On location during the filming. MOVIE'S TITLE CHANGE CLICK TO WATCH TRAILER LOVE ME TENDER ELVIS PRESLEY'S PREMIER MOVIE This 1956 Western was originally named "THE RENO BROTHERS." It was changed to "LOVE ME TENDER" after Elvis's hit single "LOVE ME TENDER" passed one million in advanced sales, which was the first time in history for a single to receive gold status before being released. TITLE CHANGE Elvis on location during the filming. PREVIOUS RELEASE DATE LOVE ME TENDER LOVE ME TENDER RELEASE DATE "LOVE ME TENDER'S" premier was shown by Twentieth Century Fox on Thursday, November 15, 1956. The movie was released to the public on Wednesday, November 21, 1956. "WE'RE GONNA MOVE" (Click Here for Movie Scene) TITLE CHANGE BOX OFFICE LOVE ME TENDER BOX OFFICE You would not have known Richard Egan and Debra Paget received top billing because it was Elvis's name that brought in the massive crowds. Teenagers across the country acted out their truancy coups. They boldly skipped school to attend the public's opening day, helping to make "LOVE ME TENDER'S" 1956 Box Office earnings jump. With an estimated budget of $1,000,000, the movie grossed $4,500,000 (equivalent to $43,736,306 in 2021) in the United States and grossed $9,000,000 worldwide. RELEASE DATE CAST NEXT THE FIRST AND LAST TIME ELVIS WOULD NOT RECEIVE TOP BILLING. LOVE ME TENDER'S CAST Elvis Presley as Clint Reno Elvis on location with Richard Egan and Debra Paget. BOX OFFICE CAST (CONTINUES) Richard Egan as Vance Reno Debra Paget as Cathy Reno William Campbell as Brett Reno Robert Middleton as Mr. Siringo Mildred Dunnock as Martha Reno James Drury as Ray Reno Neville Brand as Mike Gavin Bruce Bennett as Major Kincaid CAST (CONTINUED) MOVIE POSTER When Elvis was cast for the role of Clint, he had already signed with Hal Wallace at Paramount Pictures who had a loan-out agreement with 20th Century Fox. Twentieth Century Fox was thrilled to acquire Elvis for the movie, but they did not want the Blue Moon Boys (Elvis's band). According to Scotty Moore, the movie studio decided to placate Elvis, they would pretend to audition his band. They purposely did not tell the band the movie was a western. Consequently, the band who had been the Starlight Wranglers, a Country & Western band before becoming the Blue Moon Boys, performed Rock 'N' Roll at the audition. After they played they were told, "No, that's not what we're looking for." For more information on this topic, see: Chapter 4 - Pages 94 to 100 CAST BEGINS PLOT NEXT The Blue Moon Boys were never a true consideration for the part because Ken Darby, the movie's Musical Director had the musicians he wanted to use. This pleased Tom Parker (Elvis's manager) to no end. Parker had been trying to get rid of the Blue Moon Boys for quite some time and anything else pre-dating Parker's management of Elvis. In Parker's eyes, not using the band would show Elvis he didn't need them. LOVE ME TENDER THIRTY PIECES OF SILVER: THE BETRAYAL OF ELVIS PRESLEY The end of the Civil War was April 10, 1865, and is the date used for the onset of the movie, where three of the four Reno brothers, Vance (played by Richard Egan), Brett (played by William Campbell), and Ray (played by James Drury), are serving in a Confederate Army unit, Randall's Cavalry Brigade. Randall's Calvary attacks a Union train station in Greenwood, Louisiana, take the Union soldiers as prisoners, and disguises themselves by donning the Union's uniforms. When a train arrives carrying a Federal payroll of $12,250, Randall's disguised Calvary robs the paymaster and makes off with the loot. When they learn the war has ended, instead of turning the payroll into the Federal government, they divvy up the money equally amongst themselves, justifying they stole the money before they knew the war was over. Vance believed with this money he would finally be able to marry his longtime fiancé, Cathy (played by Debra Paget), who had been waiting on him for four years. In the meantime, the brothers bury their share of the money in the barn, not letting the rest of the family know of the stolen payroll. On the way home, the Reno brothers stop off at a General Store making small purchases with their shares, which later in the movie gave and proof as to how they procured the money. CAST PLOT CONTINUES When they reached the family farm, Vance swoops Cathy up in his loving arms not knowing his younger brother, Clint Reno (played by Elvis Presley), married Cathy three months before his brother's return. Vance tries to play it cool as if he is okay with the situation of Clint being married to Cathy. A situation that would not have occurred, if the Reno family hadn't received a faulty message saying Vance had been killed in action. Clint, who was the youngest Reno brother, stayed home to take care of the family farm. When Cathy's family was killed by Union soldiers, she went to live with the Reno family. As the Reno brothers settle back to normal farm life, Cathy makes it obvious that she is still in love with Vance; those feelings become evident to Clint. To keep the peace, Vance decides to leave the farm and head out west (leaving most of the money behind for his family) the following day, after they attend the town's school raising. Vance's plan is thwarted when Union Major Kinkaid (played by Bruce Bennett) and Mr. Sringo (played by Robert Middleton) take the Reno brothers into custody during the school raising. That evening Mike Gavin (played by Neville Brand) and two more ex-Confederates of Randall's Raiders (referred to as Gavin's crew from this point) who were in on the theft, stop by the Reno farm to warn the brothers that the law is looking for them. Clint, who believes the allegations against his brothers are false, informs Gavin's crew that his brothers were arrested and are presently on a train going to Tyler to be identified by the paymaster. Clint joins Gavin and his crew to assist with helping his brothers escape. MOVIE RENTAL LOVE ME TENDER PLOT: SPOILER ALERT LOVE ME TENDER PLOT: SPOILER ALERT (CONTINUED) However, before the train reaches Tyler, Gavin and his small gang of two help the Reno brothers escape from the train. They meet up with Clint who stays out of sight with the horses. PLOT BEGINS PLOT CONTINUES While the Reno brothers are in custody on the train, Mr. Siringo, who was hired by the Federal Government to recover government property stolen during the war, cuts a deal with Vance. Siringo lets Vance know that if he returns ALL of the money, all will be forgiven and the charges against them will be dropped. Vance confesses to Clint that they are guilty of theft, and how they thought they had a right to the money because it was considered "the spoils of war." Next, Vance tells the other men about the deal Mr. Sringo made with him on the train about charges being dropped if they turn in the money. The Reno brothers agree to the return, but Gavin's crew decides to keep their shares. Vance tries to reason with Gavin and his crew since their identities were revealed during the escape. When Vance realizes he's not about to sway the others into returning their shares, he pulls a gun on them, takes their cut, and lets them know the deal with Sringo was only good if ALL of the money was returned. Vance sends Clint into town to tell Sringo that he will return the money in the morning and for Clint to meet him at the mill with Sringo's answer. Elvis on location during the filming. Brett and Ray stay behind holding Gavin's crew at gunpoint. Vance returns to the family farm to get the Reno shares to return, only to witness Major Kinkaid and his men tearing up the farm in search of the payroll. When they can't find the money, they leave three men behind to watch out for the brothers just in case they come back to the farm. Vance detours to his neighbor Jethro's (played by Paul E. Burns) home. He convinces Jethro to sneak onto the Reno farm and collect the money for him. In the meantime, Cathy decides to ride into town to get help for fear that one of the Reno brothers could get shot by Kinkaid's men. While she's in the barn she runs into Jethro who gives her the retrieved money. She uses reverse psychology on one of Kinkaid’s Union Soldiers, to keep from getting searched. Unknown to this soldier, Cathy gets away with the money and delivers it to Vance. LOVE ME TENDER PLOT: SPOILER ALERT (CONTINUED) PREVIOUS SOUNDTRACK NEXT Facing the law in a scene from "LOVE ME TENDER." When Clint meets back up with his brothers and Gavin's crew, he informs them that Sringo agreed to the terms. Gavin's crew starts planting the seed that because Vance had everybody's share and wasn't back yet, that he rode off with the money and Cathy as well. Gavin turns Clint against Vance using Cathy as emotional bait. Clint continues to listen to Gavin's poison, and out of jealousy and the belief Cathy has betrayed him, he physically attacks her when she finally catches up with them. Clint is restrained by his brothers and Cathy is sent home. During the commotion, Gavin and his small gang of two get a leg up on the situation by drawing on the Reno brothers, Brett and Ray. Since Clint's mind is thoroughly turned against his brother Vance, they arm him as well, giving him a choice to do whatever he wants. Because Clint believes Cathy and Vance are going to run away together with the stolen money, he decides to stay with Gavin's crew who go after Vance to get the money back. THE END Ray and Brett who were left behind set off looking to find and warn Vance. They run into Vance on the road and explain to him how the others believe he has double-crossed them. Vance gives Ray the money to return to Sringo and tells him to gather help while he's in town. Brett explains Clint's mindset and actions to Vance, and the two of them go back to find Clint, Cathy, and Gavin. When Vance and Brett reach them, Vance tries to get Clint to listen to reason. Mike continues dropping seeds in Clint's ear and eventually talks him into shooting Vance. Clint shoots Vance in the shoulder. Immediately Clint is remorseful. While Vance lays on the ground writhing with pain, Gavin and his crew search Vance for the money. Clint shoots in their direction attempting to get them to leave Vance alone. Mike turns, shoots, and kills Clint (upsetting many Elvis fans). Gavin's crew and Clint follow Cathy who instead of going home, leads them straight to where Vance previously had been. Clint questions Cathy while shaking her harshly. Mike stops Clint this time believing that Vance told Cathy to wait for him there. Ray returns with Kinkaid's men, ALL of the money is finally returned, charges against the Reno brothers are dropped, and Gavin and his crew are arrested. Clint is laid to rest on the farm alongside their father while a transparent image of Elvis sings "LOVE ME TENDER." LOVE ME TENDER When a song was needed for the movie "LOVE ME TENDER," music director, Ken Darby, changed the words to a ninety-five-year-old published tune, "AURA LEE." "AURA LEE" was copyrighted in 1861, the year the American Civil War began. The tune was so popular, it became a part of the Civil War's history. There's a lot of speculation regarding the reasons Darby gave the credits for the songs in "LOVE ME TENDER" to his wife, Vera Matson, and Elvis Presley. However, in September of 1956, Elvis's private secretary and publicist, Trude Forsher, interviewed Darby who said of Elvis: “’He adjusted the music and the lyrics to his own particular presentation,’ Darby says. ‘Elvis has the most terrific ear of anyone I have ever met. He does not read music, but he does not need to. All I had to do was play the song for him once, and he made it his own. He has perfect judgment of what is right for him. He exercised that judgment when he chose "LOVE ME TENDER" as his theme song.’" SOUNDTRACK (CONTINUES) PLOT SOUNDTRACK Elvis was told he wasn't going to sing, but several songs were added to the script changing what he had been originally told. This was also an opportunity for Steve Sholes, a recording executive with RCA, to get more recordings. The movie studio required Elvis to lay down tracks in the unfamiliar surroundings of a big soundstage. He recorded "LOVE ME TENDER" his first non-rock ballad in August of 1956 without his band, the Blue Moon Boys. Along with "LOVE ME TENDER," Elvis also had to sing three other numbers featured in the movie, "WE'RE GONNA MOVE", "LET ME", and "POOR BOY". The studio released the second take of "LOVE ME TENDER" on September 28, 1956, and it shot up to number one for five weeks on the chart. Elvis's "LOVE ME TENDER" replaced two of his Billboard number one songs, "DON'T BE CRUEL" and "HOUND DOG," making Elvis the first artist to knock his hits out of the number one spot. PREVIOUS SOUNDTRACK (CONTINUES) "LOVE ME TENDER" also reached number one on Billboard's Best Sellers in Stores chart, Billboard's Most Played by Jockeys chart, and Billboard's Most Played in Jukeboxes chart. LOVE ME TENDER SOUNDTRACK (CONTINUED) LOVE ME TENDER On September 9, 1956, Elvis performed "LOVE ME TENDER" for the first time live on "THE ED SULLIVAN SHOW" in front of sixty million viewers. 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