Love Me Tender

Elvis Presley stars in this 1956 Musical - Love Me Tender

Love Me Tender is an American black and white motion picture directed by Robert D. Webb, and released by 20th Century Fox on November 15, 1956. The film, named after the song, stars Richard Egan, Debra Paget, and Elvis Presley in his film debut. It is in the Western genre with musical numbers. Because it was Presley's movie debut, it was the only time in his acting career that he did not receive top billing.Love Me Tender was originally to be titled The Reno Brothers, but when advanced sales of Presley's "Love Me Tender" single passed one million—a first for a single—the film title was changed to match.

Presley plays Clint Reno, one of the Reno brothers who stayed home while his brother went to fight in the American Civil War for the Confederate Army. The family is mistakenly informed that one of the brothers, Vance, has been killed on the battlefield. When his brother Vance comes back from the war, he finds that his old girlfriend, Cathy, has married Clint. Although Vance accepts this wholeheartedly ("We always wanted Cathy in the family"), the family has to struggle to reach stability with this issue. As a Confederate soldier, Vance is involved in a train robbery, in which he steals Federal Government money. A conflict of interest ensues when Vance tries to return the money against the wishes of some of his fellow Confederates. The film reaches its tragic conclusion with a gunfight between the two Reno brothers, ironically ending with Clint's murder.

     

Watch Presley in the Movie Classic "Love me Tender"



Movie Soundtrack
The film was originally intended to be a straight acting role for Presley, but due to the popularity of the single Love Me Tender and Colonel Tom Parker's desire to promote Presley's films with a soundtrack and vice versa, four songs were added to the film.

Instead of a full long-playing album soundtrack, for Love Me Tender the four songs appearing in the film were released as an extended-play, seven-inch 45 RPM record on RCA Records, Love Me Tender, catalogue EPA 4006, during November 1956. It peaked at #9 on Top Pop Albums chart, as well as making it to #35 on the singles chart. The four EP soundtrack songs were recorded at Fox's Stage One in Hollywood, at three sessions in August, September, and October 1956.

The title song had already been released as a single on September 28, 1956, and went to #1 on the singles chart. The music was based on the Civil War ballad "Aura Lee," with new lyrics by Ken Darby. Darby, in fact, wrote all of the soundtrack songs, but credited them to his wife, Vera Matson, while the Colonel cut his publishing company, Hill and Range, in on the royalties by further crediting the writing to Presley as well.

A reprise of "Love Me Tender" was also recorded and is heard at the end of the film; this short track was not released until after Presley's death. The sessions for these songs were the only time in the decade that Presley recorded with musicians outside his regular coterie
Wikipedia.