Viva Las Vegas (1964)

Director:

George Sidney

Writer:

Sally Benson (written by)

Release Date:

20 May 1964 (USA)

Genre:

Comedy | Musical | Romance

Tagline:

Elvis is at the wheel but Ann-Margret drives him wild!

Plot:

Lucky Jackson arrives in town with his car literally in tow ready for the first Las Vegas Grand Prix - once he has the money to buy an engine...

Plot Keywords:

Elvis Presley | Hot Pants | Automobile Racing | Las Vegas Nevada | City Name In Title

Awards:

3 wins

Cast

Elvis Presley	...	Lucky Jackson
Ann-Margret	...	Rusty Martin
Cesare Danova	...	Count Elmo Mancini
William Demarest	...	Mr. Martin
Nicky Blair	...	Shorty Fansworth
rest of cast listed alphabetically:
The Jubilee Four	...	Themselves

Also Known As:

Love in Las Vegas (International: English title) (UK)
Only Girl in Town (USA) (working title)

Runtime:

85 min

Country:

USA

Language:

English

Color:

Color (Metrocolor)

Aspect Ratio:

2.35 : 1

Sound Mix:

Mono (Westrex Recording System)

Certification:

Singapore:PG | Iceland:L | Australia:G | Canada:PG | Finland:S | South Korea:12 | Sweden:Btl | UK:U | USA:Approved (PCA #20549) | West Germany:12

Filming Locations:

Henderson, Nevada, USA

Company:

Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer (MGM)

Trivia:

One of the guitar players on the soundtrack was singer/actor Glen Campbell.

Goofs:

Continuity: The continuity of the big race is completely jumbled. For example the #19 Jaguar XK 120 is the first car to crash, yet it is plainly visible a few moments later bumping other cars off course. Lucky manages to weave his way through the whole pack to catch the race leader's Ferrari 250 GT and then they swap leads a few times. The Count's Ferrari blows a tire and crashes, then suddenly Lucky is once again passing the cars he just passed to catch the Count and take the lead.

Quotes:

Mr. Martin: [To tree] You know Mr Tree, you and I might have a big celebration this xmas, we can both get lit up!

Movie Connections:

Featured in Love Stinks (1999)

Soundtrack:

The Yellow Rose of Texas

Star chemistry makes this a cut above the usual Elvis fare

Viva Las Vegas is a highly entertaining and lively film, sparked by the chemistry of its two gorgeous stars, Elvis Presley and Ann-Margret. When Ann-Margret appeared on Larry King last year, King kept bringing up Elvis, but she wasn't about to talk about him. They were certainly a hot couple, and if they were crazy about each other, which reportedly they were, who can blame them? There is absolutely nothing special about the story, but the movie has some delightful musical numbers, including the title song - which has become part of the popular culture as it personifies everything Vegas.

Colonel Parker wasn't happy about Viva Las Vegas because he felt that Ann-Margret was getting too many closeups in an Elvis Presley film. But without her sexy presence, the film would have lacked a lot of its energy. Elvis was unhappy making this kind of movie, and I imagine he was more willing to go to work with Ann-Margret on the set. It's fun to see them so young and beautiful, and having fun.