Elvis Presley on film and television

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Elvis Presley on film and television
Elvis in a publicity photo for the film Jailhouse Rock in 1957
Films	31
Documentary films	7
Television	10
Home videos	23

Elvis Presley was an American entertainer and Laurel Award winning actor who achieved great initial success as a singer and stage performer. He publicly expressed an early career goal of following in the footsteps of his role models James Dean and Marlon Brando to become a top dramatic actor.^[1] His manager Colonel Tom Parker's persistent lobbying of William Morris Agency president Abe Lastfogel for a Presley screen test paid off on March 26, 1956, when the singer auditioned at Paramount for a supporting role in The Rainmaker.^[2] Although not chosen for the part, he signed a contract with Paramount producer Hal Wallis on April 25 that also allowed him to make films with other studios.^[3]

His feature debut was in Love Me Tender in 1956 for 20th Century Fox, which was the biggest acting debut of all time,^[4] with the commercial success of the soundtrack EP being a bellwether for the next three Presley films, Loving You, Jailhouse Rock, and King Creole. Presley returned to acting after leaving the army in 1960, with G.I. Blues and a dramatic western Flaming Star. The popularity of his romantic musicals established a formula for the coming years, with Presley's films being credited as the start of the modern music video.^[5]

Presley experienced success as both a singer and an actor in these years, doing what was and remains unheard of with hit films at the box office, hit singles, and hit albums all at the same time.^[6] Presley starred in 17 box office top-ten films between 1956 and 1965, with 17 number one singles and 8 number one albums in the same time period.^[7][8] Presley was also landing hit films, singles, and albums all at the same time, in the same calendar year^[9]

Over time, Presley became bitter that his hopes for dramatic roles were not coming to fruition,^[10] and after missing roles in West Side Story, Thunder Road, The Defiant Ones, and Cat on a Hot Tin Roof.^[11]

Many of the big stars of the sixties were jealous of Presley and this is one of the reasons why he stopped working with other leading actors, such as Steve McQueen.^[12] Even the Beatles wanted to appear in a film with Presley, but this wasn't considered a good idea.^[13] Presley continued to be successful as a singer and actor at this time, with the soundtrack for the 1964 film Roustabout reaching number one on the Billboard 200 during Beatlemania.^[14][15]

Presley's 1965 film Tickle Me, saved the film studio Allied Artists from bankruptcy.^[16] Tickle Me was the third highest-grossing film in the studio's history.^[17] Allied Artists then went on to win numerous Academy Awards, although Presley was never credited or thanked. Presley reduced his million-dollar salary to just $750,000 to help the studio.^[18]

Presley's 1968 film Speedway, which is considered to be among the best NASCAR films ever made,^[19] credited with helping the popularity of NASCAR.^[20]

Presley stated that Clambake was his worst film and began to complain about the deteriorating quality of the films and his belief that his manager's objectives were more monetary than anything else.^[21] This resulted in a change to his acting career and a stop to the formula films in 1968, after which Presley starred in the comedy western Stay Away, Joe, the modern screwball comedy Live a Little, Love a Little, the dramatic western Charro!, and the social drama Change of Habit.^[22]

Charro! has been called the most convincing acting role of Presley's career ^[23] and Change of Habit was a major success that Presley's manager decided against being considered for Academy Awards, saying, "don't go buying no tuxedos."^[24][25] Change of Habit is also considered the best final film of any singer turner actor.^[26]

At the expiration of all studio contracts, he returned to live entertaining and soon became the biggest star in Las Vegas history and on tour in America.^[27] The two concert documentaries Elvis: That's the Way It Is in 1970 and Elvis on Tour in 1972 were the final theatrical releases for Presley.^[28] Both were among the most successful concert documentaries of their day, with Elvis on Tour winning prestige with a Golden Globe award and starting off the career of Martin Scorsese. Whilst Tom Parker opted against Elvis: That's the Way It Is being submitted for Oscars due to the academy's bias against Presley and because they would try to use his name for ratings and prestige.^[29]

Presley was the highest paid actor in Hollywood but said that he didn't need money to be successful^[30] and that no amount of money was necessary for him to take a good role. His films grossed $284 million^[31] and Presley was paid 50% of those profits,^[32] making him the richest actor in Hollywood history.^[33] He was also paid $250,000 royalties from each of his 17 soundtrack albums from the movies, giving Presley $4.2 million. Presley was in the Top Ten Money Making Stars Poll for seven years, making $1 million per film.^[34][35]

Of the roles Presley turned down, these included the John Wayne western True Grit. Presley was asked to play the role that Glen Campbell played, but top billing with John Wayne was contested.^[36]

Presley was considered for the leading role in Willy Wonka & the Chocolate Factory but was busy performing in Las Vegas.^[11]

It was expected for Presley to be paid his usual million-dollar salary to star in A Star Is Born. Although interested in the role, Presley was ultimately not hired as Parker believed Presley would not receive top billing, and attempted to negotiate a higher salary and percentage of the film's gross profits.^[37] Presley's manager Colonel Tom Parker knew that Presley wanted to develop himself as an actor. And so, Parker turned down the role, not wanting to see Presley being overshadowed by Barbra Streisand.^[38] This is considered to be one of the biggest missed opportunities in cinema history.^[39][40][41] Presley did decide to produce, write and star a karate film called The New Gladiators, which was a true passion project for the actor and 8th degree black belt, although this remained unfinished at the time of his death and lost out on its classic status.^[42]

Over the years and with a reassessment of his acting career, roles in films like Charro!, Wild in the Country, Change of Habit, and Live a Little, Love a Little have led to Presley receiving high praise as an actor.^[43][44] Many consider him to have been the best and most successful singer-actor in Hollywood history.^[45] Presley also holds the distinction of all of his films making money at the box office.^[46]