by Moe Zilla

Created on: February 10, 2008

Elvis made his first movie at the age of 21. Just one year earlier he'd debuted as a singer on "The Grand Ole Opry" (and was told "Boy, you better keep driving that truck.") But as his breakthrough sound brought him huge popularity, Hollywood recognized movies as another easy way to cash in on his fame.

Elvis's first movie was even named after one of his most popular songs - "Love Me Tender." (The movie poster promised audiences, "You'll Love Him Tender in the Story He Was Born to Play!") Elvis grew up in a poor home in Mississippi, and the movie alludes to this with the song "Poor Boy," a cheerful ditty where he sings that all he needs is the love of a good woman. Though its Civil War plot seems melodramatic today, the movie delivered what its audience wanted: a chance to see Elvis, and a chance to hear him sing.

Even today, Elvis fans cherish his earliest movies, capturing the rock legend during his younger days when he still had an image of being raw and dangerous. In his next movie, "Love Me Tender," Elvis played a singer who becomes an overnight sensation. But his next two movies featured a tougher rebel Elvis - "Jailhouse Rock" and "King Creole."

Controversy was starting to gather around Elvis's career, as his swiveling hips were deemed "obscene" and inflammatory to the teenagers of America. When Elvis was drafted, his manager advised him not to seek a deferment. After just four movies, Elvis sacrificed his film (and music) career at the peak of his popularity while serving two years at an army base in Germany.

But eventually even this found its way into a movie, as Elvis released "G.I. Blues" for his first post-service film in 1960. The movie included footage of the actual base where Elvis had been stationed, but fans noticed that something else was different. Elvis's image was now that of an honest, clean-cut, and dutiful soldier. His future films would show him as a nice young man, and it was only in "Roustabout" (1964) that he returned to his tough guy image.

Instead "Blue Hawaii" (1961) set the formula for films to come. Most of Elvis's future movies would feature an exotic setting and a token romantic complication, whether it was "Fun in Acapulco" or "It Happened at the World's Fair." The songs often featured suggestive titles but innocent lyrics, like "I Got Lucky" from Kid Galahad and "One Boy, Two Little Girls" from "Kissin' Cousins." It's been said that the movies got worse, and this is partly due to the influence of Colonel Tom Parker, who realized they'd earn larger profits if production costs were kept low.

"Viva Las Vegas" represents the turning point - as well as a chance to see Elvis cavorting with 23-year-old Ann-Margret. Their real-life off-screen romance lent a genuine chemistry to their characters, and the film's producers insisted on creating good production numbers to showcase them both. The Colonel was furious about the cost - and the fact that Elvis wasn't the movie's sole star. After this film, Elvis's next 16 movies would be lightweight comedies. Sometimes the films' songs were simply recordings of Elvis's earlier records.

But as the music scene changed, it became harder to write stories that clicked with changing audiences. Ultimately Hollywood's loss was Elvis's gain. When the Colonel could no longer receive $1 million for Elvis's appearances in movies, he charged NBC $1 million for a one-hour appearance on television. "The Comeback Special" opened with the glorious return of the "rebel" Elvis - his first song was "Bad to the Bone." This re-vitalized Elvis's career, creating an opportunity for him to continue singing for the rest of his life...in Las Vegas.

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