Original title: Kissin' Cousins
Filming date:
August - September 1963
Release date:
March 6, 1964
Running time:
96min
Production company:
Metro-Goldwyn-Meyer
Budget:
US$ 1,5 million
Box office:
US$ 3 million
Main cast:
Elvis Presley
Arthur O'Connell
Glenda Farrell
Jack Albertson
Pamela Austin
Cynthia Pepper
Pamela Austin
Cynthia Pepper
Sondtrack:
"Kissin' Cousins" (single)
[b/w "It Hurts Me"]
(February 10, 1964)
"Kissin' Cousins" (LP)
(April 2, 1964)
[b/w "It Hurts Me"]
(February 10, 1964)
"Kissin' Cousins" (LP)
(April 2, 1964)
"Kiss Me Quick" (single)
[b/w "Suspicion"]
(April 14, 1964)
"Kissin' Cousins" (CD/LP)
(FTD, 2017/2019)
[b/w "Suspicion"]
(April 14, 1964)
"Kissin' Cousins" (CD/LP)
(FTD, 2017/2019)
Kissin' Cousins is Elvis' fourteenth film and, due to the resounding success of the two films released later in 1964 ("Viva Las Vegas" and "Roustabout"), the least celebrated.
In it, Elvis plays two almost identical cousins who fight over their family's land for different purposes and live surrounded by beautiful and innocent female cousins and neighbors. The somewhat weak story involving the army and the Smokey Mountains has few attractions, which are basically a blond-haired Elvis (scenes he hated having to do, needless to say) and his hillbilly cousins.
Despite this, the film had a good return, grossing almost the same amount as "Fun in Acapulco", which had been a hit in 1963. Furthermore, the script by Gerald Drayson Adams and Gene Nelson competed for the award for Best Screenplay for a Musical by the Writers Guild of America.
Surprisingly, "Kissin' Cousins" debuted in 11th position in audience and ended 1964 as the 26th most profitable film. The soundtrack also had good success, with the title song reaching 12th place in the charts of the year.
SOUNDTRACK
Recorded in four sessions at RCA Studio B, the soundtrack for this film consists of 9 songs.
The single "Kissin' Cousins", with "It Hurts Me" (1964 version) on the B-side, was released two months before the film and reached #12 on the charts.
To complete the time and number of songs needed to produce an LP, RCA included "(It's) A Long Lonely Highway" as the last track. The song would be used the following year in the opening of the film "Tickle Me".
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SUPPORTING CAST
Born in 1904, Farrell arrived in Hollywood in 1924 after having worked in theater since she was 7 years old. Although she took long periods off to study, the actress achieved a good reputation and appeared in several Broadway plays.
In 1930, Farrell signed her first film contract with First National Pictures, which made her stand out and caught the attention of Warner. This company in turn used her in several titles, especially because of her brazen figure. At one point, Farrell was the production company's most prolific actress.
After the end of her contract, in 1939, the actress returned to the theater again, making few appearances on TV and cinema, with "Kissin' Cousins" being the third to last. His health began to take a heavy toll from 1965 onwards, and Farrell retired permanently in 1970.
The actress passed away in 1971, at the age of 66, due to lung cancer.
Born in 1907, Albertson dropped out of school to be a Vaudeville actor during the 1920s. He lived on the streets of New York for 2 years before getting the opportunity to work in Burlesque and a few Broadway plays.
His first film role came in 1947, in "Miracle on 34th Street". "Kissin' Cousins" is one of the main exponents of his cinematographic career, with his best-known films being "Charlie and the Chocolate Factory", from 1971, and "The Poseidon Adventure", from 1972.
His greatest exposure was on TV, where he participated in several successful series between 1956 and 1980.
In 1978, the actor was diagnosed with colorectal cancer, a disease that took his life in 1981, at the age of 74.
Born in Omaha, Nebraska, on December 20, 1941, Pamela J. Akert spent her childhood and adolescence taking music lessons in Europe. Upon returning to the US, her first film work was a small role in "Blue Hawaii", also with Elvis, in 1961.
From 1962 onwards, her television career gained more focus and she appeared in series such as "The Fugitive" (1963-1967), "The Twilight Zone" (1959-1964) and "Columbo" (1968-2003). Her last work in the medium was with "Screenplay", a 1980 series. In cinema, "Kissin' Cousins" is one of her rare films, along with "Agatha" (1979) and her last, "The Dressmaker", from 1988.
The actress, who abandoned her career in 1988, is married and her current whereabouts, aged 82 (2024), are unknown.
Pepper was born in 1940 and pursued an acting career from an early age, influenced by her father, who was a Vaudeville actor, musician, singer and dancer.
Hwe career was limited to the 1960s, when he participated in several television series - having a series of her own, "Margie", which came to a premature end in 1962 - and some films, with "Kissin' Cousins" being the main one. "Perry Mason", "The Flying Nun" and "The Addams Family" are among the series she participated in that decade.
In the 2000s Pepper participated in several documentaries where she spoke about her personal experiences with Elvis Presley. The actress retired in 2005, but still makes sporadic cameos.
Cynthia is 83 years old (2024) and lives in Las Vegas.
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