Flaming Star
Encyclopedia
Flaming Star is a 1960
western film
starring Elvis Presley
, based on the book Flaming Lance (1958) by Clair Huffaker
. Critics agreed that Presley gave one of his best acting performances as the mixed-blood
"Pacer Burton", a dramatic role. The film was directed by Don Siegel
, and had a working title of Black Star. The movie reached #12 on the box office charts.
mother and a Texas
rancher father. His family, including a half-brother, Clint, live a typical life on the Texas frontier. Life 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.
finally decided to cast Presley in the lead role. Originally Frank Sinatra
and Marlon Brando
were lined up to play the brothers.
Presley's previous film, G.I. Blues
, had been a success at the box office and had led to one of his best selling albums
to that point. However, determined to be taken seriously as an actor, Presley asked for roles with fewer songs. Flaming Star was initially to include four songs, but after Presley demanded two of the songs be removed, it ended up with only the title song and a short number at the opening birthday party scene.
Barbara Steele
, a British actress originally signed to play the love interest, was replaced during filming by Barbara Eden
after studio executives decided that Steele's accent was too pronounced.
The film was released only one month after G.I. Blues but did not achieve the same degree of box office success, reaching number 12 on the Variety
Box Office survey for the week. Presley's next film, Wild in the Country
, also failed to impress fans or critics, and Colonel Tom Parker
used this to persuade Presley that his audience didn't want to see him in straight acting roles. This led to musical-comedies such as Blue Hawaii
and Kid Galahad
, which set the precedent for most of his roles for the rest of his career.
Publicity stills of Elvis from the film were used by Andy Warhol
to create several silkscreens: "Double Elvis," "Triple Elvis," and "Elvis 11 Times."
in Hollywood. Initially, four songs were composed for the movie, but "Britches" and "Summer Kisses Winter Tears" were dropped. The soundtrack
music in the film consists of only two songs, "Flaming Star" and "A Cane And A High Starched Collar." An early version of "Flaming Star," using the film's working title "Black Star," was recorded and later released in the 1990s
.
Two months after the film's premiere, RCA released the extended play single
Elvis By Request – Flaming Star, catalogue LPC 128, which peaked at #14 on the Billboard Hot 100
. It contained the title track and one of the rejected songs, "Summer Kisses, Winter Tears," along with two of Presley's chart-topping 1960 singles
, "Are You Lonesome Tonight?
" and "It's Now or Never
." "Summer Kisses" would appear on the anniversary compilation album Elvis for Everyone
five years later, and "A Cane And A High Starched Collar" would be released on Elvis: A Legendary Performer Volume 2
.
The song "Flaming Star" would be the title track of Elvis Sings Flaming Star
, available at first only through select retail stores featuring products by the Singer sewing machine company
as a promotional tie-in with Presley's 1968 Christmas television special
, which Singer had sponsored. This album would begin the series of Presley budget releases on the RCA Camden
subsidiary label.
Movie reviews
DVD reviews
1960 in film
The year 1960 in film involved some significant events, with Alfred Hitchcock's Psycho the top-grossing release in the U.S.-Events:* April 20 - for the first time since coming home from military service in Germany, Elvis Presley returns to Hollywood, California to film G.I...
western film
Western (genre)
The Western is a genre of various visual arts, such as film, television, radio, literature, painting and others. Westerns are devoted to telling stories set primarily in the latter half of the 19th century in the American Old West, hence the name. Some Westerns are set as early as the Battle of...
starring Elvis Presley
Elvis Presley
Elvis Aaron Presley was one of the most popular American singers of the 20th century. A cultural icon, he is widely known by the single name Elvis. He is often referred to as the "King of Rock and Roll" or simply "the King"....
, based on the book Flaming Lance (1958) by Clair Huffaker
Clair Huffaker
Clair Huffaker was a U.S. author of westerns and other fiction, many of which were turned into films.-Novels:*Cowboy *Flaming Lance *Posse From Hell *Guns of Rio Conchos...
. Critics agreed that Presley gave one of his best acting performances as the mixed-blood
Mixed-blood
The term mixed-blood in the United States is most often employed for individuals of mixed European and Native American ancestry who are not of Hispanic descent . Some of the most prominent in the 19th century were mixed-blood or mixed-race children born of marriages and unions between fur traders...
"Pacer Burton", a dramatic role. The film was directed by Don Siegel
Don Siegel
Donald Siegel was an influential American film director and producer. His name variously appeared in the credits of his films as both Don Siegel and Donald Siegel.-Early life:...
, and had a working title of Black Star. The movie reached #12 on the box office charts.
Synopsis
Elvis Presley plays Pacer Burton, the son of a KiowaKiowa
The Kiowa are a nation of American Indians and indigenous people of the Great Plains. They migrated from the northern plains to the southern plains in the late 17th century. In 1867, the Kiowa moved to a reservation in southwestern Oklahoma...
mother and a Texas
Texas
Texas is the second largest U.S. state by both area and population, and the largest state by area in the contiguous United States.The name, based on the Caddo word "Tejas" meaning "friends" or "allies", was applied by the Spanish to the Caddo themselves and to the region of their settlement in...
rancher father. His family, including a half-brother, Clint, live a typical life on the Texas frontier. Life 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 PresleyElvis PresleyElvis Aaron Presley was one of the most popular American singers of the 20th century. A cultural icon, he is widely known by the single name Elvis. He is often referred to as the "King of Rock and Roll" or simply "the King"....
as Pacer Burton - Barbara EdenBarbara EdenBarbara Eden is an American film and television actress and singer who is best known for her starring role in the sitcom I Dream of Jeannie.-Early years:...
as Roslyn Pierce - Steve Forrest as Clint Burton
- Dolores del RíoDolores del RíoDolores del Río was a Mexican film actress. She was a star of Hollywood films during the silent era and in the Golden Age of Hollywood...
as Neddy Burton - John McIntireJohn McIntireJohn McIntire was an American character actor.-Career:The craggy-faced film actor was born in Spokane in eastern Washington State but reared in Montana, growing up around ranchers and cowboys, an experience that would later inspire his performances in dozens of westerns.A graduate of USC, McIntire...
as Sam 'Pa' Burton - L.Q. Jones as Tom Howard
- Richard JaeckelRichard JaeckelRichard Hanley Jaeckel was an American actor of film and television.-Life and career:Jaeckel was born in Long Beach, New York. A short, but tough guy, he played a variety of characters during his fifty years in movies & television and became one of Hollywood's best known character actors...
as Angus Pierce - Rodolfo AcostaRodolfo AcostaRodolfo Acosta was a Mexican character actor, typically playing heavies in Hollywood westerns. Acosta was also a regular as Vaquero on The High Chaparral from 1967-69...
as Buffalo Horn - Karl SwensonKarl SwensonKarl Swenson was an American theatre, radio, film, and television actor.-Biography:Born in Brooklyn, New York of Swedish parentage, Swenson made several appearances with Pierre-Luc Michaud on Broadway in the 1930s and 40s, including the title role in Arthur Miller's first production, The Man Who...
as Dred Pierce - Ford RaineyFord RaineyFord Rainey was an American film, stage and television actor.-Early life:Rainey was born in Mountain Home, Idaho, the son of Vyrna , a teacher, and Archie Coleman Rainey. Rainey graduated from Centralia Junior College in Washington state and the Cornish Drama School in Seattle. He first acted on...
as Doc Phillips
Background
The film rights for Flaming Star had been circulating around Hollywood since 1958 when 20th Century Fox20th Century Fox
Twentieth Century Fox Film Corporation — also known as 20th Century Fox, or simply 20th or Fox — is one of the six major American film studios...
finally decided to cast Presley in the lead role. Originally Frank Sinatra
Frank Sinatra
Francis Albert "Frank" Sinatra was an American singer and actor.Beginning his musical career in the swing era with Harry James and Tommy Dorsey, Sinatra became an unprecedentedly successful solo artist in the early to mid-1940s, after being signed to Columbia Records in 1943. Being the idol of the...
and Marlon Brando
Marlon Brando
Marlon Brando, Jr. was an American movie star and political activist. "Unchallenged as the most important actor in modern American Cinema" according to the St...
were lined up to play the brothers.
Presley's previous film, G.I. Blues
G.I. Blues
G.I. Blues is a 1960 Elvis Presley musical motion picture played as a romantic comedy. It was filmed at Paramount's Hollywood studios, with some pre-production scenery shot on location in Germany before Presley's release from the army. The movie reached #2 on the Variety weekly national box office...
, had been a success at the box office and had led to one of his best selling albums
G.I. Blues (album)
G.I. Blues is the eleventh album by Elvis Presley, released on RCA Victor Records in mono and stereo, LPM/LSP 2256, in October 1960. Recording sessions took place on April 27 and 28, and May 6, 1960, at RCA Studio C and Radio Recorders in Hollywood, California. The album topped the Billboard Top...
to that point. However, determined to be taken seriously as an actor, Presley asked for roles with fewer songs. Flaming Star was initially to include four songs, but after Presley demanded two of the songs be removed, it ended up with only the title song and a short number at the opening birthday party scene.
Barbara Steele
Barbara Steele
Barbara Steele is an English film actress. She is best known for starring in Italian gothic horror films of the 1960s. Her breakthrough role came in Italian director Mario Bava's Black Sunday , now hailed as a classic.Steele starred in a string of horror films, including The Horrible Dr...
, a British actress originally signed to play the love interest, was replaced during filming by Barbara Eden
Barbara Eden
Barbara Eden is an American film and television actress and singer who is best known for her starring role in the sitcom I Dream of Jeannie.-Early years:...
after studio executives decided that Steele's accent was too pronounced.
The film was released only one month after G.I. Blues but did not achieve the same degree of box office success, reaching number 12 on the Variety
Variety (magazine)
Variety is an American weekly entertainment-trade magazine founded in New York City, New York, in 1905 by Sime Silverman. With the rise of the importance of the motion-picture industry, Daily Variety, a daily edition based in Los Angeles, California, was founded by Silverman in 1933. In 1998, the...
Box Office survey for the week. Presley's next film, Wild in the Country
Wild in the Country
Wild in the Country is a 1961 film drama starring Elvis Presley in which he portrays a troubled young man from a dysfunctional family who pursues a literary career. The screenplay was written by playwright Clifford Odets.-Synopsis:...
, also failed to impress fans or critics, and Colonel Tom Parker
Colonel Tom Parker
"Colonel" Thomas Andrew "Tom" Parker born Andreas Cornelis van Kuijk, was a Dutch-born entertainment impresario known best as the manager of Elvis Presley...
used this to persuade Presley that his audience didn't want to see him in straight acting roles. This led to musical-comedies such as Blue Hawaii
Blue Hawaii
Blue Hawaii is a 1961 musical film set in the state of Hawaii and starring Elvis Presley. The screenplay by Hal Kanter was nominated by the Writers Guild of America in 1962 in the category of Best Written American Musical. The movie opened at no...
and Kid Galahad
Kid Galahad
Kid Galahad is a 1962 musical film starring Elvis Presley as a boxer. The film was released by United Artists. The film opened at #9 at the box office when released in the United States in August 1962...
, which set the precedent for most of his roles for the rest of his career.
Publicity stills of Elvis from the film were used by Andy Warhol
Andy Warhol
Andrew Warhola , known as Andy Warhol, was an American painter, printmaker, and filmmaker who was a leading figure in the visual art movement known as pop art...
to create several silkscreens: "Double Elvis," "Triple Elvis," and "Elvis 11 Times."
Soundtrack
Recording sessions took place on August 8 and October 7, 1960, at Radio RecordersRadio Recorders
Radio Recorders, Inc. was a recording studio based in Los Angeles, California. Famous musicians to have been recorded in the studio include Charlie Parker, Jimmie Rodgers, Louis Armstrong, Elvis Presley, Jimi Hendrix, Frank Zappa, and The Carpenters among others. In its prime, the studio was known...
in Hollywood. Initially, four songs were composed for the movie, but "Britches" and "Summer Kisses Winter Tears" were dropped. The soundtrack
Soundtrack
A soundtrack can be recorded music accompanying and synchronized to the images of a motion picture, book, television program or video game; a commercially released soundtrack album of music as featured in the soundtrack of a film or TV show; or the physical area of a film that contains the...
music in the film consists of only two songs, "Flaming Star" and "A Cane And A High Starched Collar." An early version of "Flaming Star," using the film's working title "Black Star," was recorded and later released in the 1990s
1990s
File:1990s decade montage.png|From left, clockwise: The Hubble Space Telescope floats in space after it was taken up in 1990; American F-16s and F-15s fly over burning oil fields and the USA Lexie in Operation Desert Storm, also known as the 1991 Gulf War; The signing of the Oslo Accords on...
.
Two months after the film's premiere, RCA released the extended play single
Extended play
An EP is a musical recording which contains more music than a single, but is too short to qualify as a full album or LP. The term EP originally referred only to specific types of vinyl records other than 78 rpm standard play records and LP records, but it is now applied to mid-length Compact...
Elvis By Request – Flaming Star, catalogue LPC 128, which peaked at #14 on the Billboard Hot 100
Billboard Hot 100
The Billboard Hot 100 is the United States music industry standard singles popularity chart issued weekly by Billboard magazine. Chart rankings are based on radio play and sales; the tracking-week for sales begins on Monday and ends on Sunday, while the radio play tracking-week runs from Wednesday...
. It contained the title track and one of the rejected songs, "Summer Kisses, Winter Tears," along with two of Presley's chart-topping 1960 singles
Single (music)
In music, a single or record single is a type of release, typically a recording of fewer tracks than an LP or a CD. This can be released for sale to the public in a variety of different formats. In most cases, the single is a song that is released separately from an album, but it can still appear...
, "Are You Lonesome Tonight?
Are You Lonesome Tonight? (song)
"Are You Lonesome Tonight?" is a popular song with music by Lou Handman and lyrics by Roy Turk. It was written in 1926, first published in 1927 and most notably revived by Elvis Presley in 1960 ....
" and "It's Now or Never
It's Now or Never (song)
"It's Now or Never" is a popular song recorded by Elvis Presley and published by Gladys Music, Elvis Presley's publishing company, in 1960. The melody of the song is adapted from the Italian standard, "'O Sole Mio", but the inspiration for it came from the song, "There's No Tomorrow", recorded by...
." "Summer Kisses" would appear on the anniversary compilation album Elvis for Everyone
Elvis for Everyone
Elvis for Everyone! is the twenty-third album by Elvis Presley, issued on RCA Victor in mono and stereo, LPM/LSP 3450, in August 1965. Recording sessions took place over a ten-year span at Sun Studio in Memphis, RCA Studio B in Nashville, Tennessee, and Radio Recorders in Hollywood, California...
five years later, and "A Cane And A High Starched Collar" would be released on Elvis: A Legendary Performer Volume 2
Elvis: A Legendary Performer Volume 2
Elvis: A Legendary Performer Volume 2 is a compilation album featuring recordings by American singer Elvis Presley. As with the first volume of the series, issued in 1974, the collection was a mixture of previously released and never-before-released recordings...
.
The song "Flaming Star" would be the title track of Elvis Sings Flaming Star
Elvis Sings Flaming Star
Singer Presents Elvis Singing Flaming Star and Others is the thirty-third album by Elvis Presley, released on RCA Records in stereo, PRS 279, in October 1968...
, available at first only through select retail stores featuring products by the Singer sewing machine company
Singer Corporation
Singer Corporation is a manufacturer of sewing machines, first established as I.M. Singer & Co. in 1851 by Isaac Merritt Singer with New York lawyer Edward Clark. Best known for its sewing machines, it was renamed Singer Manufacturing Company in 1865, then The Singer Company in 1963. It is...
as a promotional tie-in with Presley's 1968 Christmas television special
Elvis Presley's '68 Comeback Special
Elvis, starring Elvis Presley, was the title of a 1968 United States television special. Sponsored by The Singer Sewing Machine Company, it aired on December 2, 1968 on the NBC television network...
, which Singer had sponsored. This album would begin the series of Presley budget releases on the RCA Camden
RCA Camden
RCA Camden was a budget record label of recordings, first introduced by RCA Victor.-History:The label was named after Camden, New Jersey, original home to the Victor Talking Machine Company, later RCA Records. It specialized in reissuing historic classical and popular recordings from the RCA catalog...
subsidiary label.
Personnel
- Elvis PresleyElvis PresleyElvis Aaron Presley was one of the most popular American singers of the 20th century. A cultural icon, he is widely known by the single name Elvis. He is often referred to as the "King of Rock and Roll" or simply "the King"....
– vocals - The JordanairesThe JordanairesThe Jordanaires are an American vocal quartet, which formed as a gospel group in 1948. They are best known for providing vocal background for Elvis Presley, in live appearances and recordings from 1956 to 1972...
– background vocals - Howard RobertsHoward RobertsHoward Roberts was an American jazz guitarist, educator and session musician.-Biography:Roberts was born in Phoenix, Arizona, and began playing guitar at age 8. By the time he was 15 he was playing professionally locally....
, Tiny TimbrellTiny TimbrellHilmer J. Timbrell was a Canadian-born session musician and master guitarist.Hilmer J. "Tiny" Timbrell was born in Canada but moved to Los Angeles, California to pursue his career in music...
– electric guitarsElectric GuitarsElectric Guitars were formed early in 1980 by Neil Davenport and Richard Hall who were both studying English at Bristol University. The band soon increased to a five-man line-up, with Andy Saunders , Matt Salt and Dick Truscott , they also later added two backing singers: Sara and Wendy... - Jimmie HaskellJimmie HaskellJimmie Haskell born Sheridan Pearlman 1936 in Brooklyn, New York is a prolific American composer and arranger for a variety of popular singers and motion pictures.-Biography:...
– accordionAccordionThe accordion is a box-shaped musical instrument of the bellows-driven free-reed aerophone family, sometimes referred to as a squeezebox. A person who plays the accordion is called an accordionist.... - Dudley Brooks – pianoPianoThe piano is a musical instrument played by means of a keyboard. It is one of the most popular instruments in the world. Widely used in classical and jazz music for solo performances, ensemble use, chamber music and accompaniment, the piano is also very popular as an aid to composing and rehearsal...
- Myer Rubin – bassBass guitarThe bass guitar is a stringed instrument played primarily with the fingers or thumb , or by using a pick....
- Bernie Mattinson, Buddy HarmanBuddy HarmanBuddy Harman was an American session musician.-Career:Born in Nashville, Tennessee, he played drums on over 18,000 sessions for artists such as Elvis Presley, Patsy Cline, Dolly Parton, Brenda Lee, Tammy Wynette, Loretta Lynn, Roy Orbison, Connie Francis, Chet Atkins, Marty Robbins, Roger Miller,...
, drumsDrum kitA drum kit is a collection of drums, cymbals and often other percussion instruments, such as cowbells, wood blocks, triangles, chimes, or tambourines, arranged for convenient playing by a single person ....
Side one
| Track | Recorded | Song Title | Writers | Time |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1. | 10/7/60 | Flaming Star | Sherman Edwards Sherman Edwards Sherman Edwards was an American songwriter.-Biography:Edwards was born in New York City and was raised in Weequahic, New Jersey, where he attended Weequahic High School. He attended Columbia University, where he majored in history. Throughout college, Edwards moonlighted, playing jazz piano for... and Sid Wayne Sid Wayne Sid Wayne was an American songwriter, lyricist and composer, who wrote a number of well-known songs from the 1950s to the 1980s... |
2:25 |
| 2. | 8/8/60 | Summer Kisses Winter Tears | Ben Weisman Ben Weisman Ben Weisman was an eccentric American composer significant for having written more songs recorded by Elvis Presley than any other songwriter in history. The "Mad Professor" as Weisman was nicknamed by Elvis, worked with the King from 1956 to 1971... , Fred Wise Fred Wise (lyricist) Fred Wise was the co-writer of the lyrics to the 1948 song "'A' — You're Adorable" with Buddy Kaye. He subsequently wrote many of the songs sung by Elvis Presley in his movies.... , Jack Lloyd |
2:17 |
Side two
| Track | Recorded | Catalogue | Release Date | Chart Peak | Song Title | Writers | Time |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1. | 4/3/60 | 47-7810 | 11/1/60 | #1 | Are You Lonesome Tonight? Are You Lonesome Tonight? (song) "Are You Lonesome Tonight?" is a popular song with music by Lou Handman and lyrics by Roy Turk. It was written in 1926, first published in 1927 and most notably revived by Elvis Presley in 1960 .... |
Lou Handman Lou Handman Lou Handman is a composer born in New York City on September 10, 1894 and died in Flushing, New York on December 9, 1956. In his early career toured in vaudeville shows in Australia and New York. Handman worked closely with Roy Turk... and Roy Turk Roy Turk Roy Kenneth Turk was an American songwriter. A lyricist, he frequently collaborated with composer Fred E. Ahlert – their popular 1928 song "Mean to Me" has become a jazz standard. He worked with many other composers, including for film lyrics... |
3:05 |
| 2. | 4/3/60 | 47-7777 | 7/5/60 | #1 | It's Now or Never It's Now or Never (song) "It's Now or Never" is a popular song recorded by Elvis Presley and published by Gladys Music, Elvis Presley's publishing company, in 1960. The melody of the song is adapted from the Italian standard, "'O Sole Mio", but the inspiration for it came from the song, "There's No Tomorrow", recorded by... |
Eduardo di Capua Eduardo di Capua Eduardo di Capua was an Italian singer and songwriter.-Biography:He was born in Naples in 1865. Together with the poet Giovanni Capurro, di Capua wrote the song "'O Sole Mio", which has since been recorded by many singers, both classical and popular... , Aaron Schroeder, Wally Gold Wally Gold Wally Gold was an American musician, singer, songwriter, record producer, and music business executive from Teaneck, New Jersey.-Personal life:... |
3:15 |
See also
- List of American films of 1960
- List of Elvis Presley films
- Elvis Presley discographyElvis Presley discographyThe discography of Elvis Presley starts on July 19, 1954, with the release of his first commercial single, and ends in February 1978. Presley's final album, Elvis in Concert, and final two singles, "My Way" and "Unchained Melody", although released after his death are considered part of the...
External links
Movie reviews
- Movie review by For Elvis Fans Only
- Review by Rachel Sanders at Apollo Movie Guide.
DVD reviews
- Review by Jon Danziger at digitallyOBSESSED!, August 12, 2002.