Elvis Presley starred in Viva Las Vegas in 1964, which is generally regarded by fans and critics as one of his best movies. One of the reasons it worked so well was due to his co-star, Ann-Margaret.
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The two had undeniable chemistry, which propelled the story and their characters forward. Ann-Margaret was often considered a match for Presley, finally. He mostly overshadowed his female co-stars, as she did with her own male counterparts. With Margaret, Presley was suddenly on the same level as his romantic interest.
They hit it off immediately, bonding over music at first. Eventually, they began a romantic affair during filming that lasted for a bit after the movie was finished. However, both Presley and Margaret had obligations in their lives. He went on to marry Priscilla Beaulieu on May 1, 1967. She married Roger Smith on May 8, 1967.
Still, in her 1994 memoir, Ann-Margaret recalled a sensitive and vulnerable side to Elvis Presley. While they ended their romantic relationship, they remained friends until his death in 1977.
Ann-Margaret’s Experience With a More Sensitive Elvis Presley
In her book, Ann-Margaret described meeting Elvis Presley for the first time. Apparently, the gravity of the moment was lost on both of them. They simply shook hands and greeted each other with polite friendliness. However, they were soon inseparable.
“Initially, Elvis and I might’ve admitted that the only heat between us came from the hot desert sun. But others saw sparks from the start,” Margaret wrote. They discovered mutual interests beyond a passion for music; motorcycles, religion, family, and a desire for privacy in their lives.
As Margaret wrote, they would have late-night talks alone. Then, Elvis Presley opened up to her like never before.
“Like everyone else, Elvis had dreams and desires, hopes and hurts, wants and weaknesses,” she wrote. “He didn’t reveal this vulnerable side until everyone had disappeared, until those private moments when we were alone, after darkness had blanketed the city and we’d parked somewhere up in the hills and could look down upon the sprawl of L.A. or up at the stars.”
Though they eventually parted romantically, they never really left each other’s lives. Ann-Margaret would go to many of Presley’s Las Vegas shows. In turn, when she started performing in Vegas, he would send flower arrangements to her dressing room. After a show in August 1977, when she noticed there were no flowers in her room, she knew something was wrong.
According to Margaret, she also stayed good friends with Presley’s father, Vernon, until his death. When she attended Presley’s funeral in Memphis, she embraced Vernon.
“There was so much to say, to recount,” she wrote, “but instead, we cried.” She also recalled what Vernon said to her as they embraced: “He was so proud of you.”
Photo by Sunset Boulevard/Corbis via Getty Images
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