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Today is a day that’s truly fit for a King, as January 8th, 2015 marks Elvis Presley’s 80th birthday. The rock and roll pioneer continues to have a lasting influence on American, if not global, pop culture, and while his Hollywood body of work has been the object of derision from some, Elvis’s 31 feature films remain among the most popular on home video. MovieFanFare wants to salute Presley with this look back of some of our articles about his big-screen career:
Elvis certainly “had a swingin’ time” when he teamed up with an actress who could match him move for move, the vivacious Ann-Margret, and set the “bright light city” ablaze in Viva Las Vegas. Guest blogger Angela Petteys rolls the dice with her review of the neon-flashin’ 1964 musical, which to this day stands out as one of the King’s best-loved films.
After co-starring with Presley in Loving You and King Creole, actress Dolores Hart made the stunning decision in 1963 to abandon her burgeoning film career for a nun’s life in a Connecticut abbey. Mother Dolores Hart has reflected on that choice and more in her 2013 memoir The Ear of the Heart: An Actress’ Journey from Hollywood to Holy Vows, and her gracious chat with MovieFanFare’s Irv Slifkin can be found here.
As most people know, Elvis Presley’s last feature film was 1969’s Change of Habit, and he passed away eight years later. But what sort of movies might he have made if he hadn’t died? MFF’s Gary Cahall posits an alternate big-screen career where Presley worked with the likes of Barbra Streisand, Chuck Norris, Vanilla Ice (!) and Meryl Streep and racked up three Academy Award nominations along the way.
Finally, if you have a favorite Elvis film, please take a moment and make your selection known in our Presley movie poll. And always remember…
…50,000,001 Elvis fans can’t be wrong!
Do you have an Elvis-related movie memory? Please share it with us in the comment section below, and thank you verra much.