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Live a Little, Love a Little

January 07, 2023

Live a Little, Love a Little is a 1968 American musical comedy film starring Elvis Presley.[1] It was directed by Norman Taurog, who had directed several previous Presley films. This was to be Taurog's final film, as he went blind shortly after production ended.[1] Presley shares the screen with fellow legendary singing idol Rudy Vallee, whose career dated to the 1920s, but Vallee, in his late 60s, did not sing in the film.[citation needed]

Live a Little, Love a Little
Theatrical release poster
Directed byNorman Taurog
Screenplay byMichael A. Hoey
Dan Greenburg
Based onKiss My Firm But Pliant Lips
1965 novel
by Dan Greenburg
Produced byDouglas Laurence
Starring
CinematographyFred J. Koenekamp
Edited byJohn McSweeney, Jr.
Music byBilly Strange
Production
company
Distributed byMetro-Goldwyn-Mayer
Release date
  • October 23, 1968 (1968-10-23) (USA)
Running time
90 minutes
CountryUnited States
LanguageEnglish

The film introduced the song "A Little Less Conversation", an alternate take of which would form the basis of a remix that returned Presley to international music sales charts in 2002.[citation needed]

Plot

Greg Nolan (Presley) is a newspaper photographer who lives a carefree life until he encounters an eccentric, lovelorn woman named Bernice on the beach. Bernice assumes different names and personalities whenever the mood hits her. She introduces herself to Greg as "Alice" but she is known to the grocery delivery boy as "Susie" and to the milkman as "Betty."

After having her Great Dane dog Albert (which was reportedly Presley's real-life dog Brutus, though Priscilla Presley has stated that it was a trained dog used for the film) chase Greg into the water when he insults her after a kiss, Bernice invites him to stay at her beachfront home. Bernice later causes Greg to get fired from his job and get evicted from his apartment after drugging him, which leaves him in a deep sleep for days.

However, Bernice manages to find Greg another home. Greg wants to repay her, so he procures two full-time photographer jobs: one for a Playboy-like magazine owned by Mike Lansdown (Don Porter), and the other for a very conservative advertising firm co-owned by Mr. Penlow (Vallee). The two jobs are in the same building, forcing Greg to run from one to the other without being detected. Greg also deals with Bernice and her eccentric ways, and finally realizes he's fallen in love with her.

Cast

Background

Based on the 1965 novel Kiss My Firm, But Pliant, Lips by Dan Greenburg, and with a screenplay co-written by Greenburg, Live a Little, Love a Little was a departure from the standard Presley films of the period.[1] It had a more mature tone than other Presley musicals, with strong language, drug references and an implied sexual encounter.[1]

Presley was paid $850,000 plus 50% of the profits.[2]

Unlike many previous films that involved "location scenes" shot against a backdrop, Presley appeared in more real location scenes than usual. Scenes were filmed in and around Hollywood, along the Malibu coast, at Marineland and at the Los Angeles Music Center.[1]

The film co-starred Michele Carey, Don Porter, Rudy Vallee and Dick Sargent,[1] and featured Presley's father Vernon in an uncredited cameo. Several of Presley's Memphis Mafia friends, such as Red West and Joe Esposito, also appeared.[1]

Released on October 23, 1968, the film failed to impress most critics.[1] With a very poor performance on its American release, the film was not released in many regions, including in the U.K.[1]

Soundtrack

Live a Little, Love a Little, the second of Presley's five final movies during the 1960s, included just a handful of musical numbers. The recording session for the four songs written for the film took place at Western Recorders in Hollywood on March 7, 1968.[3] The producer in nominal charge of the session, Billy Strange, was attuned to current trends in popular music and brought in a group of musicians outside of Presley's usual stable, offering written arrangements that strayed from Presley's usual sound.[3] "Almost in Love" was given a late-night cocktail-jazz quality with more or less a Muzak feel, "Edge of Reality" was a piece of pseudo-acid rock and "A Little Less Conversation", written by Strange and his new discovery Mac Davis, bordered on funk.[citation needed]

"A Little Less Conversation" was released as a single with "Almost in Love" on the reverse side on September 3, 1968, RCA catalog nr. 47–9610.[4] It peaked at No. 69, while its B-side scraped into the Billboard Hot 100 at No. 95 independently.[5] Over three decades later, a remix of "A Little Less Conversation" became a global No. 1 hit record,[6] although the version sourced for the remix was actually a later re-recording made for the soundtrack of Presley's 1968 NBC comeback special, and not the movie version. "Edge of Reality" appeared on November 5, 1968, as the B-side of 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.[citation needed]

Track listing

  1. "Wonderful World" (Doug Flett, Guy Fletcher)
  2. "Edge of Reality" (Bernie Baum, Bill Giant, Florence Kaye)
  3. "A Little Less Conversation" (Billy Strange, Mac Davis)
  4. "Almost in Love" (Luiz Bonfá, Randy Starr)

Personnel

Quotes

Celeste Yarnall, who played Ellen, recalled the making of the film and her impressions of 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.'

Reception

Variety called the film one of Presley's "dimmest vehicles," writing that Taurog's direction "tried to give some lilt to the proceedings. Nothing, however, can buck that writing. Songs are dull, physical values are standard, and mediocrity prevails."[8]

Kevin Thomas of the Los Angeles Times called the film "a pleasant Elvis Presley picture that's rather more sophisticated than the durable singing star's 27 prior efforts."[9]

The Monthly Film Bulletin, reviewing the film in 1978, wrote that it "commendably attempts to create a more eccentric, 'sophisticated' setting for Presley than hitherto," but that it "fails to achieve the kind of comic invention vital to a screwball romantic comedy," and that its songs were "unmemorable."[10]

Home media

Live a Little, Love a Little was released by Warner Home Video on August 7, 2007, as a Region 1 widescreen DVD.

See also

References

  1. ^ a b c d e f g h i Victor, Adam (2008). The Elvis Encyclopedia. Gerald Duckworth & Co Ltd. pp. 305–6. ISBN 978-0-7156-3816-3.
  2. ^ Michael A. Hoey, Elvis' Favorite Director: The Amazing 52-Film Career of Norman Taurog, Bear Manor Media 2013
  3. ^ a b Jorgensen, Ernst. Elvis Presley A Life in Music: The Complete Recording Sessions. New York: St. Martin's Press, 1998; p. 239.
  4. ^ Jorgensen, Ernst. Elvis Presley A Life in Music: The Complete Recording Sessions. New York: St. Martin's Press, 1998; pp. 241-242.
  5. ^ Jorgensen, Ernst. Elvis Presley A Life in Music: The Complete Recording Sessions. New York: St. Martin's Press, 1998; p. 418.
  6. ^ Infoplease.com
  7. ^ Jorgensen, Ernst. Elvis Presley A Life in Music: The Complete Recording Sessions. New York: St. Martin's Press, 1998; p. 243.
  8. ^ "Live A Little, Love A Little". Variety: 27. October 9, 1968.
  9. ^ Thomas, Kevin (October 24, 1968). "'Live a Little' is No. 28 for Presley." Los Angeles Times. Part IV, p. 28.
  10. ^ "Live a Little, Love a Little". The Monthly Film Bulletin. 45 (535): 161. August 1978.

External links

January 07, 2023
live, little, love, little, 1968, american, musical, comedy, film, starring, elvis, presley, directed, norman, taurog, directed, several, previous, presley, films, this, taurog, final, film, went, blind, shortly, after, production, ended, presley, shares, scre. Live a Little Love a Little is a 1968 American musical comedy film starring Elvis Presley 1 It was directed by Norman Taurog who had directed several previous Presley films This was to be Taurog s final film as he went blind shortly after production ended 1 Presley shares the screen with fellow legendary singing idol Rudy Vallee whose career dated to the 1920s but Vallee in his late 60s did not sing in the film citation needed Live a Little Love a LittleTheatrical release posterDirected byNorman TaurogScreenplay byMichael A HoeyDan GreenburgBased onKiss My Firm But Pliant Lips1965 novelby Dan GreenburgProduced byDouglas LaurenceStarringElvis Presley Michele Carey Rudy ValleeCinematographyFred J KoenekampEdited byJohn McSweeney Jr Music byBilly StrangeProductioncompanyMetro Goldwyn MayerDistributed byMetro Goldwyn MayerRelease dateOctober 23 1968 1968 10 23 USA Running time90 minutesCountryUnited StatesLanguageEnglishThe film introduced the song A Little Less Conversation an alternate take of which would form the basis of a remix that returned Presley to international music sales charts in 2002 citation needed Contents 1 Plot 2 Cast 3 Background 4 Soundtrack 4 1 Track listing 4 2 Personnel 5 Quotes 6 Reception 7 Home media 8 See also 9 References 10 External linksPlot EditGreg Nolan Presley is a newspaper photographer who lives a carefree life until he encounters an eccentric lovelorn woman named Bernice on the beach Bernice assumes different names and personalities whenever the mood hits her She introduces herself to Greg as Alice but she is known to the grocery delivery boy as Susie and to the milkman as Betty After having her Great Dane dog Albert which was reportedly Presley s real life dog Brutus though Priscilla Presley has stated that it was a trained dog used for the film chase Greg into the water when he insults her after a kiss Bernice invites him to stay at her beachfront home Bernice later causes Greg to get fired from his job and get evicted from his apartment after drugging him which leaves him in a deep sleep for days However Bernice manages to find Greg another home Greg wants to repay her so he procures two full time photographer jobs one for a Playboy like magazine owned by Mike Lansdown Don Porter and the other for a very conservative advertising firm co owned by Mr Penlow Vallee The two jobs are in the same building forcing Greg to run from one to the other without being detected Greg also deals with Bernice and her eccentric ways and finally realizes he s fallen in love with her Cast EditElvis Presley as Greg Nolan Michele Carey as Bernice Don Porter as Mike Lansdown Rudy Vallee as Mr Penlow Dick Sargent as Harry Sterling Holloway as The Milkman Celeste Yarnall as Ellen Eddie Hodges as The Delivery Boy Joan Shawlee as Robbie s Mother Mary Grover as Miss Selfridge Emily Banks as RKC amp P Receptionist Phyllis Davis as Secretary 2Background EditBased on the 1965 novel Kiss My Firm But Pliant Lips by Dan Greenburg and with a screenplay co written by Greenburg Live a Little Love a Little was a departure from the standard Presley films of the period 1 It had a more mature tone than other Presley musicals with strong language drug references and an implied sexual encounter 1 Presley was paid 850 000 plus 50 of the profits 2 Unlike many previous films that involved location scenes shot against a backdrop Presley appeared in more real location scenes than usual Scenes were filmed in and around Hollywood along the Malibu coast at Marineland and at the Los Angeles Music Center 1 The film co starred Michele Carey Don Porter Rudy Vallee and Dick Sargent 1 and featured Presley s father Vernon in an uncredited cameo Several of Presley s Memphis Mafia friends such as Red West and Joe Esposito also appeared 1 Released on October 23 1968 the film failed to impress most critics 1 With a very poor performance on its American release the film was not released in many regions including in the U K 1 Soundtrack EditLive a Little Love a Little the second of Presley s five final movies during the 1960s included just a handful of musical numbers The recording session for the four songs written for the film took place at Western Recorders in Hollywood on March 7 1968 3 The producer in nominal charge of the session Billy Strange was attuned to current trends in popular music and brought in a group of musicians outside of Presley s usual stable offering written arrangements that strayed from Presley s usual sound 3 Almost in Love was given a late night cocktail jazz quality with more or less a Muzak feel Edge of Reality was a piece of pseudo acid rock and A Little Less Conversation written by Strange and his new discovery Mac Davis bordered on funk citation needed A Little Less Conversation was released as a single with Almost in Love on the reverse side on September 3 1968 RCA catalog nr 47 9610 4 It peaked at No 69 while its B side scraped into the Billboard Hot 100 at No 95 independently 5 Over three decades later a remix of A Little Less Conversation became a global No 1 hit record 6 although the version sourced for the remix was actually a later re recording made for the soundtrack of Presley s 1968 NBC comeback special and not the movie version Edge of Reality appeared on November 5 1968 as the B side of 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 citation needed Track listing Edit Wonderful World Doug Flett Guy Fletcher Edge of Reality Bernie Baum Bill Giant Florence Kaye A Little Less Conversation Billy Strange Mac Davis Almost in Love Luiz Bonfa Randy Starr Personnel Edit Elvis Presley vocals B J Baker Sally Stevens Bob Tebow John Bahler backing vocals Joseph Gibbons electric guitar Neil Levang electric guitar Alvin Casey electric guitar Charles Britz electric guitar Don Randi piano Charles Berghofer bass Larry Knechtel bass Hal Blaine drums Gary Coleman drumsQuotes EditCeleste Yarnall who played Ellen recalled the making of the film and her impressions of 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 Reception EditVariety called the film one of Presley s dimmest vehicles writing that Taurog s direction tried to give some lilt to the proceedings Nothing however can buck that writing Songs are dull physical values are standard and mediocrity prevails 8 Kevin Thomas of the Los Angeles Times called the film a pleasant Elvis Presley picture that s rather more sophisticated than the durable singing star s 27 prior efforts 9 The Monthly Film Bulletin reviewing the film in 1978 wrote that it commendably attempts to create a more eccentric sophisticated setting for Presley than hitherto but that it fails to achieve the kind of comic invention vital to a screwball romantic comedy and that its songs were unmemorable 10 Home media EditLive a Little Love a Little was released by Warner Home Video on August 7 2007 as a Region 1 widescreen DVD See also EditList of American films of 1968References Edit a b c d e f g h i Victor Adam 2008 The Elvis Encyclopedia Gerald Duckworth amp Co Ltd pp 305 6 ISBN 978 0 7156 3816 3 Michael A Hoey Elvis Favorite Director The Amazing 52 Film Career of Norman Taurog Bear Manor Media 2013 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 Live A Little Love A Little Variety 27 October 9 1968 Thomas Kevin October 24 1968 Live a Little is No 28 for Presley Los Angeles Times Part IV p 28 Live a Little Love a Little The Monthly Film Bulletin 45 535 161 August 1978 External links EditLive a Little Love a Little at IMDb Live a Little Love a Little at the TCM Movie Database Live a Little Love a Little at AllMovie Live a Little Love a Little at the American Film Institute Catalog Live a Little Love a Little at Rotten Tomatoes DVD Talk Review Retrieved from https en wikipedia org w index php title Live a Little Love a Little amp oldid 1120753714, wikipedia, wiki, book, books, library,

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