On location during the filming of
VIVA LAS VEGAS
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For his role in "VIVA LAS VEGAS," Elvis received a third-place prize 1965 Laurel Award for best male performance in a musical film. "VIVA LAS VEGAS" also received the 1965 Laurel Award for runner-up in the category of the best musical of 1964. "THE UNSINKABLE MOLLY BROWN" won for the year.
Scene still from
Viva Las Vegas
VIVA LAS VEGAS
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Dance scenes were choreographed by, David Winters, who played A-Rab in the movie version of "WEST SIDE STORY." Ann-Margret was his dance student at the time and recommended him for the choreography job.
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VIVA LAS VEGAS
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"THE LADY LOVES ME" (Click for Movie Scene)
"VIVA LAS VEGAS" was directed by, George Sidney, a director from Hollywood's golden age. Several heated exchanges occurred on the set of "VIVA LAS VEGAS" between George Sidney (who kept control of the filming and production) and Elvis's manager, Tom Parker, who for the first time on one of Elvis's movies was not credited as Technical Advisor in the film's credits. Complaints also came from Elvis in the form of his time on film being replaced with more shots of Ann-Margret. Cinematographer, Joseph Biroc, gave a little too much time to the song and dance numbers that featured Ann-Margret, supposedly on the orders of the director. These scenes include views of Ann-Margret's dancing taken from many different camera angles, the use of multiple cameras for each scene, and several retakes of each of her song-and-dance scenes.
Since the film went over budget, Tom Parker slashed the budgets for all remaining films during Elvis's movie career.
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"THE LADY LOVES ME" (MP3 Download)
VIVA LAS VEGAS
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During the filming of "VIVA LAS VEGAS," Elvis and Ann-Margret began a serious courtship, even though the eighteen-year-old Priscilla Beaulieu had just recently moved to Memphis from Germany. Their relationship was not a secret one and received a lot of attention from movie and music gossip columnists. Ann-Margret goes into great detail about her long-term relationship with Elvis in her autobiography "MY STORY." Additionally, Priscilla Beaulieu-Presley, mentions the havoc it wreaked on her relationship with Elvis in her publication "ELVIS AND ME."
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To read Ann-Margret's "MY STORY" click here.
VIVA LAS VEGAS
LOCATION
The scene where Elvis sings "VIVA LAS VEGAS" is performed in one single unedited shot. This is the only known example of such a technique during Elvis's movie career.
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MOVIE POSTER
VIVA LAS VEGAS
BOX OFFICE
At the onset of "VIVA LAS VEGAS," we are introduced to Las Vegas from a helicopter shot filming the lights and signs of the city along Fremont Street. Presently, some of the signs which remain on Fremont Street have been changed to reflect new technology and new names. Other historical signs are located at the Neon Museum in Las Vegas.
The scene where Rusty pushes Lucky into the swimming pool was filmed at the Flamingo Casino. Both the casino and the pool have been completely renovated since the filming.
The skeet shooting range was shot at the Tropicana.
The scene where Ann-Margret dances on the gymnasium’s stage is now the Barrick Museum at the University of Nevada in Las Vegas.
The seventy-year-old Little Church of the West is the oldest Wedding Chapel in Las Vegas and was used for the movie's closing scene. It has been moved twice since the film was released. It was moved on Friday, October 6, 1978, to what is now Mandalay Bay. The church was moved again to 4617 Las Vegas Boulevard South, where it remains to date.
LOCATION
In a scene with Ann-Margret.
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VIVA LAS VEGAS
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According to Variety, "VIVA LAS VEGAS" earned more in distributors rentals than the Beatle's debut movie, "A HARD DAY'S NIGHT." Both movies were released in 1964 during the height of Beatlemania. Where "VIVA LAS VEGAS" grossed $9,442,967, "A HARD DAY'S NIGHT" only grossed $6,165,000.
BOX OFFICE
"VIVA LAS VEGAS" reached #14 on Variety's year-end box office list of the top-grossing movies of 1964. The film drew $5,125,000 in earnings in the United States and $9,442,967 cumulative worldwide.
In Great Britain, both the movie and its soundtrack were sold as "LOVE IN LAS VEGAS," since there was a different movie called "VIVA LAS VEGAS" that was being shown in British cinemas at the same time Elvis’s film was released.
LOCATION
CAST
VIVA LAS VEGAS
BOX OFFICE
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Elvis Presley as Lucky Jackson
Cesare Danova as Count Elmo Mancini
Ann-Margret as Rusty Martin
William Demarest as Mr. Martin (Rusty's father)
Nicky Blair as Shorty Fansworth
George Cisar as Manager of Swingers
The Jubilee Four as Themselves
Robert Aiken as Driver
PLOT
VIVA LAS VEGAS
CAST
BACK TO MOVIE DIRECTORY
Play Trailer
MOVIE RENTAL HERE
Lucky Jackson (played by Elvis Presley) takes his Elva Mark VI to Las Vegas to compete in the city's first annual Grand Prix Race. The car needs a new engine and Lucky raises the necessary funds for repairs. Unfortunately, he loses his money at the bottom of the resort’s swimming pool while wooing Rusty Martin (played by Ann-Margret), the resort's swimming instructor.
To raise the money again, Lucky gets a job as a waiter in the hotel and enters a talent contest whose cash prize is sizeable enough to pay for his car's engine and hotel bill.
In the meantime, Lucky continues to set his cap for Rusty but finds he needs to defeat his competition, Count Elmo Mancini (played by Cesare Danova), who is not only making a play for Rusty but is also competing in the Grand Prix.