Elvis Presley on film and television

Elvis Presley was an American entertainer who achieved initial success as a singer, expressing an early career goal of following in the footsteps of his role models James Dean and Marlon Brando to become a top dramatic actor.[1] His manager Colonel Tom Parker's persistent lobbying of William Morris Agencypresident Abe Lastfogel for a Presley screen test paid off on March 26, 1956, when the singer auditioned at Paramount for a supporting role in The Rainmaker.[2] Although not chosen for the part, he signed a contract with Paramount producer Hal Wallis on April 25 that also allowed him to make films with other studios.[3]
His feature debut was in Love Me Tender for 20th Century Fox, with the commercial success of the soundtrack EP being a bellwether for the next three Presley films. Loving You, Jailhouse Rock and King Creole were dramatic storylines written around Presley in the role of a musical entertainer.[4] He would later state that King Creole was his favorite of all his films.[5] Flaming Star and Wild in the Country were rarities in his career, non-musicals focused on dramatic storylines. According to music historian Peter Guralnick, the sluggish financial returns of those two films became the justification for ignoring Presley's wishes and limiting him to the more profitable musical format.[6]. Ironically, it was a single shot of Flaming Star, when silkscreened by Andy Warhol which garnered, since 1998, more than a quarter of a billion dollars for auction houses and in private sales, most notably those entitled "Double Elvis" (three different versions of which selling at four auctions in 1989, 2012, 2018 and 2019), Triple Elvis(selling at auction in 2014), and Eight Elvises (selling privately in 2008).
In 1963, again ironically, as these silkscreens were being printed and shown at a Warhol exhibit in Los Angeles, Presley became bitter that his hopes for dramatic roles were not coming to fruition,[7] stating that Clambake was his worst film. He began to complain about the deteriorating quality of the films and his belief that his manager's objectives were more monetary than anything else.[8] At the expiration of all studio contracts, he returned to live entertaining. The two concert documentaries Elvis: That's the Way It Is in 1970 and Elvis on Tour in 1972 were the final theatrical releases for Presley.[9]
== Acting credits and ratings ==
=== Television ratings ===
Television credits of Elvis Presley (as himself) and ratings where available
Year 	Title 	Notes 	Ref(s)
1956 	Stage Show 	6 episodes filmed at CBS Studio 50 in New York City, NY on January 28, February 4, 11, 18, March 17 and 24; Tommy and Jimmy Dorsey's show, produced by Jackie Gleason as a lead-in for his show. Each episode was watched by an estimated audience of 6 million viewers, averaging an 18.4% share. 	[10]
1956 	Texaco Star Theatre 	2 episodes: i) April 3 aboard the 24 Essex-class aircraft carrier USS Hancock in San Diego, CA; ii) June 5 from NBC studios Los Angeles, CA. Audience estimated to have been 18 and 22 million viewers, respectively. Segments of the latter were shown in the 1994 blockbuster "Forrest Gump",which grossed $677.9 million, worldwide. 	[11]
1956 	Teenage Dance Party 	June 16; hosted by Wink Martindale, WHBQ-TVMemphis, TN 	[12]
1956 	Hy Gardner Calling 	July 1 television interview, WRCA-TV, New York City, NY 	[13]
1956 	The Steve Allen Show 	July 1, from the NBC studio at The Hudson Theatre, in New York City. This show was watched by 40 million viewers representing a 20.2 rating and a 55.3% share, the highest in the history of the Steve Allen Show. 	[13]
1956–57 	The Ed Sullivan Show 	3 episodes: i) September 9, 1956 live feed from CBS Television City in Fairfax District, CA; ii) and iii) October 28, 1956 and January 6, 1957, from CBS Studio 50, New York City, NY,respectively. The first of the three episodes garnered some 60.7 million viewers and a 43.7 rating, both records up to that time. The % share, an 82.6%, remains the largest ever garnered, by any network or group of networks, for any single program in the history of US television. The second and third appearances drew 57 and 54.6 million viewers, respectively. All three episodes released in their entirety on DVD format on November 21, 2006 by Image Entertainment	[14]
1960 	The Frank Sinatra Timex Show: Welcome Home Elvis 	Taped March 26, at the Fontainebleau Hotel,in Miami Beach, FL; aired on ABC May 12. Nielsen reported a 41.5% rating and 67.7% share, with an audience at 50 million, the top rated show of 1960 and that of Frank Sinatra's 21 year television special career (1960–1981). 	[15]
1968 	Elvis 	Also known as the Elvis Comeback Special, the 68 Comeback Special; June taping at NBC Studios in Burbank, CA; air date December 3. With a 47.8 share, the telecast garnered the highest ratings for any programs in the 1968 year. Released on VHS in 1986, RIAA Platinum; on DVD format in 2004, RIAA 4X Platinum; as DVD Special Edition in 2006, RIAA 2X Platinum 	[16]
1973 	Aloha from Hawaii Via Satellite 	Kui Lee Cancer Fund benefit concert at Honolulu's Neal S. Blaisdell Center broadcast by NBC worldwide live January 14 and on the US on April 4.Viewership during the US telecast was estimated at 50 million, with about a billion when shown live by INTELSAT on January 14, 1973. Released on VHS 1986 RIAA Platinum; on DVD in 2004, RIAA 4X Platinum; as Special Edition DVD 2006, RIAA Platinum 	[17]
1977 	Elvis in Concert 	His last concert tour, filmed 2 months before his death, then broadcast by CBS as a two hour special after his death, airing on October 3, 1977. This posthumous presentation was the top rated program of the week, with a 34.1 rating, reaching a little over 24.1 million households and an estimated audience of 50 million viewers. 	[18]
1977 	Elvis (1968 TV program)and Aloha from Hawaii Via Satellite	Presented by Ann Margret, NBC repeats. 	[19]
1985 	One night with you , 	HBO Special airing on August 15, 1985. Released by Light Year Video Entertainment on VHS on November 24, 1992 and on DVD on August 1, 2000 	[20]
1994–1995	Elvis the Tribute 	ABC TV Special, originally on pay per view and aired on October 8 of 1994, live from the Pyramid Arena in Memphis. It then aired on ABC in 1995, as hosted by John Stamos and with the then Mr.and Mrs Michael Jackson in the audience. 	[21]
2002 	Elvis Lives 	NBC special made in conjunction with the release of Elv1s 30 #1 hits and airing on 28 November 2002. 	[22]
2005 	Elvis by the Presleys 	CBS special airing 13 May 2005, receiving an 8.1 rating and a 15 %share, winning its time slot with an audience of 12 million viewers. Released on DVD in 2005, RIAA 2XPlatinum 	[23]
2008 	Idol Gives Back 	Elvis and Celine Dion segment dueting on "If I can dream" broadcast by Fox through the method known as Rotoscoping on April 25, 2007. It drew a 24% share and an audience of 26.4 million viewers while raising US$79 million in donations by year's end. It was also the top show of the week and the top rated "Idol Gives back" in its 3 year history (2007–2010). 	[24]
2018 	Elvis Presley: The Searcher 	HBO Special airing on 14 April 2018, parts 1 and 2 reaching close to 900,000 viewers. Released on DVD format by SONY legacy on April 6, 2018 	[25]
2019 	1968 Special's 50th anniversary (All Star Tribute) 	Elvis and 19 other performers (Blake Shelton,Shawn Mendes,Keith Urban,Post Malone,John Fogerty,Ed Sheeran,Kelsea Ballerini,Jennifer Lopez,Darius Rucker,Alessia Cara,Mac Davis,John Legend,Little Big Town,Adam Lambert,Pistol Annies, Carrie Underwood,Yolanda Adams,Dierks Bentley and Josh Groban) Air date, February 17. Filmed October 2018 at NBC Studios in Los Angeles,CA. The telecast earned one of the top 5 highest ratings for any program in its time slot (Sunday,8–10 pm ET, a 3% share with an audience estimated by Nielsen at 6.3 million viewers) 	[26]
=== Feature films ===
Feature film credits of Elvis Presley
Year	Title 	Role 	Notes 	Ref(s)
1956	Love Me Tender 	Clint Reno 	 	[27]
1957	Loving You 	Jimmy Tompkins (Deke Rivers)	 	[28]
1957	Jailhouse Rock 	Vince Everett 	Added to the National Film Registry in 2004 	[29]
1958	King Creole 	Danny Fisher 	Final film before military service 	[30]
1960	G.I. Blues 	Tulsa McLean 	 	[31]
1960	Flaming Star 	Pacer Burton 	 	[32]
1961	Wild in the Country 	Glenn Tyler 	 	[33]
1961	Blue Hawaii 	Chad Gates 	 	[34]
1962	Follow That Dream 	Toby Kwimper 	 	[35]
1962	Kid Galahad 	Walter Gulick / Kid Galahad 	 	[36]
1962	Girls! Girls! Girls! 	Ross Carpenter 	 	[37]
1963	It Happened at the World's Fair	Mike Edwards 	 	[38]
1963	Fun in Acapulco 	Mike Windgren 	 	[39]
1964	Kissin' Cousins 	Josh Morgan / Jodie Tatum 	Filmed after Viva Las Vegas 	[40]
1964	Viva Las Vegas 	Lucky Jackson 	 	[41]
1964	Roustabout 	Charlie Rogers 	 	[42]
1965	Girl Happy 	Rusty Wells 	 	[43]
1965	Tickle Me 	Lonnie Beale / Panhandle Kid	 	[44]
1965	Harum Scarum 	Johnny Tyronne 	 	[45]
1966	Frankie and Johnny 	Johnny 	 	[46]
1966	Paradise, Hawaiian Style 	Rick Richards 	 	[47]
1966	Spinout 	Mike McCoy 	 	[48]
1967	Easy Come, Easy Go 	Lt. (j.g.) Ted Jackson 	Filmed after Double Trouble 	[49]
1967	Double Trouble 	Guy Lambert 	 	[50]
1967	Clambake 	Scott Heyward 	 	[51]
1968	Stay Away, Joe 	Joe Lightcloud 	Filmed after Speedway 	[52]
1968	Speedway 	Steve Grayson 	 	[53]
1968	Live a Little, Love a Little 	Greg Nolan 	 	[54]
1969	Charro! 	Jess Wade 	 	[55]
1969	The Trouble with Girls 	Walter Hale 	 	[56]
1969	Change of Habit 	Dr. John Carpenter 	(final film role) 	[57]
1970	Elvis: That's the Way It Is 	Himself 	Concert documentary 	[58]
1972	Elvis on Tour 	Himself 	Concert documentary, co-winner Golden Globe for Best Documentary 1972	[58]