Made in 1963, released in 1964, “Viva Las Vegas” was a lavish production featuring lots of Las Vegas showgirls in dance sequences and the best special effects of the day during the race scenes. So much so that despite the money it made, Colonel Parker expressed concerns about escalating costs.
Lucky Jackson (Elvis) arrives in Las Vegas to compete in the Las Vegas Grand Prix. After winning the money to put a motor in his self-made racing car, he promptly loses it after being pushed into a hotel swimming pool by Rusty (Ann Margret), whom Lucky is chasing for a date.
Having lost his money, Lucky cannot pay for either the motor or his hotel bill. So, he must begin work as a waiter. Rusty does agree to go on a date with Lucky but is not convinced about the safety of motor racing. Although the two of them quickly become close, Rusty’s fears about racing are a problem.
Lucky believes he can win a talent contest at the hotel and use the prize money to fund the motor. Rusty attempts to thwart his efforts by entering herself. The result is a tie, but Lucky wins on the toss of a coin. Lucky is dismayed when the first prize is not money but an all-expenses-paid honeymoon in Las Vegas.
Rusty’s father secretly puts up the money for the motor and joins Lucky and his mechanic Shorty in a frantic attempt to get the car ready for the Grand Prix. They only just make it, but Lucky wins the race and wins Rusty too.
The film is noted for the chemistry between Elvis and Ann Margret. The two of them became close off-screen as well as on. At one point, the press reported that the two of them were engaged. This was not true, but news did get back to Graceland, causing Priscilla to feel threatened by Ann.
Priscilla had been living at Graceland since 1962, after Elvis persuaded her parents that he intended to marry her.
The romance between Elvis and Ann cooled off, but the two would always remain friends and would still meet up in Las Vegas when they were both performing there in the 1970’s. Ann was the only movie co-star who was able to attend Elvis’ funeral after she hurriedly delayed an opening show in Las Vegas to get to Memphis, despite Elvis’ road manager, Joe Esposito, who was tasked with organising the funeral, advising her that it was chaotic in Memphis.
