“Viva Las Vegas” is celebrating its 60th anniversary.
In one of his best-known roles, rock star Elvis Presley stars as Lucky Jackson, a race car driver preparing for a Grand Prix, and along the way meets the beautiful Rusty Martin, played by Ann-Margret. I fall in love.
Romantic relationships, steamy deleted scenes, and friction between the two leads made the movie’s sets as exciting as the movie itself.
Here are some of the most fascinating stories from the set of this iconic film.
Elvis Presley and Ann-Margret performed together at “Viva Las Vegas” in 1964. (Photo credit: FilmPublicityArchive/United Archives via Getty Images)
Ann-Margret talks about her connection to Elvis Presley, recalls biting Pat Boone’s shoulder
Romance on set
Ann-Margret wrote in her memoir that she had a brief romance with Elvis Presley during the filming of “Viva Las Vegas.” (Getty Images)
At the time, Elvis was dating Priscilla Presley and had a romance on set with co-star Ann-Margret.
The actress wrote about their brief romance in her 1994 memoir, Ann-Margret: My Story, and when Presley was under the impression that Ann-Margret had pitched a story to the tabloids about them getting married. , explained that the romance was over.
“It probably didn’t last,” Turner Classic Movies host Ben Mankiewicz told Fox News about the relationship in August 2017. “But they had a really meaningful connection to each other. They understood each other, they both came from small towns, they both loved motorcycles, and they both were in the Hollywood spotlight.” He felt uncomfortable being exposed…and I think that’s what brought them together” during Elvis’ life.
“My understanding is that we should all be very lucky to have a friendship as meaningful as the one between Ann-Margret and Elvis Presley.”
Despite the end of their romantic relationship, the two remained good friends until the singer’s death in 1977.
Ann-Margret and Elvis Presley remained close friends until his death in 1977. (Photo courtesy of Silver Screen Collection/Getty Images)
Speaking to Fox News Digital in May 2023, Ann-Margret looked back fondly on her time making the film, sharing that it was “a pleasure working with EP.”
In a separate interview with FOX News Digital in April 2021, Ann-Margret said she couldn’t think of Viva Las Vegas without smiling, adding, “It was one of the happiest times of my life. ” he added.
Apart from her friendship with Presley, Ann-Margret also had a close relationship with director George Sidney, who directed her in the musical film Bye Bye Birdie before directing her in Viva Las Vegas. supervised.
Ann-Margret says she and Elvis Presley similarly “transitioned” into music. (Photo courtesy of Sunset Boulevard/Corbis, via Getty Images)
Elvis Presley left a lasting impact on Ann-Margret, says TCM host Ben Mankiewicz
deleted scene
A deleted scene from the film features Elvis Presley and Ann-Margret singing a duet. (Photo credit: FilmPublicityArchive/United Archives via Getty Images)
The film has a fair share of song and dance numbers, 10 in total, but the 11th number appears to have been left on the chopping block, sources said. Country life.
The deleted scene posted on YouTube begins with Presley singing “Today, Tomorrow and Forever” to himself while playing the piano. Shortly after, Ann-Margret entered the room and slowly began to approach Presley.
As the two continue to sing together, a montage of the two characters engaging in various activities such as dancing, cycling, and water skiing begins to play. The clip ends with the pair failing a dance move and falling to the floor laughing.
“We felt the same way about music. We listened to music and looked at each other and argued! We would have moved the same way,” Ann-Margret said in 2023. he told FOX News Digital in May.
The song was originally written for the film and released on an accompanying EP. It was later re-released as part of the 2002 Elvis Presley compilation album Elvis: Today, Tomorrow and Forever.
‘The only problem’
Elvis Presley was reportedly jealous of the attention director George Sidney gave Ann-Margret. (Photo credit: FilmPublicityArchive/United Archives via Getty Images)
Ann-Margret and Presley were reportedly in love while filming, but Sidney revealed that Presley was very jealous of the attention his co-star was getting on set.
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“We made this picture and it’s fine. The only problem was Elvis didn’t want a close-up of the girl, Ann-Margret,” Sidney once told the media. “He wanted all the close-ups, and he didn’t want her to have a number. Well, I said, ‘No…I’m directing the picture. . I’ll do it my way.’
Express reported The reason the final scene of the film was done in split screen was because Presley wanted to keep the spotlight on himself and appear alone in the final scene. For this reason, the director reportedly shot Ann-Margret’s scenes separately, and when editing, he combined the two clips.
The film ultimately became a box office success and boosted the careers of Presley and Ann-Margret. In addition to Elvis’ flourishing musical career with the release of the albums Love Letters from Elvis and Promised Land, he would go on to star in 17 feature films.
Ann-Margret has had a successful acting career and a series of successful residencies in Las Vegas. Her first performance in Las Vegas was in July 1967, and Presley attended. He also gave her a bouquet of flowers before the first day of her new residency.
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The song “Viva Las Vegas”
Elvis Presley wrote a song called “Viva Las Vegas” for the movie. (Photo courtesy of Sunset Boulevard/Corbis, via Getty Images)
Presley wrote the song “Viva Las Vegas” for the film, which quickly became synonymous with the “King of Rock and Roll” and became the Sin City theme song.
Although the singer never performed this hit live, it remains one of his most famous songs. The song was originally released as a single on his EP related to the film, which also featured three of his other songs from the film.
Presley would go on to build a long history with this city. He performed there for the first time in 1956 as part of the closing act for a show at his New Frontier Hotel. In 1969 he began a residency at the International Hotel and continued to perform shows there until his final performance in December 1976.
Although Presley died eight months later in August 1977, he remains an important figure in the city. Elvis impersonators continue to perform shows throughout Sin City, minister in wedding chapels, and visitors can hear Elvis music playing everywhere they go.
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