedly produced unusually heated exchanges between the director, film veteran George Sidney, and Presley's manager, Colonel Tom Parker, who was not credited as a "Technical Advisor" in the film's credits.
The arguments reportedly concerned the amount of time and effort allotted by the cinematographer, Joseph Biroc, to the song and dance numbers that featured Ann-Margret, ostensibly on the orders of the director. These scenes include views of Ann-Margret's dancing taken from many different camera angles, the use of multiple cameras for each scene, and several retakes of each of her song-and-dance scenes.
David Winters, the film's choreographer, was recommended for the job by Ann-Margret, who was his dance student at the time. [10] This was Winters's first job as a choreographer.[ citation needed ] The film presents a set of ten musical song-and-dance scenes. [11]
Because the film went over budget, Parker would slash budgets for all remaining films in Presley's career.
Little Church of the West, the oldest wedding chapel in Las Vegas, is the location used in the closing scene.
The scene where Presley sings "Viva Las Vegas" is performed in one single unedited shot, the only known example of such a technique in Presley's film career.
The film also includes a scene (Lucky and the Count looking for Rusty) with the showgirls of the Folies Bergere at The Tropicana Hotel Las Vegas. [12]
The film grossed $9,442,967 at the box office, [1] earning $5 million in U.S. theatrical rentals. [13]
For his role in Viva Las Vegas, Elvis Presley received a third place prize 1965 Laurel Award for best male performance in a musical film. Viva Las Vegas was also the 1965 Laurel runner-up in the category of the best musical of 1964. Ann-Margret was praised for her on screen chemistry with Elvis, as she nearly stole the film from him.
Some critics in 1964 were lukewarm about Viva Las Vegas, such as one for The New York Times, who wrote: "Viva Las Vegas, the new Elvis Presley vehicle, is about as pleasant and unimportant as a banana split." [14] However, many others deduced the reasons why many members of the North American public liked the movie so much. Variety stated in its review: "Beyond several flashy musical numbers, a glamorous locale, and one electrifying auto race sequence, the production is a pretty trite and 'heavyhanded' affair". [7] Critical reaction notwithstanding, Viva Las Vegas has become one of Elvis Presley's most popular and iconic films.
Contemporary reception for the film has been positive. On review aggregator Rotten Tomatoes, the film holds an approval rating of 87% based on 30 reviews. The site's critics consensus reads, "Ann-Margret keeps Elvis on his toes and together they elevate Viva Las Vegas into a naughty and rockin' mild delight." [15] Filmink argued Ann-Margret "had so much energy and pep that she had blown her previous three male co-stars off screen, but Elvis could match her. He was the best on-screen partner she ever had, and she was his. It’s the most purely entertaining Elvis movie ever, a complete delight and it’s unbelievable they were never teamed again." [16]
The film is recognized by American Film Institute in these lists:
This DVD release contains the movie in two formats on a flipper disc. One side contains the movie in the Aspect Ratio: 1.33:1 (4:3), the other side is in Widescreen (Letterbox). The soundtrack is presented in mono. [19]
This film is the first of only two Elvis movies (the other being Jailhouse Rock ) to be officially released onto every home media format distributed in the U.S. (Beta, VHS, CED Disc, Laserdisc, DVD, HD DVD and Blu-ray Disc)
In 2001, Warner Bros. were developing a remake of Viva Las Vegas starring Ricky Martin as "a Puerto Rican singer who comes to Las Vegas to make it big", alongside Jennifer Lopez. The film was to be produced by Lisa Tornell with a screenplay by Jason Schafer. [21] [22] For whatever reason, this project did not eventuate.
Ann-Margret Olsson, credited as Ann-Margret, is a Swedish actress, singer, and dancer with a career spanning seven decades. Initially gaining notoriety in 1961 as a singer with a sultry, vibrant contralto voice, she quickly rose to Hollywood stardom.
Roustabout is a 1964 American musical feature film starring Elvis Presley as a singer who takes a job working with a struggling carnival. The film was produced by Hal Wallis and directed by John Rich from a screenplay by Anthony Lawrence and Allan Weiss. The screenplay was nominated for a Writers Guild of America award for best written American musical although Roustabout received a lukewarm review in Variety. The film's soundtrack album was one of Elvis Presley's most successful, reaching no. 1 on the Billboard Album Chart. It was filmed in Techniscope at Paramount Studios, with carnival sequences shot in Thousand Oaks, California. Filming began in March 1964.
Elvis and Me: The True Story of the Love Between Priscilla Presley and the King of Rock N' Roll is a 1985 memoir written by Priscilla Presley, with Sandra Harmon. In the book, Priscilla talks about meeting Elvis Presley, their marriage, and the factors and issues that led to the couple's divorce.
George Sidney was an American film director and producer who worked primarily at Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer. His work includes cult classics Bye Bye Birdie (1963) and Viva Las Vegas (1964). With an extensive background in acting, stage direction, film editing, and music, Sidney created many of post-war Hollywood's big budget musicals, such as Annie Get Your Gun (1950), Show Boat (1951), Kiss Me Kate (1953), Jupiter's Darling (1955), and Pal Joey (1957). He was also a president of the Screen Directors Guild for 16 years.
Kissin' Cousins is a 1964 American musical Panavision Metrocolor comedy film directed by Gene Nelson and starring Elvis Presley. Written by Gerald Drayson Adams and Gene Nelson, the film featured Presley playing two roles: an Air Force officer, with dark hair, and his look-alike hillbilly distant cousin, with blond hair.
Girl Happy is a 1965 American musical romantic comedy and beach party film starring Elvis Presley in his eighteenth feature. The movie won a fourth place prize Laurel Award in the category Top Musical of 1965. It featured the song "Puppet on a String", which reached #14 on the Billboard Hot 100, #3 on the Adult Contemporary chart and in Canada, and was certified Gold by the RIAA.
Elvis: That's the Way It Is is a 1970 American documentary film directed by Denis Sanders. The film documents American singer Elvis Presley's Summer Festival in Las Vegas during August 1970. It was his first non-dramatic film since the beginning of his film career in 1956, and the film gives a clear view of Presley's return to live performances after years of making films. The film was released simultaneously with Presley's similarly titled twelfth studio album, That's the Way It Is.
Cesare Danova was an Italian television and screen actor. He was best known for his roles in The Captain's Daughter (1947), Viva Las Vegas (1964), Chamber of Horrors (1966), Mean Streets (1973), National Lampoon's Animal House (1978) and various roles in The Rifleman (1958-1963).
"Viva Las Vegas" is a 1964 song recorded by Elvis Presley written by Doc Pomus and Mort Shuman for his film of the same name, which along with the song was set for general release the year after. Although Elvis Presley never performed the song live, it has since become popular and often performed by others. The RIAA certified the single disc "Viva Las Vegas/What'd I Say" gold on March 27, 1992, having sold 500,000 copies in the United States.
Viva Las Vegas may refer to:
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.
Bye Bye Birdie is a 1963 American musical romantic comedy film directed by George Sidney from a screenplay by Irving Brecher, based on Michael Stewart's book of the 1960 musical of the same name. It also features songs by composer Charles Strouse and lyricist Lee Adams, and a score by Johnny Green. Produced by Fred Kohlmar, the film stars Janet Leigh, Dick Van Dyke, Ann-Margret, Maureen Stapleton, Bobby Rydell, Jesse Pearson, and Ed Sullivan. Van Dyke and featured player Paul Lynde reprised their roles from the original Broadway production.
Las Vegas is a major city in the U.S. state of Nevada.
Today, Tomorrow, and Forever is a 2002 Elvis Presley compilation album released by RCA Records. The album features songs from the early years of Presley on Sun Records to his movie career, 68' Comeback Special, Gospel, Vegas and later years. As indicated on the packaging, none of the tracks in this four-CD set had ever been released previously, as all tracks featured were either alternate studio takes or previously unreleased live performances. The title track of the collection is a (then-)recently discovered outtake from the soundtrack recording sessions for Viva Las Vegas featuring Presley in duet with Ann-Margret.
The Swinger is a 1966 American sex comedy film directed by George Sidney and starring Ann-Margret and Anthony Franciosa.
Viva Las Vegas is an EP by American singer Elvis Presley, containing four songs from the 1964 motion picture, Viva Las Vegas. It was released by RCA Victor in May 1964 to coincide with the film's premiere. The soundtrack EP made the Billboard Hot 100 at No. 92, the lowest-charting release of Presley's career to this point. RCA had not released a Presley EP single in two years; given the format's decreasing popularity in the United States and the disappointing chart performance of Viva Las Vegas, the company would only issue two more for the remainder of Presley's career.
David Winters was an English-American actor, dancer, choreographer, producer, film distributor, director and screenwriter. Winters participated in over 150 television series, television specials, and motion pictures. His accolades include two Emmy Award nominations, a Peabody Award, a Christopher Award, and many more. At a young age, he was seen acting in film and television projects such as Lux Video Theatre, Naked City, Mister Peepers, Rock, Rock, Rock, and Roogie's Bump. He received some attention in Broadway musicals for his roles in West Side Story (1957) and Gypsy (1959). In the film adaptation of West Side Story (1961) he was cast as A-rab. It became the highest grossing motion picture of that year, and won 10 Academy Awards, including Best Picture.
"C'mon Everybody" is a song written by Joy Byers and originally recorded by Elvis Presley for the 1964 MGM motion picture Viva Las Vegas. It made in into the top 10 in the Philippines and in South Africa.
"Today, Tomorrow and Forever" is a song written by Bernie Baum, Florence Kaye and Bill Giant and based on a classical piano piece titled "Liebestraum" by Franz Liszt. Elvis Presley performed the song in the 1964 MGM film Viva Las Vegas.
Pete Menefee is an American dancer, performer, and costume- and stage-designer who has worked in Hollywood since the 1960s. He has been nominated for four Emmy Awards, winning three times, the most recent being in 2002 in the "Outstanding Costumes for a Variety or Music Program" for the opening ceremony of the 2002 Winter Olympics, held in Salt Lake City, Utah. The other two were in 1980 and 1988. He was nominated in 1987.