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Viva Las Vegas (1964)
In director George Sidney's lightweight and banal
musical, but the best of the Elvis musicals (it was the 15th film
of his 31 theatrical feature films):
- "Viva Las Vegas," the opening title credits
song (the city's anthem), sung by pop-star Elvis Presley under
the glittering neon lights of the famed Las Vegas night-time strip
and its numerous casinos (seen in aerial views and from the street
level)
- the first appearance of red-headed Rusty Martin (Ann-Margret,
Elvis' co-star, known as "the female Elvis"), seen from
under a hot-rod as she walked forward in tight, white short-shorts,
and had a memorable first conversation with race-car driver Lucky
Jackson (Elvis Presley): (Rusty: "Can you help me please?" Lucky: "Can
we help you? Yes ma'am." Rusty: "Well, I'd like you to
check my motor, it whistles." Lucky: "I don't blame it!");
afterwards, she strutted directly into the camera, and then the camera
reversed itself as she walked away; they followed her sexy, swaying
bottom (seen in close-up) as she sashayed out to her white sports
car; Lucky quipped: "That's what I call a really sporty model"
- the sequence of the duet "The Lady Loves Me," after
Lucky had located Rusty working as a swimming instructor/singer/dancer
at his own hotel, the Flamingo; to woo her, he strummed his guitar
as they took a brief tour of the hotel pool, while they sang, flirted
and traded barbs with each other (Lucky: "Tonight, she'll hold
me in her arms" Rusty: "I'd rather be holding hydrogen
bombs"
Lucky: "She wants me" Rusty: "Like poison ivy" Lucky: "Needs
me"
Rusty: "Like a hole in the head" Lucky: "Anyone can
see she's got it bad" Rusty: "He's mad"); after the
song concluded, she pushed him into the swimming pool from the pink
high-diving platform, when he accidentally lost his money roll that
was sucked up into the pool's drain - and she sang the final line: "The
gentleman's all wet!"; Lucky was forced to work as a Flamingo
Hotel waiter to finance his racing
- the many verbal duels, solos, and musical numbers
during a Las Vegas talent show competition
- the rockin' face-off song "C'mon, Everybody" between
hip-swinging Lucky (on-stage) and shimmying bombshell Rusty (on the
gym floor below)
- their joyous travelogue tour of the Las Vegas area
with all its sights and attractions, including shooting skeets together,
riding motorscooters (with no hands), engaging in an old-fashioned
western shoot-out, riding in a helicopter over Hoover Dam, water-skiing
on Lake Mead, and visiting a nightclub
- Ray Charles' "What'd I Say", energetically
danced and sung by Lucky (with a guitar) and Rusty - both wearing
matching yellow outfits
- at the end of the talent competition decided by the
toss of a coin, Lucky won first prize - (a silver trophy and an all-expenses
paid two-week honeymoon in Las Vegas), and Rusty won second place
(a genuine, regulation-sized pool table!)
- the exciting but short sequence of the climactic Grand
Prix race, throughout the desert environs of the Las Vegas area,
and ending at the finish line on the strip in front of the Golden
Nugget casino, with Lucky the winner!
- in the brief blink-and-you'll-miss-it ending, Lucky's
marriage to Rusty (and although the Count crashed during the race,
he appeared uninjured to congratulate the couple)
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