A Good Elvis movie may seem like an oxymoron but since today is the day when Elvis officially "left the building", here are my picks for top 10 Elvis movies. One of Elvis's stated main goals as a young singer was to become an actor, in the vein of James Dean and Marlon Brando. Although he got off to a promising start in the first movies he made, once he got back from serving his time in the Army, good ole Colonel Parker stuck him in one predictable musical after another. With names like like Scott Heyward and Mike Edwards, he had cool jobs like airline pilot and a race car driver; there were always girls, girls, girls and lots of singing. but not a lot of acting. Creativity was out the window and the money came rolling in. Until it didn't. After a while, the viewing public tired of the paint-by-number flicks and stopped going. We all know the story of how Elvis turned down the role opposite Barbra Streisand in A Star Is Born (eventually played by Kris Kristofferson). What would have happened if he had taken a risk and taken the role? Would it have revitalized his career, given him a new lease on life, saved his life? We will never know. Luckily, he lives on in his music and in these movies.
1. King Creole (1958)
Directed by Michael Curtiz (Casablanca), this is one of the movies Elvis made before working for Uncle Sam. He plays a brooding nightclub singer trying to escape the mob's reach in the Big Easy. Walter Matthau and Carolyn Jones, no slouches, were also in this one.
2. Jailhouse Rock (1957)
Elvis plays Vince Everett, a guy in jail for manslaughter who befriends a country singer with connections to the music biz. After he gets out, he becomes a teen sensation (a la the real Elvis), but forgets the friends who got him there. Unlike Vince, Elvis never forgot his friends, sometimes to his detriment. Elvis choreographed the wonderful Jailhouse Rock dance sequence.
3. It Happened At the World's Fair (1963)
I had to put this one in there because this was the movie where I first discovered Elvis. I asked my aunts who he was and they answered "Elvis? He's old enough to be your father!" Actually, he was 6 months older than my Dad. Watch for the scene where a young Kurt Russell kicks Elvis in the shins, his first paid gig. I also love the revolving restaurant atop of the Space Needle.
4. Clambake (1967)
Maybe not the best Elvis movie, but it has a couple things going for it. It takes place in Miami, and stars Shelley Fabares, the actress who starred in more Elvis films than any other girl. Elvis plays Scott Heyward, a millionaire who trades places with a water ski instructor, kind of a sixties version of the Prince and the Pauper. "You Don't Know Me," a great song, is in this one.
5. Flaming Star (1960)
The first Elvis movie I ever saw at a theatre, I went with my sister and a friend and was incensed when a girl sitting in a row behind us asked her friends "Is that him?" Of course, girl. Even though he was sporting a deep tan in this Revisionist Western (he was supposed to be a half breed), she should have recognized Elvis, for Pete's Sake! A still shot of a gun-toting Elvis from this movie was used by Andy Warhol in multi-color frames, a la Marilyn.
6. Viva Las Vegas (1963)
Probably my favorite, old school, Elvis movie. From the time Rusty (played by Ann Margret) rolls into Vegas with her little sports car and short-shorts, we are entertained. Love the dancing, singing scenes with Elvis and Ann Margret (The Lady Loves Me and C'mon Everybody). They had so much chemistry together (along with his and hers Harley Davidsons) it's a real shame they never made another movie together.
7. That's the Way It Is (1970)
Made at the start of his Las Vegas period, the best of his concert films.
8. Elvis On Tour (1972)
This was released around the time I saw Elvis in concert in Miami at the Jackie Gleason Convention Center. He was in great shape physically and vocally. Another concert film, it won a Golden Globe for Best Documentary and the montage sequences were edited by no less than Martin Scorsese.
9. Elvis the TV show (2005)
I loved this show, documenting the early years of EP, played by Irish actor Rhys Meyers. Although it didn't last long, I remember Priscilla, Elvis's ex-wife, being involved in the show, either as producer or consultant.
10. Elvis (1979)
This T.V. movie, produced by Dick Clark, kind of brings my list full circle. Kurt Russell, who kicked Elvis in the first movie I saw him in, does a remarkable job playing Elvis. I remember at the time it was made,Kurt Russell talked about how he studied tapes of Elvis for hours on end, to get his portrayal right. It paid off. As a bonus, Bing Russell, Kurt's dad. plays Vernon Presley. Season Hubley, who later became Kurt's wife, plays Priscilla. Slasher director John Carpenter, best known for his horror flicks like Halloween, directed this one.
While Elvis may have left the building, his memory (and his celluloid images) remain.
God Bless the King!
No comments:
Post a Comment