Viva Las Vegas

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

1964 1h 25m EN

😐

6.1

MID

★6.1TMDB · 164

MusicRomanceComedy

Synopsis

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Lucky Jackson arrives in Las Vegas with his car literally in tow ready for the first Grand Prix — once he has the money for an engine. He gets the cash easily enough but mislays it when the pretty pool manageress takes his mind off things. It seems he'll lose both race and girl, problems complicated by rivalry from womanizing fellow racer Elmo Mancini.

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

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Cast

Elvis Presley
Lucky Jackson
Ann-Margret
Rusty Martin
Cesare Danova
Count Elmo Mancini
William Demarest
Mr. Martin
Nicky Blair
Shorty Fansworth
Robert Aiken
Driver (uncredited)
Don Anderson
Wedding Guest (uncredited)
Larry Barton
Son of the Lone Star State (uncredited)

Credits

Behind the camera

Director: George Sidney
Writers: Sally Benson
Languages: English
Countries: United States of America

Want more? Switch to Cinephile mode in the header for DP, composer, budget, box office, production companies, keywords, and release history.

Did you know?

Fun facts 🍿

1 / 8

RUNTIME

Did you know

85 minutes exactly — the "classic feature" runtime most directors aim for.

MoodPlayr · trivia#01

2 / 8

MONEY

Did you know

Shot for just $1.0M — micro-budget by Hollywood standards.

MoodPlayr · trivia#02

3 / 8

MONEY

Did you know

Made its money back 9.4× over at the box office.

MoodPlayr · trivia#03

4 / 8

ERA

Did you know

62 years old — a genuine piece of film history.

MoodPlayr · trivia#04

5 / 8

DIRECTOR

Did you know

Directed by George Sidney, shot by Joseph F. Biroc. Note their partnership — DPs and directors often return to each other across a career.

MoodPlayr · trivia#05

6 / 8

DIRECTOR

Did you know

Original score by George Stoll. Worth a dedicated listen after — most great films lose half their impact without the score.

MoodPlayr · trivia#06

7 / 8

DIRECTOR

Did you know

Editor John McSweeney Jr. shaped the rhythm. On an edit-heavy film, the editor does more to control your pulse than the director.

MoodPlayr · trivia#07

8 / 8

CAST

Did you know

Elvis Presley and Ann-Margret and Cesare Danova carry the top of the cast.

MoodPlayr · trivia#08

Cinephile deep dive

The take

George Sidney directs. Joseph F. Biroc behind the camera. George Stoll scores. John McSweeney Jr. cuts. Runs lean at under 100 minutes. Made its budget back several times over at the box office. Produced in United States of America. Dialogue in English.

Trivia

Things worth knowing

185 minutes exactly — the "classic feature" runtime most directors aim for.
2Shot for just $1.0M — micro-budget by Hollywood standards.
3Made its money back 9.4× over at the box office.
462 years old — a genuine piece of film history.
5Directed by George Sidney, shot by Joseph F. Biroc. Note their partnership — DPs and directors often return to each other across a career.
6Original score by George Stoll. Worth a dedicated listen after — most great films lose half their impact without the score.
7Editor John McSweeney Jr. shaped the rhythm. On an edit-heavy film, the editor does more to control your pulse than the director.
8Elvis Presley and Ann-Margret and Cesare Danova carry the top of the cast.
9Marketing tagline: "Elvis is at the wheel but Ann-Margret drives him wild!".
10IMDB entry: tt0058725 — still the authoritative cross-reference for credits and trivia.
11Classified under 17 themes, including "dancing", "rock 'n' roll", "helicopter", "gambling".

The technical file

Cinematography: Joseph F. Biroc
Original score: George Stoll
Editing: John McSweeney Jr.
Makeup / hair: William Tuttle
Runtime: 85 min · 1h 25m
Aspect ratio (typical): 1.37:1 (Academy)
Status: Released
Budget: $1,000,000
Box office: $9,400,000
Return: 940% of budget
Original language: EN
Certification (US): NR
IMDB: Viva Las Vegas (1964)

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What people are saying

John Chard2019-09-05
★ 7/10
Viva the King and Annie. Elvis Presley movies, by and large, aren't very good. Thirty one feature length pictures he made, of which arguably only half a dozen are jointly watchable and entertaining. But even the stinkers have fans, and not just fans of the King in general, also cinema fans happy to embrace the cheese and kind of just run with it. Yet to totally dismiss Presley's input into the world of cinema is doing a disservice to the small number of movies he made that actually hold up well under scrutiny. One such film is Viva Las Vegas. A film that is of course a frothy hip shaking colourful bonanza, but one that also shows that given a quality co-star to work off, Presley had it in him to move successfully away from the cash cow dirge that his manager Colonel Tom Parker was binding him to. The plot sees Presley as race car driver "Lucky Jackson" who arrives in Vegas for the Grand Prix that is being held there. But his car is in need of engine repair and he just hasn't got the money to fix it. Taking a job as a waiter, things are further complicated when he meets sexy pool attendant/dance teacher Rusty Martin {Ann-Margret}. Not only is she spurning his advances, but he has a rival for Rusty's affection; Count Elmo Mancini (Cesare Danova), who is also a fellow race driver and is set on winning the Grand Prix himself. That's really all there is to it, plot simplicity at its finest. Naturally the film is an excuse for Presley to chase the girl, sing some tunes and become a race car hero too. But Viva Las Vegas has a real fun quality that is so lacking in most of his other musicals, it's vibrant, savvy and, yes, sexy. Due in no small part to the chemistry between Presley and Margret. It's believed there was an affair between the two, but casting aside that fact, there was also to be a friendship between them both that lasted up until Presley's sad and untimely death. This film serves as a fitting testament to the birth of that friendship. Old professional George Sidney directs the piece unfussily, even if we perhaps get one too many camera shots of the lovely Miss Margret's derrière (seriously, see how many rear shots you can spot). While Joseph F. Biroc is on hand for cinematography duties as the Vegas piece is brought to life in Panavision & Metrocolor. The film is also notable for two other points of worth, it's one of Elvis' highest grossing pictures and it contains arguably the best set of songs assembled for one of his film's. Along with the wonderful title song we also get the likes of "The Lady Loves Me", "Come On Everybody", "The Yellow Rose Of Texas", "The Eyes Of Texas Are Upon You", "I Need Somebody To Lean On", "Today, Tomorrow And Forever", "What'd I Say", "If You Think I Don't Need You" & Margret weighs in too with the delightful "Appreciation" & "My Rival". Oddly, and the subject of much criticism over the passing decades, RCA pretty much ignored the soundtrack for the film. Cutting some highly regarded tunes from the film and failing to truly market and utilise what was on offer. The fools. With both stars looking and sounding terrific (Presley looks like he is cut from porcelain), and Margret matching the King for energy and ants in your pants dancing, Viva Las Vegas is a ball of fun. An ode to love, joy and music, so really there's no excuse to not let the Pelvis and the Derriere take you to foot tapping Nirvana. 7/10
DanDare2020-12-29
★ 6/10
Most Elvis movies were the product of a conveyor belt. Quickly written and produced and Elvis was not stretched as an actor or singer. Viva Las Vegas does not stretch this formula but is fun, thanks in part due to the chemistry between Elvis and Ann Margret. Elvis plays race car driver Lucky Jackson who is working as a waiter in Vegas so he can pay for a new engine. He plans to take on aristocratic Count Mancini in the race and both are also competing for the affections of Rusty Martin (Ann Margret). Jackson and Rusty take part in a talent contest as both aim for first prize. This is where Elvis sings Viva Las Vegas although his dancing moves look a bit weird. Jackson's rivalry with Mancini is friendly which adds to the fun. There is a thrilling racing sequence at the end with several competitors crashing or going off the road. It is corny and undemanding movie.