Viva Las Vegas (MGM) (1964)

Elvis Presley serenades shapely swimming instructor AnnMargret in a scene from “‘Viva Las Vegas”’ filmed at the swimming pool of the Flamingo Hotel, one of the authentic locales of the world-famed resort used in Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer’s romantic musical. The song-and-dance filled production, in Panavision and Metrocolor, co-stars Cesare Danova, William Demarest and Nicky Blair. It was directed by George Sidney. Still 1812-11 Viva Las Vegas Mat 2-A BRIEF AND TO THE POINT Elvis Presley drives a racing car in the new Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer musical, “Viva Las Vegas,” which has as its climax a roaring, screeching Grand Prix race through Las Vegas streets, across Boulder Dam and through the Nevada countryside. His co-star in the picture, shapely Ann-Margret, plays a swimming instructor and also has a car of her own, a little sports model. But neither of the stars used these vehicles in getting to and from the studio. Presley arrived for work each morning in a sleek black Rolls Royce bearing Tennessee license plates. AnnMargret’s equipage was more modest. She wheeled through the studio gates on her Honda motorcycle! x ok x When Elvis Presley stepped in front of the chorus line at Las Vegas’ Tropicana Hotel for a scene in the new Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer musical, ‘Viva Las Vegas,” the 40 Folies Bergere girls were ready and waiting to swoon. The chorus lovelies had worked it out among themselves that when Presley appeared, they would all drop to the floor as though in a dead faint. And that’s exactly what they did. Presley, taking it in stride, autographed photographs for each of the girls once the scene was completed and they had regained their composure. Ann-Margret co-stars with Presley in the new attraction, with Cesare Danova, William Demarest and Nicky Blair in featured roles. * OK Ok As everyone must know, the successful musical, “Bye Bye Birdie,’ was a spoof on Elvis Presley, exaggerating his singing style and making a big play of the swooning reaction of his fluttering feminine fans. Was Presley sore at this caricature of him? Hardly, In his latest movie musical, Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer’s “Viva Las Vegas,’ Elvis was happy to be directed by George Sidney, the man who directed “Bye Bye Birdie.” And who is his leading lady? None other than Ann-Margret, one of the girls who swooned for the parody of Elvis in the earlier musical! * OK OK When MGM was preparing its re-make of “Ben-Hur,” which turned out to be one of the most successful pictures ever made, Cesare Danova was one of several actors considered for the title role. However, he lost out to Charlton Heston, who drove to triumph in the famous chariot race. Now, at long last, Danova gets to race himself in the new Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer musical, “Viva Las Vegas,” in which he co-stars with Elvis Presley and Ann-Margret. Highlight of the picture is a Grand Prix sports car race, with Cesare as Elvis’s rival and, as in “Ben Hur’— no holds barred ! * OK Ox The days when a guy courted his girl by sitting on her front porch, strumming a guitar, are over—that is, all except the guitar. In Metro-GoldwynMayer’s new romantic musical, “Viva Las Vegas,”’ co-starring Elvis Presley and Ann-Margret, Elvis retains the strumming but does his courting on the move. Scenes show the pair in romantic close-ups on a golf course, a skeetrange, in a Las Vegas swimming pool, on water skiis on Lake Mead and, finally, in a helicopter. With Presley’s songs as a background, of course! * *K Ok Goodbye twist, farewell bossa nova, adios the mashed potato. The new dance rage is “The Climb,” introduced by Elvis Presley and Ann-Margret in the Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer musical, “Viva Las Vegas.” Fifty couples join Elvis and Ann-Margret in dancing the spirited new number in the picture, while the well-known jazz group, the Jubilaires Quartet, render it vocally. ** MAN WITH GUITAR « ~ The “Man With the Guitar” is the most magic name to have emerged in show business in the last ten years. He is Elvis Presley, who is equally famous as a movie and recording star and as the idol who has made legions of girls all over the world swoon. Elvis makes his newest screen appearance in Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer’s romantic musical, “Viva Las Vegas,” set against America’s most glamorous playground and with eye-filling and talented Ann-Margret as his co-star. What is the background of this inimitable (many have tried!) actorcrooner-guitarist ? He was born Elvis Aron Presley in Tupelo, Mississippi, the survivor of identical twins and the only child in his family. His birthday is January 8th. Elvis attended grade school in Tupelo until he was thirteen when his parents moved to Memphis, Tennessee, where he graduated from Hume High School. The star still makes his permanent home in Memphis on an estate he named Graceland. From the time he was knee-high to a DIPLOMACY When Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer took over the Flamingo Hotel Swimming pool in Las Vegas from 7:00 a.m. to 5:00 p.m. for a week for filming of scenes in “Viva Las Vegas,” everyone was happy except the hotel’s guests. Rather than antagonize future customers for the musical, Director George Sidney asked the film’s stars, Elvis Presley and Ann-Margret if they would cooperate in assuaging hurt feelings. They cooperated beautifully. Between waits and camera setups, the two stars staged impromptu autograph and snapshot sessions to compensate the guests for having given up their morning and afternoon dips. The screen’s most talented and glamorous new personality, Ann-Margret, as she appears in the exciting new MetroGoldwyn-Mayer musical,‘‘ Viva Las Vegas,’ co-starred with Elvis Presley. The ‘‘Bye Bye Birdie”? bombshell joins Elvis in songs, dances and lavish production numbers in the Panavision and color attraction, filmed on locations in glittering Las Vegas, America’s most popular playground. Viva Las Vegas Still Ann-Margret 9414-E Mat 1-E hound-dog, Elvis was singing in public at church and at school. When he was in the fifth grade he won first prize in a singing contest at Tupelo’s Tri-State Fair. About this time his father bought him a $12.95 guitar, which turned out to be the boy’s most fateful possession. Elvis taught himself the basic chords, spent hours by the radio and phonograph learning the songs he liked, and soon was entertaining the other kids at school during lunch hours and assembly. After graduation, Elvis gave up his job as an usher at Loew’s State Theatre in Memphis to become an apprentice in a tool factory. One lunch hour, he made an amateur recording as a surprise for his mother, shelling out four-dollars to Sun Records Studio. Sam Phillips, president of Sun Records, was impressed by the boy’s obvious talent and style and a year later signed him to a contract. Elvis was on his way. In November, 1955, RCA Victor paid Phillips $35,000 for Elvis’ contract and, in association with Colonel Tom Parker, the singer’s long-time friend, Still 1812-76 Elvis Presley poses as a waiter in order to break up a romantic rendezvous between Ann-Margret and Cesare Danova in Metro Goldwyn-Mayer’s musical, ‘“‘Viva Las Vegas.’ : highlighted by an exciting sports car race, the new picture was filmed in Panavision and Metrocolor on locations in the worldfamed resort and features a flock of new songs, plus elaborate production numbers. It was directed by George Sidney. advisor and manager, aimed the youth at the big-time. At last count, Elvis has had 31 singles pass the million mark in sales, His “Blue Hawaii” album sold 1,750,000 copies, and in seven years his records have. sold at total gross of more than $130,000,000. A dark, handsome, 175-pound sixfooter? Elvis has remained a bachelor and has become king of the fan magazines. His motion picture career was launched in 1956 with “Loving You,” and “Viva Las Vegas” is his 15th film. In between came “Love Me Tender,” “Jailhouse Rock,” “King Creole,” “G.I. Blues,” “Flaming Star,” “Wild in the Country,” “Blue Hawaii,’ “Follow That Dream,” “Kid Galahad,” “Girls! Girls! Girls!”, “It Happened at the World’s Fair,” “Fun in Acapulco” and “Kissin’ Cousins.” Elvis’ career was temporarily interrupted by a two-year hitch in the Army’s armored division, during which he saw service in Germany and rose to the rank of sergeant. His entry into the service formed the basis for the plot of the highly successful stage and screen musical, “Bye Bye Birdie,” in which Jesse Pearson did a wonderful take-off of Elvis. Incidentally, the feminine star of that picture is the girl he makes love to in “Viva Las Vegas’—Ann-Margret ! > With its action Viva Las Vegas Mat 2-D MUSICALS ARE HERE TO STAY If a parade of musical pictures is seen heading your way, the man leading the march may well be Director George Sidney. “I’m delighted that Hollywood is making musicals again,” declares the president of the Screen Director’s Guild. “We never should have stopped.” As a director, Sidney is taking his own advice. In the past year he has directed and been involved as producer in two musicals films, “Bye Bye Birdie” and the current Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer attraction, “Viva Las Vegas,” teaming Elvis Prsley and Ann-Margret for the first time. “For awhile the screen became obsessed with problems and messages,” avers Sidney, “but who wants that as a steady diet? People want to be entertained and amused. They want to tap their toes in time to dancing girls, hear a fresh, bright tune they can whistle as they leave the theatre. Most of them can find problems enough when they get home.” The director is very much aware that motion pictures influence the manners and morals of the entire world. “We sell the American way of life through our motion pictures,” he declares. ““People abroad see our newest automobiles, sewing machines, washers and a thou sand and one other appliances and they want them. They create an image of America as the land of plenty and this strikes a strong blow for democracy.” Sidney’s career in show business dates back to his infancy. He was carried onto a Broadway stage when he was ten months old. He was the son of Louis K. Sidney, a movie executive who was a vice-president of MetroGoldwyn-Mayer for 33 years. His mother, Hazel Mooney, was one of the celebrated Mooney Sisters of show business. Always aiming at a career in motion pictures, young Sidney got his start at MGM as a messenger boy. He worked his way up through the ranks to emerge as one of Hollywood’s top directors. “The Harvey Girls,” ‘Anchors Aweigh,” “Free and Easy,” “Holiday in Mexico,” “Annie Get Your Gun,” “Showboat” and “Kiss Me Kate” are among his musical credits during his many years at MGM. He also directed Columbia’s “The Eddie Duchin Story,” among a half-dozen musicals he made for that studio. Sidney’s ever-present pipe is his trademark and to supply himself he founded a pipe and tobacco shop. He is an excellent photographer and also dabbles in tape and stereo recordings. Recently he was awarded the honorary degree of Doctor of Science by Hahnemann Medical College and Hospital in Philadelphia for his special films in behalf of the Institute of Cardio Vascular Research.