It starts out with the the song “Viva Las Vegas”* and some great aerial footage of old Las Vegas. From there, we go briefly inside a casino and see Elvis’s character Lucky Jackson** winning a wad of cash playing craps. Lucky’s a race car driver, a profession so good for an Elvis movie that it will be used in at least two other movies.

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Lucky*** needs the money to by an engine for the car he’s building for the Las Vegas Grand Prix, which is just days away. His only real competition is Count Elmo Mancini, an Italian racer and hunk-o-rama. Elmo wants Lucky to join his race team, but Lucky’s not going to work for anyone.

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As they are working on their cars, in walks Rusty Martin, played by Ann-Margret. Both Lucky and Elmo are instantly smitten and hit on her, but she leaves before they even get her name. That leads to a ridiculous night of the two men going to every show in Vegas, looking for her amongst the showgirls. I mean, she has to be a showgirl, right?

So she’s not a showgirl, but they got to bond and name drop every club in Vegas, so mission accomplished. The next day, Lucky sees Rusty teaching swimming lessons and picks up a guitar to sing to her. They do “The Lady Loves Me”**** together, which is a great song.

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That’s the thing about Viva Las Vegas- it’s full of great songs. I never realized that because the official soundtrack was only an EP with four songs including the great “If You Think I Don’t Need You”***** and “C’mon Everybody!”****** but not even the title track. Turns out there are a bunch of other great songs, including an amazing cover of Ray Charles’s “What’d I Say,” and two great Ann-Margret songs, “Appreciation” and “My Rival.”

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There is some initial resistance on Rusty’s part, but never any doubt that they’ll end up together because here’s the thing- unlike most of the girlfriends in these movies, Elvis and Ann-Margret have real chemistry. They don’t feel like they are acting, because they’re not. They actually started dating during the filming, much to the dismay of a certain Pricilla Beaulieu waiting back in Graceland.

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They have the most memorable first date ever, which included, and I’m not kidding, skeet shooting, riding motorcycles, going to an Old West town (or movie set, It’s not clear) and having a shootout, taking a helicopter ride to Hoover Dam (with Lucky piloting,******* naturally,) and finally water skiing in Lake Mead. Not a bad date for a guy that lost all of his winnings for the new motor when Rusty pushed him into the pool at the end of “The Lady Loves Me.”

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Before I forget, I have to mention the costumes. Edith Head did a lot of the Elvis movie costumes, but Viva Las Vegas was done by Don Glen (later Donglen)  and the costumes are amazing. In particular, most of the jackets Lucky wears don’t have lapels. It’s a super cool look and, as far as I know, it never caught on. I can’t understand why not.

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It can’t be overstated how much Ann-Margret brings to Viva Las Vegas. Her acting is really good, and she is an amazing singer. And then there is her dancing. She does some of the most amazing 60s modern groovy whacked-out dancing ever. There is a part where she and Lucky have split (She doesn’t want him racing. It’s too dangerous… He’s not ready to give it up… Yet.) and they end up competing in a talent contest. She dances, he sings “Viva Las Vegas” (for the second of three times it’s used in the movie.) And here’s the thing- Lucky has to win, because it’s an Elvis movie, but Rusty (well, Ann-Margret) absolutely kicks his ass all over the place. 

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The movie ends with Lucky getting the money for the motor, making a mad dash to get it in the car with the help of Rusty’s dad, getting to the start line at the last possible second, and making the race. Meanwhile, Rusty has a change of heart and watches the race in the best way possible, with her dad in a helicopter that is piloted by Lucky’s mechanic. Because in 1964 they gave out helicopter pilot’s licenses in boxes of cereal.

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The one twist that I didn’t see coming is that during the race, Count Mancini’s car crashes. Actually, it not only crashes, it crashes, and then rolls, and then another car crashes into the roof of the car, obviously completely eliminating any chance that the Count survived. Was that really necessary?

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Aside from that, it’s great fun. It’s short.******** It’s mostly sweet. And it full of great music and dancing.

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ACTING: 8 Elvises/ 9 Ann-Margrets

MUSICAL PERFORMANCES: 9 Elvises

BEST SONG: Not technically an Elvis song, but Elvis’s “What’d I Say” is amazing.

STUNTS: falling backward from high dive holding guitar, bumbling waiter ruining rival’s date, No fist fighting! 

CRINGE FACTOR: While looking for Rusty, one chorus line is made up of all asian women, and they virtually run out of the club. A good amount of ogling during the searching for Rusty montage.

KISSIN’: A bit of very convincing kissing.

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*Sung by Steve “Lucky” Marshall in Little Elvis

**Steve Marshall’s Little Elvis Stage name

***Note the lack of quotations. It seems to be his real name.

****Donna and I did “The Lady Loves Me” more then once at Old Ironsides’ Crooning Couples shows. Also “You’re The Boss,” which got cut from the soundtrack and movie.

*****Also sung by “Lucky” Marshall in Little E

******Sung by Greg “Pacer” Baxter in Little E

*******Not the last time Elvis will fly a helicopter in a movie. 

********85 minutes, which I believe is the shortest running time of any Elvis movie. It could have easily been a few minutes longer. They actually recorded a few songs that got cut but would have been great in the movie, including another Elvis/ Ann-Margret duet, “You’re The Boss.”****

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ETHAN’S NOTE: This is probably the first Elvis movie I’ve watched and thought “ok I could’ve payed money for that”.  As someone who has seen Viva Knievel multiple times (a story for another time) this was actually pretty good for a racing 60s movie. The songs are good and improving from Acapulco’s “Guadalajara.” Elvis seems to know where he is at all times in this movie. 

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According to this movie, every woman in Las Vegas works in the dance industry in some way or another and, well, having never been outside the LV airport, I have no way of proving that’s wrong. I have three comments about this movie. 

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One, when Lucky and Rusty (really phoning in the names, fellas, weren’t we?) go on their elaborate first date, you know how in Will Ferrell movies (let’s say Elf) his character will describe an elaborate day out to the person he likes or a parent or whatever (“We’ll go to Gimbels and then we’ll make cookie dough and then we’ll have a pillow fight!”)… yeah that’s what this felt like. 

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Two, in the final scene where the Italian guy straight up dies (!) race pacifist Rusty and Lucky’s whole crew are hovering over the scene in a helicopter, but choose to keep following Elvis even though they have no reason to. Shorty (the mechanic) and Rusty are responsible for at least a half dozen counts of indirect “manslaughter” in this movie. 

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Finally, three, there is a point where Elvis leads a group of Texans out of a club with two pistols and a song about how they’re making Sam Houston proud, right into the back of a pickup truck like the Pied Piper. Has anyone tried this with protestors in Texas yet? I would be very interested to hear the results…

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7/10 Ann-Margret got cheated in the talent show.