A Little Less Conversation, A Little More Action: Live a Little, Love a Little

LIVE A LITTLE, LOVE A LITTLE

(US, 1968)

Original title:

Live a Little, Love a Little

Filming date:

April 1 - May 1, 1968

Release date:

October 23, 1968

Running time:

90min

Production company:

Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer

Budget:

US$ 3 million

Box office:

US$ 3 million

Main cast:

Elvis Presley

Michele Carey

Sountrack:

"Almost in Love" (single)
[b/w "A Little Less Conversation"]
(September 3, 1968)
"Elvis Sings Flaming Star" (LP)
(October 18, 1968)
"If I Can Dream" (single)
[b/w "Edge of Reality"]
(November 29, 1968)
"Almost in Love" (LP)
(November 1970)
"Live a Little, Love a Little" (CD)
(FTD, november 2015)

Live a Little, Love a Little is Elvis' 28th film. In it, Greg Nolan plays a photographer driven to the edge of reality by a mysterious woman full of surprises and a devilish dog. This production marks Elvis' return to (more or less) serious films, something he hadn't made since 1958.

Based on the novel "Kiss My Firm But Pliant Lips", written by Dan Greenburg in 1965, and with a screenplay co-written by him, this was the first film to completely deviate from the standard mediocre productions Elvis had appeared in since 1964. There were still songs, some fights, and funny situations, but the production had a more mature tone, with strong language, drug references, and an implied sexual encounter.

Elvis, Michele Carey and Brutus (Lisa Marie's dog) on scene

Unlike many previous films that involved Elvis in a studio performing in front of a chroma key, in this one he was able to shoot more scenes in real locations than usual. Most of them were captured around Hollywood, along the Malibu coast, and at the Los Angeles Music Center. The opening scene was filmed without the use of professional stunt doubles, with Elvis and Red West performing all the dangerous stunts. Filming began on April 1, 1968, two months after Lisa Marie's birth, and ended on May 1, Elvis's first wedding anniversary.

During a break in filming a scene, Elvis was pushed and thrown to the ground by a group of women who rushed toward him. To everyone's surprise, they had no interest in him and simply wanted an autograph from singer and supporting actor Rudy Vallée.

The production co-starred Michele Carey and Dick Sargent, and featured Elvis' father, Vernon, in an uncredited cameo. Several Memphis Mafia friends, such as Red West and Joe Esposito, also appear. Despite much conflicting information, the dog seen in the film was actually Brutus, owned by Elvis and acquired for Lisa's protection. Directed by Norman Taurog, this was his farewell to filmmaking.

Released on October 23, 1968, the film failed to impress most critics or audiences, and grossed only what it cost—$3 million on top of its $3 million budget (of which $850,000 went to Elvis' fee, who also received 50% of the gross). Due to its disappointing performance in the US, the film was not released in other countries at the time.


SOUNDTRACK

This being the second of Elvis' final five films during the 1960s to feature only a handful of musical numbers, the recording session for the four songs featured in the film took place at Western Recorders in Hollywood, California, on March 7, 1968. The producer in charge of the session, Billy Strange, who had worked with both Frank and Nancy Sinatra, and in tune with current trends in popular music, brought in a group of musicians from outside Elvis' usual comfort zone and produced a sound that was far from the mediocrity of his film scores to date.

"Almost in Love", the only song by a Brazilian (Luíz Bonfá) to be recorded by Elvis, "Edge of Reality" and "A Little Less Conversation" would become hits from the film. The latter was released as a single, with "Almost in Love" on the B-side, on September 3, 1968, entering the Billboard Hot 100. More than three decades later, in 2002, a remix of "A Little Less Conversation" would become a global hit, although the original version was actually the re-recording Elvis made for his 1968 special.

"Edge of Reality" appeared on October 29, 1968 as the B-side of the single "If I Can Dream", the song used to close his television special that would air later that year. "Wonderful World", heard during the film's opening credits, had appeared on the compilation "Elvis Sings Flaming Star",on October 18, 1968. All three tracks released as singles have resurfaced remastered on the box set "Command Performances: The Essential 60's Masters II" in 1992.








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SUPPORTING CAST

MICHELE CAREY

Carey was born on February 26, 1943, in Annapolis, Maryland. At a young age, Michele proved to be a piano prodigy, winning a national competition at age 13 and performing with the Rochester Symphony.

While studying, she married quickly, had a son, and moved to Los Angeles in 1964 to pursue a modeling career, with an interest in acting. Aided by her beauty, she soon caught the attention of Hollywood producers and made her debut in "El Dorado" in 1966.

After "Live a Little, Love a Little" with Elvis and "Dirty Dingus Magee" (1970) with Frank Sinatra, she had numerous guest roles on series such as "Gunsmoke" (1972) and "Starsky & Hutch" (1975). Her last role was in "The Stay Awake" in 1988, retiring that year.

The actress passed away of natural causes on November 21, 2018, at the age of 76. Her parents and son predeceased her.

DICK SARGENT

Born Richard Stanford Cox in Carmel-by-the-Sea, California, on April 19, 1930, Dick graduated in theater and appeared in hundreds of productions since his film debut in "Prisoner of War" (1954).

His greatest contributions were to television, where he played several characters in successful series, such as Darrin Stephens in the series "Bewitched" (1964-1972) during its final four seasons. In film, Sargent has made a few appearances, such as in "Operation Petticoat" (1959).

Throughout the 1980s, he joined actress Sally Struthers as an advocate for the Christian Children's Fund and was diagnosed with prostate cancer that weakened his health in 1989. On National Coming Out Day in 1991, he publicly declared his homosexuality.

After his diagnosis, doctors were initially optimistic that he could be treated; However, the disease continued to spread and led to his death on July 8, 1994, at the age of 64.

RUDY VALLÉE

Rudy Vallée was born Hubert Prior Vallée in Island Pond, Vermont, on July 28, 1901. After playing drums in his school band, Vallée played clarinet and saxophone around New England and was a regular member of the band at the Savoy Havana Hotel in London from 1924 to 1928.

He then returned to the United States and formed the band "Rudy Vallée and the Yankees from Connecticut", being discovered in 1928 and becoming the first of a new style of popular singer—the crooner. In 1929, Vallée made his first feature film, "The Vagabond Lover", for RKO.

The next 30 years were entirely dedicated to his recordings and film. In fact, "Live a Little, Love a Little" was the last film in which he starred, appearing in only five more. On television, Vallée appeared in series until 1984, when he retired from acting and music.

Rudy Vallée died of cancer at his home on July 3, 1986, at the age of 84.

CELESTE YARNALL

Born on July 26, 1944, in Long Beach, California, Yarnall had a prominent television career beginning in 1964, when she won the national Miss Rheingold pageant with 20 million votes. This led to numerous television roles, in series such as "Hogan's Heroes", "Bonanza", "Land of the Giants", "The Man from U.N.C.L.E.", and her most memorable role, Yeoman Landon on "Star Trek" (1966–1969), in 1967. The following year, she co-starred in "Live a Little, Love a Little" with Elvis.

Although Celeste had a few film roles in the 1970s, she began to focus on other pursuits. In 1979, she opened her own real estate business, specializing primarily in helping entertainment companies lease or purchase office buildings. Celeste earned a PhD in Animal Nutrition and wrote several books on the subject.

The actress passed away on October 7, 2018, at the age of 74, due to ovarian cancer.