TCBCast 329: The Making of Viva Las Vegas (& How Elvis Movies Got Made!) Part 1

We've talked so much about Elvis' recording sessions that it's fairly easy to understand how an Elvis record came together. Less clear to many, however, is how an Elvis movie was made. Olivia got super curious to learn the ins and outs of filmmaking, so Justin & Olivia decided to center the discussion around the making of one of the most celebrated and successful movies to star Elvis, 1964's Viva Las Vegas, in the year of the 60th anniversary of its release - since no one else is seeming to commemorate it! From concept and script to pre-production efforts like location scouting, casting, crew (and especially the music, as always!), from getting song demos all the way up to the initial recording sessions, we break down how it happened in part one. Part 2 will focus largely on filming, post-production and marketing, along with our Songs of the Week! One of our most vital resources this week is FTD's immaculately researched The Making of Viva Las Vegas by David English and Pal Granlund, which is unfortunately no longer in print. If you enjoy TCBCast, please consider supporting us with a donation at Patreon.com/TCBCast. Your support allows us to continue to provide thoughtful, provocative, challenging and well-researched perspectives on Elvis's career, his peers and influences, and his cultural impact and legacy. Patrons get early access to new episodes (including Part 2 of this episode) and plenty of bonus content!