Elvis Films

Fun Facts About Elvis Films

• Jailhouse Rock (1957) Widely regarded as one of Elvis' best early films. His raw performance captured the rebellious spirit of rock and roll in the 1950s and pioneered many music video elements with his legendary dance scene.
• King Creole (1958) Critics and fans widely consider this his strongest dramatic performance. Elvis later called Danny Fisher, a rebellious jazz club singer, his favorite character. Shot on location in New Orleans, it earned him some of the best reviews of his acting career.
• G.I. Blues (1960) The first film after Elvis was released from the Army. It established the successful formula of lightweight plots combined with musical numbers that would characterize many of his subsequent films.
• Viva Las Vegas (1964) Often called his most energetic and enjoyable film, it paired Elvis with the sizzling Ann-Margret — their on-screen chemistry was electric. It was his highest-grossing movie and featured great race-car action sequences.
• Kissin' Cousins (1964): Elvis played dual roles (the clean-cut soldier Josh Morgan and his hillbilly cousin Jodie Tatum) in this comedic film. The King pulled off the two roles primarily through makeup, different clothing, body language, and the strawberry blond wig he wore for Jodie, which Elvis reportedly absolutely hated.
• Roustabout (1964) Elvis insisted on performing many of his own stunts and ended up getting injured during a fight scene when a stuntman accidently hit him above the eye. He needed nine stitches. To avoid production delays, the filmmakers changed the script to make the on-set injury appear as a result of the in-movie motorcyle crash.
• Speedway (1968) Shot partly at a real NASCAR track, the film stars Elvis and Nancy Sinatra, with appearances by an assortment of real race car drivers. It significantly helped boost NASCAR's popularity by introducing the sport to a wider audience.
• Clambake (1967) Elvis called this his worst film. He was deeply frustrated with the formulaic scripts he was forced to accept at this point in this career. It would be the last time he was able to command a $1 million salary for a film role and prompted him to return to live performing with his '68 Comeback Special.