Elvis & Ann-Margret Rock ‘Viva Las Vegas’ 1964

Ann-Margret & Elvis Presley are a dynamic duo in 1964's "Viva Las Vegas."

 

Viva Las Vegas is a fun bit of fluff, and all the credit goes to its well-paired stars, Elvis Presley and Ann-Margret. There's virtually no plot, even for an Elvis movie. Yet, when the two stars banter and bicker, or sing and dance, you marvel at their youthful beauty, sex appeal and energy, and charismatic talent. They're a high-voltage wow together. 

Elvis Presley& Ann-Margret's chemistry was red hot in 1964's "Viva Las Vegas."

Elvis Presley's character Lucky Jackson is so multi-talented. He's a race car driver who also sings and plays guitar. He can fly a helicopter and he's also a waiter on the side. Side hustles, as the kids say today. Ann-Margret is Rusty Martin, a children's swimming instructor who just happens to sing and dance as well. A “lucky” coincidence!  A-M’s dancing is so energetic that audiences can burn calories by just watching her. Her singing, however, is a matter of taste. I am just not a fan of A-M’s babykins voice with that exaggerated vibrato.

Elvis' Lucky knows his way around a chopper as well as race car in "Viva Las Vegas."

Elvis is a most dapper dresser and dons some unusual suits and mod boots. Ann-Margret is utterly adorable as the kitten with the whiplash hair! And for most of the movie, A-M is at her ‘60s slinkiest, with sleek outfits that show off her figure and a simple, long wave of hair. It’s only in later scenes that she is teased, lacquered, or bewigged, and then the artificial ‘60s Ann-Margret intrudes. It's great fun to watch the stars rock the 1964 fashions in their glorious youth. There’s great humor and chemistry between Elvis and A-M, which was much noted at the time.

Ann-Margret looks simply lovely here as Rusty Martin in "Viva Las Vegas."

...in scenes like this, Ann-Margret looks like Jiffy-Pop! 

The padding is mostly tolerable, but the merry chase through casino showrooms looking for Rusty is a total time waster. Lucky and Rusty’s date day is just watching the stars clowning, but they make it fun. That Elvis sings "Viva Las Vegas" three times in an 85-minute movie speaks volumes to the filler in this slight feature film.

The title tune "Viva Las Vegas" is performed three times in less than 90 minutes!

Presley and A-M’s numbers together are great fun and the highlight of the Viva Las Vegas. The midsection has the best of them, where Elvis sings and gyrates, as Ann-Margret whips herself into a sexy frenzy. In the background is Teri Garr in a black and white dress for “That's What I Say.” And the girl “with the red dress on” is Toni Basil. The three song medley is a mashup of high energy fun.

That's Teri Garr in B&W on the left, looking rather glum throughout this number!

After that, it's a lot of slapstick, and A-M going from her most appealing to comically caterwauling through a couple of numbers. Ann-Margret was one of many female stars promoted as the next Marilyn, after Monroe's recent death. Her "Appreciation" number is a weak take off on some previous MM numbers, particularly of a bad MM number, "Specialization" from Let's Make Love. The shellacked, artificial A-M in these scenes was considered sophisticated. Most likely this came from director George Sidney, who was enamored/obsessed with A-M, when they made three films together. It was said that Colonel Tom Parker had to remind Sidney that this was an Elvis movie. Note the finale, where Elvis and A-M share a split screen together to sing the title tune, and one wonders if even Presley was tired of vying for the screen with A-M.

Ann-Margret in ruffles and a fall; Cesare Danova, sporting Tony Polar's
"Valley of the Dolls" nightclub act suit?

Elvis Presley is at his mid-movie career best: he sings and looks great, plus his natural self-deprecating humor is put to good use in the boy-meets-girl scenario. This may have been Presley’s introduction to Las Vegas, where Elvis would be a top attraction in the next decade, as would Ann-Margret.

Elvis Presley's Lucky is gambling on love in 1964's "Viva Las Vegas."

Craggy William Demarest (My Three Sons) plays A-M’s father, amusing, since he was 72 at the time to her fresh-faced 23—hey, that’s show biz! Cesare Danova is Elvis’ rival on the race track and for Ann-Margret’s Rusty. Since A-M’s hard to get attitude toward Presley’s Lucky is practically non-existent, Danova’s not much of a threat.

Director George Sidney displays all of Ann-Margret's charms in "Viva Las Vegas."

Viva Las Vegas is no musical classic, but is a tasty trifle. Just enjoy these great stars in their prime, some fun song and dances, and nostalgic Las Vegas scenery—forget the rest!

Here’s my look at one of Elvis Presley’s best, Loving You: https://ricksrealreel.blogspot.com/2019/08/elvis-presley-fans-still-loving-you-1957.html 

Love this candid shot of Ann-Margret & Elvis Presley on set of "Viva Las Vegas."

“House of Women”: No Holds Barred “B” 1962

 

Stars behind bars: the cast of 1962's 'House of Women' from WB.

WB’s House of Women is really a rehash of Caged. The main difference is the ‘62 semi-remake is a “B” flick and 1950’s Caged was an Oscar-nominated hit. The one thing they have in common is many campy moments! But House of Women’s camp is cartoonish, whereas the earlier Caged’s comes from censorship era coded innuendo.

'The House of Women' are ready to rumble. Love the look on Constance Ford's face!

Then-ingénue Shirley Knight is surrounded by a veteran cast of familiar faces: Barbara Nichols, Virginia Gregg, Jacqueline Scott, Patricia Huston, Margaret Hayes, Virginia Capers, and Andrew Duggan. Two future soap grande dames, Jeanne Cooper and Constance Ford, are on opposite sides of the bars in this pulp prison picture.

Shirley Knight gives a new meaning to wide-eyed as the innocent who's incarcerated.

Knight's the wide-eyed lass here, Erica Hayden, who goes along for the crime ride and ends up a convict. While Shirley’s con doesn't get her lustrous locks lopped off like Eleanor Parker in Caged, Erica also finds out that she’s pregnant. Young Shirley Knight, with long wavy hair, reminded me here of Cybill Shepherd in The Last Picture Show. House of Women from both sides of the bars have big hair, courtesy of WB hairdressers Peggy McDonald and Jean Burt Reilly.

The following scene gives you an idea of the subtle drama that is House of Women. An inmate described as “the butch" goads fellow con Doris (Patricia Huston): "Ahhh, what's so special about Troy Donahue?"

Doris snaps back, "Honey, you're the type that would never know!"

Troy’s biggest fan then hurls a handful of lunch time spuds at the inmate over the cutting remarks about WB's very own Donahue. When the critical inmate draws a moustache on her autographed picture of Troy, Doris really goes berserk! She marches straight out to the prison yard where the offender is playing baseball and the game becomes a brawl. Later, Andrew Duggan’s hard-nosed warden Frank Cole repeatedly calls Troy Donahue "Dona-who?" He asks the drunken prison doc about Troy, who pleads ignorance, “I'm more of an Elizabeth Taylor man myself.” No, I did not write the script.

When one inmate defaces an inmate fan's autographed picture of Troy Donahue,
of course you know this means war, as fellow WB star Bugs Bunny would say!

Before Duggan’s warden was hired, this women’s prison was progressive, even allowing the inmates to have their children on site for a limited time. This sets up a dramatic scene, when Erica’s kid gets taken away right before her birthday party. You haven’t lived until you’ve seen a kiddie birthday party turn into a women’s prison riot! And like Caged, a kitten sparks a tragedy, followed by another riot that makes the first look like, well, a kiddie party!

The staff in 'House of Women' are mentally updating their resumes!

Constance Ford, the frigid mother in A Summer Place and later beloved as no-nonsense soap mom Ada in Another World, has a field day as a tough cookie inmate. Ford, who always reminded me of a normal version of Shelley Winters, always adds humanity with her worried eyes and downcast face. Still, Connie really chews the scenery when her Sophie Brice (as opposed to Fanny Tucker?) suffers a personal tragedy and acts out.

Connie's got a gun! Constance Ford as Sophie, who suffers a tragedy. Seeks revenge!

Jeanne Cooper, legendary as battleaxe Kay Chancellor on The Young and the Restless, is Helen Jennings, a tough but fair prison matron. But that cuts no ice with Ford’s Sophie, especially when she goes off the rails. Their two face-offs are fun, especially knowing a decade later they’d be playing their most memorable roles on daytime TV. Cooper is so restrained her that she seems about to implode, compared to Ford’s volatile con. Jeanne’s striking cat eyes and strong bone structure make her both simultaneously stunning and severe.

Jeanne Cooper as the cool but fair prison matron gives me a Catherine O' Hara vibe!

Virginia Gregg, who seems to have been in everything from the ‘50s through the early ‘70s, is most famous as the voice of Norman Bates’ mother in Psycho. Whether villainous or sympathetic, Gregg’s always solid, playing a humane parole officer singled out for Ford’s wrath.

Shirley Knight does what she can with her character Erica, but does resort to a wide-eyed waif that borders on eye-popping, not seen since WB’s Bette Davis!

Young Shirley Knight reminds me of Cybill Shepherd circa 'The Last Picture Show.'

Barbara Nichols is the loveable broad named Candy Kane—can you guess her former occupation?! Nichols, almost always the tart with a heart, is great to watch here, going from brassy to sassy, and always believable.

Barbara Nichols, left, always plays the brassy broad, but she's so good at it!

Andrew Duggan, often cast as authority figures, plays the cold and cheap new Warden Cole. Natch, he has a past that made him that way. Soon, he cast his sights on sweet Erica to help him regain his faith in womankind! Andrew Duggan is personification of a “me too” prison warden!

Andrew Duggan, he of the big head, is the hard-headed warden in 'House of Women.'

Even more drama came from behind the scenes, when tough producer Bryan Foy (of the legendary Foy performing family) fired director Walter Doniger part way through the shoot and replaced him with screenwriter Crane Wilbur. The change in the film’s quality upset star Shirley Knight enough to get out of her WB contract, not an unusual occurrence at WB with actors!

This film is cheesy camp, but very watchable, and has moments of random authenticity.

'House of Women's' prison riot, Round 1: Cooper's matron lets Ford's con choose Door #3!

Can’t get enough of broads behind bars? Check out my take on 1950’s Caged here: https://ricksrealreel.blogspot.com/2019/02/caged-never-classic-but-still-packs.html

Kurt Russell Excels as “Elvis” 1979

Kurt Russell, in the role that changed his career: 1979's "Elvis."

Elvis was a career-changer for Kurt Russell for several reasons. First, this was Russell’s big dramatic break as an adult actor. Like Ron Howard, Kurt was a popular child and teen actor, and both moved on to adult roles, but cast as bland boyish types. Well, after Happy Days Ron Howard found his happy ending in directing. And after a slew of TV roles in cop shows and westerns, Kurt Russell was cast by director John Carpenter in Elvis. Raves for Russell as The King of Rock then paved the way for his movie career. Kurt and Carpenter went on to work in four feature films together, including the cult classic, Escape from New York. Finally, Russell and Season Hubley met on the set of Elvis and married shortly afterward, for four years.

I’ve read while John Carpenter was excited by the prospect of making the Elvis Presley story, he was disappointed by the lack of creative control he had over the project. While his Halloween was a surprise movie smash, apparently it didn’t translate to network TV. ABC and their long-time artist/producer Dick Clark were in charge and probably responsible for some of the more questionable choices regarding this three hour TV film. Still, Elvis was such a ratings smash that it was later released overseas as a feature film.

Kurt Russell worked with the real Elvis Presley in "It Happened at the World's Fair."

While there’s a lot to like about this Elvis, there are definitely shortcomings. The main issue is that this telling is overly discreet in delving into Presley’s personal issues.  As a high school grad the year Elvis died in ’77 at age 42, I recall how shocked the public was by Presley’s sudden death. Yes, there had been speculation about Elvis’ physical appearance the last several years of his life. Elizabeth Taylor Warner was going down the same path during this period, but the public just chalked it up to fried chicken and Jack Daniels. And while the press was far less hands-off toward public figures post-Watergate, we didn’t have social media and cell-phone cameras documenting their every move. So, it was a double whammy when Presley passed, that his huge prescription drug dependency was then revealed.

Kurt Russell as Las Vegas Elvis, where the film begins and ends.

There’s no mention of Presley’s drug problem in Elvis. Carpenter cleverly makes allusions to it by way of his mother Gladys. She suffered from depression, drank and took pills to calm her nerves. Gladys died at 46 when Elvis was just 23. Many, including myself, believe this was a huge blow that altered his life. Gladys died Aug. 14, 1958; Elvis died Aug. 16, 1977 at age 42.

Kurt Russell in a scene as Elvis Presley, with little Lisa Marie.

A criticism leveled at the 2022 Elvis is that it doesn’t deal with Presley’s later women. Neither does this version, which awkwardly ends with his 1970 live performing comeback. Also, I’m not sure why country/Elvis tribute performer Ronnie McDowell was chosen to sing for the Elvis soundtrack. Was this over possible legal issues with record companies or manager Colonel Tom Parker? McDowall does a fine job imitating him, but most of the time you’re aware it’s not Presley singing.

Kurt Russell as pre-stardom Elvis Presley, with lighter hair.

Of course, Kurt as Elvis IS the show. And I’d give Russell an A- as Elvis. Kurt Russell is one of the most engaging of actors, so he’s perfect for Presley, who was renowned for his warmth and charm. His first time up at bat in a big dramatic role, and Kurt pretty much hits it out of the park. In a tricky role that could come across like an impersonator, Russell brings his sincerity to the role of Elvis. Presley was open in his emotions as a family guy and entertainer, and Russell embraces this wholeheartedly. His own boyish humor matches Presley’s. Kurt also has the advantage of looking a good bit like the real Elvis, with the same basic build. When Kurt’s Elvis dyes his hair jet black, the effect is striking. And later, Russell fills out the required jumpsuit just fine.

Kurt Russell as Elvis in action. 

The film’s stylists do a great job in creating Kurt’s look as Presley, going from dirty blond rockabilly to Hollywood GI to ‘60s superstar. They only get ahead of themselves when they have Kurt looking like big hair and shades Elvis when he’s still in late ‘60s mode, when he and Priscilla are first married.

Kurt Russell as Elvis at Graceland.

On the minus side, Russell’s musical impersonation of Elvis does leave a bit to be desired: energetic but unmusical, obviously lip-synching, and sporting pretty fake guitar moves. Much of this is hidden with camera angles, so that helps. To everyone’s credit, this film was shot in 30 days, unlike the latest “Elvis” extravaganza. He also didn’t have the musical background of the current Elvis, Austin Butler, or the equal time to musically hone his Presley. Interestingly, the ’79 Elvis runs just 10 minutes longer than the 2022 Elvis! Overall, Kurt Russell gives one of the most believable Elvis Presley screen performances.

Bing Russell as Elvis' dad Vernon Presley was Kurt's real-life father.

Most of the casting is quite good. Veteran character actor Bing Russell is the long-suffering Vernon Presley, who happens to be Kurt’s dad! And he gives a solid performance. Shelley Winters is perfectly cast as Gladys Presley. Winters is more restrained here than other roles of this period. Her trademark doleful demeanor and woeful, whining delivery are perfect for Gladys, who suffered a lot in her short life and found Elvis’ cataclysmic fame hard to take. Shelley also brings working class warmth to her awe at Elvis’ lavish gifts and their new home at Graceland. Winters and Russell’s mother-son scenes together are a highlight.

Shelley Winters is well-cast as Elvis' mother, Gladys Presley. With Kurt Russell.

 What a shame that Pat Hingle has so few scenes as Colonel Tom Parker. Hingle, often cast as the crass villain, is used for that persona, apparently. I’m sure the producers knew if they went too far in depicting Parker, they’d have a law suit on their hands.

A missed opportunity: Pat Hingle as Colonel Tom Parker, who was reduced
to a cameo. This is probably because Elvis' infamous manager was still alive!

‘80s actor Robert Gray, who plays life-time Presley pal Red West, is very good here. Joe Mantegna has one of his first roles as road manager Joe Esposito. Ellen Travolta is the gal at Sun Records who believes in Elvis. Ed Begley, Jr. is musician D.J. Fontana. And Breaking Away’s Dennis Christopher has a cameo as actor Nick Adams.

Season Hubley as Priscilla Presley, who didn't get the same makeover as Kurt Russell
did portraying Elvis!

However, Season Hubley is hard to believe as Priscilla for the same reason the current actress, Olivia DeJonge, who plays her now: both are slim and angular, where as young Priscilla was curvy and soft, very Elizabeth Taylor-esque. And the stylists, who get Russell’s Elvis quite well, back off on the big hair and makeup that Priscilla wore at Presley’s request. So it’s hard to buy Hubley as Elvis’ baby doll bride. Plus, she seems uptight throughout, whereas the real Priscilla seemed more laid back in photos and videos. Also, both Hubley and Russell were 27 when they played the Presleys. The difference was Priscilla was just 14 when she met Elvis, who was then 24. So Hubley in a pinafore is a bit of an eye roll.

Hubley as the 14-year-old Priscilla Presley, pinafore and all.

Some of the scenes in Elvis drag on much longer than they need to. A perfect example is when Hubley’s Priscilla makes it plain to Russell’s Presley that she can live on her own, if need be. This is followed by a scene with her practicing karate by herself. This scene capper doesn’t build at all, it just goes on and on, and finally just goes to the next scene.

There’s probably never going to be the definitive Elvis Presley film. To tell the whole truth, it’s going to take a major documentary or mini-series about Elvis. In the meantime, the 2022 Elvis offers a visual wow about Presley the performer who got crushed under stardom, and the 1979 Elvis is more a straight up but muted look at the life of Elvis. Bottom line, both films boast two fine Elvis Presleys.

A great shot of Kurt Russell as early Elvis Presley.

Here’s a tribute I wrote about Elvis Presley and one of his best vehicles, Loving You: https://ricksrealreel.blogspot.com/2019/08/elvis-presley-fans-still-loving-you-1957.html

 

The three hour TV film was such a hit that it was released theatrically overseas.