 |
| Title: |
Love Me Tender |
| Company: |
Twentieth Century-Fox |
| Producer: |
David Weisbart |
| Director: |
Robert D. Webb |
| Screenplay: |
Robert Bruckner (based
on a story by Maurice Geraghty) |
| Co-actors: |
Richard Egan, Debra
Paget, Robert Middleton, William Campbell, Neville Branc,
Mildred Dunnock, Bruce Bennet, James Drury, Russ Conway,
Ken Clark, Barry Coe, L.Q. Jones, Paul Burns, Jerry
Sheldon |
| Length: |
89 min. |
| First
appearance: |
November 16, 1956 |
| Storyline: |
Vance Reno (Richard
Egan), two of his younger brothers and some members of a
cavalry group from the South steal the pay of the
Northern army. After their return they learn that the war
is over already. They split the money and return home. To
Vance the reunion is a disappointment, because he had
been reported as dead two years before, and his youngest
brother Clint (Elvis) has married Vance's girl. Conflicts
and misunderstandings because of the stolen money follow
each other. The brothers are arrested and freed again.
Clint gets shot while he is defending his brother Vance
during a fight, and he dies. |
| Behind
the scenes: |
- The original title of
"Love Me Tender" was "The Reno
Brothers"
- Filming began in August 1956,
and was completed in early October. Exteriors
were filmed in the San Fernando Valley near Los
Angeles
- "Love Me Tender"
premiered on Broadway in New York City. On
November 15, 1956, a huge 50-ft. tall cardboard
cut-out was unveiled in front of the theater. The
fans went wild. It opened nationally on November
21.
- On November 22, The Los
Angeles Times said "Elvis can act.
S'help me the boy's real good, even when he isn't
singing."
- November 24: The New
Yorker magazine says "Thick-lipped,
droopy-eyed and indefatigably sullen, Mr.
Presley, whose talents are meager but whose
earnings are gross, excites a big section of the
young female population as nobody has ever
done."
- November 28: "Love Me
Tender" entered Variety's top
grossing box-office list at No. 2 behind
"Giant".
|
| Songs: |
Love Me Tender, Let
Me, Poor Boy, We're Gonna Move |
| Soundtrack: |
- Recorded at Radio Recorders,
MGM Sound Stage, Twentieth-Century Fox, Stage 1.
Engineer: Murrey Spivak. August/September/October
1956
- Musicians: Guitar: Vito
Mumolo, Bass: Myer Rubin, Drums: Richard Cornell,
Banjo: Luther Rountree, Accordion: Dom Frontiere,
Carl Fontina, Vocals: Rad Robinson, Jon Dodson,
Charles Prescott
- Advanced orders for the single
"Love Me Tender" were for an
unprecedented 856,327 copies. It was released on
September 28 and reached No. 1 on Billboard
chart in October 1956. The singles has
subsequently been certified double platinum.
- To coincide with the premiere
of Elvis' first movie, RCA released the
"Love Me Tender" extended play in
October 1956, which featured the soundtrack's
four songs. Another platinum seller
- The title song was based on
"Aura Lee", a ballad written in 1861 y
W.W. Fosdick and George R. Poulton. It was
popular with the Union Army during the Civil War
- Singer and composer Ken Darby
wrote the four songs. Supposedly, due to
copyright problems (don't make me laugh), Elvis and Darby's wife,
Vera Matson, were credited.
|