Loving
You-Paramount 1957
By: For Elvis Fans Only
Source: EPE
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Loving You |
Elvis' second movie and his
first in colour was the 1957 Paramount film "Loving You".
A young
truck driver Deke Rivers (Elvis Presley) is discovered as a
singer by a press-agent, Glenda Markle (Lizabeth Scott) during
an election-campaign. She contracts him for a band. His success
grows bigger from performance to performance, but he has to
choose between the press-agent, who is responsible for his
success, and the female-singer of the band, Susan Jessup
(Dolores Hart), who he likes very much.
"Loving You" was originally
titled "Lonesome Cowboy" and then changed to "Running Wild".
Famous TV host Ed Sullivan referred to this title when Elvis
made his last appearance on his show, January 6, 1957.
Production began on January 21, 1957 and was completed in early
March. Finally, "Loving You", the name of a song Leiber and
Stoller wrote for Elvis for the movie, became the title.
"Loving You" premiered in
Memphis on July 10, 1957 at the Strand Theatre. Elvis didn't go
to that showing. Instead, he took his date Anita Wood and his
parents to a private midnight screening. The film opened
nationally on July 30, 1957 and peaked at #7 on the Variety
National Box Office Survey.
Director Hal Kanter spent
some time on the road with Elvis and his band for research prior
to the film's production. In December 1956, he went to see his
performance at the "Louisiana Hayride" in Shreveport. In its
review The Los Angeles Times said "A furtive step on Presley's
part in a screen career"
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Wendell Corey, Elvis Presley, Dolores Hart and Lizabeth
Scott |
In 1956, producer Hal Wallis
bought the film rights to a story written by Margaret Agnes
Thompson. It had appeared in the June 1956 issue of "Good
Housekeeping" magazine and was a story set in Oklahoma about a
young singer called Lonesome Harris and his journey to stardom.
Wallis thought it would be a perfect vehicle for Elvis.
Hal Wallis assigned Hal Kanter as the screenwriter and director
for the movie. At the time, Kanter, a native of Savannah,
Georgia, was 37 years old. He had written for variety shows,
graduating to screenplays and specializing in comedies. He wrote
for Bob Hope as well as the comedy team of Dean Martin and Jerry
Lewis. For the movie "Loving You", Wallis wanted Kanter to visit
with Elvis and to get to know him off the movie set and as a
live performer. So, on December 12, 1956 he flew to Memphis to
meet the young star. On the first day, Elvis showed him around
his Audubon Drive home, where Kanter enjoyed a meal of fried
chicken with the Presley family. After a tour of Memphis on the
14th, they drove to Shreveport, Louisiana, stopping in Pine
Bluff, Arkansas for dinner with entertainer friends of Elvis',
Jim Ed Brown and Maxine Brown. Once in Louisiana, Kanter saw
first-hand an audience's hysterical reaction to Elvis. He also
noted a set of twins in the audience clapping to the music, one
twin clapping her right hand to her sister's left. He made a
mental note to include this small nuance in his script for
"Loving You". Over the years, Hal Kanter received six Emmy Award
nominations, winning the last two for his writing on the annual
Academy Awards telecast. He also wrote the script for Elvis
Presley's 1961 hit film "Blue Hawaii", which garnered him a
"Best Written American Musical" nomination from the Writers
Guild of America.
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Elvis left Memphis by train for Hollywood on January 10, 1957.
After recording sessions he reported on the 14th to the
Paramount makeup and wardrobe departments for his new role as
singer Deke Rivers. Edith Head was the lead designer for this
film and "Loving You" is one of the nine Elvis films the
legendary movie costume designer participated in. Probably the
most notable costume in the film is the famous red and white
cowboy suit worn when Deke sings "Teddy Bear". Makeup was
overseen by Wally Westmore.
It was on January 14, 1957 that Elvis first had his natural
light brown hair dyed black. He had decided it would look good
on film, as did the dark hair of Tony Curtis, one of the actors
he admired. He let his hair go back to its natural color while
serving in the U.S. Army, 1958-60. But for that and a brief time
in the early 1960s, Elvis kept his hair dyed black for the rest
of his life.
In "Loving You" the twins used for the hand-clap scene were
Trude and Maida Severen. This was Trude's only film, but Maida
continued acting, having roles in such movies as "Marjorie
Morningstar", "Imitation of Life", and "Airport 1975". Her
television work included a recurring role on "General Hospital"
and guest roles on "The Addams Family", "Gidget", "Bewitched",
"Sanford & Son", and "Starsky & Hutch".
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The executive producer for
"Loving You" was Paul Nathan, who had worked on films such as
"The Rainmaker" and "Gunfight At The O.K. Corral". Nathan worked
as associate producer on eight other Elvis films:
"King
Creole", "GI
Blues",
"Blue
Hawaii", "Girls!
Girls! Girls!", "Fun
In Acapulco", "Roustabout",
"Paradise,Hawaiian
Style", and "Easy
Come, Easy Go".
Hal Pereira was the art director. His set designs can be seen in
over 250 productions, including the Elvis films mentioned above.
He received twenty-three Academy Award nominations for his work
in such films, including "Sabrina", "The Ten Commandments",
"Funny Face", "Vertigo", and "Breakfast at Tiffany's". He won
the Academy Award for his work in "The Rose Tattoo".
Musical director for "Loving You" was Walter Scharf. He also
worked on Elvis's 1958 film "King Creole" and the 1981
documentary "This Is Elvis". Scharf received a Golden Globe
award for the song "Ben" from the movie of the same name. Among
his career achievements were ten Academy Award nominations.
Elvis enjoyed working with choreographer Charles O'Curran, who
was married to popular singer Patti Page at the time. O'Curran
hung out with Elvis and his band off the set, often inviting
them to his home. He staged musical numbers for five more Elvis
films: "King Creole", "GI Blues", "Blue Hawaii", "Girls! Girls!
Girls!" and "Fun In Acapulco".
Wally Westmore had charge of makeup for "Loving You", as he did
for all of Elvis' Paramount films.
Lizabeth Scott played Deke Rivers' manager, Glenda Markle, who
was a essentially a female version of Elvis' real-life career
manager, Colonel Parker, the supreme promoter. Ms. Scott, a
sultry blonde with a husky voice, was discovered by Hal Wallis
in 1945 and was often compared with actress Lauren Bacall. She
appeared in many films between 1945 and 1957, most of them for
her mentor Mr. Wallis and Paramount. Among her film credits are:
"You Came Along", "The Strange Love of Martha Ivers", "Dead
Reckoning", "Desert Fury", and "I Walk Alone". Except for a role
in 1972's "Pulp", "Loving You" was her last film. Ms. Scott is
generally regarded as one of the queens of the "film noir" genre
of movies. Among her honours is a star on the Hollywood Walk of
Fame.
Wendell Corey played Walter (Tex) Warner, the leader of the band
that Deke joins. Mr. Corey, son of a minister, was born in
Massachusetts in 1914. He was a stage actor in the 1930's and
40's until he signed with Hal Wallis in 1946. "Loving You"
reunited him with Lizabeth Scott, with whom he had worked in
"Desert Fury" and "I Walk Alone". During his career, Corey
served stints as president of the Academy of Motion Picture Arts
and Sciences and president of the Screen Actors Guild. He served
on the Santa Monica California City Council in 1965. He was
defeated in 1966 in his run for the House of Representatives.
Elvis once named a pet cat Wendell in his honour.
Dolores Hart played Deke Rivers' love interest Susan Jessup. Ms.
Hart was born Dolores Hicks in Chicago in 1938. Coincidentally,
her uncle was Mario Lanza, a singer Elvis admired. Hart worked
with Elvis a second time when she co-starred with him in "King
Creole" in 1958. Among her other credits are the films "Where
the Boys Are", "Francis of Assisi", "Sail A Crooked Ship", and
"Come Fly With Me". She decided to become a nun and, in the
1960s, walked away from a successful and promising acting career
before it had peaked. She is now Mother Dolores, but is still a
voting member of the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and
Sciences.
Jana Lund has the distinction of being the first actress to
share an on-screen kiss with Elvis. Her character Daisy Bricker
stole that kiss when she snuck into Deke Rivers' dressing room
on a dare. (Dolore Hart, later in the same film, shares the
first on-screen kiss initiated by an Elvis character.) Ms.
Lund's character is also the catalyst for the big fight scene
between her boyfriend Wayne and Deke. Lund also had roles in the
films "High School Hellcats", "Hot Car Girl", and "Married Too
Young".
The character of Wayne, who loses the fight in the diner, was
played by Kenneth Becker. Mr. Becker can also be seen in the
Elvis films "G. I. Blues", "Girls! Girls! Girls!" and
"Roustabout". Mr. Becker also had a number of guest roles on TV
western series such as "Gunsmoke", "Bronco", "Bonanza", and
"Wanted Dead or Alive".
Paul Smith played Skeeter, the band mate who loans Deke his
guitar. In the film Deke always breaks the strings on Skeeter's
guitar until Deke's growing importance with the group prompts
bandleader Tex to buy Deke a guitar of his own. (That bit in the
script was an inside joke that writer Hal Kanter picked up on as
Elvis actually did often break his guitar strings.) Among Paul
Smith's film credits are "Cowboy Blues", "The Westward Trail",
"Battle At Apache Pass", "All That Heaven Allows", and "Funny
Face".
Booking agent Carl Meade was played by James Gleason, who was
born into a New York theater family in 1882. After serving in
the Spanish-American War, he joined the stock theater company
that his parents were running in Oakland. He and his wife toured
in road shows until he enlisted during World War I. When he
returned to the stage after the war, he tried his hand at
writing and producing and then focused on being a character
actor. Mr. Gleason appeared in over 125 movies. He received an
Academy Award nomination in 1942 as Best Supporting Actor for
the 1941 movie "Here Comes Mr. Jordan".
Ralph Dumke, another well-known character actor, played Jim
Tallman. He had a recurring role as Mr. McAfee in "The George
Burns and Gracie Allen Show" on television. His movie credits
include "All The King's Men", "Daddy Long Legs", "Artists and
Models", "The Solid Gold Cadillac", "The Buster Keaton Story",
"Wake Me When It's Over", and Elmer Gantry".
Charles Lang was the
cinematographer for "Loving You". In 1961 he also film the lush
scenery seen in Elvis's movie "Blue Hawaii". Mr. Lang received
18 Academy Award nominations for his work in such films,
including "Butterflies Are Free", "How The West Was Won", "Some
Like it Hot" and "Sabrina". He won for the movie "Farewell to
Arms".
Joan Bradshaw had an uncredited bit part in "Loving You" and
several other movies in 1957. She went on to become a producer
on such films as "Mrs. Doubtfire", "Cast Away", and "Road To
Perdition".
Carole Dunne played as a teenage extra in "Loving You" and is
today an award winning hair stylist for film and television.
As in many Elvis movies, the cast of "Loving You" included a
number of veteran character actors, including Joe Gray, Irene
Tedrow, William Forrest, Madge Blake and Skip Young.
Joe Gray, a former boxer, was a fight coordinator and a
long-time
film double for Dean Martin. Among his credits are the Elvis
movies "Loving You", "GI Blues" "and "Kid Galahad". Other
credits include "Rio Bravo", "Ocean's Eleven", "Breakfast At
Tiffiany's", "Robin And the Seven Hoods", and "Bye Bye Birdie".
Irene Tedrow played Mrs. Jessup. Among her hundreds of roles in
film and television, two earned her Emmy Award nominations - one
for the TV show "James at 15" and another for the TV mini-series
"Eleanor and Franklin".
William Forrest played Mr. Jessup. He too had hundreds of roles,
including one in the Elvis film "Jailhouse Rock".
Madge Blak played a hired crowed agitator in "Loving You". She
is perhaps best recognized for her TV roles as Aunt Harriett
Cooper on "Batman" and as Larry Mondello's mother in "Leave It
To Beaver".
You also might recognize Skip Young, who played Teddy, a friend
and co-worker of Deke Rivers (Elvis) in the opening scenes of
"Loving You". Mr. Young was a regular on the TV series "The
Adventures of Ozzie and Harriet" in which he played a buddy of
Rick Nelson's.
Yvonne Lime played Sally in "Loving You". She also briefly dated
Elvis and visited him in Memphis for Easter in April 1957. At
the time Elvis and his family were renovating Graceland and had
not yet moved in. Elvis brought her out to see his new home. Ms.
Lime previously had a longtime role as Dotty on the TV series
"Father Knows Best". She continued to act after "Loving You"
until her marriage to TV producer Don Federson, when she turned
her energies to children's charities. She and fellow actress
Sara O'Meara founded International Orphans Inc., building
orphanages in Japan and Vietnam, as well as starting Child help
USA for abused and neglected children in the U.S.
Elvis' parents Vernon and Gladys and their friends Carl and
Willy Nichols came to Hollywood for a month of vacation and to
see where their son worked. They spent time sightseeing and both
ladies bought pet poodles. Mrs. Nichols named her poodle Pierre
and Mrs. Presley named hers Duke after John Wayne. Scotty Moore
and his wife Bobbie took the Presleys to see the filming of the
Tennessee Ernie Ford weekly TV show. They were introduced from
the audience and went back stage to meet Mr. Ford. Elvis and his
date
Joan Blackman took them to see the movie "The Ten
Commandments". (Blackman was Elvis' leading lady in
"Blue
Hawaii" a few years later
in 1961 and then again in 1962's "Kid
Galahad".
Vernon and Gladys also visited Elvis on the set of "Loving You".
It was on a visit to the studio that Hal Kanter got the idea to
include them as extras in the Grand Theatre audience. They can
be seen sitting on the aisle with Mr. and Mrs. Nichols next to
them. The Presley's clapped with the music and applauded proudly
for their son. It is said that after his mother's death the
following year, Elvis couldn't bring himself to watch "Loving
You".
Soundtrack
- Mean Woman Blues
- Teddy Bear
- Loving You
- Got A Lot O' Livin' To Do!
- Lonesome Cowboy
- Hot Dog
- Party
Recorded at the
Paramount Scoring Stage and Radio Recorders, Hollywood.
Engineers: Phil Wisdom and Thorne Nogar. January - February 1957
Musicians: Guitars:
Scotty Moore, Tiny Timbrell, Elvis Presley. Bass: Bill Black.
Drums: D.J. Fontana. Piano: Dudley Brooks, Gordon Stoker, Hoyt
Hawkins. Harmonica: George Fields. Vocals: The Jordanaires.
Loving You - Paramount 1957
Directed by: Hal
Kanter
Writing Credits: Herbert
Baker, Hal Kanter
Producer: Hal Wallis
Technicolor and Vistavision.
Cast Overview
Elvis Presley .... Jimmy Tompkins (Deke Rivers) Lizabeth Scott -
Glenda Markle, Wendell Corey .... Walter (Tex) Warner, Dolores
Hart .... Susan Jessup James Gleason .... Carl Meade Ralph Dumke
.... Jim Tallman Paul Smith .... Skeeter Kenneth Becker ....
Wayne Jana Lund .... Daisy Bricker Vernon Rich .... Harry Taylor
David Cameron .... Mr. Castle Grace Hayle .... Mrs. Gunderson
Dick Ryan .... Mack Steve Pendleton .... Mr. O'Shea Sydney
Chatton .... Ed Grew
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