Elvis Presley in Love Me Tender: More Than Just a Singer<\/p>\n
At the New York premiere of Love Me Tender, fans camped out overnight, and their screams in the theater often drowned<\/p>\n
out Elvis Presley\u2019s lines. Though his role was initially small, scenes were added to highlight him.<\/p>\n
Elvis wasn\u2019t top-billed, but he took acting seriously, memorizing not only his own lines but others\u2019 too.<\/p>\n
Despite wanting a dramatic, non-singing role, Elvis performs several songs in the film \u2014 even in its<\/p>\n
1860s setting, complete with modern-style fan frenzy. The movie, loosely based on the real-life Reno Gang, was his only historical role.<\/p>\n
He co-wrote four songs, though his contribution was minimal. The film\u2019s title track, Love Me Tender,<\/p>\n
borrowed its melody from the Civil War-era ballad \u201cAura Lee\u201d and became one of Elvis\u2019s most iconic hits.<\/p>\n
Off-camera, Elvis fell for co-star Debra Paget and even proposed, but her parents refused. Their<\/p>\n
bond was innocent, though he remained deeply infatuated. Priscilla Presley reportedly styled herself after Debra to win his affection.<\/p>\n
The film originally ended with Elvis\u2019s character, Clint Reno, dying \u2014 which upset fans and even his<\/p>\n
mother. To soften the impact, a final shot of Elvis singing was added, creating a continuity error due to his dyed hair.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
Elvis Presley in Love Me Tender: More Than Just a Singer At the New York premiere of Love Me Tender, fans camped out overnight, and their screams… <\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":42483,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[1],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-42482","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-uncategorized"],"yoast_head":"\n