Year Film Role Trivia
1956 Love Me Tender Clint Reno First movie role. The only film in which Presley’s character dies on-screen; also the only one in which he did not get top billing. He came third, after Richard Egan and Debra Paget.
1957 Loving You Jimmy Tompkins (Deke Rivers) The first Elvis film in color. Presley’s parents were cast as audience members. After his mother’s death in 1958, Elvis never watched this movie again.
Jailhouse Rock Vince Everett Co-star Judy Tyler was killed in a car wreck on July 4, 1957, three days after filming ended. Presley refused to watch the movie as a result. Composer Mike Stoller appears in the movie as the band pianist.
1958 King Creole Danny Fisher Presley’s favorite of the films he made. [5] This was also the last Elvis movie filmed in black and white. The movie was loosely based on a 1952 novel A Stone for Danny Fisher by Harold Robbins.
1960 G.I. Blues Tulsa McLean The 32nd Armored was Presley’s regiment when he was in the army and again in this. The soundtrack album went to No. 1 on Billboard and spent over two years (111 weeks) on the Billboard charts.
Flaming Star Pacer Burton Andy Warhol’s famous diptych of Presley as a cowboy came from a shot in this movie.
1961 Wild in the Country Glenn Tyler Millie Perkins broke her arm when she had to slap Presley’s character. The screenplay was by Clifford Odets.
Blue Hawaii Chad Gates The soundtrack for this movie became Presley’s most successful chart album. It spent twenty consecutive weeks on the #1 spot of the Billboard Top LP’s chart in 1961-1962. Golden Globe and Tony Award winning actress Angela Lansbury co-starred as Elvis’ mother, although in reality she was only 10 years older than him.
1962 Follow That Dream Toby Kwimper Shot in Citrus County, Florida and Levy County, Florida.
Kid Galahad Walter Gulick/Dustin Holmes/Kid Galahad The remake of a 1937 film, Presley was trained for the fight scenes by the professional boxing coach Mushy Callahan. Gig Young and Charles Bronson co-starred.
Girls! Girls! Girls! Ross Carpenter The only one of his feature films to be nominated for a Golden Globe.
1963 It Happened at the World’s Fair Mike Edwards Uncredited movie debut of Kurt Russell; he runs on screen and kicks Elvis in the shin.
Fun in Acapulco Mike Windgren Teri Garr makes an uncredited movie debut as an extra. James Bond girl Ursula Andress co-starred.
1964 Kissin’ Cousins Josh Morgan / Jodie Tatum Elvis’ first dual role. Presley loathed the “strawberry blond” wig he had to wear as the hillbilly cousin in this film, in part because it made him look as he had before deciding to dye his hair black in 1957. [22] , Jack Albertson co-starred.
Viva Las Vegas Lucky Jackson Elvis had an off-screen romance with his co-star, Ann-Margret. This would be Presley’s most successful film at the box office, returning more than $5 million to MGM on an investment of less than $1 million.
Roustabout Charlie Rogers Joan Freeman and Barbara Stanwyck were co-stars. Presley insisted on doing his own stunt work, including a fight scene in which he incurred a head wound. [23]
1965 Girl Happy Rusty Wells Shelley Fabares co-starred in one of her three films with Elvis.
Tickle Me Lonnie Beale / Panhandle Kid This is the only movie for which Presley did not record a new soundtrack. All the songs had been recorded between 1960 and 1963 and had already been released. The screenplay was by Elwood Ullman and Edward Bernds, who had written The Three Stooges short features.
Harum Scarum Johnny Tyronne The only film Elvis was paid a million dollars to act in, although part was paid in installments. Mary Ann Mobley co-starred, as she had in Girl Happy.
1966 Frankie and Johnny Johnny Donna Douglas of The Beverly Hillbillies and Harry Morgan of M*A*S*H were the co-stars.
Paradise, Hawaiian Style Rick Richards At age ten, this was Donna Butterworth’s last picture. James Shigeta co-starred.
Spinout Mike McCoy Once again, Shelley Fabares co-starred.
1967 Easy Come, Easy Go Lt. (j.g.) Ted Jackson The ship featured in the first part of the movie is the USS Gallant, an ocean-going minesweeper. The movie featured Pat Priest, Elsa Lanchester, and Pat Harrington, Jr., who later played Schneider in the 1970s TV series One Day at a Time.
Double Trouble Guy Lambert Only movie Annette Day ever made. It co-starred Norman Rossington, who was in The Beatles’ A Hard Day’s Night (1964).
Clambake Scott Heyward / ‘Tom Wilson’ The red sports car in this film is a 1959 Chevrolet Corvette Stingray Racer. Also featured: Bill Bixby and Shelley Fabares.
1968 Stay Away, Joe Joe Lightcloud Elvis as an Indian rodeo rider. Burgess Meredith played his father.
Speedway Steve Grayson The auto-racing film co-starred Nancy Sinatra, with cameos by NASCAR drivers.
Live a Little, Love a Little Greg Nolan Albert, the Great Dane in the movie, was played by Presley’s own dog, Brutus. Presley’s father is a model for one of the photo shoots. The movie featured the song “A Little Less Conversation.”
1969 Charro! Jess Wade Only film in which he was not filmed singing. Also the only movie in which Presley wears a beard. Gunsmoke and Rawhide producer Charles Marquis Warren was the director and screenwriter.
The Trouble with Girls Walter Hale Only Presley release that was part of a double bill, with The Green Slime (1968). Vincent Price was in it, as was Dabney Coleman.
Change of Habit Dr. John Carpenter Playing a doctor who falls for a nun, this would be Presley’s last feature film role. Mary Tyler Moore and Edward Asner co-starred prior to their Mary Tyler Moore Show success on TV.
1970 Elvis: That’s the Way It Is As himself Concert film; shot during Presley’s third season in Las Vegas.
1972 Elvis On Tour As himself Concert film; 1973 Golden Globe winner for Best Documentary film (it tied with Walls of Fire (1971)).
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