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Stepping onto a massive Hollywood movie set for the very first time can make even the most famous singer on earth feel like a nervous beginner. On August 22 1956 a young Memphis boy whose music was already shocking the globe finally saw his biggest dream come true. He walked onto the set of a brand new film called Love Me Tender ready to prove he was much more than just a musical sensation. This special day marked the magical moment when a former movie theater worker officially transformed into a true Hollywood star.
Even with millions of screaming fans around the country he was incredibly humble and surprisingly playful behind the scenes. His beautiful costar Deborah Paget quickly learned about his endless teenage energy when a football suddenly flew right past her head on set. He was constantly goofing around with his cousin between serious takes playfully throwing baseballs and having mock fights with completely fake weapons. However beneath that wild fun he carried a very deep sensitivity and was secretly hurt whenever the media attacked his wild stage performances.
The older actors were absolutely amazed by his natural acting talent because he had never actually taken a single dramatic lesson in his life. He showed up on his very first day knowing every single word of the massive script perfectly. He did not just memorize his own parts but he actually studied the lines for Deborah Paget and the older actor Richard Egan as well. Everyone on the production crew quickly realized he was a genuine acting natural who delivered his lines with pure and perfect honesty.
The massive power of his screaming female fans actually forced the film studio to make a completely unbelievable change to Love Me Tender. The original script demanded that his young character tragically pass away at the very end of the dramatic story. The smart producers quickly realized that killing off the most loved singer in America would leave theaters full of heavily crying and angry teenage girls. They rushed to film a brand new ending where his magical ghost appears on screen to sing one final song to make everyone smile.
Elvis Presley’s First Day on a Movie Set – Love Me Tender (August 22 , 1956)
That highly emotional story was perfectly captured in the thrilling original movie trailer which loudly announced his very first acting role to the world. The intense promotional clip introduced a dark and heavy love triangle set in the beautiful deep southwest. Viewers got a front row seat to the bitter jealousy between two brothers who were desperately in love with the exact same beautiful woman. It was a brilliant way to show audiences that he could handle heavy dramatic tension just as easily as he could handle a microphone.
The fast paced trailer beautifully mixes raw family drama with his famous musical charm to hook the audience immediately. You can easily feel the crushing pain in his voice when he angrily accuses his new wife of secretly wishing she had waited for his older brother instead. Right after showing his explosive jealousy the clip smoothly transitions to him singing the soft and sweet title track. This clever marketing perfectly promised fans they would get both a thrilling dramatic story and the beautiful songs they truly craved.
Love Me Tender (1956) ORIGINAL TRAILER
Watching a young musical giant take his very first steps into the bright Hollywood lights is a truly beautiful piece of history. He easily proved that pure natural talent and hard work can break down the tallest walls in the entertainment business. Even though he started as a simple usher in a dark theater his unstoppable drive turned him into a permanent global legend. His jump into acting forever changed the way the entire world looked at pop stars on the big screen.
