Love Me Tender

"Love him strong... Love him sweet... Love him tender!"

1956 1h 29m EN

😐

6.2

MID

🥫

58%

ROTTEN

⭐

6.2

IMDB

★6.2TMDB · 100🥫58%Rotten Tomatoes★6.2IMDB · 5,239

RomanceMusicWesternDrama

Synopsis

Spoiler shield

After the Civil War, Confederate soldiers Clint and Vance Reno steal a Union payroll, leading to conflict when the younger marries the woman his older brother loves.

“Love him strong... Love him sweet... Love him tender!”

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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

Credits

Behind the camera

Director: Robert D. Webb
Writers: Maurice Geraghty, Robert Buckner
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

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

MoodPlayr · trivia#01

2 / 8

MONEY

Did you know

Shot for just $1.2M — micro-budget by Hollywood standards.

MoodPlayr · trivia#02

3 / 8

MONEY

Did you know

Made its money back 7.5× over at the box office.

MoodPlayr · trivia#03

4 / 8

ERA

Did you know

70 years old — a genuine piece of film history.

MoodPlayr · trivia#04

5 / 8

DIRECTOR

Did you know

Directed by Robert D. Webb, shot by Leo Tover. 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 Lionel Newman. 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 Hugh S. Fowler 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

Richard Egan and Debra Paget and Elvis Presley carry the top of the cast.

MoodPlayr · trivia#08

Cinephile deep dive

The take

Robert D. Webb directs. Leo Tover behind the camera. Lionel Newman scores. Hugh S. Fowler 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

189 minutes exactly — the "classic feature" runtime most directors aim for.
2Shot for just $1.2M — micro-budget by Hollywood standards.
3Made its money back 7.5× over at the box office.
470 years old — a genuine piece of film history.
5Directed by Robert D. Webb, shot by Leo Tover. Note their partnership — DPs and directors often return to each other across a career.
6Original score by Lionel Newman. Worth a dedicated listen after — most great films lose half their impact without the score.
7Editor Hugh S. Fowler shaped the rhythm. On an edit-heavy film, the editor does more to control your pulse than the director.
8Richard Egan and Debra Paget and Elvis Presley carry the top of the cast.
9Marketing tagline: "Love him strong... Love him sweet... Love him tender!".
10IMDB entry: tt0049452 — still the authoritative cross-reference for credits and trivia.

The technical file

Cinematography: Leo Tover
Original score: Lionel Newman
Editing: Hugh S. Fowler
Costume design: Mary Wills
Makeup / hair: Helen Turpin
Runtime: 89 min · 1h 29m
Aspect ratio (typical): 1.37:1 (Academy)
Status: Released
Budget: $1,200,000
Box office: $9,000,000
Return: 750% of budget
Original language: EN
Certification (US): NR
IMDB: Love Me Tender (1956)
Rotten Tomatoes: 58% 🥫 Rotten
IMDB rating: 6.2/10 · 5,239 votes
MPAA: Approved

Also by

Robert D. Webb

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Community reviews

What people are saying

Wuchak2020-11-18
★ 6/10
Elvis’ first movie, a Western, with Richard Egan and Debra Paget At the end of the Civil War the three Reno brothers come back home with loot from a Union train heist, which they originally intended to give to the Confederate cause. The eldest brother (Richard Egan) is shocked to discover that the youngest brother, who stayed home (Presley), is now married to his sweetheart (Debra Paget) because they thought he died in the war. "Love Me Tender" (1964) was Elvis’ 1st movie of the 31 in his acting filmography. The title of the film and Elvis' addition were last-minute decisions. His role was originally slated for Cameron Mitchell and the part had to be hastily beefed up for Presley, including his performances of several songs. In light of this, it’s not surprising that Elvis’ role is secondary. Both Egan and Paget are highlights as impressive examples of cool masculine strength and exquisite feminine beauty respectively. Meanwhile Elvis does fine in his acting debut and is second-to-none in his musical performances (or pantomimes). While critics might complain that no one back then moved like Presley, you could say that the movie explores the possibility of someone of Elvis’ talent & charisma performing during that era. And the flick pulls it off IMHO. The story’s compelling enough but starts to lose its mojo in the last act. This isn’t helped by the flat B&W photography or the laughably disingenuous geography. (Tell me, do the opening landscapes look anything close to Louisiana?) The movie runs 1 hour, 29 minutes, and was shot at 20th Century Fox Ranch, Calabasas, and Bell Moving Picture Ranch, Santa Susana Mountains, both in Southern Cal, as well as studio stuff done in Century City. GRADE: B-

Production companies