Love Me Tender (1956)

User Rating:

5.8/10   

Director:

Robert D. Webb

Writers:

Maurice Geraghty (story)
Robert Buckner (writer)

Release Date:

15 November 1956 (USA)

Genre:

Drama | Musical | Romance | Western

Tagline:

HEAR ELVIS SING . . . "Love Me Tender" "We're Gonna Move" "Poor Boy" "Let Me"

Plot:

Elvis plays Clint Reno, one of the Reno brothers who stayed home while he brother went to fight in the Civil War for the Confederate army...

Plot Keywords:

Civil War | Elvis Presley | Murder | Love Triangle | Beautiful Woman

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
rest of cast listed alphabetically:
Dorothy Hack

Also Known As:

The Reno Brothers (USA) (working title)

Runtime:

89 min

Country:

USA

Language:

English

Color:

Black and White

Aspect Ratio:

2.35 : 1

Sound Mix:

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

Certification:

Australia:PG | New Zealand:PG | Finland:K-12 | Sweden:15 | UK:U | West Germany:12 (nf)

Filming Locations:

20th Century Fox Ranch, Malibu Creek State Park - 1925 Las Virgenes Road, Calabasas, California, USA

Company:

Twentieth Century-Fox Film Corporation

Trivia:

Elvis Presley's real-life backing musicians Scotty Moore, Bill Black and D.J. Fontana were not allowed to play the roles of the band in the movie because according to the casting crew they didn't look like country musicians.

Goofs:

Continuity: Elvis' hair is black during the final "Love Me Tender" reprise, but closer to blonde in the rest of the film.

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: .

Movie Connections:

Referenced in Elvis Gratton: Le king des kings (1985)

Soundtrack:

LOVE ME TENDER

Good beginning to Elvis Presley's film career

Though this is the one film that Elvis didn't receive top billing for, his tremendous singing and acting ability go a long way toward making it a lot of fun to watch. He shows us here that he was a terrific actor as well as a gifted singer. The story starts off a little slow but hits the mark after the first ten to fifteen minutes and leads to a well crafted climax. Worth watching for any Elvis fan.