Documentary about the life and career of Elvis Presley produced for Sky Arts. Includes rarely seen clips and photos from throughout Elvis' career as well as comments from music historians and musicians, songwriters, producers, actors, etc. who worked with him. Narrated by producer/director David Upshal.
08-16-2017
1h 30m
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Main Cast
Movie Details
Production Info
Director:
David Upshal
Production:
Raydar Media, Fireball TV, Sky Arts
Key Crew
Producer:
Will Yates
Executive Producer:
Barbara Lee
Executive Producer:
Alison Rayson
Producer:
David Upshal
Locations and Languages
Country:
GB; US
Filming:
GB
Languages:
en
Main Cast
Elvis Presley
Elvis Aaron Presley (January 8, 1935 – August 16, 1977), or simply Elvis, was an American singer and actor. Dubbed the "King of Rock and Roll", he is regarded as one of the most significant cultural figures of the 20th century. His energized interpretations of songs and sexually provocative performance style, combined with a singularly potent mix of influences across color lines during a transformative era in race relations, led him to both great success and initial controversy.
Presley was born in Tupelo, Mississippi, and relocated to Memphis, Tennessee, with his family when he was 13 years old. His music career began there in 1954, recording at Sun Records with producer Sam Phillips, who wanted to bring the sound of African-American music to a wider audience. Presley, on rhythm acoustic guitar, and accompanied by lead guitarist Scotty Moore and bassist Bill Black, was a pioneer of rockabilly, an uptempo, backbeat-driven fusion of country music and rhythm and blues. In 1955, drummer D. J. Fontana joined to complete the lineup of Presley's classic quartet and RCA Victor acquired his contract in a deal arranged by Colonel Tom Parker, who would manage him for more than two decades. Presley's first RCA Victor single, "Heartbreak Hotel", was released in January 1956 and became a number-one hit in the United States. Within a year, RCA would sell ten million Presley singles. With a series of successful network television appearances and chart-topping records, Presley became the leading figure of the newly popular sound of rock and roll, though his performative style and promotion of the then-marginalized sound of African-Americans led to him being widely considered a threat to the moral well-being of the White American youth.
In November 1956, Presley made his film debut in Love Me Tender. Drafted into military service in 1958, Presley relaunched his recording career two years later with some of his most commercially successful work. He held few concerts, however, and guided by Parker, proceeded to devote much of the 1960s to making Hollywood films and soundtrack albums, most of them critically derided. Some of his most famous films included Jailhouse Rock (1957), Blue Hawaii (1961), and Viva Las Vegas (1964). In 1968, following a seven-year break from live performances, he returned to the stage in the acclaimed television comeback special Elvis, which led to an extended Las Vegas concert residency and a string of highly profitable tours. In 1973, Presley gave the first concert by a solo artist to be broadcast around the world, Aloha from Hawaii. Years of prescription drug abuse and unhealthy eating habits severely compromised his health, and he died suddenly in 1977 at his Graceland estate at the age of 42.
Steve Binder is an American producer and director. He found success behind the camera on television shows showcasing music, when he was only in his early 20s. He was also influential in creating music programs with racially and ethnically diverse casts, featuring a variety of musical styles.
Description above from the Wikipedia article Steve Binder, licensed under CC-BY-SA, full list of contributors on Wikipedia.
Celeste Jeanne Yarnall (July 26, 1944 – October 7, 2018) was an American actress. She was an amazing woman of many talents who has been very successful in a diverse number of fields. There appears to be nothing she cannot do when she puts her mind to it. Apart from her initial career as model, spokesperson and actress, Celeste has also managed several talented screenwriters, segued into the commercial real estate business, become a championship Tonkinese cat breeder, run her own successful company, hosted a radio show, produced a "How to" video and regularly appears as a speaker/lecturer.
At a time when many people would be thinking of an easier life, Celeste studied for and received her Ph. D in nutrition in 1998 and now serves as adjunct professor of nutrition at the Pacific Western University. In addition, Celeste has written two best selling books: 'Natural Cat Care: A Complete Guide to Holistic Care for Cats', and 'Natural Dog Care: A Complete Guide to Holistic Care for Dogs'.
As a model and actress, Celeste was renowned for her beauty and very becoming figure, being named the Foreign Press' Most Photogenic Beauty of the Year at the Cannes Film Festival in 1968. She was also the National Association of Theater Owners Most Promising New Star of 1968. Celeste is currently featured as Miss April in Cedco Publishing's popular wall calendar for 2002. The April 2002 issue of 'Femme Fatale' magazine also features a detailed article about Celeste.
For Elvis Presley fans, Celeste is remembered as "Ellen", the beautiful young woman Elvis romanced with the song, "A Little Less Conversation", in the film, Live a Little, Love a Little (1968). As Elvis fans know, the track was recently re-mixed by progressive music producer/DJ, Junkie XL, and is currently topping charts around the world.
As one of the "swinging chicks of the 1960s", Celeste was not only interviewed by Thomas Lisanti for his fascinating book, "Fantasy Femmes of Sixties Cinema (Interviews with Twenty Actresses from Biker, Beach and Elvis Movies)", but an eye-catching photograph of her was also used for the front cover. Celeste lives and bases her health care practice for cats and dogs in Los Angeles and lives in her new home in Westlake Village.