Love Me Tender (1956)

Director:

Robert D. Webb

Writers:

Maurice Geraghty (story)
Robert Buckner (writer)

Release Date:

15 November 1956 (USA)

Genre:

Drama | Musical | Romance | Western

Tagline:

HEAR ELVIS SING . . . "Love Me Tender" "We're Gonna Move" "Poor Boy" "Let Me"

Plot:

Elvis plays Clint Reno, one of the Reno brothers who stayed home while he brother went to fight in the Civil War for the Confederate army...

Plot Keywords:

Brother | Robbery | Civil War | Brother Brother Relationship | Presumed Dead

Cast

Richard Egan	...	Vance Reno
Debra Paget	...	Cathy Reno
Elvis Presley	...	Clint Reno
Robert Middleton	...	Mr. Siringo
William Campbell	...	Brett Reno
Neville Brand	...	Mike Gavin
Mildred Dunnock	...	Martha Reno
Bruce Bennett	...	Maj. Kincaid
James Drury	...	Ray Reno
Russ Conway	...	Ed Galt
Ken Clark	...	Mr. Kelso
Barry Coe	...	Mr. Davis
rest of cast listed alphabetically:
Dorothy Hack
Paul E. Burns	...	Jethro (uncredited)
Heinie Conklin	...	Train passenger (uncredited)
Steve Darrell	...	Train conductor #2 (uncredited)
Joe Di Reda	...	Soldier #1 (uncredited)
Tom Greenway	...	Paymaster (uncredited)
Frank Griffin	...	Bit part (uncredited)
L.Q. Jones	...	Pardee Fleming (uncredited)
Jay Jostyn	...	Maj. Harris (uncredited)
Frank Mills	...	Train passenger (uncredited)
Edward Mundy	...	Auctioneer (uncredited)
Bob Rose	...	Station agent (uncredited)
Dick Sargent	...	Confederate soldier (uncredited)
Jerry Sheldon	...	Train conductor (uncredited)
James Stone	...	Storekeeper (uncredited)

Directed by
Robert D. Webb

Writing credits
Maurice Geraghty		(story)
Robert Buckner		(writer)

Produced by
David Weisbart	....	producer

Original Music by
Lionel Newman

Cinematography by
Leo Tover

Film Editing by
Hugh S. Fowler

Art Direction by
Maurice Ransford
Lyle R. Wheeler

Set Decoration by
Fay Babcock
Walter M. Scott

Costume Design by
Mary Wills

Makeup Department
Ben Nye	....	makeup artist
Helen Turpin	....	hair stylist

Second Unit Director or Assistant Director
Stanley Hough	....	assistant director

Art Department
Don B. Greenwood	....	property master (uncredited)

Sound Department
Alfred Bruzlin	....	sound
Harry M. Leonard	....	sound

Special Effects by
Ray Kellogg	....	special photographic effects

Stunts
Martha Crawford	....	stunt double: Debra Paget (uncredited)
John Epper	....	stunts (uncredited)

Camera and Electrical Department
Frank J. Calabria	....	additional photographer: New York (uncredited)

Costume and Wardrobe Department
Charles Le Maire	....	executive wardrobe designer (as Charles LeMaire)
Sam Benson	....	wardrobe (uncredited)

Music Department
Ken Darby	....	vocal supervisor
Edward B. Powell	....	orchestrator
Hugo Friedhofer	....	composer: additional music (uncredited)
Hank Garland	....	musician: guitar (uncredited)
Earle Hagen	....	composer: additional music (uncredited)
Leigh Harline	....	composer: additional music (uncredited)
Arthur Morton	....	orchestrator (uncredited)

Other crew
Tom Parker	....	technical advisor (as Colonel Tom Parker)
Ben Wright	....	dialogue director

Production Companies

• Twentieth Century-Fox Film Corporation

Distributors

• Twentieth Century-Fox Film Corporation (1956) (USA) (theatrical)
• 20th Century Fox Home Entertainment (2002) (Brazil) (DVD)
• 20th Century Fox Home Entertainment (2002) (USA) (DVD)
• Abril Vídeo (19??) (Brazil) (VHS)
• FS Film Oy (????) (Finland) (DVD)
• Fox Video (199?) (USA) (VHS) (pan/scan)
• Mainostelevisio (MTV3) (1978) (Finland) (TV)

Also Known As:

The Reno Brothers (USA) (working title)

Runtime:

89 min

Country:

USA

Language:

English

Color:

Black and White

Aspect Ratio:

2.35 : 1

Sound Mix:

4-Track Stereo (Westrex Recording System) (magnetic prints) | Mono (optical prints)

Certification:

Australia:PG | New Zealand:PG | Finland:K-12 | Sweden:15 | UK:U | West Germany:12 (nf)

Filming Locations:

20th Century Fox Ranch, Malibu Creek State Park - 1925 Las Virgenes Road, Calabasas, California, USA

Company:

Twentieth Century-Fox Film Corporation

Trivia:

A record number of prints of "Love Me Tender" were struck in 1956 to accommodate the demand for Elvis Presley's movie debut.

Goofs:

Anachronisms: In the scene where Cathy Reno is at the window crying, a car can be seen in the background.

Quotes:

Vance Reno: Listen, Brett, we didn't steal this money. We took it in battle, fair and square. It's what they call "spoils of war", like capturing a horse or anything else. We didn't know the war was over, and neither did the Federals. So it's still prize money.

Movie Connections:

Referenced in "The Golden Girls: Love Me Tender (#4.14)" (1989)

Soundtrack:

LET ME

Good beginning to Elvis Presley's film career

Though this is the one film that Elvis didn't receive top billing for, his tremendous singing and acting ability go a long way toward making it a lot of fun to watch. He shows us here that he was a terrific actor as well as a gifted singer. The story starts off a little slow but hits the mark after the first ten to fifteen minutes and leads to a well crafted climax. Worth watching for any Elvis fan.