Elvis Presley's entry into the world of cinema with *Love Me Tender* in 1956 was not a sudden whim but the culmination of long-held ambitions. Even before achieving widespread fame as a singer, Presley harbored a keen interest in acting, a passion he nurtured from his days as a cinema usher. His debut film, while ultimately a musical Western, initially presented him with a dramatic role that he approached with seriousness. This period marked a crucial
transition for Presley, as he navigated the expectations of Hollywood, the strategic vision of his manager, and his own artistic desires to be recognized as a serious film actor. His first screen test and the subsequent casting process reveal a determined artist eager to expand his creative horizons beyond music.
Early Aspirations and Screen Tests
Presley's interest in acting predated his musical breakthrough. As a youth, he worked as a cinema usher, where he would often watch his screen idols like James Dean, Marlon Brando, and Tony Curtis, studying their acting and even learning lines from their movies. Upon meeting his future manager, Colonel Tom Parker, Presley expressed his desire to act in films. In interviews during his rise to fame, he frequently spoke of his hopes to attend institutions like the Actors Studio. He also insisted that he did not wish to sing in his movies, aiming to be taken seriously as a film star. However, Parker had a different vision, planning to cross-promote Presley's films with his music, which ultimately made soundtracks as important, if not more so, than the scripts.
Presley's screen test for Hal Wallis took place on March 26, 1956, at Paramount Studios and lasted three days. During this test, he performed two scenes from *The Rainmaker* and lip-synched to "Blue Suede Shoes." Wallis's partner, Joe Hazen, remarked on Presley's potential as a straight actor. His first screen test, a scene from William Inge's play *The Girls of Summer*, even led drama coach Charlotte Clary to declare him a "natural born actor" to her class.
Securing the Role and Initial Hesitations
On April 2, Wallis offered Presley a contract for one motion picture with options for six more, finalized on April 25. The contract also allowed Presley to make at least one picture a year for other studios. Wallis, known for producing classics like *Casablanca*, promised Presley he would seek dramatic roles to foster his serious acting career. While Wallis considered Presley for films like *The Rat Race* and even mulled pairing him with Jerry Lewis, suitable projects for his debut proved elusive. Despite Presley confidently announcing in April that his debut would be *The Rainmaker* with Burt Lancaster and Katharine Hepburn, Wallis's inability to find a project "good enough" led to Presley being loaned out to 20th Century Fox on August 13, beginning work on *Love Me Tender* on August 22.
Presley's role in what was then *The Reno Brothers* had initially been turned down by Jeffrey Hunter and Robert Wagner due to its small size. According to his then-girlfriend, June Juanico, Presley was reluctant to take the role after learning his character died at the end. However, she persuaded him by suggesting that audiences often remembered characters with tragic fates. The casting was announced with James Drury, Cameron Mitchell, Presley, and Egan playing the four brothers, though Mitchell was later replaced by Neville Brand. The moment Presley's casting was made public, Fox was overwhelmed with fan inquiries, prompting the decision to expand his part and include songs, thus shaping his cinematic debut into the musical Western it became.
