Did You Know…? Elvis Presley’s Movies
Posted by Elvis Presley's Graceland on Mar 27, 2015 | 51 comments Elvis was a natural performer who ruled on both the stage and the silver screen. Fans love his movies as much as they do his music. In fact, many Elvis Presley movie songs went on to become wildly popular in their own right. This month, we’re asking fans to vote for their favorite Elvis movies in our March Madness-style bracket, Elvis Movie Madness, to determine the fan favorite. We’re in round three – Elite 8 – right now, with a few more rounds of voting to come before the winner is crowned. Which one do you think will win? “Blue Hawaii,” “Viva Las Vegas,” “King Creole”? Or is your bet on a dark horse? Here are some fun Elvis Presley movie facts about each of the 16 films that made it to the Sweet 16 in Elvis Movie Madness – and don’t forget to vote for your favorite! LOVE ME TENDER “Love Me Tender” was released Nov. 21, 1956, and it was the first Elvis Presley movie to be broadcast on television, on Dec. 11, 1963. The original title was “The Reno Brothers.” When advanced sales for the single “Love Me Tender” passed the million mark, the film’s name was changed. Actor Neville Brand, whose character kills Elvis’ character, was a highly-decorated GI in World War II. LOVING YOU This is Elvis’ first color motion picture, and the working titles were “Running Wild” and “Lonesome Cowboy.” Elvis’ parents visited him in Hollywood while he was filming, and they were included as extras in a scene seated in the audience in the fourth row. Elvis’ bandmates, DJ Fonanta, Bill Black and Scotty Moore, are also in the film. Elvis dyed his hair black for this film, believing black would show up better on screen instead of naturally brown hair. Elvis continued to dye his hair like this for the rest of his life, stopping only while he was in the Army. JAILHOUSE ROCK For this film, Elvis was assigned Clark Gable’s former dressing room. When filming wrapped, Elvis boarded a train for Memphis. He was excited to get to his new home, Graceland, so he left the train in Louisiana and rented a car to drive the rest of the way. He spent his first night in Graceland on June 26, 1957. KING CREOLE Working titles for this film were “Danny” and “Sing, You Sinners.” Elvis stayed at the Roosevelt Hotel in New Orleans...read more