Love Me Tender ( film ) - wikipedia Love Me Tender ( film ) Love Me Tender film poster by Tom Chantrell Directed by Robert D. Webb Stanley Hough ( ass 't ) Produced by David Weisbart Screenplay by Robert Buckner Story by Maurice Geraghty Starring Richard Egan Debra Paget Elvis Presley Music by Lionel Newman Cinematography Leo Tover Edited by Hugh S. Fowler Distributed by 20th Century Fox Release date November 15, 1956 ( 1956 - 11 - 15 ) Running time 89 minutes Country United States Language English Budget $1,250,000 Box office $4.5 million ( US rentals ) Love Me Tender is a 1956 American black - and - white CinemaScope motion picture directed by Robert D. Webb, and released by 20th Century Fox on November 15, 1956. The film, named after the song, stars Richard Egan, Debra Paget, and Elvis Presley in his acting debut. It is in the Western genre with musical numbers. As Presley 's movie debut, it was the only time in his acting career that he did not receive top billing. Love Me Tender was originally to be titled The Reno Brothers, but when advanced sales of Presley 's `` Love Me Tender '' single passed one million -- a first for a single -- the film 's title was changed to match. This was the only time that Presley played a historical figure. Contents 1 Synopsis 2 Cast 3 Background 4 Accolades 5 Soundtrack 6 DVD releases 7 See also 8 References 9 External links 9.1 Movie reviews 9.2 DVD reviews Synopsis Presley plays Clint Reno, the youngest of the four Reno brothers who stays home to take care of his mother and the family farm as older brothers Vance, Brett and Ray fight in the American Civil War for the Confederate Army. The family is mistakenly informed that eldest brother Vance has been killed on the battlefield. After four years of war, the brothers return home and find that Vance 's girlfriend Cathy has married Clint. Although Vance accepts this wholeheartedly ( `` We always wanted Cathy in the family '' ), the family has to struggle to reach stability with this issue. The subplot of unresolved passion carries the film ; it is clear from the outset upon the Reno brothers return home that Cathy still loves Vance, although she is true to the younger Clint. Honor prevails for Vance, but jealousy turns Clint into an irrationally thinking rival for the love of the heroine. In the film 's opening scenes, the main plot is presented ; the three Reno brothers, serving as Confederate cavalrymen, attack a Union train carrying Federal payroll of $12,000. They do not know that the war ended only a day before. The Confederates come to a decision to keep the money as spoils of war, an issue that will come back into the plot after the Reno brothers return home. A conflict of interest ensues when Vance tries to return the money against the wishes of some of his fellow Confederates, all of whom are being sought by the U.S. Government for robbery. The film reaches its tragic conclusion with Clint 's death during a final shootout. In the end, the money is returned, the Reno brothers are released, and the other three ex-Confederates are arrested. The youngest Reno brother is laid to rest at the family farm Cast Richard Egan as Vance Reno Debra Paget as Cathy Reno Elvis Presley as Clint Reno Robert Middleton as Mr. Siringo William Campbell as Brett Reno James Drury as Ray Reno Neville Brand as Mike Gavin Mildred Dunnock as Martha Reno Russ Conway as Ed Galt Ken Clark as Mr. Kelso L.Q. Jones as Pardee Fleming ( uncredited ) Dick Sargent as Confederate Soldier ( uncredited ) Barry Coe as Mr. Davis Background Before his success as a singer, Presley had shown interest in becoming an actor. He had worked as a cinema usher in his youth and would often watch his screen idols James Dean, Marlon Brando, and Tony Curtis during shifts, studying their acting and learning lines from their movies. When he first met his future manager, Colonel Tom Parker, he expressed an interest in the movies and his desire to be an actor. In interviews during his rise to fame, Presley would often talk about his hopes of attending somewhere like the Actors Studio. He also insisted that he would not like to sing in any of his movies because he wished to be taken seriously as a film star. However, Parker had a plan to cross-promote Presley 's films with his music and this led to soundtracks being as important, if not more important, than the scripts. Because of this, not only is Elvis regarded as a musician, he is regarded as an actor as well. Presley screen - tested for Hal Wallis on March 26, 1956 at Paramount Studios. The test lasted three days and included Presley performing two scenes from The Rainmaker, and lip - syncing to Blue Suede Shoes. Wallis ' partner, Joe Hazen, commented : `` As a straight actor, the guy has great potentialities. '' His first screen test, a scene from the William Inge play The Girls of Summer, resulted in drama coach Charlotte Clary declaring to her class of students, `` Now that is a natural born actor ''. On April 2, Wallis offered Presley a contract for one motion picture, with options on six more. The contract was finalized on April 25, and also stipulated that Presley was free to make at least one picture a year for other studios. Wallis, who had produced classics such as Casablanca, Little Caesar, and The Maltese Falcon, had promised Presley that he would look for dramatic roles to let the singer take his acting career seriously. Wallis considered Presley for a role in The Rat Race, a film about a `` naive, innocent boy '' who was struggling to make it as a musician in Manhattan, but he decided against it after another studio executive said, `` Elvis Presley just does n't look like that ''. The film was eventually made in 1960 with Tony Curtis in the lead role. Another possible idea that Wallis mulled over was to pair Presley with Jerry Lewis. Lewis had just separated from his comedy partner Dean Martin after a successful run of seventeen movies together, but again the idea was shelved. On April 10, Presley confidently announced during a radio interview that his debut feature would be The Rainmaker with Burt Lancaster and Katharine Hepburn. However, despite this belief, and due to Wallis being unable to find a project `` good enough for the debut of Elvis Presley '', he was loaned out to 20th Century Fox on August 13 and began work on Love Me Tender on August 22. Presley 's role had originally been turned down by both Jeffrey Hunter and Robert Wagner because the part was too small, but when Presley signed up to the picture the role was expanded to take advantage of his current popularity. A somewhat more realistic film telling the story of the Reno Brothers, Rage at Dawn starring Randolph Scott, had been released by RKO Radio Pictures only the year before. According to Presley 's then girlfriend, June Juanico, he was reluctant to take the role after realizing that his character died at the end, but he was persuaded to do it after she told him that the characters audiences were most likely to remember were the ones who had a tragic fate. Presley arrived for filming with all of his lines learned, as well as the lines for all the other parts. He found filming quite tasking, once commenting to a friend that he had spent a whole day `` behind a team of mules ''. In little more than a month Presley had recorded all the songs for the film and had finished filming his scenes. Filming of the movie 's climactic sequence, including the death scene for Presley 's character, took place at the Bell Moving Picture Ranch in the Santa Susana Mountains west of the San Fernando Valley on the outskirts of Los Angeles. The exact filming location, sometimes referred to among historians as the `` Rocky Hill, '' remained elusive for almost 60 years, until the site was discovered on an expedition by filming location researchers in early 2015. The researchers were able to locate the site by combining details from Love Me Tender and the Victor Mature movie Escort West, which also filmed on the `` Rocky Hill. '' Additional details on this expedition can be found in the external links, below. When Presley appeared on The Ed Sullivan Show during a break in filming the movie, on September 9, he performed `` Love Me Tender '' for the first time. Two weeks later RCA confirmed that advanced sales of the single had resulted in it going Gold before even being released -- an industry first. Test screenings of the film resulted in people being upset at the death of Presley 's character. Attempting to reach a compromise between the death and pleasing his fans, Presley filmed an extra scene and recorded an extra verse to the title track to be played over the end credits. Love Me Tender had its premiere on November 15 at the Paramount Theater in New York City, and was released nationally on November 21, 1956. 20th Century Fox released 575 prints, a record for its studios at the time ; normal releases were only 200 - 300. Presley attended a private screening of the film on November 20 at Loew 's State Theater in Memphis prior to its national release. During this private screening Presley 's mother, Gladys, cried at the death of her son 's character at the end, leading Presley to insist that his characters would never die on screen again. In its first week of release the film grossed $540,000, # 2 at the box office for that week, beaten only by James Dean 's posthumous release Giant, and had made back the money it cost the studio to produce it. Within weeks it had recouped the costs of the negatives, and despite being released in November, the film finished 1956 as the 23rd highest - grossing film of the year. Despite many critics giving it a lukewarm reception, a number of critics viewed it in a positive light. The Los Angeles Times wrote : `` Elvis can act. S'help me the boy 's real good, even when he is n't singing. '' Presley would later express regret at making the film, and was disappointed that the additions of songs had set up the future of his Hollywood career. In his book Me And A Guy Named Elvis, Jerry Schilling recounts the atmosphere inside Loew 's State Theater in Memphis during the premiere screening : `` The screams of the girls around me made it just about impossible to follow the story -- this was the first time I 'd seen an audience treat a film like it was a live concert, loudly responding to every move made and word uttered by their favorite star. '' Presley would later tell his friend Cliff Gleaves that he found this type of reaction from his cinema - going fans embarrassing, and that it had prevented him from being accepted as a serious actor. Accolades The film is recognized by American Film Institute in these lists : 2002 : AFI 's 100 Years... 100 Passions -- Nominated 2004 : AFI 's 100 Years... 100 Songs : `` Love Me Tender '' -- Nominated Soundtrack Main article : Love Me Tender ( EP ) DVD releases In the summer of 2006, the film was released on DVD in a special 50th anniversary issue. It was featured in a slipcase, and included a set of 4 lobby card reproductions. The disc contains the movie in its original widescreen letterbox format, plus audio commentary by noted Elvis historian, and Memphis Mafia member, Jerry Schilling. The disc includes three featurettes : `` Elvis Hits Hollywood '', `` The Colonel & The King '', and `` Love Me Tender : The Birth & Boom of the Elvis Hit ''. Also part of the disc are original trailers for Love Me Tender, Flaming Star and Wild in the Country. See also List of American films of 1956 References Jump up ^ Solomon, Aubrey. Twentieth Century Fox : A Corporate and Financial History ( The Scarecrow Filmmakers Series ). Lanham, Maryland : Scarecrow Press, 1989. ISBN 978 - 0 - 8108 - 4244 - 1. p250 Jump up ^ ' The Top Box - Office Hits of 1956 ', Variety Weekly, January 2, 1957 ^ Jump up to : Guralnick / Jorgensen, Elvis : Day by Day, p. 91 ^ Jump up to : Victor, The Elvis Encyclopedia, pages 314 / 315 ^ Jump up to : Guralnick / Jorgensen, Elvis : Day by Day, p. 67 Jump up ^ Brown ; Broeske, Peter ; Pat ( 1998 ). Down at the End of Lonely Street : Life and Death of Elvis Presley. Arrow Books Ltd. pp. 102 -- 103. ISBN 978 - 0 - 7493 - 2319 - 6. Jump up ^ Brown ; Broeske, Peter ; Pat ( 1998 ). Down at the End of Lonely Street : Life and Death of Elvis Presley. Arrow Books Ltd. p. 103. ISBN 978 - 0 - 7493 - 2319 - 6. ^ Jump up to : Brown ; Broeske, Peter ; Pat ( 1998 ). Down at the End of Lonely Street : Life and Death of Elvis Presley. Arrow Books Ltd. p. 104. ISBN 978 - 0 - 7493 - 2319 - 6. Jump up ^ Guralnick / Jorgensen, Elvis : Day by Day, p. 68 Jump up ^ Guralnick / Jorgensen, Elvis : Day by Day, p. 82 ^ Jump up to : Guralnick / Jorgensen, p. 83 ^ Jump up to : Guralnick / Jorgensen, p. 84 ^ Jump up to : Elvis : His Life from A To Z, p. 222 - 224 Jump up ^ Early Elvis, www.americanmusicpreservation.com, Retrieved 2010 - 02 - 18 ^ Jump up to : Elvis : The Official Collectors Editions part 88, pp. 2092 -- 2093 Jump up ^ `` AFI 's 100 Years... 100 Passions Nominees '' ( PDF ). Retrieved 2016 - 08 - 19. Jump up ^ `` AFI 's 100 Years... 100 Songs Nominees '' ( PDF ). Retrieved 2016 - 08 - 19. External links Love Me Tender on IMDb Love Me Tender at AllMovie Love Me Tender at the TCM Movie Database Love Me Tender at Rotten Tomatoes For Elvis Fans Only Website dedicated to Elvis Presley 's Movies. The `` Rocky Hill, '' the Bell Ranch shooting location for Love Me Tender where the Elvis death scene was filmed Movie reviews Review by Janet Branagan at Apollo Movie Guide. DVD reviews Review by Brett Cullum at DVD Verdict, March 30, 2006. Review by Mark Zimmer at digitallyOBSESSED !, August 18, 2002. Elvis Presley Albums discography Singles discography Filmography Studio albums Elvis Presley Elvis Peace in the Valley ( EP ) Elvis ' Christmas Album For LP Fans Only A Date with Elvis Elvis Is Back ! His Hand in Mine Something for Everybody Pot Luck Elvis for Everyone ! How Great Thou Art From Elvis in Memphis From Memphis to Vegas / From Vegas to Memphis Elvis Country ( I 'm 10,000 Years Old ) Love Letters from Elvis Elvis sings The Wonderful World of Christmas Elvis Now He Touched Me Elvis Raised on Rock / For Ol ' Times Sake Good Times Promised Land Today From Elvis Presley Boulevard, Memphis, Tennessee Moody Blue Live albums On Stage As Recorded at Madison Square Garden Aloha from Hawaii Via Satellite Elvis Recorded Live on Stage in Memphis Having Fun with Elvis on Stage Elvis in Concert An Afternoon in the Garden Soundtrack albums and EPs Love Me Tender ( EP ) Loving You Jailhouse Rock ( EP ) King Creole G.I. Blues Flaming Star ( EP ) Blue Hawaii Follow That Dream ( EP ) Kid Galahad ( EP ) Girls ! Girls ! Girls ! It Happened at the World 's Fair Fun in Acapulco Kissin ' Cousins Viva Las Vegas ( EP ) Roustabout Girl Happy Tickle Me ( EP ) Harum Scarum Frankie and Johnny Paradise Hawaiian Style Spinout Easy Come, Easy Go ( EP ) Double Trouble Clambake Speedway Elvis That 's the Way It Is Viva Elvis Compilation albums Elvis ' Golden Records 50,000,000 Elvis Fans Ca n't Be Wrong Elvis ' Golden Records Volume 3 Elvis ' Gold Records Volume 4 Elvis Sings Flaming Star Let 's Be Friends Almost in Love C'mon Everybody I Got Lucky Elvis : A Legendary Performer Volume 1 Elvis ' 40 Greatest Pure Gold Elvis : A Legendary Performer Volume 2 The Sun Sessions Welcome to My World Mahalo from Elvis Elvis : A Legendary Performer Volume 3 Greatest Hits Volume 1 Elvis ' Gold Records Volume 5 Amazing Grace : His Greatest Sacred Performances Command Performances : The Essential 60s Masters II Elvis 56 Tiger Man Memories : The ' 68 Comeback Special Sunrise Suspicious Minds : The Memphis 1969 Anthology ELV1S : 30 No. 1 Hits 2nd to None Elvis at Sun Hitstory Elvis Inspirational Elvis Rock Elvis Christmas The Essential Elvis Presley Christmas Duets If I Can Dream Way Down in the Jungle Room The Wonder of You The 50 Greatest Hits Box sets Worldwide 50 Gold Award Hits Vol. 1 The King of Rock ' n ' Roll : The Complete 50 's Masters From Nashville to Memphis : The Essential ' 60s Masters Walk a Mile in My Shoes : The Essential ' 70s Masters Peace in the Valley : The Complete Gospel Recordings Live in Las Vegas Today, Tomorrow, and Forever Elvis the King The Complete ' 68 Comeback Special The Complete Elvis Presley Masters Bootlegs Elvis ' Greatest Shit Feature films Love Me Tender Loving You Jailhouse Rock King Creole G.I. Blues Flaming Star Wild in the Country Blue Hawaii Follow That Dream Kid Galahad Girls ! Girls ! Girls ! It Happened at the World 's Fair Fun in Acapulco Kissin ' Cousins Viva Las Vegas Roustabout Girl Happy Tickle Me Harum Scarum Frankie and Johnny Paradise, Hawaiian Style Spinout Easy Come, Easy Go Double Trouble Clambake Stay Away, Joe Speedway Live a Little, Love a Little Charro ! The Trouble with Girls Change of Habit Biographical films Elvis ( 1979 film ) Elvis ( 1990 series ) Elvis Meets Nixon Elvis ( 2005 miniseries ) Elvis & Nixon Documentaries The Pied Piper of Cleveland Elvis : That 's the Way It Is Elvis on Tour This Is Elvis The New Gladiators TV specials The Frank Sinatra Timex Show : Welcome Home Elvis Elvis Presley 's ' 68 Comeback Special Aloha from Hawaii Via Satellite Elvis in Concert Stage shows based on Elvis Cooking with Elvis All Shook Up Elvis. The Musical Elvis : The Concert Viva Elvis Top 10 singles `` Heartbreak Hotel '' `` I Want You, I Need You, I Love You '' `` Do n't Be Cruel '' `` Hound Dog '' `` Love Me Tender '' `` Love Me '' `` Too Much '' `` All Shook Up '' `` ( Let Me Be Your ) Teddy Bear '' `` Jailhouse Rock '' `` Do n't '' `` Wear My Ring Around Your Neck '' `` Hard Headed Woman '' `` One Night '' `` I Got Stung '' `` ( Now and Then There 's ) A Fool Such as I '' `` I Need Your Love Tonight '' `` A Big Hunk o ' Love '' `` Stuck on You '' `` It 's Now or Never '' `` Are You Lonesome Tonight ? '' `` Surrender '' `` I Feel So Bad '' `` ( Marie 's the Name ) His Latest Flame '' `` Little Sister '' `` Ca n't Help Falling in Love '' `` Good Luck Charm '' `` She 's Not You '' `` Return to Sender '' `` ( You 're The ) Devil in Disguise '' `` Bossa Nova Baby '' `` Crying in the Chapel '' `` In the Ghetto '' `` Suspicious Minds '' `` Do n't Cry Daddy '' `` The Wonder of You '' `` Burning Love '' Related people Sam Phillips The Blue Moon Boys The Jordanaires The Imperials The Sweet Inspirations TCB Band J.D. Sumner Stephen H. Sholes June Juanico Memphis Mafia Colonel Tom Parker George C. Nichopoulos Lisa Marie Presley Priscilla Presley Judy Spreckels Linda Thompson Ginger Alden Larry Geller Related Graceland Audubon Street House Cultural depictions Cultural impact Personal relationships Impersonators Elvis and Gladys Elvis and Me Elvis : What Happened ? Elvis - A-Rama Museum Hit singles Sun recordings Million Dollar Quartet List of Elvis Presley songs Songs about Elvis Elvis Presley Enterprises Elvis Presley Lake `` Elvis has left the building '' Elvis Radio FBI files on Elvis Presley Army career Eight Elvises Triple Elvis Elvis Presley 's Pink Cadillac Elvis Presley 's guitars Elvis Presley Forever stamp Elvis sightings Book Portal Films directed by Robert D. Webb The Caribbean Mystery ( 1945 ) The Spider ( 1945 ) The Glory Brigade ( 1953 ) Beneath the 12 - Mile Reef ( 1953 ) White Feather ( 1955 ) Seven Cities of Gold ( 1955 ) On the Threshold of Space ( 1956 ) The Proud Ones ( 1956 ) Love Me Tender ( 1956 ) The Way to the Gold ( 1957 ) Guns of the Timberland ( 1960 ) Seven Women from Hell ( 1961 ) Pirates of Tortuga ( 1961 ) The Cape Town Affair ( 1967 ) The Jackals ( 1967 ) Retrieved from `` https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Love_Me_Tender_(film)&oldid=789924038 '' Categories : 1956 films English - language films American films 20th Century Fox films 1950s musical films 1950s romance films 1950s Western ( genre ) films American Civil War films American musical drama films American romantic drama films American romantic musical films American black - and - white films Films directed by Robert D. Webb Films based on songs Talk Contents About Wikipedia Català Dansk Deutsch Eesti Español Esperanto Français Bahasa Indonesia Italiano Magyar Nederlands 日本 語 Polski Português Русский Suomi Svenska 中文 Edit links This page was last edited on 10 July 2017, at 14 : 05. Text is available under the Creative Commons Attribution - ShareAlike License ; additional terms may apply. By using this site, you agree to the Terms of Use and Privacy Policy. Wikipedia ® is a registered trademark of the Wikimedia Foundation, Inc., a non-profit organization. About Wikipedia

Question: when was the movie love me tender released
Answer: November 15, 1956