'Viva Las Vegas' stars Elvis Presley, Ann-Margret's romance 'could not last': 4 bombs as the film turns 60

“Viva Las Vegas” celebrates its 60th anniversary.

In one of his most recognizable roles, rock star Elvis Presley stars in the film as Lucky Jackson, a racing driver preparing for the Grand Prix, who along the way falls in love with the beautiful Rusty Martin, played by Ann-Margret. . .

A love story, a sensual deleted scene, and friction between the two leads made the film's set as exciting as the film itself.

These are some of the juiciest stories from the set of the iconic movie.

ANN-MARGRET DESCRIBES HER CONNECTION WITH ELVIS PRESLEY, REMEMBER BITING PAT BOONE'S SHOULDER

Romance on set

Ann-Margret wrote in her memoirs that she and Elvis Presley had a brief romance while filming “Viva Las Vegas.” (Getty Images)

Although Elvis was in a relationship with Priscilla Presley at the time, he struck up an on-set romance with his co-star Ann-Margret.

The actress wrote about their brief romance in her 1994 memoir, “Ann-Margret: My Story,” explaining that it came to an end when Presley was under the impression that Ann-Margret sold a story to the tabloids that the two were leaving. to marry.

“It probably couldn't last,” Turner Classic Movies host Ben Mankiewicz told Fox News in August 2017 of the relationship. “But they had a really meaningful connection between them. They understood each other, they both came from small towns, they both loved motorcycles, and they were both uncomfortable in the Hollywood spotlight… And I think that's what connected them to each other. yes. during Elvis' life.

“I think I understand that we should all be very fortunate to have a friendship as meaningful as that between Ann-Margret and Elvis Presley.”

Despite ending their romantic relationship, the two remained good friends until the singer's death in 1977.

Ann-Margret and Elvis Presley remained close friends until his death in 1977. (Photo by Silver Screen Collection/Getty Images)

Speaking with Fox News Digital in May 2023, Ann-Margret fondly recalled her time making the film and shared that “it was a pleasure working with EP.”

In a separate interview with Fox News Digital in April 2021, Ann-Margret said she can't think about “Viva Las Vegas” without smiling, adding that “it was one of the happiest moments of my life.”

In addition to her friendship with Presley, Ann-Margret also had a close relationship with director George Sidney, who, before directing her in “Viva Las Vegas,” directed her in the musical film “Bye Bye Birdie.”

Ann-Margret says she and Elvis Presley “moved” into music in the same way. (Photo by Sunset Boulevard/Corbis via Getty Images)

ELVIS PRESLEY LEFT A LASTING IMPACT ON ANN-MARGRET, SAYS TCM HOST BEN MANKIEWICZ

Removed scene

A deleted scene from the film shows Elvis Presley and Ann-Margret singing a duet. (Photo by FilmPublicityArchive/United Archives via Getty Images)

While the film has its fair share of song and dance numbers, 10 in total, it seems like number 11 was left on the chopping block, according to Country Living.

A deleted scene posted on YouTube begins with Presley playing the piano and singing “Today, Tomorrow and Forever” alone. Shortly after, Ann-Margret enters the room and slowly begins to get closer and closer to Presley.

As they continue to sing together, a montage of the two characters engaging in different activities begins to play, such as dancing, biking, and water skiing. The clip ends with the two falling to the ground laughing as they botch a dance move.

“We felt music the same way. We listened to music, we looked at each other and we courted. We moved the same way,” Ann-Margret told Fox News Digital in May 2023.

The song was originally written for the film and was released on the accompanying EP. It was later re-released as part of Elvis Presley's 2002 compilation album, “Elvis: Today, Tomorrow, and Forever.”

'The only problem'

Elvis Presley was reportedly jealous of the attention that director George Sidney gave Ann-Margret. (Photo by FilmPublicityArchive/United Archives via Getty Images)

Although Ann-Margret and Presley were reportedly in love during the time of filming, Sidney revealed that Presley was very jealous of the attention his co-star received on set.

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“We made this movie, no problem. The only problem was that Elvis didn't want the Ann-Margret girl to have any close-ups,” Sidney once told the media. “He wanted all the close-ups. And he didn't want her to have numbers. Well, I said, 'No… I'm directing the movie. I'll do it my way.'”

Express reported that the reason the film's final scene was done with a split screen is because Presley wanted to keep the spotlight on himself and appear only in the final scene. This reportedly led the director to film the Ann-Margret portion of the scene separately and stitch the two clips together during editing.

The film ended up being a box office success, elevating the careers of Presley and Ann-Margret. In addition to Elvis' thriving music career with the release of his albums “Love Letters from Elvis” and “Promised Land,” he would star in 17 more feature films.

Ann-Margret had a successful acting career and had a series of successful residencies in Las Vegas. Her first performance in Las Vegas was in July 1967, which Presley attended. She also sent him a bouquet of flowers before the opening night of each new residence.

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'Viva Las Vegas', the song

Elvis Presley wrote the song “Viva Las Vegas” for the film. (Photo by Sunset Boulevard/Corbis via Getty Images)

Presley wrote the song “Viva Las Vegas” for the film, and it quickly became the theme song for Sin City, a city that also became synonymous with the “King of Rock 'n' Roll.”

The singer never performed the hit live, but it remains one of his best-known songs. It was initially released as a single on the EP associated with the film, which also featured three other songs from the film.

Presley would have a long history in the city. He first performed there in 1956 as part of the closing act of a show at the New Frontier Hotel. In 1969, he began a residency at the Hotel Internacional, continuing to perform shows at the venue until his last one in December 1976.

Although Presley died eight months later, in August 1977, he remains a major presence in the city. Throughout Sin City, Elvis impersonators continue to put on shows, act as ministers at wedding chapels, and visitors can hear his music wherever they go.

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