Elvis westerns

Post Reply
stuart.uk
Posts: 1805
Joined: January 21st, 2008, 12:25 pm
Location: Dundee, Scotland

Elvis westerns

Post by stuart.uk »

IMO Elvis Presley had the potential to be a great western hero

I was surprised after not seeing the film in many yrs at how good Love Me Tender was. Admittedly it was only IMO B movie standard, but I also think of it as think of it as a Richard Egan/Debra Paget movie with Elvis, iimpressive in his first film in a supporting role.

Sadly the one that got away was Rio Bravo. While in the army, Ricky Nelson was cast as the gunslinging pal of John Wayne.

Flaming Star is IMO a minor classic with Elvis as a halfbreed Indian, who sees his Indian mother killed by whites and his white skinned father by Indians
don't know if you would class Wild In The Country as a modern day western, but it was IMO a good film with Elvis playing a part similiar to Sinatra in Some Came Running.

Stay Away Joe is a decent comedy western with Burgess Merideth and Katy Jaurdo

Charro saw an improvement from the ropey films Elvis was making in the mid 60s. Had he been allowed to make films like this and FS I think he would have been thought of as an actor in the Sinatra and Dean Martin class.
User avatar
vallo
Posts: 278
Joined: April 15th, 2007, 8:39 am
Location: Long Island, N.Y.

Re: Elvis westerns

Post by vallo »

I think your right, I always liked Elvis in westerns. But I think Hal B. Wallis and Colonel Parker had other ideas about how Elvis would make money for them. I think Elvis even seemed more at ease with westerns instead of the usual find a girl, lose girl, sing/shake and get the girl at the end scenario.
"We're all forgotten sooner or later. But not films. That's all the memorial we should need or hope for."
-Burt Lancaster
User avatar
mrsl
Posts: 4200
Joined: April 14th, 2007, 5:20 pm
Location: Chicago SW suburbs

Re: Elvis westerns

Post by mrsl »

Anything Elvis did of the non-formula type films (like Girl Happy, Fun in Acapulco, etc.), turned out to be better and better as time went on. If the Colonel had not insisted on the formula movies, Elvis might still be with us, playing kindly old grandfather roles. He seemed to shine in all the others from Love Me Tender, to Charro. Even Jailhouse Rock (the beginning of the formulas), was fairly good. I loved him in Flaming Star, and I think his best up to the time, was King Creole. Everyone knows he hated the formula movies which probably added to the reasons for his breakup with his wife. I assume living in a cocoon with only a handful of people around can get old after a time. Until the day he died, he could never walk on the street without being surrounded. But all of that was giving him something to draw on in his acting. I think we saw sparks of his real talent in certain scenes of Wild in the Country and Charro. No matter what though, that voice will never be matched. His range was fantastic, and his clarity of speech was perfect. Every word was understood. I think he would have been like Cary Grant, never aging to the point of no longer being attractive. That's with the understanding that the contradicting medications never happened.

Anne
Anne


***********************************************************************
* * * * * * * * What is past is prologue. * * * * * * * *

]***********************************************************************
stuart.uk
Posts: 1805
Joined: January 21st, 2008, 12:25 pm
Location: Dundee, Scotland

Re: Elvis westerns

Post by stuart.uk »

Anne

I wouldn't have thought of Jailhouse Rock as one of the formula films. Like King Creole I thought it a great drama musical. In fact I think KG compares to Judy in A Star Is Born and Cagney in Yankee Doodle Dandy as one of the great dramatic roles in a musical, not to mention Elvis' realistic fight scenes in the movie
stuart.uk
Posts: 1805
Joined: January 21st, 2008, 12:25 pm
Location: Dundee, Scotland

Re: Elvis westerns

Post by stuart.uk »

Vallo

I think Elvis was one of the more convincing actors when it came to fight scenes, even in his crap movies
User avatar
mrsl
Posts: 4200
Joined: April 14th, 2007, 5:20 pm
Location: Chicago SW suburbs

Re: Elvis westerns

Post by mrsl »

I said 'beginning of the formula films' because beside his trials and tribulations with his buddy from prison, he had Judy Tyler waiting patiently alongside him, but it was kind of the meet girl, lose girl, get girl back kind of thing only not in any detail.

If he had lived he would have been a great partner for Steven Seagal in some of his movies.

Anne
Anne


***********************************************************************
* * * * * * * * What is past is prologue. * * * * * * * *

]***********************************************************************
Post Reply