Elvis started work on his first full starring role as the accidental rock ‘n’ roll singer Deke Rivers in “Loving You” in January of 1957, shortly after making his third and final television appearance on the Ed Sullivan show.
Deke is a delivery boy manipulated into joining a travelling country band. Deke has a new way with a song and soon becomes the main attraction, thanks to the devious manager, Glenda. It has a semi-biographical storyline. When Deke discovers the truth about the publicity stunts Glenda has orchestrated, he feels his life is full of fakery and storms out just before a TV special is due to go on air. Glenda must race after him and persuade him to return to see if he has a future.
The movie contained seven songs; depending on the territory, up to four of the songs were released as singles and became hits. The biggest was “(Let Me Be Your) Teddy Bear,” another early US number 1 for Elvis. The movie was an enormous success as was the soundtrack album which featured the movie songs on side one and other tracks recorded in 1957 by Elvis on the other.
The movie songs were:
- Got a Lot o’ Livin’ to Do
- Party
- Lonesome Cowboy
- Hot Dog
- Mean Woman Blues
- (Let Me Be Your) Teddy Bear
- Loving You
Dolores Hart played Susan Jessop, the love interest in the movie. A role she would also play in Elvis’ fourth movie, “King Creole” in 1958. In 1963, Dolores turned her back on Hollywood and became a nun, joining a convent in Connecticut. Aged eighty-six, she is the only surviving principal cast member.
Elvis performs “(Let Me Be Your) Teddy Bear,” as Deke Rivers in a theatre wearing a red and white western outfit, driving the audience wild.
In the 1981 bio-documentary “This Is Elvis”, a president of one of hundreds of Elvis fan clubs is shown being interviewed on TV after “Loving You” was made, saying that Elvis had given her the outfit. As a result, she said, “I wouldn’t take a million dollars for it; in fact, it’s insured.”
