Love Me Tender (1956)

At the end of the Civil War, a Confederate team is ordered to rob a Union payroll train but the war ends leaving these men with their Union loot, until the Feds come looking for it.

Director:

Robert D. Webb

Writers:

Robert Buckner (screenplay), Maurice Geraghty (story)

Stars:

Richard Egan, Debra Paget, Elvis Presley

Cast

Complete credited cast:
Richard Egan	...	Vance Reno
Debra Paget	...	Cathy Reno
Elvis Presley	...	Clint Reno
Robert Middleton	...	Mr. Siringo
William Campbell	...	Brett Reno
Neville Brand	...	Mike Gavin
Mildred Dunnock	...	Martha Reno
Bruce Bennett	...	Maj. Kincaid
James Drury	...	Ray Reno
Russ Conway	...	Ed Galt
Ken Clark	...	Mr. Kelso
Barry Coe	...	Mr. Davis

Storyline

Elvis plays Clint Reno, one of the Reno brothers who stayed home while his brother went to fight in the Civil War for the Confederate army. When his brother Vance comes back from the war, he finds that his old girlfriend Cathy has married Clint. The family has to struggle to reach stability with this issue. Vance is involved in a train robbery, while a Confederate soldier, of Federal Government money. There is a conflict of interest, when Vance tries to return the money, against the wishes of some of his fellow Confederates.

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Plot Keywords:

train | civil war | soldier | army | robbery | 

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Taglines:

You'll Love Him Tender in the Story He Was Born to Play!

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Genres:

Drama | Romance | Western

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Certificate:

12

Details

Country:

USA

Language:

English

Release Date:

15 November 1956 (USA)

Also Known As:

The Reno Brothers

Filming Locations:

Bell Moving Picture Ranch, Santa Susana Mountains, California, USA

Box Office

Budget:

$1,000,000 (estimated)

Company Credits

Production Co:

Twentieth Century Fox Film Corporation

Technical Specs

Runtime:

89 min

Sound Mix:

4-Track Stereo (Westrex Recording System) (magnetic prints) Mono (optical prints)

Color:

Black and White

Aspect Ratio:

2.35 : 1

Did You Know?

Trivia

Of all the movies starring Elvis Presley, this is the only one in which he didn't get top billing. He was billed third, after Richard Egan and Debra Paget.

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Goofs

A Confederate soldier zips up the pants that were taken off Northern soldiers, before zippers were invented.

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Quotes

Cathy Reno: [Clint has just been shot after defending Vance... Cathy "Kit" Reno rushes to his side and takes him into her arms] Just lie still.
Clint Reno: [gasping for breath] Kit... where's Vance? I gotta talk to him.
Vance Reno: I'm here, Clint.
Clint Reno: [crying] Vance, I didn't mean it! I swear I didn't mean it...
Vance Reno: [softly] I know you didn't, Clint. You don't have to tell me. Everything's gonna be all right.
Clint Reno: [looks at Kit, then at Vance] Everything's gonna be all right
[last lines... gasps, then dies... Kit weeps]
Clint Reno: .

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Connections

Referenced in The Golden Girls: Love Me Tender (1989)

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Soundtracks

Poor Boy
Written by Elvis Presley and Ken Darby (as Vera Matson)
Performed by Elvis Presley

User Reviews

Elvis's Debut on the Silver Screen

My guess would be that the story for Love Me Tender was probably laying around the offices at 20th Century Fox and would have been a B western starring Richard Egan. In fact the original title was in fact The Brothers Reno.

But along came Elvis Presley and when Darryl F. Zanuck signed him for his feature film debut the story had to be reworked to accommodate his presence. Of course four songs had to be added, including the title tune, which was a rewording of the famous Civil War era ballad Aura Lee.

The Reno brothers, Richard Egan, James Drury, and William Campbell go to war, enlisting in the Confederate Army. The youngest brother Elvis Presley stays home to take care of Mother Reno, played by Mildred Dunnock and the family farm. When it's reported that Egan was killed, fiancé Debra Paget marries Elvis.

Of course all three Reno brothers return, sound of wind and limb. The day after the Civil War ended, the brothers and others rob a Yankee paymaster and split the money.

They're outlaws now, but a reasonable carpetbagger administrator played by Robert Middleton is willing to forgive and forget if he gets the money back. That and the return of Egan lead to the ensuing conflicts in Love Me Tender.

I have no doubt that Colonel Tom Parker chose this particular screen property for his star and as usual Colonel Tom chose well. The southern civil war background of the story made perfect casting for Elvis. Of course his hip wiggling gyrations in the post bellum South seem out of place, but that's what the ticket buyers to an Elvis film wanted.

And he certainly sang Love Me Tender real good.