''Viva Las Vegas'' is a 1964 American

rock and roll Rock and roll (often written as rock & roll, rock-n-roll, and rock 'n' roll) is a Genre (music), genre of popular music that evolved in the United States during the late 1940s and early 1950s. It Origins of rock and roll, originated from African ...

musical film Musical film is a film genre in which songs by the Character (arts), characters are interwoven into the narrative, sometimes accompanied by dancing. The songs usually advance the plot or develop the film's characters, but in some cases, they serv ...

directed by

George Sidney George Sidney (October 4, 1916May 5, 2002) was an American film director and producer who worked primarily at Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer. His work includes cult classics '' Bye Bye Birdie'' (1963) and '' Viva Las Vegas'' (1964). With an extensive back ...

, written by

Sally Benson Sally Benson (''née'' Sara Smith; September 3, 1897 – July 19, 1972) was an American writer of short stories, screenplays, and theatre. She is best known for her humorous tales of modern youth collected in '' Junior Miss'' and her semi-autobio ...

, choreographed by David Winters, and starring

Elvis Presley Elvis Aaron Presley (January 8, 1935 – August 16, 1977) was an American singer and actor. Referred to as the "King of Rock and Roll", he is regarded as Cultural impact of Elvis Presley, one of the most significant cultural figures of the ...

Ann-Margret Ann-Margret Olsson (born 28 April 1941), credited as Ann-Margret, is a Swedish-American actress and singer with a career spanning seven decades. Her many screen roles include '' Pocketful of Miracles'' (1961), ''State Fair'' (1962), '' Bye Bye B ...

Cesare Danova Cesare Danova (March 1, 1926 – March 19, 1992) was an Italian television and screen actor. He was best known for his roles in '' The Captain's Daughter'' (1947), ''Viva Las Vegas'' (1964), '' Chamber of Horrors'' (1966), ''Mean Streets'' (1973 ...

William Demarest Carl William Demarest (February 27, 1892 – December 28, 1983) was an American actor, known especially for his supporting roles in screwball comedies by Preston Sturges and as Uncle Charley in the sitcom ''My Three Sons'' from 1965-72. Demares ...

and Nicky Blair. Set in

Las Vegas, Nevada Las Vegas, colloquially referred to as Vegas, is the most populous city in the U.S. state of Nevada and the county seat of Clark County. The Las Vegas Valley metropolitan area is the largest within the greater Mojave Desert, and second-l ...

, the film is about two competing race car drivers who also compete for the same girl. The film's theme song "

Viva Las Vegas ''Viva Las Vegas'' is a 1964 American rock and roll musical film directed by George Sidney, written by Sally Benson, choreographed by David Winters, and starring Elvis Presley, Ann-Margret, Cesare Danova, William Demarest and Nicky Blair ...

" (written by

Doc Pomus Jerome Solon Felder (June 27, 1925 – March 14, 1991), known professionally as Doc Pomus, was an American blues singer and songwriter. He is best known as the co-writer of many rock and roll hits. Pomus was inducted into the Rock and Roll Hal ...

and

Mort Shuman Mortimer Shuman (12 November 1938 – 2 November 1991) was an American singer, pianist and songwriter, best known as co-writer of many 1960s rock and roll hits, including " Viva Las Vegas". He also wrote and sang many songs in French, such as ...

) did well on the year's record sales and has since become a theme song for the titular city. The film is regarded by Elvis fans and film critics as one of Presley's best films, and it is noted for the real-life on-screen chemistry between Presley and Ann-Margret. ''Viva Las Vegas'' was a hit at film theaters, as it was No. 14 on the ''

Variety Variety may refer to: Arts and entertainment Entertainment formats * Variety (radio) * Variety show, in theater and television Films * ''Variety'' (1925 film), a German silent film directed by Ewald Andre Dupont * ''Variety'' (1935 film), ...

'' entertainment trade magazine's year end box office list of the top-grossing films of 1964.

Plot

Lucky Jackson (Elvis) goes to

Las Vegas Las Vegas, colloquially referred to as Vegas, is the most populous city in the U.S. state of Nevada and the county seat of Clark County. The Las Vegas Valley metropolitan area is the largest within the greater Mojave Desert, and second-l ...

Nevada Nevada ( ; ) is a landlocked state in the Western United States. It borders Oregon to the northwest, Idaho to the northeast, California to the west, Arizona to the southeast, and Utah to the east. Nevada is the seventh-most extensive, th ...

to participate in the city's first annual Grand Prix Race. However, his race car, an Elva Mark VI, is in need of a new engine to compete in the event. Lucky raises the necessary money in Las Vegas, but he loses it when he is shoved into the pool by the hotel's young swimming instructor, Rusty Martin (Ann-Margret). Lucky then has to work as a waiter at the hotel to replace the lost money to pay his hotel bill, as well as enter the hotel's talent contest in hopes of winning a cash prize sizable enough to pay for his car's engine. During all this time, Lucky attempts to win the affections of Rusty. His main competition arrives in the form of Count Elmo Mancini (

) and his

Ferrari 250 The Ferrari 250 is a series of sports cars and grand tourers built by Ferrari from 1952 to 1964. The company's most successful early line, the 250 series includes many variants designed for road use or sports car racing. 250 series cars are chara ...

GT Berlinetta. Mancini attempts to win both the Grand Prix and the affections of Rusty. Rusty soon falls in love with Lucky, and immediately tries to change him into what she wants.

Cast

Production

George Sidney later said "that was one of those cases where we had no script and we had a commitment. Originally it was something about an Arabian or something... But we turned it around and we wrote the script in about eleven days... We changed the whole thing and decided to do it in Las Vegas." In March 1963, Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer president Robert O'Brien announced ''Viva Las Vegas'' would be one of 20 films made at the studio the following year. By May, Ann-Margret signed to co-star. She was paid $15,000 a week over ten weeks. ''Viva Las Vegas'' was filmed during the summer of 1963, before production of Presley's film ''

Kissin' Cousins ''Kissin' Cousins'' is a 1964 American musical Panavision Metrocolor comedy film directed by Gene Nelson and starring Elvis Presley. Written by Gerald Drayson Adams and Gene Nelson, the film featured Presley playing two roles: an Air Force o ...

'', but was released after ''Kissin' Cousins'' in the summer of 1964. In Great Britain, both the film and its soundtrack were sold as ''Love in Las Vegas'', since there was another, different film

Meet Me in Las Vegas ''Meet Me in Las Vegas'' is a 1956 American musical comedy film directed by Roy Rowland, filmed in Eastman Color and CinemaScope, and starring Dan Dailey and Cyd Charisse. The film was tailored for the talents of Charisse, showcasing her skil ...

called ''Viva Las Vegas'' there, that was being shown in British cinemas at the same time that Presley's was released. The chemistry between the two stars was genuine during filming. Presley and Ann-Margret began an affair, and this received considerable attention from film and music

gossip columnist A gossip columnist is someone who writes a gossip column in a newspaper or magazine, especially in a gossip magazine. Gossip columns are written in a light, informal style, and relate opinions about the personal lives or conduct of celebrities fr ...

s. This reportedly led to a showdown with Presley's worried girlfriend

Priscilla Beaulieu Priscilla Ann Presley (née Wagner, formerly Beaulieu; born May 24, 1945) is an American businesswoman and actress. She is the ex-wife of American singer Elvis Presley, as well as the cofounder and former chairperson of Elvis Presley Enterpris ...

. (Elvis and Priscilla married in 1967.) In her 1985 book ''

Elvis and Me ''Elvis and Me: The True Story of the Love Between Priscilla Presley and the King of Rock N' Roll'' is a 1985 memoir written by Priscilla Presley, with Sandra Harmon. In the book, Priscilla talks about meeting Elvis Presley, their marriage, and ...

'', Priscilla Presley describes the difficulties that she experienced when the gossip columnists erroneously "announced" that Ann-Margret and Presley had become engaged to be married. In her memoirs, Ann-Margret refers to Elvis Presley as her "soulmate" and stated: "We felt there was a need in 'The Industry' for a female Elvis Presley." In addition, the filming of ''Viva Las Vegas'' reportedly produced unusually heated exchanges between the director, film veteran

, and Presley's manager,

Colonel Tom Parker Colonel Thomas Andrew Parker (born Andreas Cornelis van Kuijk; June 26, 1909 January 21, 1997) was a Dutch people, Dutch talent manager and concert promoter, best known as the manager of Elvis Presley. Parker was born in the Netherlands and Il ...

, who was not credited as a "Technical Advisor" in the film's credits. The arguments reportedly concerned the amount of time and effort allotted by the

cinematographer The cinematographer or director of photography (sometimes shortened to DP or DOP) is the person responsible for the recording of a film, television production, music video or other live-action piece. The cinematographer is the chief of the camera ...

Joseph Biroc Joseph Francis Biroc, (February 12, 1903 – September 7, 1996) was an American cinematographer. He was born in New York City and began working in films at the Paragon Studios in Fort Lee, New Jersey. After working there for approximately six ye ...

, to the song and dance numbers that featured Ann-Margret, ostensibly 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. David Winters, the film's choreographer, was recommended for the job by Ann-Margret, who was his dance student at the time. This was Winters's first job as a choreographer. The film presents a set of ten musical song-and-dance scenes. Because the film went over budget, Parker would slash budgets for all remaining films in Presley's career.

Little Church of the West Little Church of the West is a wedding chapel on the Las Vegas Strip in Paradise, Nevada, United States, that is listed on the United States National Register of Historic Places. Built of redwood, it was intended to be a replica of a typical pio ...

, the oldest wedding chapel in Las Vegas, is the location used in the closing scene. The scene where Presley sings "

" is performed in one single unedited shot, the only known example of such a technique in Presley's film career. The film also includes a scene (Lucky and the Count looking for Rusty) with the showgirls of the

Folies Bergere at The Tropicana Hotel Las Vegas Lasting almost 50 years, Les Folies Bergere was the longest-running show in Las Vegas history. The Folies Bergere revue was imported directly from Paris including French creative leadership and cast members. The Tropicana Las Vegas hosted the ...

Reception

Box office

The film grossed $9,442,967 at the box office, earning $5 million in U.S. theatrical rentals.

Critical

For his role in ''Viva Las Vegas'', Elvis Presley received a third place prize 1965

Laurel Award The Laurel Awards were American cinema awards that honored films, actors, actresses, producers, directors, and composers. This award was created by the ''Motion Picture Exhibitor'' magazine, and ran from 1948 to 1971 (with the exception of 196 ...

for best male performance in a musical film. ''Viva Las Vegas'' was also the 1965 Laurel runner-up in the category of the best musical of 1964. Ann-Margret was praised for her on screen chemistry with Elvis, as she nearly stole the film from him. Some critics in 1964 were lukewarm about ''Viva Las Vegas'', such as one for ''The New York Times'', who wrote: "''Viva Las Vegas'', the new Elvis Presley vehicle, is about as pleasant and unimportant as a banana split." However, many others deduced the reasons why many members of the North American public liked the movie so much. ''Variety'' stated in its review: "Beyond several flashy musical numbers, a glamorous locale, and one electrifying auto race sequence, the production is a pretty trite and 'heavyhanded' affair". Critical reaction notwithstanding, ''Viva Las Vegas'' has become one of Elvis Presley's most popular and iconic films. Contemporary reception for the film has been positive. On review aggregator

Rotten Tomatoes Rotten Tomatoes is an American review aggregator, review-aggregation website for film and television. The company was launched in August 1998 by three undergraduate students at the University of California, Berkeley: Senh Duong, Patrick Y. Lee ...

, the film holds an approval rating of 87% based on 30 reviews. The site's critics consensus reads, "Ann-Margret keeps Elvis on his toes and together they elevate ''Viva Las Vegas'' into a naughty and rockin' mild delight." ''Filmink'' argued Ann-Margret "had so much energy and pep that she had blown her previous three male co-stars off screen, but Elvis could match her. He was the best on-screen partner she ever had, and she was his. It’s the most purely entertaining Elvis movie ever, a complete delight and it’s unbelievable they were never teamed again." The film is recognized by

American Film Institute The American Film Institute (AFI) is an American nonprofit film organization that educates filmmakers and honors the heritage of the History of cinema in the United States, motion picture arts in the United States. AFI is supported by private fu ...

in these lists: * 2004: AFI's 100 Years...100 Songs: ** "

" – Nominated * 2006:

AFI's Greatest Movie Musicals Part of the AFI 100 Years… series, AFI's Greatest Movie Musicals is a list of the top musicals in American cinema. The list was unveiled by the American Film Institute at the Hollywood Bowl The Hollywood Bowl is an amphitheatre and Urba ...

– Nominated

Soundtrack

Home media

Warner Home Video, August 1, 2000.

This DVD release contains the movie in two formats on a flipper disc. One side contains the movie in the Aspect Ratio: 1.33:1 (4:3), the other side is in Widescreen (Letterbox). The soundtrack is presented in mono.

Viva Las Vegas Deluxe Edition, Warner Home Video, August 7, 2007.

* Commentary by Steve Pond, rock journalist and author of ''Elvis in Hollywood'' * Restored and Digitally Remastered in a 16x9 master, enhanced for widescreen televisions. Color/16x9 Anamorphic transfer 2.4:1 * New featurette Kingdom: Elvis in Vegas * Remastered soundtrack in Dolby Digital 5.1 from original production elements and original mono theatrical soundtrack. This film is the first of only two Elvis movies (the other being '' Jailhouse Rock'') to be officially released onto every home media format distributed in the U.S. (Beta, VHS, CED Disc, Laserdisc, DVD, HD DVD and Blu-ray Disc)

Planned remake

In 2001,

Warner Bros. Warner Bros. Entertainment Inc. (WBEI), commonly known as Warner Bros. (WB), is an American filmed entertainment studio headquartered at the Warner Bros. Studios complex in Burbank, California and the main namesake subsidiary of Warner Bro ...

were developing a remake of ''Viva Las Vegas'' starring

Ricky Martin Enrique Martin Morales (born December 24, 1971), known professionally as Ricky Martin, is a Puerto Rican singer, songwriter and actor. He is known for his musical versatility, with his Ricky Martin albums discography, discography incorporati ...

as "a Puerto Rican singer who comes to Las Vegas to make it big", alongside

Jennifer Lopez Jennifer Lynn Lopez (born July 24, 1969), also known by her nickname J.Lo, is an American singer, songwriter, actress, dancer and businesswoman. Lopez is regarded as one of the most influential entertainers of her time, credited with breaking ...

. The film was to be produced by Lisa Tornell with a screenplay by Jason Schafer. For whatever reason, this project did not eventuate.

In popular culture

* The iconic classic racer anime character Gō Mifune (aka

Speed Racer ''Speed Racer'', also known as , is a Japanese manga series written and illustrated by Tatsuo Yoshida. It was originally serialized in print in Shueisha's 1966 ''Shōnen Book''. It was released in form by Sun Wide Comics and later re-re ...

), and his racer image, complete with neckerchief and black pompadour, was directly based on Elvis's character in this movie. * In the 1998 movie ''

The Big Lebowski ''The Big Lebowski'' () is a 1998 crime comedy film written, directed, produced and co-edited by Joel and Ethan Coen. It follows the life of Jeffrey "The Dude" Lebowski (Jeff Bridges), a Los Angeles slacker and avid bowler. He is assaulted ...

'', the song "Viva Las Vegas" is playing as the Big Lebowski's wife, Bunny, returns home. * The 2000 film ''

The Flintstones in Viva Rock Vegas ''The Flintstones in Viva Rock Vegas'' is a 2000 American romantic comedy film directed by Brian Levant, written by Jim Cash, Harry Elfont, Deborah Kaplan, and Jack Epps, Jr., and is the prequel to Levant's ''The Flintstones'' (1994), based ...

'' is a play on the title of ''Viva Las Vegas''. Ann-Margret also appears in this film, in which she performs a version of "Viva Las Vegas", retitled "Viva Rock Vegas". As part of ''The Flintstones Stone Age theme, she was credited as "Ann-Margrock". * In ''

Angel An angel is a spiritual (without a physical body), heavenly, or supernatural being, usually humanoid with bird-like wings, often depicted as a messenger or intermediary between God (the transcendent) and humanity (the profane) in variou ...

'', the fourth season episode "The House Always Wins" highlights the song when Angel, Gunn and Fred drive to Vegas to visit (and eventually rescue) their friend Lorne, who is an unwilling performer in a mystical lounge act. * ''

Elvis Elvis Aaron Presley (January 8, 1935 – August 16, 1977) was an American singer and actor. Referred to as the "King of Rock and Roll", he is regarded as one of the most significant cultural figures of the 20th century. Presley's sexuall ...

'', a 2005 TV miniseries about the life of Elvis Presley, depicts the supposed Elvis/Ann-Margret affair during the filming of ''Viva Las Vegas''. * The suit Elvis Presley wears in the movie is depicted in '' Fallout: New Vegas'' (2010), worn by an Elvis impersonator who goes by the moniker "The King". * Viva, also known as Viva Las Vegas, is an AIDS Services of Austin fundraiser that traditionally features faux gambling. In 2009, the event began featuring a fashion show, labeled by

Austin American-Statesman The ''Austin American-Statesman'' is the major daily newspaper for Austin, the capital city of the U.S. state of Texas. It is owned by Hearst Communications. The distribution of the following ''The New York Times'', ''The Washington Post'', '' ...

social columnist Michael Barnes as the "Best Austin fashion show ever." * The Elvis recording of the title song was played during the TV broadcast of the 2024

Super Bowl LVIII Super Bowl LVIII was an American football game played to determine the champion of the National Football League (NFL) for the 2023 NFL season, 2023 season. A rematch of Super Bowl LIV four years prior, the American Football Conference (AFC) 20 ...

, played at

Allegiant Stadium Allegiant Stadium is a domed multi-purpose stadium located in Paradise, Nevada, southwest of adjacent Las Vegas. Opened in 2020, it is the home field of the Las Vegas Raiders of the National Football League (NFL) and the University of Nevada ...

in Las Vegas, NV on Sunday, February 11, 2024.

Travis Kelce Travis Michael Kelce ( ; born October 5, 1989) is an American professional American football, football tight end for the Kansas City Chiefs of the National Football League (NFL). He was selected by the Chiefs in the third round of the 2013 NF ...

also sang a snippet of the song after the KC Chiefs won the game.

References

Bibliography

* * * *

External links

* * *
Entry at movie cars database

{{George Sidney 1964 films 1964 musical comedy films 1964 romantic comedy films American musical comedy films American romantic comedy films American romantic musical films American auto racing films Films directed by George Sidney Films scored by Georgie Stoll Films set in the Las Vegas Valley Films shot in the Las Vegas Valley Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer films 1960s English-language films 1960s American films English-language romantic comedy films English-language musical comedy films