The Film That Represented a Terrible ‘Turning Point’ in Elvis’ Career
Elvis Presley acted in his first film in 1956 and continued to work consistently as an actor until 1969. Though Elvis saw himself as a singer first, he appreciated the work he did on film sets. Over time, though, his enjoyment of acting waned. Elvis’ stunt double believed one movie in particular marked a negative turning point in the singer’s film career.
Elvis’ stunt double said one film changed the singer’s career for the worse
In 1964, Elvis starred in Kissin’ Cousins, a comedy musical. The film’s director, Gene Nelson, said Elvis was a hard worker and always brought a positive attitude to set. Still, Elvis was embarrassed about the quality of the story and his appearance. He also did not appreciate the rushed filming schedule.
“Up until that time certain standards had been maintained, but it seems to me from Kissin’ Cousins on, we were always on a short schedule,” Elvis’ body double, Lance LeGault, said in the book Careless Love: The Unmaking of Elvis Presley by Peter Guralnick. “It was like, ‘It’s good enough because it’s Elvis, and it’s in color, and we’re gonna make two and a half times negative cost plus another two and a half times.’ Sometimes [Elvis might] comment about this, that, or the other — but he’d go ahead and do it.”
LeGault believed Kissin’ Cousins set a standard for the rest of Elvis’ career. They could make movies quickly, but they would still do well because of their star.
“I don’t remember how long I was on Viva Las Vegas, but it seems like it was ten or eleven weeks, a long time,” he said. “We weren’t off a [few] weeks when, boom, we jumped back into Kissin’ Cousins, which was shot in seventeen days. When they realized they could take this guy and do a film that quickly with him, from then on we were on quick pictures.”
Elvis did not like rushing through making a film
While LeGault said Elvis rarely complained, he did not like working on a film that quickly. The tight schedule saw them slowly shutting down the set and letting people go as they progressed. It was hectic and everyone was stressed.
“I hadn’t learned the patience and control that I have now, and I’d get uptight — and this upset Elvis,” Nelson said. “He came to me the last week and said he didn’t like to work this way, it wasn’t worth it.”
Elvis offered to try to slow down the pace of production for Nelson.
“He said he knew what kind of pressure I was under, and he volunteered to get sick or show up late if it would help,” Nelson recalled. “I thanked him and said to hang in, it was my problem.”
He had a number of regrets about his career
When Elvis reflected on his film career, he had a number of regrets. He wanted to be taken seriously as an actor, but he rarely had challenging roles. According to Nelson, he also seemed uninterested in improving.
“I had thought that they would … give me a chance to show some kind of acting ability or do a very interesting story, but it did not change, it did not change, and so I became very discouraged,” he said. “They couldn’t have paid me no amount of money in the world to make me feel self-satisfaction inside.”
