Viva Las Vegas (1964)

Race car driver Lucky Jackson goes to Las Vegas to earn money to pay for a new engine for his motor car. Working as a waiter, he still finds the time to court young Rusty Martin.

Director:

George Sidney

Writer:

Sally Benson

Stars:

Elvis Presley, Ann-Margret, Cesare Danova

3 nominations.

Cast

Complete credited cast:
Elvis Presley	...	Lucky Jackson
Ann-Margret	...	Rusty Martin
Cesare Danova	...	Count Elmo Mancini
William Demarest	...	Mr. Martin
Nicky Blair	...	Shorty Fansworth
Rest of cast listed alphabetically:
Rickey Murray	...	Delivery Boy (as Rick Murray)

Storyline

Lucky Jackson arrives in town with his car literally in tow ready for the first Las Vegas Grand Prix - once he has the money to buy an engine. He gets the cash easily enough but mislays it when the pretty swimming pool manageress takes his mind off things. It seems he will lose both race and girl, problems made more difficult by rivalry from Elmo Mancini, fellow racer and womaniser. Perhaps some singing will help.

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Plot Keywords:

las vegas nevada | waiter | race car | rivalry | racer | 

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Taglines:

It's that "go-go" guy and that "bye-bye" gal in the fun capital of the world!

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Genres:

Comedy | Musical

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Certificate:

Approved

Details

Country:

USA

Language:

English

Release Date:

20 May 1964 (USA)

Also Known As:

Only Girl in Town

Filming Locations:

Henderson, Nevada, USA

Box Office

Budget:

$1,000,000 (estimated)

Gross:

$4,675,000 (USA)

Company Credits

Production Co:

Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer (MGM), Jack Cummings Productions, Winters Hollywood Entertainment Holdings Corporation

Technical Specs

Runtime:

85 min

Sound Mix:

Mono (Westrex Recording System)

Color:

Color (Metrocolor)

Aspect Ratio:

2.35 : 1

Did You Know?

Trivia

One of the guitar players on the soundtrack was singer/actor Glen Campbell.

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Goofs

When Elvis/Lucky pulls up to the Las Vegas Speedway with his race car in tow, he is driving a beat up yellow convertible with mud all over the front window, a second later he is backing his race car into the garage and the yellow convertible's front window is spotless, not a speck of mud on it.

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Quotes

Rusty Martin: [Singing] My rival is a baby blue racing car.

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Connections

Spoofed in The Magic Sword: Quest for Camelot (1998)

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Soundtracks

What'd I Say
(uncredited)
Written by Ray Charles
Performed by Elvis Presley

User Reviews

Star chemistry makes this a cut above the usual Elvis fare

Viva Las Vegas is a highly entertaining and lively film, sparked by the chemistry of its two gorgeous stars, Elvis Presley and Ann-Margret. When Ann-Margret appeared on Larry King last year, King kept bringing up Elvis, but she wasn't about to talk about him. They were certainly a hot couple, and if they were crazy about each other, which reportedly they were, who can blame them? There is absolutely nothing special about the story, but the movie has some delightful musical numbers, including the title song - which has become part of the popular culture as it personifies everything Vegas.

Colonel Parker wasn't happy about Viva Las Vegas because he felt that Ann-Margret was getting too many closeups in an Elvis Presley film. But without her sexy presence, the film would have lacked a lot of its energy. Elvis was unhappy making this kind of movie, and I imagine he was more willing to go to work with Ann-Margret on the set. It's fun to see them so young and beautiful, and having fun.