60 YEARS AGO TODAY:
6/17/64 – “Viva Las Vegas” starring Elvis Presley and Ann-Margret opens nationally in theaters.
(In a move that makes absolutely no sense at all today, it had opened in New York City two months earlier.)
The chemistry between Elvis and Ann-Margret was undeniable ...
To this day, many consider "Viva Las Vegas" to be one of the best films he ever made. (I know the bar is set pretty low in this regard ... but this was a good one ... and is still fun to watch.)
Although the title track would go on to become one of Elvis' signature tunes, it wasn't that big of a hit when it was first released a few months earlier, only climbing to #29 in Billboard and #16 nationally overall. In fact, it's B-Side, Elvis' version of the Ray Charles classic "What'd I Say," performed better on the charts, climbing to #21 in Billboard and #13 in Cash Box.
Many considered Ann-Margret to be "the female Elvis" at the time ... she just oozed sexuality (in a sex kitten sort of way.) She was flat out electric ... and had certainly had come a long way from innocent Kim MacAfee in "Bye Bye Birdie," where she had starred alongside another teen idol, Bobby Rydell. In "Viva Las Vegas," she matched Elvis move for move throughout the film ... and even outperformed him in her spotlight scenes.
In a rare move, she and Elvis even got to sing a couple of duets together. (Ann-Margret had her own Top Ten Hit in 1961 with "I Just Don't Understand," a song even The Beatles took note of and performed during one of their BBC broadcasts.)
One of my favorites comes in this scene, shot poolside ...
Incredibly, Elvis bombed in Las Vegas when he first appeared there in 1957 ... the high-brow crowd just wasn't ready for his rock and roll antics ...
But he obviously came back in a VERY big way twelve years later where he played to packed, sold-out full houses every time he appeared. (The show was a little slicker then, too ... and Elvis had just come back in a very big way after his NBC "comeback" special aired. All of a sudden, he was having hits on the chart again, too!)
Also on 6/17, Jay and the Americans record “Come A Little Bit Closer”
