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The 10 Best Elvis Movies of All Time: Ranking the King of Rock and Roll’s Iconic Films

Entertainment

Jan 1, 2025 7:00 am·

By LOUISE A. BARILE

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Elvis Presley wasn’t just a talented musician — the rock ‘n’ roll icon also became America’s favorite film star. Closer ranks his 10 best movies over the years!

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10. ‘The Trouble With Girls’

“I want to become a good actor because you can’t build a whole career on just singing,” said Elvis, whose next-to-last film was a period piece set in the 1920s. The Trouble With Girls starred the performer as the new manager of a traveling show who gets caught up in a murder mystery in a small Iowa town.

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9. ‘Elvis on Tour’

This 1972 documentary followed the singer at his peak during a 15-city tour. A box-office success, it won a Golden Globe for Best Documentary Film. That’s no surprise, as the film’s creative split-screen images were edited by future Oscar winner Martin Scorsese.

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8. ‘G.I. Blues’

After his real-life Army discharge, Elvis filmed this 1960 comedy, whose soundtrack includes “Blue Suede Shoes.” He played a soldier who tries to raise the money to open a nightclub by betting who can successfully woo Juliet Prowse’s ice queen.

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7. ‘Love Me Tender’

Elvis made his film debut in this 1956 western set during the Civil War. He earned just $100,000 to play Clint Reno, a man in a competition with his older brother for the love of Debra Paget’s character.

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6. ‘Wild in the Country’

Elvis caused a sensation in 1960 when this musical drama filmed on location in California’s Napa Valley. It starred the singer as a man from a dysfunctional family who is branded a troublemaker, even as he yearns for a respectable life as a writer.

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The Best Elvis Movies of All Time Featured

5. ‘Flaming Star’

“I’d like to do a little more of a serious role,” said Elvis, who played a mixed-race man torn between his community of Texas ranchers and the local Kiowa tribe in this 1960 western, which had originally been intended as a vehicle for Marlon Brando. “My ambition is to progress as an actor,” he said.

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4. ‘Blue Hawaii’

The best of the three Elvis films shot in Hawaii, 1961’s Blue Hawaii featured the hit “Can’t Help Falling in Love.” In it, he played a recently discharged GI who needs to choose between his heart’s desire and his family’s expectations. Angela Lansbury played his mom!

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3. ‘Jailhouse Rock’

Although a success at the box office, this 1957 film in which Elvis played an ex-con turned rock star was a bittersweet experience because the film’s leading lady, Judy Tyler, died in a car crash shortly after filming. “Nothing has hurt me as bad in my life,” Elvis said.

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2. ‘Viva Las Vegas’

The obvious chemistry between Elvis and his costar Ann-Margret helped this musical about race car drivers competing for the same woman become one of 1964’s biggest hits. “He teased the heck out of me,” Ann-Margret recalls to Closer. “But you know what? I teased him right back. He wasn’t going to get away with that. We laughed so hard.”

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1. ‘King Creole’

Elvis called this 1958 film his personal favorite. Filmed just before Elvis’ military deployment, he played a troubled young man who flirts with a life of crime before finding salvation as a nightclub singer. “I think the kids watching the shooting in New Orleans got the biggest bang out of it,” recalled costar Carolyn Jones. “Whenever Elvis put a hand on me, they would go wild and scream and yell. He enjoyed it.”

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