Release CalendarDVD & Blu-ray ReleasesTop 250 MoviesMost Popular MoviesBrowse Movies by GenreTop Box OfficeShowtimes & TicketsIn TheatersComing SoonMovie NewsIndia Movie Spotlight
    What's on TV & StreamingTop 250 TV ShowsMost Popular TV ShowsBrowse TV Shows by GenreTV NewsIndia TV Spotlight
    What to WatchLatest TrailersIMDb OriginalsIMDb PicksIMDb Podcasts
    OscarsBest Picture WinnersBest Picture WinnersEmmysLGBTQ+ Pride MonthSTARmeter AwardsSan Diego Comic-ConNew York Comic-ConSundance Film FestivalToronto Int'l Film FestivalAwards CentralFestival CentralAll Events
    Born TodayMost Popular CelebsMost Popular CelebsCelebrity News
    Help CenterContributor ZonePolls
For Industry Professionals
  • All
  • Titles
  • TV Episodes
  • Celebs
  • Companies
  • Keywords
  • Advanced Search
Watchlist
Sign In
  • Fully supported
  • English (United States)
    Partially supported
  • Français (Canada)
  • Français (France)
  • Deutsch (Deutschland)
  • हिंदी (भारत)
  • Italiano (Italia)
  • Português (Brasil)
  • Español (España)
  • Español (México)
  • Cast & crew
  • User reviews
  • Trivia
IMDbPro

Viva Las Vegas

  • 19641964
  • ApprovedApproved
  • 1h 25m
IMDb RATING
6.3/10
7.8K
YOUR RATING
Elvis Presley and Ann-Margret in Viva Las Vegas (1964)
  • Comedy
  • Musical
A race-car driver, preparing for the Grand Prix, wiles his time in Las Vegas working as a waiter to pay for his new engine. Soon, he strikes up a romance with a beautiful young woman.A race-car driver, preparing for the Grand Prix, wiles his time in Las Vegas working as a waiter to pay for his new engine. Soon, he strikes up a romance with a beautiful young woman.A race-car driver, preparing for the Grand Prix, wiles his time in Las Vegas working as a waiter to pay for his new engine. Soon, he strikes up a romance with a beautiful young woman.
IMDb RATING
6.3/10
7.8K
YOUR RATING
  • Director
    • George Sidney
  • Writer
    • Sally Benson
  • Stars
    • Elvis Presley
    • Ann-Margret
    • Cesare Danova
Top credits
  • Director
    • George Sidney
  • Writer
    • Sally Benson
  • Stars
    • Elvis Presley
    • Ann-Margret
    • Cesare Danova
  • See production, box office & company info
    • 109User reviews
    • 44Critic reviews
    • 69Metascore
  • See production, box office & company info
  • See more at IMDbPro
    • Awards
      • 3 nominations

    Photos136

    Elvis Presley and Ann-Margret in Viva Las Vegas (1964)
    Ann-Margret in Viva Las Vegas (1964)
    Elvis Presley and Ann-Margret in Viva Las Vegas (1964)
    Elvis Presley, Larry Barton, Harry Fleer, Claude Hall, Lance LeGault, and Red West in Viva Las Vegas (1964)
    Elvis Presley and Ann-Margret in Viva Las Vegas (1964)
    Elvis Presley, Ann-Margret, and Cesare Danova in Viva Las Vegas (1964)
    Elvis Presley and Ann-Margret in Viva Las Vegas (1964)
    Elvis Presley and Ann-Margret in Viva Las Vegas (1964)
    Elvis Presley and Ann-Margret in Viva Las Vegas (1964)
    Elvis Presley and Ann-Margret in Viva Las Vegas (1964)
    Elvis Presley and Ann-Margret in Viva Las Vegas (1964)
    Ann-Margret in Viva Las Vegas (1964)

    Top cast

    Edit
    Elvis Presley
    Elvis Presley
    • Lucky Jacksonas Lucky Jackson
    Ann-Margret
    Ann-Margret
    • Rusty Martinas Rusty Martin
    Cesare Danova
    Cesare Danova
    • Count Elmo Mancinias Count Elmo Mancini
    William Demarest
    William Demarest
    • Mr. Martinas Mr. Martin
    Nicky Blair
    Nicky Blair
    • Shorty Fansworthas Shorty Fansworth
    Robert Aiken
    • Driveras Driver
    • (uncredited)
    Don Anderson
    Don Anderson
    • Wedding Guestas Wedding Guest
    • (uncredited)
    Larry Barton
    • Son of the Lone Star Stateas Son of the Lone Star State
    • (uncredited)
    Toni Basil
    Toni Basil
    • Dancer in Red Dress (What'd I Say)as Dancer in Red Dress (What'd I Say)
    • (uncredited)
    Herman Boden
    • Casino Patronas Casino Patron
    • (uncredited)
    William Burnside
    • Son of the Lone Star Stateas Son of the Lone Star State
    • (uncredited)
    Carl Carlsson
    • Juggleras Juggler
    • (uncredited)
    Ruth Carlsson
    • Juggleras Juggler
    • (uncredited)
    Regina Carrol
    Regina Carrol
    • Showgirlas Showgirl
    • (uncredited)
    Steve Carruthers
    Steve Carruthers
    • Maitre 'das Maitre 'd
    • (uncredited)
    Jack Carter
    Jack Carter
    • Casino Performeras Casino Performer
    • (uncredited)
    Taggart Casey
    • Guardas Guard
    • (uncredited)
    George Cisar
    George Cisar
    • Manager of Swingersas Manager of Swingers
    • (uncredited)
    • Director
      • George Sidney
    • Writer
      • Sally Benson
    • All cast & crew
    • See more cast details at IMDbPro

    More like this

    Jailhouse Rock
    6.5
    Jailhouse Rock
    Girls! Girls! Girls!
    5.5
    Girls! Girls! Girls!
    Girl Happy
    6.3
    Girl Happy
    Blue Hawaii
    6.1
    Blue Hawaii
    It Happened at the World's Fair
    6.0
    It Happened at the World's Fair
    G.I. Blues
    6.1
    G.I. Blues
    Fun in Acapulco
    5.8
    Fun in Acapulco
    King Creole
    6.9
    King Creole
    Spinout
    5.7
    Spinout
    Speedway
    5.5
    Speedway
    Roustabout
    5.9
    Roustabout
    Love Me Tender
    6.2
    Love Me Tender

    Storyline

    Edit

    Did you know

    Edit
    • Trivia
      Elvis Presley and Ann-Margret started dating during pre-production but split up soon after filming.
    • Goofs
      At the end of the race the Count's car runs off the track and then back on wherein the cockpit gets pulverized by a yellow car. This would definitely have killed the driver, or at least put the "count' into a full body cast. Yet later he appears at Rusty and Lucky's wedding, very healthy.
    • Quotes

      Rusty Martin: Can you help me, please?

      Lucky Jackson: Can we help you? Yes ma'am.

      Rusty Martin: Well, then, I'd like you to check my motor, it whistles.

      Lucky Jackson: I don't blame it!

    • Connections
      Edited into Kingdom: Elvis in Vegas (2007)
    • Soundtracks
      The Yellow Rose of Texas/The Eyes of Texas
      (uncredited)

      Written by Don George, adapted by Randy Starr and Fred Wise/John Lang Sinclair

      Performed by Elvis Presley

    User reviews109

    Review
    Top review
    Viva el Rey! (and Viva Ann Margret, too!)...
    I love this film! Actually, every time that I see it I like it more. I'm biased, of course, being an Elvis fan (hey, isn't everyone?...if you're not, you should give it a try), but it's still an entertaining way to spend a while. The film's not based on the strongest storyline ever created and it relies on the chemistry between foxy mamacita Ann Margret and the King himself, and that's more than enough. The two had some intense off-screen things going on, too, and perhaps that helps the movie. Both Elvis and Ann Margret look great and they trade lines perfectly. Elvis is more engaged in this film than he had been in any since 1961 and the result's one that he could have been proud of. The shame is that the glossy musical formula than began with 1960's "GI Blues" became an endless rerun throughout Elvis' '60s Hollywood career, but "Viva Las Vegas" is perhaps the highlight of these musicals. Perhaps it's no coincidence that this film has less singing than the ones before and after, the songs all fitting well within the plot. The songs are also among the strongest of Elvis' '60s soundtrack offerings -- pretty much all of them are great tunes. This was most definitely not the case even in earlier films and would progressively become less the norm in subsequent years. The cinematography is also first-rate, as are lighting and transitions -- all of the things that add up to 'production value.' Lush colors and effective use of scenery -- natural and manmade -- included. This is obvious right from the opening credits and is stunningly apparent in the musical numbers. It really looks like a lot of thought went into how the songs were staged, lit, and filmed and that alone is a departure from Elvis' norm. Even most of the other of the better '60s films just stick Elvis up there, singing, while they roll film. Not a lot of imagination very evident in that approach. Check out the great presentation work on songs like "C'mon Everybody" and "What'd I Say," as well as the classic "Viva Las Vegas" talent-contest scene and the perfectly-executed "I Need Somebody To Lean On" scene in which onscreen Elvis is double-tracked with a melancholy inner-voice Elvis. Great stuff.

    The film's -- to me -- probably the most entertaining and enjoyable of any of Elvis' '60s musicals. In that category I include most of the films that Elvis shot during the '60s except for the two dramas of 1960 ("Flaming Star" being a particularly excellent film), the two song-sparse movies of 1961 ("Kid Galahad" and the great "Follow That Dream"), and some of the late '60s movies that included only one or a few token songs and had stronger storylines ("Live A Little, Love A Little," "Stay Away, Joe," "Charro!," "The Trouble With Girls," and "Change Of Habit"). Actually, "Viva Las Vegas" is even more enjoyable than most of these ones, too.

    Among the supporting actors are Cesare Danova, a beatnik-y Nicky Blair, and William Demarest (Uncle Charlie from "My Three Sons"!), all of whom do a great job. Sharp eyes might also catch Terri Garr, especially in the "C'mon Everybody" scene, though she's in at least one or two others in the film. Red West, Elvis' bodyguard (he also wrote a song -- "If You Think I Don't Need You" -- used in this film) is an extra in the scene that included a bunch of Texas rowdies. Lance Le Gault (a blues singer and Elvis' double in '60s films, inadvertently seen in "Kissin' Cousins" and on full display as a tambourine-player in Elvis' sensational leather-clad 1968 'comeback' shows...he was also Colonel Decker on TV's "The A Team") plays a waiter who, ironically enough, is mistaken for Elvis by Ann Margret's character.

    But yeah, when it comes down to it this is a film that succeeds primarily on the strengths of its male and female leads. Some great work by supporting actors doesn't hurt, but Elvis seems inspired to do a good job of acting -- not the walk-through that was becoming increasingly tempting in the face of uninspiring and mediocre storylines and production staff and accountants who didn't care about quality as long as the film was completed on time and on budget to result in the predictable crazy profits that Elvis movies generated in the first half of the '60s. The scene with Elvis waiting on the Count and Rusty exploits Elvis' comedic talents and was a nice touch. I'm surprised, really, that the pairing of Elvis and Ann Margret was never attempted again. They could've done "Grease" in '68!

    The film also accomplishes its travelogue role and both it and the title song have become inextricably linked with that desert city. For those of us who have only visited Vegas in more recent years, and to those who remember it as it was in the summer of 1963, this film is a handy time capsule to the Vegas of yore. It was a kick for me to see Elvis and Ann Margret at the Sahara's camel statues because I had my picture taken there, atop one of the camels, back in the '80s (without realizing that it had such a direct Elvis connection). Cool!

    All in all, if you haven't yet seen this film you might just enjoy it. It's not going to change your life (then again...who knows?) and it's not "Citizen Kane" (it's a lot more fun, though), but it's a classic of its kind. Scratch that -- it's just a classic. Unfortunately, a couple of months after wrapping "Viva Las Vegas" Elvis began production of "Kissin' Cousins," a film from producer Sam Katzman ("King of the Quickies") that was as cheap and nasty as they come and that showed the way to even greater profit (but at what cost?).
    helpful•22
    1
    • tigerman2001
    • Jul 2, 2002

    FAQ1

    • Is is true Ann-Margret upstaged the King?

    Details

    Edit
    • Release date
      • May 20, 1964 (United States)
    • Country of origin
      • United States
    • Official site
      • Official Site
    • Language
      • English
    • Also known as
      • Only Girl in Town
    • Filming locations
      • Las Vegas, Nevada, USA
    • Production companies
      • Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer (MGM)
      • Jack Cummings Productions
      • Winters Hollywood Entertainment Holdings Corporation
    • See more company credits at IMDbPro

    Box office

    Edit
    • Budget
      • $1,000,000 (estimated)
    See detailed box office info on IMDbPro

    Technical specs

    Edit
    • Runtime
      1 hour 25 minutes
    • Aspect ratio
      • 2.35 : 1

    Related news

    Contribute to this page

    Suggest an edit or add missing content
    Elvis Presley and Ann-Margret in Viva Las Vegas (1964)
    Top Gap
    By what name was Viva Las Vegas (1964) officially released in India in English?
    Answer
    • See more gaps
    • Learn more about contributing
    Edit page

    More to explore

    View list
    List
    The Best Movies and Shows to Watch in July
    See the full list
    View image
    Photos
    Hollywood Romances: Our Favorite Couples
    See the full list

    Recently viewed

    Please enable browser cookies to use this feature. Learn more.
    Get the IMDb App
    • Get the IMDb App
    • Help
    • Site Index
    • IMDbPro
    • Box Office Mojo
    • IMDb Developer
    • Press Room
    • Advertising
    • Jobs
    • Conditions of Use
    • Privacy Policy
    • Interest-Based Ads
    IMDb, an Amazon company

    © 1990-2022 by IMDb.com, Inc.