''Love Me Tender'' is a 1956 American

musical Musical is the adjective of music. Musical may also refer to: * Musical theatre, a performance art that combines songs, spoken dialogue, acting and dance * Musical film and television, a genre of film and television that incorporates into the narr ...

Western Western may refer to: Places *Western, Nebraska, a village in the US *Western, New York, a town in the US *Western Creek, Tasmania, a locality in Australia *Western Junction, Tasmania, a locality in Australia *Western world, countries that id ...

film directed by Robert D. Webb, and released by

20th Century Fox 20th Century Studios, Inc. (previously known as 20th Century Fox) is an American film production company headquartered at the Fox Studio Lot in the Century City area of Los Angeles. As of 2019, it serves as a film production arm of Walt Dis ...

on November 15, 1956.Guralnick/Jorgensen, ''Elvis: Day by Day'', p. 91 The film, named after the song, stars Richard Egan,

Debra Paget Debra Paget (born Debralee Griffin; August 19, 1933) is an American actress and entertainer. She is perhaps best known for her performances in Cecil B. DeMille's epic ''The Ten Commandments'' (1956) and in Elvis Presley's film debut, '' Love Me ...

, and

Elvis Presley Elvis Aaron Presley (January 8, 1935 – August 16, 1977), or simply Elvis, was an American singer and actor. Dubbed the "Honorific nicknames in popular music, King of Rock and Roll", he is regarded as Cultural impact of Elvis Presley, one ...

in his acting debut. As Presley's movie debut, it was the only time in his acting career that he did not receive top billing.Victor, ''The Elvis Encyclopedia'', pages 314/315 ''Love Me Tender'' was originally to be titled ''The Reno Brothers'', but when advanced sales of Presley's "Love Me Tender" single passed one million—a first for a single—the film's title was changed to match. This was the only time that Presley played a historical figure.

Plot

Presley plays Clint Reno, the youngest of the four

Reno brothers The Reno Gang, also known as the Reno Brothers Gang and The Jackson Thieves, were a group of criminals that operated in the Midwestern United States during and just after the American Civil War. Though short-lived, the gang carried out the firs ...

, who stays home to take care of his mother and the family farm as older brothers Vance, Brett and Ray fight in the

American Civil War The American Civil War (April 12, 1861 – May 26, 1865; also known by other names) was a civil war in the United States. It was fought between the Union ("the North") and the Confederacy ("the South"), the latter formed by states th ...

for the

Confederate Army The Confederate States Army, also called the Confederate Army or the Southern Army, was the military land force of the Confederate States of America (commonly referred to as the Confederacy) during the American Civil War (1861–1865), fighting ...

. The family is mistakenly informed that eldest brother Vance has been killed on the battlefield. After four years of war, the brothers return home and find that Vance's former girlfriend Cathy has married Clint. Although Vance accepts this wholeheartedly ("We always wanted Cathy in the family"), the family has to struggle to reach stability with this issue. The subplot of unresolved passion carries the film; it is made clear from the outset upon the Reno brothers' return home that Cathy still loves Vance, although she is true to the younger Clint. Honor prevails for Vance, but jealousy leads Clint into irrational rivalry for Cathy's love. In the film's opening scenes, the three Reno brothers, serving as Confederate cavalrymen, attack a Union train carrying a federal payroll of $12,000, not knowing that the war had ended only a day before. The Confederates come to a decision to keep the money as spoils of war, an issue that will come back into the plot after the Reno brothers return home. A conflict of interest ensues when Vance tries to return the money against the wishes of some of his fellow Confederates, all of whom are being sought by the U.S. Government for robbery. The film reaches its tragic climax with Clint's death during a final shootout. In the end, the money is returned, the Reno brothers are released, the other three ex-Confederates are arrested, and Clint is laid to rest at the family farm.

Cast

* Richard Egan as Vance Reno, Oldest Brother *

as Cathy Reno, Clint's Wife *

as Clint Reno, Youngest Brother *

Mildred Dunnock Mildred Dorothy Dunnock (January 25, 1901 – July 5, 1991) was an American stage and screen actress. She was twice nominated for an Academy Award: first ''Death of a Salesman'' in 1951, then ''Baby Doll'' in 1956. Early life Born in Baltimore, ...

as Martha Reno, Mother * William Campbell as Brett Reno, Brother *

James Drury James Child Drury Jr. (April 18, 1934 – April 6, 2020) was an American actor. He is best known for having played the title role in the 90-minute weekly Western television series '' The Virginian'', which was broadcast on NBC from 1962 to ...

as Ray Reno, Brother *

Neville Brand Lawrence Neville Brand (August 13, 1920 – April 16, 1992) was an American soldier and actor. He was known for playing villainous or antagonistic character roles in Westerns, crime dramas, and ''films noir'', and was nominated for a BAFTA Aw ...

as Mike Gavin, Vance War Buddy *

Russ Conway Russ Conway, DSM (born Trevor Herbert Stanford; 2 September 1925 – 16 November 2000) was an English popular music pianist and composer. Conway had 20 piano instrumentals in the UK Singles Chart between 1957 and 1963, including two number one ...

as Ed Galt, Vance War Buddy *

L. Q. Jones Justus Ellis McQueen Jr. (August 19, 1927 – July 9, 2022), known professionally as L.Q. Jones, was an American actor and director. He appeared in Sam Peckinpah's films ''Ride the High Country'' (1962), ''Major Dundee'' (1965), ''The Wild Bunc ...

as Pardee Fleming, Vance War Buddy (uncredited) *

Robert Middleton Robert Middleton (born Samuel G. Messer, May 13, 1911 – June 14, 1977) was an American film and television actor known for his large size, beetle-like brows, and a deep, booming voice (for which he was known as "Big Bob Middleton"), usually ...

as Mr. Siringo *

Bruce Bennett Bruce Bennett (born Harold Herman Brix, also credited Herman Brix; May 19, 1906February 24, 2007) was an American film and television actor who prior to his screen career was a highly successful college athlete in football and in both intercol ...

as Major Kincaid * Ken Clark as Mr. Kelso *

Barry Coe Barry S. Coe (born Barry Clark Heacock; November 26, 1934 – July 16, 2019) was an American actor who appeared in film and on television from 1956–1978. Many of his movie parts were minor, but he co-starred in one series, titled '' Follow the ...

as Mr. Davis *

Paul E. Burns Paul E. Burns (January 26, 1881 – May 17, 1967) was an American actor, who had a very lengthy career on film and television, although mostly in bit parts. He played Ebenezer Hawkins in ''Son of Paleface'' (1952), Latitude Bucket in ''The Ro ...

as Jethro (uncredited) *

Dick Sargent Richard Stanford Cox (April 19, 1930 – July 8, 1994), known professionally as Dick Sargent, was an American actor, notable as the second actor to portray Darrin Stephens on ABC's fantasy situation comedy ''Bewitched''. He took the name ''Dick ...

as Confederate Soldier (uncredited)

Elvis Presley

Presley had shown interest in becoming an actor before achieving major success as a singer. His first No. 1 hit single, "

Heartbreak Hotel "Heartbreak Hotel" is a song recorded by American singer Elvis Presley. It was released as a single on January 27, 1956, Presley's first on his new record label RCA Victor. It was written by Mae Boren Axton and Tommy Durden, with credit being g ...

", topped ''

Billboard A billboard (also called a hoarding in the UK and many other parts of the world) is a large outdoor advertising structure (a billing board), typically found in high-traffic areas such as alongside busy roads. Billboards present large advertise ...

''s Top 100 chart in April 1956, a few weeks after his screen test for this film. He had worked as a cinema usher in his youth and would often watch his screen idols

James Dean James Byron Dean (February 8, 1931September 30, 1955) was an American actor. He is remembered as a cultural icon of teenage disillusionment and social estrangement, as expressed in the title of his most celebrated film, ''Rebel Without a Cause' ...

Marlon Brando Marlon Brando Jr. (April 3, 1924 – July 1, 2004) was an American actor. Considered one of the most influential actors of the 20th century, he received numerous accolades throughout his career, which spanned six decades, including two Academ ...

, and

Tony Curtis Tony Curtis (born Bernard Schwartz; June 3, 1925September 29, 2010) was an American actor whose career spanned six decades, achieving the height of his popularity in the 1950s (Kansas Raiders, 1950) and early 1960s. He acted in more than 100 f ...

during shifts, studying their acting and learning lines from their movies. When he first met his future manager,

Colonel Tom Parker Thomas Andrew Parker (born Andreas Cornelis van Kuijk; June 26, 1909 January 21, 1997),

, he expressed an interest in acting in film. In interviews during his rise to fame, Presley would often talk about his hopes of attending somewhere like the

Actors Studio The Actors Studio is a membership organization for professional actors, theatre directors and playwrights at 432 West 44th Street between Ninth and Tenth avenues in the Hell's Kitchen neighborhood of Manhattan in New York City. It was founded ...

. He also insisted that he would not like to sing in any of his movies because he wished to be taken seriously as a film star. However, Parker had a plan to cross-promote Presley's films with his music and this led to soundtracks being as important, if not more important, than the scripts. Presley screen-tested for

Hal Wallis Harold Brent Wallis (born Aaron Blum Wolowicz; October 19, 1898 – October 5, 1986) was an American film producer. He is best known for producing '' Casablanca'' (1942), ''The Adventures of Robin Hood'' (1938), and ''True Grit'' (1969), along w ...

on March 26, 1956 at

Paramount Studios Paramount Pictures Corporation is an American film and television production and distribution company and the main namesake division of Paramount Global (formerly ViacomCBS). It is the fifth-oldest film studio in the world, the second-oldest ...

.Guralnick/Jorgensen, ''Elvis:Day by Day'', p.67 The test lasted three days and included Presley performing two scenes from '' The Rainmaker'', and lip-syncing to ''Blue Suede Shoes''. Wallis' partner, Joe Hazen, commented: "As a straight actor, the guy has great potentialities." His first screen test, a scene from the

William Inge William Motter Inge (; May 3, 1913 – June 10, 1973) was an American playwright and novelist, whose works typically feature solitary protagonists encumbered with strained sexual relations. In the early 1950s he had a string of memorable Broad ...

play ''The Girls of Summer'', resulted in drama coach Charlotte Clary declaring to her class of students, "Now ''that'' is a natural born actor". On April 2, Wallis offered Presley a contract for one motion picture, with options on six more. The contract was finalized on April 25, and also stipulated that Presley was free to make at least one picture a year for other studios. Wallis, who had produced classics such as ''

Casablanca Casablanca, also known in Arabic as Dar al-Bayda ( ar, الدَّار الْبَيْضَاء, al-Dār al-Bayḍāʾ, ; ber, ⴹⴹⴰⵕⵍⴱⵉⴹⴰ, ḍḍaṛlbiḍa, : "White House") is the largest city in Morocco and the country's econom ...

'', '' Little Caesar'', and '' The Maltese Falcon'', had promised Presley that he would look for dramatic roles to let the singer take his acting career seriously. Wallis considered Presley for a role in ''

The Rat Race ''The Rat Race'' is a 1960 American drama film adapted from the play of the same name by Garson Kanin. Directed by Robert Mulligan, it stars Tony Curtis and Debbie Reynolds as struggling young entertainment professionals in New York City. Film ...

'', a film about a "naive, innocent boy" who was struggling to make it as a musician in Manhattan, but he decided against it after another studio executive said, "Elvis Presley just doesn't look like that". The film was eventually made in 1960 with

in the lead role. Another possible idea that Wallis mulled over was to pair Presley with

Jerry Lewis Jerry Lewis (born Joseph Levitch; March 16, 1926 – August 20, 2017) was an American comedian, actor, singer, filmmaker and humanitarian. As his contributions to comedy and charity made him a global figure in popular culture, pop culture ...

. Lewis had just separated from his comedy partner

Dean Martin Dean Martin (born Dino Paul Crocetti; June 7, 1917 – December 25, 1995) was an American singer, actor and comedian. One of the most popular and enduring American entertainers of the mid-20th century, Martin was nicknamed "The King of Cool". M ...

after a successful run of seventeen movies together, but again the idea was shelved. On April 10, Presley confidently announced during a radio interview that his debut feature would be ''The Rainmaker'' with

Burt Lancaster Burton Stephen Lancaster (November 2, 1913 – October 20, 1994) was an American actor and producer. Initially known for playing tough guys with a tender heart, he went on to achieve success with more complex and challenging roles over a 45-yea ...

and

Katharine Hepburn Katharine Houghton Hepburn (May 12, 1907 – June 29, 2003) was an American actress in film, stage, and television. Her career as a Hollywood leading lady spanned over 60 years. She was known for her headstrong independence, spirited perso ...

.Guralnick/Jorgensen, ''Elvis:Day by Day'', p.68 However, despite this belief, and due to Wallis being unable to find a project "good enough for the debut of Elvis Presley", he was loaned out to ''20th Century Fox'' on August 13 and began work on ''Love Me Tender'' on August 22.Guralnick/Jorgensen, ''Elvis:Day by Day'', p.82

Production

Development

The film was originally called ''The Reno Brothers'' based on a story by Maurice Geraghty. Fox bought the screen rights in August 1952 and assigned Robert L. Jacks to produce. The film was not put into production immediately. A somewhat more realistic film telling the story of the Reno Brothers, ''

Rage at Dawn ''Rage at Dawn'' is a 1955 American Technicolor Western film directed by Tim Whelan, and starring Randolph Scott, Forrest Tucker, Mala Powers, and J. Carrol Naish. It purports to tell the true story of the Reno Brothers, an outlaw gang which te ...

'' starring

Randolph Scott George Randolph Scott (January 23, 1898 – March 2, 1987) was an American film actor whose career spanned the years from 1928 to 1962. As a leading man for all but the first three years of his cinematic career, Scott appeared in a variety of ...

, had been released by

RKO Radio Pictures RKO Radio Pictures Inc., commonly known as RKO Pictures or simply RKO, was an American film production and distribution company, one of the "Big Five" film studios of Hollywood's Golden Age. The business was formed after the Keith-Albee-Orphe ...

in 1955. Robert Buckner wrote a script and David Weisbart became a producer with Robert D. Webb to direct. In August 1956, Richard Egan signed to play the lead. Debra Paget was also signed before Presley. Producer Weisbert said "we signed Elvis later for the younger brother (at $100,000) when we heard he was available." Presley's role had originally been turned down by both

Jeffrey Hunter Jeffrey Hunter (born Henry Herman McKinnies Jr.; November 25, 1926 – May 27, 1969) was an American film and television actor and producer known for his roles in films such as ''The Searchers'' and ''King of Kings (1961 film), King of Kin ...

and

Robert Wagner Robert John Wagner Jr. (born February 10, 1930) is an American actor of stage, screen, and television. He is known for starring in the television shows '' It Takes a Thief'' (1968–1970), ''Switch'' (1975–1978), and ''Hart to Hart'' (1979– ...

because the part was too small. According to Presley's then girlfriend, June Juanico, he was reluctant to take the role after realizing that his character died at the end, but he was persuaded to do it after she told him that the characters audiences were most likely to remember were the ones who had a tragic fate. By August 17 Fox announced the four brothers would be played by James Drury, Cameron Mitchell, Presley and Egan. The ''New York Times'' called Presley's casting "somewhere between fantasy and drama" and said his next film would be for Paramount, ''The Lonesome Cowboy''. William Campbell played another brother. Cameron Mitchell eventually turned down his role and was replaced by

. The moment Presley's casting was announced, Fox was deluged with queries about the film from Presley's fans. It was decided to expand his part and give him some songs to sing.

Filming

Presley arrived for filming with all of his lines learned, as well as the lines for all the other parts. He found filming quite tasking, once commenting to a friend that he had spent a whole day "behind a team of mules".Guralnick/Jorgensen, p. 83 In little more than a month Presley had recorded all the songs for the film and had finished filming his scenes.Guralnick/Jorgensen, p.84 Filming of the movie's climactic sequence, including the death scene for Presley's character, took place at the Bell Moving Picture Ranch in the

Santa Susana Mountains The Santa Susana Mountains are a transverse range of mountains in Southern California, north of the city of Los Angeles, in the United States. The range runs east-west, separating the San Fernando and Simi valleys on its south from the Santa Cla ...

west of the

San Fernando Valley The San Fernando Valley, known locally as the Valley, is an urbanized valley in Los Angeles County, California. Located to the north of the Los Angeles Basin, it contains a large portion of the City of Los Angeles, as well as unincorporated ar ...

on the outskirts of Los Angeles. The exact filming location, sometimes referred to among historians as the "Rocky Hill", remained elusive for almost 60 years, until the site was discovered on an expedition by filming location researchers in early 2015. The researchers were able to locate the site by combining details from ''Love Me Tender'' and the

Victor Mature Victor John Mature (January 29, 1913 – August 4, 1999) was an American stage, film, and television actor who was a leading man in Hollywood during the 1940s and 1950s. His best known film roles include ''One Million B.C.'' (1940), '' My Darlin ...

movie ''

Escort West ''Escort West'' is a 1959 American Western film directed by Francis D. Lyon, and starring Victor Mature, Faith Domergue, and Elaine Stewart. The movie is set after the U.S. Civil War, when a former Confederate officer, played by Victor Mature, a ...

'', which also filmed on the "Rocky Hill." Additional details on this expedition can be found in the external links, below. Weibsart said during the shoot Presley was "humble, polite, solicitous... He was co operative with us, never late, and very serious about acting. This was another kind of career for him." When Presley appeared on ''

The Ed Sullivan Show ''The Ed Sullivan Show'' is an American television program, television variety show that ran on CBS from June 20, 1948, to March 28, 1971, and was hosted by New York City, New York entertainment columnist Ed Sullivan. It was replaced in Septembe ...

'' during a break in filming the movie, on September 9, he performed "Love Me Tender" for the first time. Two weeks later RCA confirmed that advanced sales of the single had resulted in it going Gold before even being released—an industry first. (It sold one million copies pre ordered and ultimately ended up selling two million copies.) On 2 September, Fox announced the film's title would be changed from ''The Reno Brothers'' to ''Love Me Tender''. "I think he provides tremendous additional value in the role", said Weisbart. "He will surprise a lot of people who go to see him because his presence is just a gimmick. Actually he plays an acting part in a legitimate story and he does it very well. He sings but the script is so constructed that the situations are logical... when the family is together after the war.... rat a bazar and picnic. These are folk tunes or hoedowns that – except for the title piece, a ballad – have Elvis' rhythms. With his long brown hair and sideburns he looks legitimate too in terms of the period."

Previews and Reshoots

Test screenings of the film resulted in people being upset at the death of Presley's character. Attempting to reach a compromise between the death and pleasing his fans, Presley filmed an extra scene and recorded an extra verse to the title track to be played over the end credits.

Release

''Love Me Tender'' premiered on November 15, 1956, at the Paramount Theatre in New York City, and was released nationally on November 21. Though studios typically released were only 200-300 prints, 20th Century Fox released a record-breaking 575 prints.''Elvis: His Life from A To Z'', p.222-224 On November 20 Presley attended a private screening at Loew's State Theater in

Memphis Memphis most commonly refers to: * Memphis, Egypt, a former capital of ancient Egypt * Memphis, Tennessee, a major American city Memphis may also refer to: Places United States * Memphis, Alabama * Memphis, Florida * Memphis, Indiana * Memp ...

, during which his mother, Gladys, cried over the death of her son's character. Presley responded by insisting that his characters never die on screen again.

Box Office

The film grossed $540,000 in its first week of release, claiming the No. 2 at the box office and earning back the money it cost the studio to produce it. James Dean's

posthumous Posthumous may refer to: * Posthumous award - an award, prize or medal granted after the recipient's death * Posthumous publication – material published after the author's death * Posthumous (album), ''Posthumous'' (album), by Warne Marsh, 1987 * ...

release of ''

Giant In folklore, giants (from Ancient Greek: '' gigas'', cognate giga-) are beings of human-like appearance, but are at times prodigious in size and strength or bear an otherwise notable appearance. The word ''giant'' is first attested in 1297 fr ...

'' held the No. 1 spot. Within weeks it had recouped the costs of the negatives and, despite being released in November, was the 23rd highest-grossing film of the year.

Critical reception

Many critics gave the film a lukewarm reception, though some viewed it in a positive light. The ''Los Angeles Times'' wrote: "Elvis can act. S'help me the boy's real good, even when he isn't singing." Presley would later express regret at making the film and disappointment that the additions of songs helped shape his Hollywood career. In his book ''Me And A Guy Named Elvis'', Jerry Schilling recounts the atmosphere inside Loew's State Theater in Memphis during the premiere screening: "The screams of the girls around me made it just about impossible to follow the story. This was the first time I'd seen an audience treat a film like it was a live concert, loudly responding to every move made and word uttered by their favorite star."''Elvis: The Official Collectors Editions'' part 88, pp. 2092–2093 Presley would later tell his friend Cliff Gleaves that he found this type of reaction from his moviegoing fans embarrassing, and that it prevented him from being viewed as a serious actor.

Accolades

The film is recognized by

American Film Institute The American Film Institute (AFI) is an American nonprofit film organization that educates filmmakers and honors the heritage of the motion picture arts in the United States. AFI is supported by private funding and public membership fees. Leade ...

in these lists: * 2002: AFI's 100 Years...100 Passions – Nominated * 2004: AFI's 100 Years...100 Songs: ** " Love Me Tender" – Nominated

Soundtrack

The movie has four Elvis Presley songs: " Love Me Tender", " Let Me", " Poor Boy" and "

We're Gonna Move "We're Gonna Move" is a song by Elvis Presley. The song is credited to Elvis Presley and Vera Matson, the wife of Ken Darby, the principal writer, published by Elvis Presley Music. The song was featured in the 20th Century Fox movie ''Love Me Ten ...

Home media

The film was released on

videocassette Videotape is magnetic tape used for storing video and usually sound in addition. Information stored can be in the form of either an analog or digital signal. Videotape is used in both video tape recorders (VTRs) and, more commonly, videocassette ...

by Key Video in February 1985 as part of the release of 11 videos to mark the 50th anniversary of Presley's birth. In the summer of 2006, the film was released on DVD in a special 50th anniversary issue. It was featured in a slipcase, and included a set of 4

lobby card A film poster is a poster used to promote and advertise a film primarily to persuade paying customers into a theater to see it. Studios often print several posters that vary in size and content for various domestic and international markets. The ...

reproductions. The disc contains the movie in its original widescreen letterbox format, plus audio commentary by noted Elvis historian, and

Memphis Mafia The Memphis Mafia was the nickname given by the media to a group of Elvis Presley's friends, associates, employees and cousins whose main functions were to accompany, protect, and serve Presley from the beginning of his career in 1954 until his de ...

member, Jerry Schilling. The disc includes three featurettes: "Elvis Hits Hollywood", "The Colonel & The King", and "Love Me Tender: The Birth & Boom of the Elvis Hit". Also part of the disc are original trailers for ''Love Me Tender'', ''

Flaming Star ''Flaming Star'' is a 1960 American Western film starring Elvis Presley, Barbara Eden and Steve Forrest, based on the book ''Flaming Lance'' (1958) by Clair Huffaker. Critics agreed that Presley gave one of his best acting performances as t ...

'' and ''

Wild in the Country ''Wild in the Country'' is a 1961 American musical–drama film directed by Philip Dunne and starring Elvis Presley, Hope Lange, Tuesday Weld, and Millie Perkins. Based on the 1958 novel ''The Lost Country'' by J. R. Salamanca, the screenplay ...

''.

References

External links

* * * * *
For Elvis Fans Only
Website dedicated to Elvis Presley's Movies.

Movie reviews

* ttps://web.archive.org/web/20070927002646/http://apolloguide.com/mov_fullrev.asp?CID=4420&Specific=5203 Reviewby Janet Branagan at Apollo Movie Guide.

DVD reviews

Review
by Brett Cullum a
DVD Verdict
March 30, 2006.
Review
by Mark Zimmer at digitallyOBSESSED!, August 18, 2002. {{Robert D. Webb 1956 films 20th Century Fox films 1950s musical drama films 1950s romantic musical films 1950s Western (genre) musical films American Civil War films American musical drama films American romantic drama films American romantic musical films American black-and-white films Films directed by Robert D. Webb Films scored by Lionel Newman Films based on songs 1956 Western (genre) films American Western (genre) musical films 1956 drama films CinemaScope films 1950s English-language films 1950s American films