Viva Las Vegas (1964)

All you need to know about "Viva Las Vegas" is Elvis Presley gets Ann Margret! This one of Elvis' better musical efforts and the Las Vegas scenery is a treat, too. Lucky Jackson (Elvis Presley of "Love Me Tender") has come to Las Vegas to buy a new engine for his car, but he loses his money when it gets sucked into a swimming pool. He winds up hanging around Sin City, and he meets ravishing Rusty Martin (Ann-Margret of "Kitten with a Whip") and finds himself competing with rival auto racer Count Elmo Mancini (Cesare Danova of "Chamber of Horrors") for Rusty. Elvis and Ann conjured up some charisma together that wound up making the gossip columns. Veteran Hollywood helmer George Sidney never lets the action slow down.

Viva Las Vegas is the quintessential Elvis AND Las Vegas movie! I honestly don't believe you have to be an Elvis fan to enjoy this film. Just go with it! It's a fun, enjoyable flick starring the most beautiful male and female leads to ever grace the screen, some great songs...and Las Vegas. What's not to love!? The film is what Vegas is: Pure fun! Shot entirely on location in Las Vegas in the summer of 1963, it contains some great shots of "classic Vegas" such as Fremont Street and a lot of the now no longer standing Hotels on the Las Vegas strip (the Flamingo where Elvis is staying IS still standing but has been imploded and rebuilt in stages over the last 50 years.) Elvis plays race driver Lucky Jackson who's in town for the Las Vegas Grand Prix. When he casts his eyes on the stunning Rusty Martin (Ann- Margret) he begins a chase all over Vegas with fellow racer the Italian Elmo Mancini, trying to track her down. Jackson eventually tracks her down on his own doorstep, so to speak, as she's Pool Manager at the Flamingo. When his pursuit of her ends in tears and an untimely dip in the Flamingo swimming pool, Jackson loses his money therefor the cash to fund his stay AND race car motor. Jackson does however land Rusty, and after a day spent together taking in the various sites of Nevada (such as Hoover Dam and Lake Mead) their "friendship" is strained when they become rivals in the Flamingo Employee Talent Contest where The King performs the memorable title track in attempt to win the money to fund his engine. When that fails, and all he gets is an all expense paid two week honeymoon in Las Vegas, a downcast Elvis and his mechanic receive funding from an unlikely source: Rusty's father. You know what happens, even if you've not seen it! Elvis' guys get the car ready just in time for him to make the starting grid at the last minute....and, yes, 8 hours later in the early hours of the morning, Elvis is returning to Fremont Street as winner of the Las Vegas GP..."Lucky" indeed. And he and Ann-Margret finish the movie by getting married; not a bad weeks work! Viva Las Vegas IS a classic. It's never going to be in the "Casino","Forrest Gump" or "American Beauty" class of movie but if you just want 85 minutes of quick, easy, relaxed fun from a bygone era; this is perfect! I should say that two of my biggest loves in life are Elvis Presley and Las Vegas however so...I may not be biased! Check it out yourself...

a very popular movie then and now / most critics gave it the ole thumbs up, too! Elvis went off the "girls and music" formula to "girl and music", as the story is about a guy and a girl, young, good looking, talented, energetic in the sexed up '63 Vegas! a great soundtrack, not one dud, all production numbers top rate, as directed by George Sidney who had just completed BYE BYE BIRDIE (and once again seemed to determined to show off Ann's world class rump). just as costars complained in BIRDIE that GS was letting it become an Ann Margret picture, Colonel Parker took note that it was not *enough* of an Elvis picture > seems the powers that be did not cut any of Ann's solos but about 2 months later added an Elvis vocal, WHAT'D I SAY (Ann's role was to look mesmerized as Elvis swung out).we all know that despite great box office, in fact outdrawing the BEatles' first movie in North America!, RCA / the Colonel / whoever elected NOT to deliver a soundtrack album, which probably would have outsold BLUE HAWAII! would they have had to incl. at least a duet with the Big El and Annie? yes. so a terrific duet like THE LADY LOVES ME (which should have been the flipside of the VIVA LAS VEGAS single) got sent to the vaults for about 12 years.who knows if a monster l.p. would have dictated better *quality* on upcoming albums? (though ROUSTABOUT did make number one and has remained a fan favorite).minor complaint is that once again a Presley director let a great chance for a more dramatic denouement go right by the boards. not to "spoil" but once again, instead of creating some dramatic tension, will "Rusty" actually show up for the big finale race? - she's too gaga to stay home...or make a late arrival so the audience can smile and go "yeah! she really does love him!" but, OK, it's about Elvis and he's too cool a dude for such conflict.please note several tunes were not used in the film and kept nice and warm trickling out over the years, notably an over-heated cover of the Laverne Baker-Jimmy Ricks YOU'RE THE BOSS! also note that although Leiber & Stoller were given an unceremonious heave-ho by Elvis' manager around 1961, they got TWO entries here: THE CLIMB (Elvis in the background) and YOU'RE THE BOSS.buy this DVD, one of Elvis best movies and still an overlooked Hollywood Musical Classic.

Arguably the most famous of Elvis Presley's movies from the '60s. Lucky (Elvis) is a mechanic working in Las Vegas where Rusty (Ann Margaret) drops in to get her car checked. Lucky noticing a good thing when he sees one tries to hold her off long enough to connect with her, but she drives away. Him and Count (Cesare Danova) goes around all over Vegas looking for her but can't find her until, he finds her giving swimming lessons to kids. Lucky starts to woo Rusty, and Rusty obliges without putting up much resistance.One of the delight about Elvis' movies for me is the beautiful cinematography. This one is bit of a disappointment in that most of the scenes are studio shots. I really don't know why Ann Margaret is such a fuss. I think Elvis had better looking girls in many of his other films. The cool part is Elvis singing Ray Charles' song in one of the scenes.I'm at peace whenever I'm watching Elvis Presley movie. I like this movie for that experience too. Elvis is great in this movie as he usually is.