Elvis Presley made 31 films during his career—almost all of which were wildly profitable and, creatively, mostly the same: simple romantic plots, campy humor, lots and lots of music. Released in 1964, Viva Las Vegas was built to follow the same formula for success. Yet the results were iconically different: It not only became the highest grossing film to feature Elvis, it propelled the career of costar Ann-Margret and widened the appeal of Sin City itself. What made Viva Las Vegas special? It had chemistry. It had heat. It showed larger-than-life superstars—at the peak of their powers—flirting and frolicking their way through life. Almost a decade before Elvis and Vegas became inseparable, this movie established why it was a match made in musical heaven. And the on-screen chemistry he shared with Ann-Margret wasn’t great acting—it was a real-life seduction caught on camera.
THREE’S A PARTY • WHAT A COCKTAIL: ELVIS, ANN-MARGRET, AND THE CITY OF LAS VEGAS
HEARTBREAK HOTEL • HE REDEEMED HIMSELF LATER IN HIS CAREER, BUT ELVIS’ FIRST VISIT TO VEGAS WAS A BUST
ELVIS IN ’63 • SEVEN YEARS AFTER HIS BREAKOUT, PRESLEY’S CAREER—AND LIFE—HAD SETTLED INTO A ROUTINE
ELECTRIC INGÉNUE • IN ANN-MARGRET, ELVIS FINALLY MET HIS MATCH, ON-SCREEN AND OFF
VEGAS, BABY • THE THIRD EXPLOSIVE ELEMENT OF VIVA LAS VEGAS WAS SIN CITY ITSELF
WHOSE FILM IS THIS ANYWAY? • THE MAKING OF VIVA LAS VEGAS PROVED TO BE A BATTLE OF EGOS
SPONTANEOUS COMBUSTION • AN INSTANT ATTRACTION BETWEEN ELVIS AND ANN-MARGRET LED TO LIFE-CHANGING DECISIONS
NOT JUST ANOTHER MOVIE • FANS HEAPED BIG HUNKS OF LOVE ON VIVA LAS VEGAS
THE SONG • THE THEME FOR VIVA LAS VEGAS HAS ENJOYED A LIFE OF ITS OWN
VIVA LAS LEGACY • THIS FILM, MORE THAN ANY OF HIS OTHERS, CHANGED ELVIS’ LIFE
Elvis: The Story of Viva Las Vegas
PHOTO CREDITS
