Flaming Star

Infobox Film
name = Flaming Star


image_size =
caption = Theatrical release poster
director = Don Siegel
Michael D. Moore
producer = David Weisbart
writer = Clair Huffaker (novel)
Clair Huffaker
Nunnally Johnson
narrator =
starring = Elvis Presley
Barbara Eden
music = Cyril J. Mockridge
cinematography = Charles G. Clarke
editing = Hugh S. Fowler
distributor = 20th Century Fox
released = December 20, 1960
runtime = 101 min.
country = United States
language = English
budget =
preceded_by =
followed_by =
website =
amg_id =
imdb_id = 0053825

"Flaming Star" is a 1960 western film starring Elvis Presley, based on the book "Flaming Lance" (1958) by Clair Huffaker. A dramatic role, it is said that Elvis Presley gave one of his best acting performances as the half-breed "Pacer Burton." The film's working title was "Black Star". It was directed by Don Siegel.

Plot

Elvis Presley plays Pacer Burton, the son of a Kiowa mother and a Texas rancher father. Along with his half-brother, Clint, the four of them live a typical life on the Texas frontier. Life soon becomes anything but typical when a nearby tribe of Kiowa begin raiding neighboring homesteads. Pacer soon finds himself caught between the two worlds, part of both but belonging to neither.

Primary cast

*Elvis Presley as Pacer Burton
*Barbara Eden as Roslyn Pierce
*Steve Forrest as Clint Burton
*Dolores del Rio as Neddy Burton
*John McIntire as Sam 'Pa' Burton
*Rodolfo Acosta as Buffalo Horn
*Karl Swenson as Dred Pierce
*Ford Rainey as Doc Phillips

oundtrack

The soundtrack was not released as an album as the film contains only two songs; only "Flaming Star" was released on an EP entitled "Elvis By Request - Flaming Star" to coincide with the film's release. Two other songs, "Britches" and "Summer Kisses, Winter Tears", were originally scheduled to be part of the movie but in the end were not included. "Summer Kisses" was released on the "Elvis by Request" EP and would later appear on the compilation album "Elvis for Everyone" five years later. "Britches" and "Cane and a High Starched Collar" (the second song to actually be included in the film) would not be released until after Presley's death as part of RCA Records' "A Legendary Performer" series. An early version of "Flaming Star", using the film's working title, "Black Star", was also recorded and not released until the 1990s.

"Flaming Star" was the first Presley film not to have a full soundtrack release in either LP or EP form (although the "Elvis by Request" release come close). This would happen again in 1961 with "Wild in the Country", and become standard procedure for Presley's later films, beginning with "Stay Away, Joe".

Recording musicians

*Elvis Presley (vocals)
*The Jordanaires (background vocals)
*Howard Roberts, Tiny Timbrell (guitars)
*Myer Rubin, (bass)
*Bernie Mattinson, Buddy Harman, (drums)
*Jimmie Haskell (accordion)
*Dudley Brooks (piano)

Tracks (songwriter)

*"Flaming Star" - (Sid Wayne & Sherman Edwards)
*"A Cane and a High Starched Collar" - (Sid Tepper & Roy C. Bennett)

Trivia

* This was Elvis' first non-musical film role. It did not perform as well at the box office as his musicals, leading Colonel Tom Parker to decree that Presley would perform only in musicals from here on. Elvis wouldn't release another non-musical film until 1969's "Charro!" -- another western.
* The role of Pacer was originally written for Marlon Brando, whilst Frank Sinatra was suggested for the role of the elder brother.
* The original female lead was English actress Barbara Steele who was replaced with Barbara Eden during filming
* This movie's publicity still of Elvis was used by Andy Warhol to create several silkscreens: "Double Elvis", "Triple Elvis", and "Elvis 11 Times".

ee also

*List of Elvis Presley films
*Elvis Presley discography

External links

*imdb title|id=0053825|title=Flaming Star
* [http://www.elvis-presley-biography.com/ElvisWomen-BarbaraEden.htm 'Flaming Star' co-star, Barbara Eden, remembers Elvis Presley] at [http://www.elvis-presley-biography.com/ ElvisPresleyBiography.com] .

Movie reviews

* [http://www.elvispresley.com.au/elvis/presley/flaming_star.shtml Movie review] by [http://www.elvispresley.com.au/ For Elvis Fans Only]

* [http://apolloguide.com/mov_fullrev.asp?CID=4386&Specific=5168 Review] by Rachel Sanders at [http://apolloguide.com/index.shtml Apollo Movie Guide] .

DVD reviews

* [http://www.digitallyobsessed.com/showreview.php3?ID=3792 Review] by Jon Danziger at [http://www.digitallyobsessed.com/index.php3 digitallyOBSESSED!] , August 12, 2002.