An in-depth look at the movie "Roustabout"
Elvis's sixteenth movie was the 1964 Paramount film "Roustabout."
Having at one time been a carnival worker, the idea for a picture with a
carnival background had been that of Colonel Tom Parker, Elvis's manager.
However, Colonel was adamant that the movie "not cheapen carnival life....that
this was a wholesome way of life in which the participants had a legitimate
pride."
The movie was first announced in May of 1961, but production was delayed until
March of 1964. In the time between there were changes. Among them were: that
the working title went from "Right This Way Folks" to "Roustabout;" that Elvis's
character name changed from Charlie Main to Charlie Rogers; and that the
character of carnival owner Maggie Moore changed to Maggie Morgan; and that the
actress chosen to play Morgan changed from Mae West to Barbara Stanwyck.
The writers were Anthony Lawrence and Allan Weiss.
Anthony Lawrence later worked on the scripts for the Elvis movies "Paradise
Hawaiian Style" and "Easy Come, Easy Go" and the 1979 TV biopic "Elvis,"
starring Kurt Russell in the title role. Among his other credits are a number
of TV series including "The Fugitive," "Hawaii Five-O," "Cannon," "Quincy" and
"The Blue Knight."
Allan Weiss was the screenwriter for the Elvis flims "Blue Hawaii," "Girls!
Girls! Girls!," "Fun In Acapulco," "Paradise Hawaiian Style" and "Easy Come,
Easy Go." He once remarked that the scripts were written to producer Hal
Wallis's specifications: "Wallis kept the screenplays shallow. I was asked to
create a believable framework for twelve songs and lots of girls." However true
this was, both Mr. Lawrence and Mr. Weiss received a nomination from the Writers
Guild of America in 1965 for their work on "Roustabout" as the Best Written
American Musical of 1964.
The director was John Rich and this was his first time to work with Elvis. He
came from a strong background in TV, having directed such series as "Our Miss
Brooks," "I Married Joan," "Gunsmoke," "The Rifleman," "The Andy Griffith
Show," "The Dick Van Dyke Show" and "Gilligan's Island." He was anxious to
break into film directing with Hal Wallis. He wasn't impressed with Elvis's
entourage and their constant hanging around and playing practical jokes on one
another. Elvis told Mr. Rich, "...when these damn movies cease to be fun, I'll
stop doing them. And if my guys go, (expletive), so do I." Elvis and Mr. Rich
had gotten off to a shaky start when Elvis cajoled the director into allowing
him to do his own stunt fight, which was very uncommon then due to the
possibility of the star's being hurt and shutting down production. When Elvis
indeed was hurt in the stunt and required several stitches above his eye, Mr.
Rich was afraid to tell Hal Wallis that he'd allowed their star to become
injured. Then he came up with a plan to write into the script the bandage that
covered the stitches and thus production wasn't halted and Wallis was appeased.
John Rich later directed Elvis in "Easy Come, Easy Go." By that time he was
disillusioned with Hal Wallis and his methods and had developed a respect for
Elvis. He returned to directing TV series including such programs as "All In
The Family," "Sanford and Son," "Maude," "The Jeffersons," "Barney Miller,"
"Newhart", "Dear John" and "Murphy Brown" among others. He has received many
accolades including seven Emmy nominations with three Emmy wins.
On February 26, 1964, Elvis reported to Paramount for pre-production. He started
with soundtrack recording sessions at Radio Recorders of Hollywood. On March 3,
Elvis recorded the version of the title song "Roustabout" that was written by
Otis Blackwell and Winfield Scott. It was not used in the film. Instead they
used a different song with the same title written by Bill Giant, Bernie Baum and
Florence Kaye. Elvis recorded his vocals for that second song on April 29, 1964
after the principal photography was shot. An acetate of Elvis's
long-thought-lost Blackwell/Scott song was found in Winfield Scott's basement
and RCA first released it as a bonus track on the 2003 ELVIS 2ND TO NONE album.
To differentiate it from the one used in the movie, the title was changed to
"I'm a Roustabout."
Elvis became frustrated during these sessions when he wanted The Jordanaires to
back him up on a song that he would be seen singing alone in the film while
riding a motorcycle down the road. One of the producers questioned him as to
where the backup singers would be in the shot. Elvis snapped back, "The same
damn place as the band!"
One of the songs in the film, "It's A Wonderful World," written by Sid Tepper
and Roy C. Bennett, was for a time in contention for an Academy Award nomination
as Best Song.
For authenticity in Elvis's sixteenth film, "Roustabout," a real carnival
was employed and set up on land near Thousand Oaks, California. This was one of
the locations used for exterior shots in the movie. The interior shots used
three connecting sound stages (Nos. 12, 14 and 15) on the Paramount lot. The
doors between them were opened up to make them into one huge stage, which was
needed to accommodate the set for the big tent scenes. This was the first time
in the history of the studio that they had done this.
To Elvis the only exciting thing about making the movie "Roustabout" was the
opportunity to work with the legendary Barbara Stanwyck, who played Maggie
Morgan. Unknown to both of them at the time, her long career of over 90 films
was about to take a turn. For the next twenty years she would be a popular
television actress in such series as "Big Valley," "The Thorn Birds"
(mini-series) and "The Colbys." She was born Ruby Stevens in Brooklyn, NY in
1907. Orphaned at a young age, she was raised by her older sister, who was a
chorus girl. Ruby took the stage name of Barbara Stanwyck, dropped out of
school in her teens and looked for work as an actress. She became a dancer in a
chorus line of the Ziegfeld Follies. She finally landed lead roles on Broadway,
where she met and married her first husband Frank Fay. They moved to Hollywood
in 1928. There she received tutelage under director Frank Capra. Of him she
once said, "Eyes are the greatest tool in film. Mr. Capra taught me that.
Sure, it's nice to say very good dialogue, if you can get it. But great movie
acting - watch the eyes!" She was married to actor Robert Taylor from 1939
until 1951. In 1944 the government listed her as the nation's highest-paid
woman, earning $400,000. She received four Academy Award nominations and in
1982 was awarded an Honorary Academy Award for her contributions to the acting
industry. She was nominated five times for Emmy Awards, winning three of them,
and she received four Golden Globe nominations, winning one. She received Life
Achievement Awards from the American Film Institute, the Screen Actors Guild and
the Los Angles Film Critics Association and the Cecil B. DeMille Award from the
Golden Globes.
Another veteran actor in the movie was Leif Erikson who played the gruff Joe
Lean. The son of a sea captain and a writer, he was a big band vocalist and
trombone player. He made his acting debut as a corpse in a Zane Grey Western in
1935. He was known for his brawny, deep-voiced characters, including that of
Big John Cannon in the TV series "High Chaparral." He served in World War II
and was wounded in action twice . Prior to "Roustabout," he had worked with
Barbara Stanwyck in the 1948 movie "Sorry, Wrong Number."
Actor Pat Buttram played the wily villain Harry Carver. Born in Alabama in
1915, the son of a circuit-riding preacher, he quickly became known for his
comedy. In the 1950s, he replaced Smiley Burnette as the sidekick to western
star Gene Autry, with whom he made a number of movies and a TV show. In 1961 he
played a mechanic in the Elvis movie "Wild In The Country." By 1965 he became
a regular on the TV series "Green Acres," playing peddler Eustace Haney. Over
the years he also proved to be a talented voice-over actor for many Disney
animated movies, including "The Aristocats," "Robin Hood," "The Rescuers," "The
Fox and The Hound," "Who Framed Roger Rabbitt" and, his last one just before his
death in 1994, "A Goofy Movie." In 1982 he founded the Golden Boot Awards to
honor actors, directors, stuntpeople and others professionals who make
significant contributions to the Western film industry.
Jack Albertson played Lou, the manager of Mother's Tea House in "Roustabout."
He had recently worked with Elvis in the movie "Kissin' Cousins." Albertson was
born in Massachusetts in 1907 and was a veteran of vaudeville and Broadway. He
was one of the few actors to win an Academy Award, an Emmy Award and a Tony
Award. The Tony Award was for his role as John Cleary in the play "The Subject
Was Roses" on Broadway. The Academy Award was for the same role in the film
version. One memorable film role was Grandpa Joe in "Willy Wonka & The
Chocolate Factory." He is best know to many as Ed Brown in the TV series
"Chico and The Man," for which he won an Emmy Award. Like Pat Buttram, he lent
his voice to the Disney film "The Fox and The Hound" and was working in TV and
film right up to his death in 1981.
Another familiar face is that of Dabbs Greer, who played Arthur Nielsen. His
long career includes many roles in film and TV. Born in 1917 in Missouri, he
was the only child of a pharmacist and a speech therapist. He began his career
on stage as a child and later studied drama in college, earning his degree and
then becoming the head of the drama department. He moved to California 1943 and
became an instructor and administrator as well as an actor at the famed Pasadena
Playhouse. He made his film debut in 1948 and has continued to act in TV and
movies ever since. Among his memorable roles are the Reverend Robert Alden in
TV series "Little House On The Prairie," his role as a minister on the TV series
"Picket Fences" and Paul in the film "The Green Mile."
Cathy, Elvis's character's love interest in the movie, was played by actress
Joan Freeman. Born in Council Bluffs, Iowa in 1942, Ms. Freeman began acting
as a child. Although she has acted in a number of movies, she has had more
roles in television series such as "Bus Stop," "Bonanza," "The Virginian,"
"CHiPs" and, most recently, "The Commish." One source places her today as
retired and living on a yacht with her husband.
Elvis's movie "Roustabout" was based on the theme of a traveling carnival
show. As such, among its actors were one the world's shortest people, Billy
Barty, and one of the world's tallest, Richard Kiel.
Born in 1924, Billy Barty began performing as a child of three and he began
acting in movies in the late 1920s. Among other roles, he played the little
brother of Mickey Rooney in the "Mickey McGuire" comedy films. He also had his
own daily children's TV show in California. He founded the Little People of
America in 1957 and The Billy Barty Foundation in 1975. A champion for
knowledge of and acceptance of dwarfs, he once said, "The general public thinks
all little people are in circuses or sideshows. We have doctors, nurses, just
about every field covered." Barty also appeared with Elvis in the film "Harum
Scarum. "
In contrast, Richard Kiel played the 7' 2" strongman. He is likely best known
for his role as the steel-toothed character Jaws of the
films "The Spy Who Loved Me," "Moonraker" and "Inspector Gadget." Born in 1939,
he was a night club bouncer and a cemetery plot salesman before becoming an
actor in the late 1950s. He wrote, produced and starred in the 1991 film "The
Giant of Thunder Mountain." Since writing his autobiography in 2002, his
writing career has continued with novels.
In most of Elvis' s 31 feature films as an actor, there are various character
actors and actresses who have had small roles in more than one Elvis movie.
Some of them whose Elvis film roles include "Roustabout" are as follows: Fred
the pitcher was played by Steve Brodie. He also had rolls in both "Paradise,
Hawaiian Style" and "Blue Hawaii," playing an antagonist for Elvis to fight
with. Norman Grabowski played Sam in "Roustabout" and later played "Wolf Call"
O'Brien in "Girl Happy." Kenneth Becker played Gregg in "Roustabout" and was
also was in "Loving You," "GI Blues" and "Girls! Girls! Girls!" Joseph Forte
was a concessionaire in "Roustabout" and he also played in "Loving You." Mike
Mahoney was the deputy in "Roustabout" and had roles in "Loving You" and "It
Happened At The World's Fair." Lance Le Gault, Elvis's long-time movie double,
played a carnival barker in "Roustabout." Kent McCord, Elvis's friend and
fellow actor, had an uncredited role in "Roustabout" as he did in "Viva Las
Vegas," "Kissin' Cousins" and "Girl Happy." (McCord found fame in the 1970s
starring in the television series "Adam-12.")
Many of the women in Elvis's movies were dancers, models and beauty queens -
some of whom played in more than one Elvis film and some who went on to notable
show business careers:
Linda Rand played a college girl in "Roustabout" and she was in "Fun In
Acapulco" and "Girls! Girls! Girls!"
Sue Ane Langdon played Madame Mijanou in "Roustabout" and had a larger role
playing Mitzi in the 1966 "Frankie and Johnny." She has had a long career in
film and television, includeing two Golden Globe Award nominations for Best
Supporting Actress- TV and winning one in 1972 for her work on the TVseries
"Arnie."
Teri Garr played a carnival dancer in "Roustabout" and she danced in the Elvis
movies "Clambake," "Viva Las Vegas" "Kissin' Cousins" and "Fun In Acapulco."
The daughter of a dancer and a Broadway actor, she soon established herself as
an actress in both TV and film, receiving an Academy Award nomination for Best
Supporting Actress in the 1982 movie "Tootsie." Despite her current battle with
multiple sclerosis, she continues to perform. Among her jobs in recent years
was the recurring role of Phoebe's mother in the hit TV series "Friends."
Marianna Hill was Viola in "Roustabout" and played Lani Kaimana in "Paradise,
Hawaiian Style." Having lived in several countries, she has to ability to act
with various accents and dialects. She also has taught acting at the famous Lee
Strasberg Institute in London. Her birth name is Marianna Schwarzkopf and she
is a cousin to General Norman Schwarzkopf.
Joan Staley played Marge in "Roustabout" and Jonesy in the "Kissin' Cousins."
She was Playboy Playmate of the Month for November 1958.
Beauty queen turned actress, Raquel Welch enjoyed one of her first acting jobs
playing a college girl in Mother's Tea House scenes in "Roustabout." She has
had high-profile roles in film and television and on stage. She has been
nominated twice for a Golden Globe Award, winning one.
Wilda Taylor played Little Egypt, a dancer, in "Roustabout" and also had roles
in "Harum Scarum" and "Frankie and Johnny." Decades before "Roustabout," a
dancer actually known as Little Egypt was Catherine Devine, who danced at the
Chicago World's Fair in 1893. Three months after the release of "Roustabout,"
another professional dancer using the stage name Little Egypt sued Paramount,
RCA and Elvis Presley Music for $2.5 million in damages. She also sought an
injunction against showing the film and selling the LP, saying she did not
authorize the use of the song nor the name in the film. The song was written by
Jerry Leiber and Mike Stoller and had been recorded by The Coasters in 1961.
Miss Egypt lost her lawsuit.
Principal photography for "Roustabout" started on March 20, 1964. On that day
an article appeared in a Las Vegas newspaper that would hurt and haunt Elvis for
the rest of his life. "Would you believe that Richard Burton and Peter O'Toole
owe part of their current success to Elvis Presley?" was the title of the piece
that went on to say, "These two brilliant Shakespearean-trained actors, winning
worldwide acclaim for their performances in "Becket" might not have had the
opportunity to star in the picture, were it not for Sir Swivel Hips." Quoting
producer Hal Wallis, the article indicated that it was the profits from the
commercially successful, light-hearted Elvis movies that made it possible for
Wallis to fund the production of more "artistic pictures." The article was
picked up by the news services and printed throughout the country. For Elvis it
confirmed his fears that he was never going to be taken seriously as an actor.
"Roustabout" opened on November 11, 1964. As part of the promotion for the
film, a special copy of the title song was sent to the theaters. Instructions
to play one side with the song and an announcer saying "coming soon" before the
release of the film and then, after the release of the film, play the other side
with song and the announcer saying "now playing." The idea was to inspire
ticket sales in much the same manner as Elvis's character Charlie Rogers did in
the film. Today, these promotional singles are sought-after collectibles.
The movie was on Variety's chart for two weeks, peaking at #8 and reaching #28
on the list of films for the year of 1965. Meanwhile, Elvis was ranked the
sixth biggest money making movie star for 1964.