Live a Little, Love a Little
| Live A Little, Love A Little | |
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| Directed by | Norman Taurog Al Shenberg (Ass't) |
| Produced by | Douglas Laurence |
| Written by | Dan Greenburg (novel) Michael A. Hoey |
| Starring | Elvis Presley Michele Carey Rudy Vallee |
| Music by | Billy Strange |
| Cinematography | Fred J. Koenekamp |
| Editing by | John McSweeney, Jr. |
| Distributed by | Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer |
| Release date(s) | October 23, 1968[1] |
| Running time | 90 min. |
| Country | United States |
| Language | English |
Live A Little, Love A Little is a 1968 musical comedy starring Elvis Presley.[2] It was directed by Norman Taurog, who had directed several previous Presley films. This was to be Taurog's final film. Shortly thereafter, he went blind. [2] The film introduced the song "A Little Less Conversation"; an alternative take of which would form the basis of a remix that returned Presley to international music sales charts in 2002.
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[edit] Cast
- Elvis Presley ... Greg Nolan
- Michele Carey ... Bernice
- Don Porter ... Mike Lansdown
- Rudy Vallee ... Penlow
- Dick Sargent ... Harry
- Sterling Holloway ... Milkman
- Celeste Yarnall ... Ellen
- Eddie Hodges ... Delivery Boy
- Joan Shawlee ... Robbie's Mother
- Mary Grover ... Miss Selfridge
[edit] Plot
Greg Nolan (Elvis Presley) is a newspaper photographer who lives a lavish and carefree life. That is, until he encounters an estranged, lovelorn woman named Bernice (Michele Carey) on the beach near her beach front home. She assumes different names and personalities whenever the mood hits her. After having her dog, Albert, a Great Dane (which, by the way, was reportedly Elvis' real-life dog Brutus, although Priscilla Presley has stated that it was a trained dog hired for the film), chase Greg into the water when he insults her after not feeling anything towards her after they kissed, she invites him to stay at her home and later manages to make him lose his job and apartment after drugging him, which left him in a deep sleep for days. However, Bernice manages to find Greg another home, and he wants to pay her back. So he gets two full-time photographer jobs: one for a Playboy-like magazine and the other for a very conservative magazine. The two jobs are in the same building forcing Nolan to run from one job to the other without being detected. Greg now has to manage balancing the two conflicting jobs along with dealing with Bernice and her eccentric ways.
[edit] Background
Based on the 1965 novel Kiss My Firm But Pliant Lips by Dan Greenberg, and with a screenplay co-written by Greenberg, Live a Little, Love a Little, whose production titles were "Bumblebee Oh Bumblebee" and "Born Rich", was a departure from the standard Presley film of the period.[2] It had a more mature tone than other Presley musicals, with coarse language, drug references, and an implied sexual encounter.[2]
Unlike many previous films which involved most of his "location scenes" being filmed against a backdrop, Presley was able to film more scenes on location than usual; in and around Hollywood, along the Malibu coast, at Marineland, and at the Los Angeles Music Center.[2] The film co-starred Michele Carey, Don Porter, Rudy Vallee, and Dick Sargent,[2] and featured Presley's father, Vernon, in an uncredited cameo in one scene, and several of Presley's Memphis Mafia friends, such as Red West and Joe Esposito, also appeared.[2]
Released on October 23, 1968, the film failed to impress any critics.[2] Due to a very poor performance on US release, the film was not released at all in many territories including the UK.[2]
[edit] Soundtrack
The second of Presley's five final movies during the 1960s made with just a handful of musical numbers, the recording session of the four songs written for the film took place at Western Recorders in Hollywood, California on March 7, 1968.[3] The producer in nominal charge of the session, Billy Strange, had worked with both Frank and Nancy Sinatra, and attuned to current trends in popular music brought in a group of musicians outside of Presley's usual stable and written arrangements that went afield from Presley's usual sound.[3] "Almost in Love" was given a late-night cocktail-jazz quality, "Edge of Reality" was a piece of pseudo-acid rock, and "A Little Less Conversation" written by Strange and his new discovery who would write several more songs for Presley, Mac Davis, bordered on funk.
"A Little Less Conversation" was released as a single with "Almost in Love" on the b-side on September 3, 1968, RCA catalog 47-9610.[4] It peaked at #69, while its b-side scraped into the Billboard Hot 100 at #95 independently.[5] Over three decades later, a remix of "A Little Less Conversation" became a global #1 hit record.[6] "Edge of Reality" appeared on November 5, 1968, as the b-side to RCA single 47-9670 "If I Can Dream," the song Presley used to close out his 1968 Christmas Special. "Wonderful World," which played over the opening credits to the film, appeared on the compilation Elvis Sings Flaming Star.[7] All three tracks released on singles also appear on Command Performances: The Essential 60's Masters II.
[edit] Personnel
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[edit] Film music track listing
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[edit] Quotes
Celeste Yarnall, who played Ellen, recalled the making of the film and her impressions of Elvis Presley:
- "I adored Elvis. When I met him for the first time he immediately put me at ease. We had to film our kissing first and neither of us heard the director say, 'Cut!' For me, it was love at first kiss! We became very good friends. He was warm and kind and full of love. He had this tremendous desire to please people. We watched the funeral of Martin Luther King, Jr. together over lunch in his trailer. He cried. He really cared deeply. He was far more handsome in person with deep blue eyes and a Roman profile. He held jam sessions on the set and would play cars with George Barris or play football with the 'boys' who traveled with him everywhere. He was truly 'The King.'"
[edit] References
- ^ IMDb webpage.
- ^ a b c d e f g h i Victor, Adam (2008). The Elvis Encyclopedia. Gerald Duckworth & Co Ltd. pp. 305, 306. ISBN 978-0715638163.
- ^ a b Jorgensen, Ernst. Elvis Presley A Life in Music: The Complete Recording Sessions. New York: St. Martin's Press, 1998; p. 239.
- ^ Jorgensen, Ernst. Elvis Presley A Life in Music: The Complete Recording Sessions. New York: St. Martin's Press, 1998; pp. 241-242.
- ^ Jorgensen, Ernst. Elvis Presley A Life in Music: The Complete Recording Sessions. New York: St. Martin's Press, 1998; p. 418.
- ^ Infoplease.com
- ^ Jorgensen, Ernst. Elvis Presley A Life in Music: The Complete Recording Sessions. New York: St. Martin's Press, 1998; p. 243.
[edit] External links
[edit] DVD reviews
- Elvis – The Hollywood Collection (Kissin' Cousins/Girl Happy/Tickle Me/Stay Away, Joe/Live a Little, Love a Little/Charro!), Review by Stuart Galbraith IV at DVDTalk.com, September 11, 2007.
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