Largest-Ever Elvis Film Box Set, Simultaneously Released. Screening set for August 14 in Memphis for Elvis Week Celebration
Elvis on Tour, the Golden Globe-winning documentary that followed Elvis on a 15-city tour of the United States in 1972, will make its debut August 3 in newly-restored and remastered Blu-ray and DVD versions from Warner Home Video. A screening of the documentary on August 14 in Memphis will follow the home entertainment release as WHV joins in the celebration of Elvis Week (August 10 – 16), commemorating the 75th anniversary of the rock ‘n’ roll icon’s birth.
Elvis on Tour, considered to be Presley’s last film before his death in 1977, was described by Variety in their review as “a bright, entertaining pop music documentary detailing episodes in the later professional life of Elvis Presley, the pioneer Pied Piper of rock music.” The film was written and directed by Robert Abel and Pierre Adidge, and the cinematographer was Lucien Ballard. Songs included “See See Rider,” “Proud Mary,” “Burning Love,” “Don’t Be Cruel,” “Teddy Bear,” “Hound Dog,” “Can’t Help Falling in Love with You,” “Love Me Tender,” “All Shook Up,” “Suspicious Minds,” “Heartbreak Hotel,” “Are You Lonesome Tonight” and more.
Some of the highlights of the new versions:
Remastered in High Definition with 16 x 9 2.40 letterboxed image, as seen in the theatrical release.
* Blu-ray audio will be DTS-HD Master Audio (5.1 Surround); DVD audio will be Dolby Digital 5.1 Surround.
* Packaged as a Blu-ray book filled with Elvis photos, quotes, trivia, a tour itinerary, set lists, costumes, and background information about the filming techniques used.
* 25 musical numbers spotlight Elvis Presley’s talent, range and showmanship in captivating on-stage performances and intimate backstage rehearsals with his band.
* Contains Elvis’ first performance of “Burning Love,” which was so new, Elvis referred to the lyric sheet during his performance.
* Elvis’ Ed Sullivan Show performance is included, in which the charm, personality and musical ability that made him an icon is so evident.
* Montage sequences (supervised by Martin Scorsese) showcasing Elvis’ early career and movies
* Elvis on Tour will also be available day and date on Video on Demand from cable and satellite providers and for electronic download from online retailers including iTunes, Microsoft Xbox LIVE, Zune marketplace and Amazon Video on Demand.
The Elvis 75th Anniversary DVD Collection
- Warner Home Video will also release the Elvis 75th Anniversary DVD Collection with 17 of his films, including the new Elvis on Tour and fan favorites, Jailhouse Rock and Viva Las Vegas. Besides the 14 feature films and three documentaries, the box set includes a 40-page commemorative book with iconic shots from behind the scenes of his movies and stage performances, and insightful career highlights notes. The collection, packed in sparkly, Vegas-inspired, holographic foil with 10 reproduction memorabilia pieces including studio correspondence and signed Elvis Presley checks, is a great gift set for fans of all ages. Select titles also feature commentaries and/or making-of featurettes. Pricing
- Elvis 75th Anniversary DVD Collection will be offered for $74.92 SRP, and Elvis on Tour will sell as a Blu-ray Book for $34.99 SRP and $19.96 SRP in DVD. All Elvis films featured in the DVD Collection are available as Singles at $12.97 SRP. A 3-film Elvis Blu-ray Collection will include Elvis on Tour, Jailhouse Rock and Viva Las Vegas for $49.99 SRP. Orders for all are due June 29.About The Elvis Week Screening
- The August 14th screening will be a once-in-a-lifetime, big screen event for Elvis fans gathered from around the world. Held at the historic Orpheum Theater in Memphis, one of Elvis’ favorite movie houses, the screening will include a short live performance featuring former members of the Stamps Quartet who appeared with Elvis in the documentary, a glimpse of additional never-before-seen Elvis footage and an exhibit of rarely-seen artifacts from the Graceland Archives. Elvis’ 75th birthday is being celebrated around the world in 2010. In addition to the Elvis Week celebration at Graceland in Memphis, activities include Viva ELVIS™ by Cirque du Soleil® in Las Vegas, the 2010 Elvis Cruise, an exhibit at Graceland called “Elvis Presley: Fashion King,” an Elvis exhibit at the Newseum in Washington D.C., “ELVIS 75: Good Rockin’ Tonight,” the first definitive 4-CD overview of Elvis’ entire recording career, and more.About Elvis Week
- Elvis Week, held August 10-16, is a celebration of the music, movies and life of Elvis Presley. Fans from around the world gather in Memphis to celebrate through special events, charity functions, conferences, concerts, sporting events and more. The week also includes the annual candlelight vigil on the night of August 15.
- Prior to the Elvis on Tour screening on August 14, fans can go behind the scenes with Conversations on Elvis, which features a panel discussion with former members of The Stamps Quartet, Donny Sumner and Bill Baize, along with Joe Guercio, Elvis’ musical director and conductor for his performances from 1970 – 1977. The event is hosted by Tom Brown, Vice President of Original Productions for Turner Classic Movies (TCM).
* Tickets will go on sale for Elvis Insiders on Thursday, April 8 and for the general public on Thursday, April 22. More information, including links to purchase tickets are available at ElvisWeek.com.About Elvis PresleyElvis Presley was one of Hollywood’s top box-office draws, starring in 31 feature films and two theatrically-released concert documentaries over the course of his career. His music was as much a part of his box-office success as his good looks and charisma. In fact, some of his top-selling songs were from the movie soundtracks. Eleven of his soundtrack albums made it into the top ten on the Billboard Album charts and of those, four became number one hits. It is estimated that Elvis has sold over a billion records worldwide, more records than any other artist in record industry history, and even 30 years after his death, Elvis still conquers new legions of fans as recent compilations of his RCA recordings, “Elvis 30 #1 Hits” and “Elvis 2nd to None,” both topped the Billboard charts of best selling albums.About the Films
- Elvis on Tour
Available for the first time on Blu-ray or DVD, this Golden Globe® winning documentary is the final motion picture to star Elvis Presley. In the film, the king is followed as he embarked on a 15-city U.S. tour in April 1972. More than 25 numbers spotlight Elvis’ talent, range and showmanship in captivating on-stage performances and intimate backstage rehearsals with his band during this lively chronicle. In addition, montage sequences (supervised by Martin Scorsese) showcase Elvis’ early career and movies.
Shot with multi-cam (similarly to Woodstock), Elvis on Tour combines concert, rehearsal and backstage footage to provide all the excitement of having a front-row seat at the show. The Blu-ray edition will be released as a Blu-ray book featuring photos of Elvis, quotes, trivia, a tour itinerary, set lists, costumes, and background information about the filming techniques used.
Jailhouse Rock
In this 1957 box-office hit, “Presley’s best film” according to Leonard Maltin’s Movie Guide, the king plays Vince Everett, a man jailed for manslaughter after a bar fight. While in prison, Vince learns to belt out tunes. After being paroled, he then follows a bumpy road to music and movie success. Six Presley songs by Jerry Lieber and Mike Stoller spike the story, including “Treat Me Nice,” “I Wanna Be Free” and the classic shimmy-shakin’ title tune that was Presley’s favorite of all his films’ production numbers.
DVD Special Features:
- Commentary by Steve Pond, music journalist
* Restored and Digitally-Remastered in a 16×9 master, enhanced for widescreen televisions
* New Featurette: The Scene That Stole Jailhouse Rock
* Soundtrack Remastered in Dolby Digital 5.1 from original production elements
* Theatrical Trailer
* Subtitles: English & Français (Feature Film Only)Viva Las Vegas - In one of his most popular movies, Elvis Presley shared the screen with Ann-Margret in Las Vegas, easily creating the most electrifying teaming Elvis had on-screen. He’s Lucky Jackson, a Grand Prix race driver working at a casino to raise cash for a new engine; she’s a hotel swimming instructor. The romantic action revs up from their first meeting. Veteran director George Sidney, who guided Ann-Margret in the prior year’s Bye Bye Birdie, combines the hormonal heat wave with fascinating sights of 1960s Las Vegas. Songs include the high-roller title track, the stars’ duet on “The Lady Loves Me,” her sultry “Appreciation” and the king’s version of Ray Charles’ “What’d I Say.”Special Features:* Commentary by Steve Pond, rock journalist and author of “Elvis in Hollywood”
* Restored and Digitally-Remastered in a 16×9 master, enhanced for widescreen televisions.
* New featurette: Kingdom: Elvis in Vegas
* Soundtrack remastered in Dolby Digital 5.1 from original production elements
* Theatrical trailer
Subtitles: English & Français (feature film only) - It Happened At The World’s Fair (1963)
The 1962 Seattle World’s Fair, with its showpiece Space Needle and monorail, provide the setting for this rollicking adventure. When pilot-for-hire Mike (Presley) gets grounded by his co-pilot’s (Gary Lockwood) gambling debts, the pair decides to hitch to Seattle where Mike finds love, Danny finds easy marks, and both find big problems to solve. Elvis has ten songs in this movie including “Happy Ending,” “Relax” and the gold record “One Broken Heart for Sale.” A young Kurt Russell plays the child who wallops Mike in the shins.
Kissin’ Cousins
In his 15th film, the king takes on two roles in this backwoods romp, playing dark-haired Air Force Lt. Josh Morgan and Morgan’s adversary, blonde good ol’ boy Jodie Tatum. Lt. Josh’s assignment is to try to convince his look-alike cousin, Jodie, to allow a missile site to be built on his land. The movie features a fistful of tunes, including “Barefoot Ballad,” “It’s a Long Lonely Highway,” “Tender Feeling,” the title song and 6 others). In addition, enjoy some whoop-it-up-dancing and 13 mountain cuties called Kittyhawks to add to the down-home delights.
Special Features:
* New digital transfer of complete original theatrical version with “Smokey Mountain Boy” song sequence now back in the film
* Theatrical trailer
* Subtitles: English & Français (feature film only)
Girl Happy
Rock ’n’ roll’s first icon was ranked 6th among the top box-office stars when he headlined this film. In the movie, Elvis portrays Chicago club singer Rusty Wells. Rusty, when not wowing the crowds from the stage, receives the added task of watching over the overly exuberant daughter of his boss (Harold J. Stone) while she’s on vacation in Fort Lauderdale. Shelley Fabares, a singing star in her own right (her 1962 tune Johnny Angel was a #1 hit), plays the boss’ daughter. Songs included in the film are “Do the Clam,” “Good News,” “Puppet on a String,” the title tune and eight others. Also featured are Mary Ann Mobley and Gary Crosby.
Special Features:
* New digital transfer of complete original theatrical version with “Startin’ Tonight” song sequence now back in the film
* Theatrical trailer
* Subtitles: English & Français (feature film only)
Tickle Me
Looking for part-time work until rodeo season opens, Lonnie Beale (Elvis) finds himself at a dude ranch/spa for actresses and models. Lonnie enjoys his share of laughs as he meets girl (Jocelyn Lane), loses girl and gets girl back – plus a fortune in lost gold. This film includes nine tunes, including “I’m Yours” and “Such an Easy Question.” There’s also considerable tickling of
the funny bone since writers Elwood Ullman and Edward Bernds are veterans of the Three Stooges comedies.
Special Features:
* First-time widescreen video release [16×9 2.4:1]
* Theatrical trailer
* Subtitles: English (feature film only)
Harum Scarum
Johnny Tyronne (Presley) is a swashbuckling action-adventure movie star and ladies’ man on a goodwill tour of the Middle East to promote his latest film. He is kidnapped by a clandestine group of assassins that want him to kill a desert king. Sand and songs swirl throughout this tale as Johnny escapes and heads back to civilization, but not without teaming up first with former Miss America, Mary Ann Mobley. The film was directed by former movie hoofer Gene Nelson (OKLAHOMA!) and features such song hits as “Kismet” and “Harem Holiday.”
Spin Out
Mike McCoy (Presley), a part-time race car driver and lead singer for a band combo, has his foot on the gas and his eyes on the road as three women with marriage on their minds race after him. Shelley Fabares (his co-star in Girl Happy) plays the rich girl spoiled by her wealthy father (Carl Betz, who also played her father on TV’s The Donna Reed Show). Deborah Walley (Gidget Goes Hawaiian) is the drummer in his band looking to beat out a rhythm to his heart, and Diane McBain (General Hospital, Days of our Lives) plays a writer researching a book about “The Perfect American Male.” Songs include “Never Say Yes,” “Adam and Evil,” “All That I Am” and “Stop, Look Listen.” In this film, there are no brakes on the fun.
Double Trouble
In this comedic mystery romp, Elvis portrays Guy Lambert, a singer on tour in London who gets involved with a love-struck teenage heiress (Annette Day), a sexy temptress (Yvonne Romain) and a jewel smuggling operation. Who knew trouble could be so cool and so much fun! Some of the songs from this movie include “City by Night,” “Could I Fall in Love,” “Long-Legged Girl” and “There’s So Much World to See.”
Stay Away, Joe
In this film, Elvis portrays amiable Navajo rodeo star Joe Lightcloud, who returns to his home to help his tribe become cattle ranchers. A talented ensemble of screen veterans joins Presley for this good-time, two-fisted tale filmed in and around Arizona’s scenic Sedona. Burgess Meredith is Joe’s rascally father, Katy Jurado is his tough-love stepmom and Joan Blondell is the shotgun-toting local gal setting her romantic sights on Joe. Plenty of fun and a couple of tunes (the title track and “Dominique”) are along for the ride too.
Special Features:
* Theatrical trailer
* Subtitles: English & Français (feature film only)
Speedway
In this high-octane laugh fest, Elvis Presley sings his way around the race circuit as successful speedway driver Steve Grayson until his wise-cracking manager (Bill Bixby) files a bad tax return. The engines rev-up and the chase begins when IRS agent (Nancy Sinatra) arrives on the scene. The laughs in this film are further enhanced by talented comic actors, Gale Gordon (The Lucy Show) and Carl Ballantine (McHale’s Navy). Music includes songs such as “There Ain’t Nothing like a Song,” “Let Yourself Go,” “Your Time Hasn’t Come Yet, Baby” and “Your Groovy Self.”
Live a Little, Love a Little
In his 28th film, Elvis Presley takes on more “adult” comedy. He portrays frazzled photographer Greg Nolan, who is juggling two jobs and scrambling to keep his work life afloat, while also contending with the kooky attentions of a beach beauty (Michele Carey). Four breezy songs, including the Elvis chart-buster “A Little Less Conversation” and the “Edge of Reality” dream sequence add to the zippy fun.
Special Features:
* Theatrical trailer
* Languages & Subtitles: English, Français & Español (feature film only)
Charro!
The Elvis on screen here isn’t the clean-cut, all-American kid ready to hit the beach or dance floor. Instead, stubble covers his face, his hat hangs low over his eyes, and a bandanna hides the ugly scar that marks him as a killer. Written and directed by Charles Marquis Warren (creator of TV’s Gunsmoke, Rawhide and The Virginian), this stark, sagebrush, non-musical saga follows an ex-outlaw trying to go straight – but he’s got a score to settle when his own gang frames him for a heist.
Special Features:
* First-time widescreen video release [16×9 2.4:1]
* Theatrical trailer
* Subtitles: English & Français (feature film only)
The Trouble with Girls
This comedy/drama is a change of pace for Elvis, who stars as Walter Hale, a manager of a 1927 traveling show that starts to develop some trouble when it hits Radford Center, Iowa. The film is packed with colorful co-stars including Vincent Price, Marlyn Mason, John Carradine, Joyce Van Patten, Edward Andrews, Sheree North and Dabney Coleman. The movie includes the songs “Almost,” “Swing Low Sweet Chariot” “Clean Up Your Own Backyard” among others.
Elvis: That’s the Way It Is
It’s summer 1970 and this concert documentary allows unrestricted access to the hottest show in town, Elvis Presley, during his milestone four weeks of appearances at the International Hotel in Las Vegas. Dozens of tunes (including favorites “All Shook Up” and “Suspicious Minds”) are included as the camera follows the show’s development from rehearsal to stage.
Special Features:
* (2000 Special Edition)
o Restoration featurette: Patch It Up: The Restoration of Elvis: That’s the Way It Is
o 16×9 digital transfer with 5.1 Dolby Digital Audio
o Presley career highlights
o Director/restorer filmographies
o Theatrical trailer
o Subtitles: English & Français (feature film only)
This is Elvis
From executive producer and award-winning documentarian David L. Wolper (Roots, L.A. Confidential), This Is Elvis is an intimate, behind-the-scenes portrait crafted by Andrew Solt (Imagine: John Lennon) and Malcolm Leo (Rolling Stone: 20 Years of Rock ’n’ Roll). Elvis’ “authorized biography” draws on interviews with the people who knew Presley best – family, friends, employees and mentor/manager Colonel Tom Parker. The movie includes some rare, never before seen footage, including home movies, newsreels and several key TV appearances.
Special Features:
* Original, uncensored 1981 Theatrical version in a new digital transfer with soundtrack remastered in Dolby Surround 2.0
o Vintage featurette: Behind the Gates of Graceland
o Elvis Presley movie trailer gallery
o Subtitles: Français (feature film only)
