Loving You (1957)

Elvis Presley‘s second movie gives us a precious look at The King in his rock ‘n’ roll prime. He appears in colour for the first time (replete with an immaculate jet-black quiff), delivering a great soundtrack and a solid performance.

As young orphaned hillbilly singer Deke Rivers, Elvis is hired to boost the waning popularity of Tex Warner’s cowboy band and becomes a teenage sensation in the process, manipulated to musical stardom by ambitious female PR agent Glenda Markle (Lizabeth Scott).

The plot allows Presley to re-enact his rise to stardom under the guidance here of director Hal Kanter, who studied Elvis on stage beforehand for authenticity. Tex, on the other hand, turns out to be a complete fake whose real name is Walter.

Elvis’s sexless love interest is Susie (Dolores Hart). Musical highlights include Teddy Bear and Lonesome Cowboy (the film’s original title).

Scorned in its day (but not by fans), this looks better by the decade, and Presley’s natural screen presence reminds us of his considerable early raw talent.

Deke Rivers (Jimmy Tompkins)
Elvis Presley
Glenda Markle
Lizabeth Scott
Tex Warner
Wendell Corey
Susan “Susie” Jessup
Dolores Hart
Carl Meade
James Gleason
Tallman
Ralph Dumke
Skeeter
Paul Smith
Wayne
Ken Becker
Daisy
Jana Lund

Director
Hal Kanter

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