He was the greatest entertainer of the 20th century. He has been one of the best-selling artists in the world consistently since his debut album in 1956. He is the most successful solo music artist of all time, with over a billion records sold around the globe. He topped the Billboard Hot 100 18 times. His pop standards include such classic songs as “Burning Love,” “Hound Dog,” “Suspicious Minds” and “Heartbreak Hotel.”
His name is Elvis Presley. In addition to his unparalleled success as a music artist, he also had a respectable film career as a matinee idol, starring in a string of 31 mostly forgettable musicals in a span of only 13 years.
Among the more memorable is the tough drama “Jailhouse Rock,” the gritty “King Creole” and the blazing western “Flaming Star.”
But today the subject is “Viva Las Vegas.” The title song has been called the theme of Las Vegas and is considered one of The King’s best-loved classic songs. The movie itself is standard Elvis fair. But, somehow, it’s a cut above the rest.
Elvis always had a leading lady, typically a beautiful (yet talentless) blonde or brunette. But this time it was seductive Ann-Margret. She had just come off the tongue-in-cheek hit “Bye Bye Birdie” and was one of the most popular women in the country. She had been dubbed “the female Elvis” and a pairing with her and Presley had been highly anticipated.
The resulting motion picture was a box-office bonanza in 1964, earning the then-large amount of five million dollars, and led to a frenzy of backstage gossip about the supposed romance of Elvis and Ann. According to legend, the two were “this close” to getting married, but a teenager named Priscilla, who had been all but betrothed to Elvis for several years, stepped in the line of fire and reeled The King back. Ann-Margret has since been quoted as saying that had she married Presley, she could have saved his life.
Tabloids actually had the pair as married after cameras caught them dressed in wedding gear. In actuality, they were filming a scene for the movie.
Despite the scandalous behind-the-scenes stories, “Viva Las Vegas” still shines as a highlight in movie fluff. With no less than 11 songs sandwiched between three renditions of the title tune, the film is fast-paced and fun. The comedy portion of this musical comedy comes off charming and the two central stars have chemistry to burn. The off-screen romance obviously did not hurt the production in the least.
The story, which is of little importance when all is said and done, concerns racecar driver Lucky Jackson (Elvis) and a sexy Nevada native (Ann) and their road to romance. It’s fun, it’s hot, it’s Elvis and it’s Ann-Margret.
Songs in the film include the duet “The Lady Loves Me,” “Come On, Everybody” and (get this) “The Yellow Rose of Texas.”
Want to visit bright lights, city and set your soul … go set your soul on fire? Gotta whole lot of money that’s ready to burn? Wanna get those stakes up higher? See “Viva Las Vegas” and learn the rest of the lyrics.
