Kissin Cousins (MGM) (1964)

Still 1819-62 Two Elvises mean two romances for Elvis Presley in his new Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer comedy, ‘*Kissin’? Cousins,”? in which he plays a dual role as an Air Force lieutenant and a Tennessee hillbilly. Left, he snuggles up with Yvonne Craig. Right, his romantic partner is Cynthia Pepper. Others in top roles in the Panavision and color attraction are Arthur O? Connell, Glenda Farrell, Jack Albertson and Pam Austin. Kissin’ Cousins Mat 2-D CHIP OFF THE BLOCK “When I began my career in show business, my mother did everything in her power to discourage me,” declares Tommy Farrell. “It wasn’t that she was against me, she just didn’t think this was my kind of work.” Farrell’s mother is Glenda Farrell, for many years one of the screen’s most glamorous stars and now active in character roles. Mother and son appear together for the first time in MetroGoldwyn-Mayer’s new romantic comedy with music, ‘Kissin’ Cousins,” starring Elvis Presley. Tommy was born in Hollywood and literally grew up on the Warner Bros. lot, where his mother was under contract. After attending the University of Arizona, from which he graduated with a B.A. degree, he tackled show business in New York. In just two weeks, he landed a role in the play, “Strip for Action.” When the show closed, he enlisted in the Army Air Corps. After his discharge, he returned to Broadway with a co-starring role in the hit, “Barefoot Boy With Cheek.” He then teamed with comedian Gene McCarthy in a comedy act which played from Ciro’s in Hollywood to the Waldorf-Astoria in New York. Farrell established himself as a comedy actor with his screen debut at MGM in 1948 in “The Duchess of Idaho.” Later, while working in a film at Columbia, he met comedian Pete Marshall and the two combined in another highly successful night club act. After touring the country for three years, they were signed by ABC-TV for the hour-long show, “Two of the Most.” Farrell and his wife of seventeen years, Bobbi, live in a sprawling North Hollywood home with their three children, thirteen-year-old Ellen, six-yearold Mark and one-year-old Erin Colleen. GIRLS, GIRLS AND GIRLS! Remember Yvonne Craig, the girl Elvis Presley chased around in one of the hilarious scenes of “It Happened at the World’s Fair’??? Now she’s chasing Elvis in Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer’s rousing backwoods comedy, **Kissin’? Cousins,”? in which he plays a dual role as a Tennessee mountain man and an Air Force officer. Also starred in the song-filled Panavision and color attraction are Arthur O°’ Connell, Glenda Farrell, Jack Albertson, Pam Austin and Cynthia Pepper. Still 1819-57 Kissin’ Cousins Mat 1-B Cynthia Pepper, television’s popular ‘‘Margie,”’ plays one of Elvis Presley’s leading ladies in Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer’s tuneful comedy, *‘ Kissin’ Cousins,’ in which Elvis has a dual role as a hillbilly mountain man and an Air Force officer. Others in the rousing song-danceand-girl filled entertainment are Arthur O’Connell, Glenda Farrell, Jack Albertson and Pam Austin. It’s in Panavision and Metrocolor. Still 1819-59 Kissin’ Cousins Mat 1-C * * TWO ELVIS’S! « « If imitation be the sincerest form of flattery, Elvis Presley can consider himself the most flattered man in show business. Ever since the six-foot Mississippian and his guitar emerged first on the recording and then the screen horizon, he has been imitated in night club acts, radio and television, on the stage and in motion pictures, the epitome being his hilarious impersonation (and no one was more amused by it than Presley) by Jesse Pearson on the Broadway stage in the termendously successful “Bye Bye Birdie,” a take-off which Pearsin repeated in the film version of the musical. AND NOW ELVIS IMPERSONATES HIMSELF! This tour de force takes place in Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer’s new _ songfilled comedy, “Kissin’ Cousins,” a rowdy, raucous, down-to-earth hillbilly affair in which Presley plays a dual role, one as a blonde, the other with his natural dark hair. As the blonde, he is seen as Jodie Tatum, son of a rootin’-tootin’ hillbilly family who own a mountain in Tenessee, distill moonshine whiskey and spend a good deal of their time taking potshots at ‘‘revenooers.” As the brunette, he plays the role of Josh Morgan, a lieutenant in the Air Force and the man chosen to placate the formidable Tatums so that the government can make a deal with Pappy and Ma Tatum (Arthur O’Connell and Glenda Farrell) to build an ICBM missile base on top of their mountain. In this endeavor you will think you are seeing double when Elvis, the hillbilly, fights Elvis, the lieutenant; or when one Elvis sings and dances along 9 SONGS The secret of Elvis Presley’s success is a vibrant personality that projects excitement on the screen and, through his famous voice, onto record players throughout the world. Elvis burst onto the scene eight years ago as a phenomenon and his popularity has leaped ever since. Now starring in Metro-GoldwynMayer’s romantic comedy with music, ‘Kissin’ Cousins,” Presley is established as one of motion pictures’ top box-office stars and no one even comes close to him in record sales. It is almost impossible to maintain an accurate ledger on his earnings asa recording star because the total goes up every day. During his first seven years with RCA Victor, his records grossed more than $130,000,000. The total at this date is somewhere near the $150,000,000 mark. In “Kissin’ Cousins,” a hillbilly story in which Presley plays a dual role, he introduces eight new numbers, with Glenda Farrell rendering a ninth, a parody of ‘“Won’t You Come Home, Bill Bailey?” First off, there is the sizzling title song belted in true Presley tradition. With “Smokey Mountain Boy”’ he tries a new beat—a swing march, The tribulations of being in love with two girls (Pam Austin and Yvonne Craig) are told through a romantic ballad, “One Boy, Two Little Girls.” “There’s Gold in the Mountains” describes the setting for the plot of “Kissin’ Cousins,’ a remote hillbilly section of the Big Smokey Mountains. “Catchin’ On Fast” is a swinging dance number in which Elvis is joined by the entire cast, including the beautiful group of “Kittyhawks,”’ man-hunting girls who prowl the mountainside. “Barefoot Ballad” is another true “Sump” tune. The tempo is changed with a slow ballad, “Tender Feeling’ when, in the second half of his dual role, Presley romances Cynthia Pepper, known to millions as TV’s “Margie.” “Once Is Enough” is another “rock”’ number, which gives Elvis an opportunity to let loose with everything. Kissin’ Cousins” was produced by Sam Katzman, with former actordancer Gene Nelson directing. Hal Belfer staged the choreography for the Panavision and Metrocolor production. THE ADDITIONAL SCENE AND PLAYER MATS, SHOWN IN THE COMPLETE CAMPAIGN MAT ON ANOTHER PAGE, MAY BE ORDERED SINGLY. side the other; or when one Elvis makes love to Pam Austin and the other to Cynthia Pepper in the same scene! It should make the millions of Presley fans around the world awfully happy since they’re getting two Presleys for the price of one. Dual roles have always fascinated moviegoers and also have been a source of gratification to a long list of stars, both masculine and feminine, some of whom have copped an Academy Award for their double performances. Fredric March, for instance, won an Oscar in 1931 for “Dr. Jeykll and Mr. Hyde,” a dual role in which John Barrymore had previously scored and which was also played by Spencer Tracy. On the distaff side, Joan Woodward was given the 1957 Academy Award for her multiple-portrayal in “Three Faces of Eve.” Both Ronald Colman and Stewart Granger took on the double assignment in ‘The Prisoner of Zenda” and the list continues from such early dualities as Louis Hayward in “The Man in the Iron Mask” through Douglas Fairbanks, Jr., in ‘““The Corsican Brothers,” Olivia De Haviland in “Dark Mirror,” Alec Guinness in “The Scapegoat” right up to the recent dual role enacted by Edward G, Robinson in MGM’s “The Prize.” Even the great Garbo essayed a double part in the last picture she ever made, “Two Faced Woman.” Asked if he compared himself with any of these illustrious predecessors in doubling in brass, the modest Presley shook his head but smilingly claimed he had some right in being “two” since he is the survivor of identical twins. It is of considerable credit to this popular performer that he should be modest about anything. Undisputed King of the recording stars, he recently earned another gold record for his “Elvis’ Christmas Album” which was first released in 1959 and which topped the $1,000,000 sales figure during the past Yule season. It is the sixth Presley package to earn the RITA (Re cord Industry Association of America) plaque signifying the $1,000,000plus sales figure. During his first seven years with RCA Victor, his records grossed more than $130,000,000 and the total at this date is somewhere near the $150,000,000 mark. As for his screen record, Presley can have his pick of any company and practically any producer in the business since #t is common Hollywood knowledge that no Elvis Presley picture has ever failed to make not only money— but barrels of money. In the case of “Iissin’ Cousins,” his producer is Sam Katzman (also a good hand at profitable movie-making) who was an apt choice to produce a hillbilly comedy, having previously scored with “Hootenanny Hoot,” which was of a similar genre, particularly in respect to its songs and dances. Elvis clicked on the screen in his very first picture, “Loving You,” made in 1956, “Kissin’ Cousins” is his fourteenth film to be released but actually is his fifteenth picture. Prior to it he completed “Viva Las Vegas” at MGM with Ann-Margret as his co-star “Vegas,” however will be a summer release. Presley was one of the ten stars who brought in the most money at the boxoffice in the U.S.A. in 1963, as compiled by Quigley’s Motion Picture Herald’s poll of movie exhibitors. That he is equally popular on the other side of the Atlantic is attested to by the Herald’s survey of the top stars in Britain. Presley placed third, being preceded only by two British favorites, Cliff Richard and Peter Sellers. Phenomenal, you say? Well, everything about this lanky singing actor is phenomenal, including one of the things he does in his dual role in ‘Kissin’ Cousins.” Josh, the lieutenant, tackles Jody, the hillbilly, in a free-swinging, hard-hitting, no-holds-barred combination wrestling-boxing match, throws him over his shoulder, hurls him into the air and flattens him on his back. Presley Vs. Presley in the champion two-for-the-show movie brawl of them all! Still 1819-42 E Elvis Presley is the boy, Yvonne Craig and Pam Austin are the girls, and ‘“‘One Boy, Two Little Girls”? is the ballad he sings in this scene from Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer’s lilting hillbilly comedy, ‘‘Kissin’? Cousins.”?> The skylarking picture has Elvis playing a dual role as a Tennessee mountain rustic and an Air Force lieutenant, with Arthur O’Connell, Glenda Farrell, Jack Albertson and Cynthia Pepper adding to the fun. It’s in Panavision and Metrocolor and was produced by Sam Katzman. Kissin’ Cousins Mat 2-C WARDROBE OF BIKINIS! Since Elvis Presley plays a dual-role in his new Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer comedy, “Kissin’ Cousins,” he had to have a dual-wardrobe. As an Air Force lieutenant, he wore the regulation uniform, as did also Jack Albertson, Donald Woods and Bob Carson, also playing Air Force officers. But in his second characterization, Presley is seen as a Tennessee hillbilly, whose relatives include Pam Austin, Yvonne Craig, Arthur O’Connell and Glenda Farrell, all of whom had to be equipped with typical hillbilly clothes. The accumulation of all these outfits took up quite a bit of room. However, one hilarious scene gives the hillbilly girls some unexpected spending money with which to buy themselves some “citified” luxuries. These garments took up almost no room at all. They comprised 17 bikinis !