Ann-Margret and Elvis Presley… A Viva Las Vegas Love Story
Apart from his family, Ann-Margret held a uniquely significant place in Elvis Presley’s life. Starring alongside him in the 1963 film Viva Las Vegas, she became the most unforgettable of all his Hollywood leading ladies. The special bond they developed over the years stands out as a fairytale chapter in Presley’s remarkable yet ultimately tragic life, which came to a sorrowful end in 1977.
The Swedish-born Ann-Margret first encountered Elvis Presley in early July 1963 on a Hollywood soundstage at Radio Recorders studios. That day, they were introduced both to each other and to the press as the stars of MGM’s highly anticipated film, Viva Las Vegas. At the time, 28-year-old Presley was already a seasoned actor, embarking on his 14th film. In contrast, 22-year-old Ann-Margret was just beginning her meteoric rise. Her previous movie, Bye Bye Birdie, had premiered only three months earlier and instantly catapulted her to stardom. (Dick Van Dyke, who starred with her in Birdie, famously quipped that the film could have been called The Ann-Margret Story.)
Reflecting on their first meeting in her 1994 autobiography, Ann-Margret wrote:
“Except for a piano, the MGM soundstage where Elvis and I met was empty. In the background, a few of his guys hung around observing their boss, a ritual I would soon come to expect. Under the watchful gaze of director George Sidney, a studio photographer snapped shots of what the film company executives figured would be a historic moment.”
“‘Elvis Presley, I’d like you to meet a wonderful young lady, Ann-Margret,’ George Sidney announced. ‘Ann-Margret, this is Elvis Presley.’ At that moment, neither Elvis nor I really grasped the significance of the introduction. I extended my hand, and he shook it softly. We both said, ‘I’ve heard a lot about you,’ at the exact same time, which made us laugh and instantly eased the tension.”
That introduction not only marked the start of their professional collaboration, but also the beginning of a more personal connection. “I’m not entirely sure why I felt so composed meeting ‘the King,’” Ann-Margret reflected. “After all, this was Elvis—a man who had won the hearts of nearly every woman in America. Little did I know, he would soon win mine as well.”
Before filming officially began, Elvis and Ann-Margret first needed to record their musical numbers. On July 9 and 10, each of them laid down their solo tracks at Radio Recorders. Then, on July 11, they joined forces in the studio to record three duets: “The Lady Loves Me,” “You’re the Boss,” and “Today, Tomorrow, and Forever.”
Just three days later, the cast and crew made their way to Las Vegas, checking in at the Sahara Hotel. Filming on location in the city kicked off on July 15 and continued through July 26. After the weekend, production shifted back to Los Angeles, where shooting resumed at MGM studios and lasted through August into the first week of September.
Ann-Margret quickly realized that their on-screen partnership was something special. “I’m sure the producers knew that a fast-paced, boy-meets-girl musical would only benefit if the chemistry between Lucky and Rusty was right,” she recalled. “At first, Elvis and I might have joked that the only heat between us came from the desert sun, but others noticed sparks from the very beginning.” Soon, their connection became apparent to everyone. As one Associated Press correspondent observed, “They hold hands. They disappear into his dressing room between shots. They lunch together in seclusion.”
Ann-Margret recalled that the sheer energy of music instantly connected her with Elvis:
“We both experienced music on a deeply instinctive level. For Elvis and for me, music sparked an intense, almost uncontrollable passion. It was strange, sometimes embarrassing, often funny, but always inspiring and wonderful. As we watched each other move, it felt like looking in a mirror. When Elvis thrust his pelvis, mine followed suit. If his shoulder dropped, I matched him. When he spun, I was already turning on my heel.”
As their collaboration continued, Ann-Margret realized just how much she and Elvis had in common. Beyond their shared love of music, they both enjoyed motorcycles, valued family, craved privacy, were devoted to their faith, and cherished late-night conversations. Early in the filming process, Elvis invited her to join him and his friends for a show in Las Vegas. “It was a simple, friendly outing,” she recalled. “I was used to having my parents along on dates, so being with Elvis’ entourage didn’t bother me at all. His guys always treated me with great respect.”
Elvis’s friends always felt at ease when Ann-Margret was around. “She made his life a little easier because she understood him and didn’t put any demands on him,” recalled Elvis’s cousin, Billy Smith. “She even got why he needed us. Priscilla never understood that.”
Marty Lacker added, “Ann genuinely liked people, and she liked every one of us. She wasn’t intimidated or threatened by us, and I think she respected us too. We had a lot of fun with her. She had a great sense of humor. We nicknamed her ‘Rusty’ because that was her character’s name in the movie—and of course, because of her red hair.”
As Elvis grew more comfortable with Ann-Margret, they began spending more time alone together. “I realized I’d crossed into new, uncharted territory when Elvis asked to be alone with me. Over time, the fact that it happened more often made me happy—it meant Elvis truly trusted me.”
In those private moments, Elvis opened up to her more than he ever had with anyone else. Ann-Margret felt she came to know his heart intimately:
“Like everyone, Elvis had dreams, desires, hopes, hurts, wants, and weaknesses. But he only showed this vulnerable side when everyone else had gone—those quiet moments when we were alone, after darkness had fallen, parked somewhere high in the hills, gazing down at the lights of L.A. or up at the stars.”
• The camera angle controversy
During the filming of Viva Las Vegas, the biggest challenge to the relationship between Elvis Presley and Ann-Margret wasn’t personal animosity, but rather their equally strong egos. Ann-Margret openly acknowledged her own, and Elvis’s was undeniable. This tension was exacerbated by director George Sidney’s alleged favoritism towards Ann-Margret during production.
Elvis’s close associates—Red West, Lamar Fike, Joe Esposito, and Sonny West—all claimed that Sidney gave Ann-Margret more flattering camera angles, often at Elvis’s expense. Red West recalled Elvis “complain[ing] bitterly to us that the sonofabitch was trying to cut him out of the picture” after watching the daily rushes. These grievances reportedly reached Colonel Parker, Elvis’s manager, who then confronted Sidney.
According to Presley biographer Peter Guralnick, Parker reminded the producers that Viva Las Vegas was fundamentally an “Elvis Presley picture.” He dismissed MGM’s argument that highlighting Ann-Margret would broaden the film’s appeal. Guralnick even reported that Parker leveraged his influence to have two of the three duets recorded by the stars removed from the final cut.
Despite these on-set power struggles, the finished film clearly showcases Elvis’s musical prominence. He performs six solo numbers compared to Ann-Margret’s two. While Ann-Margret’s dancing prowess was prominently featured, Viva Las Vegas ultimately solidified its identity as an Elvis Presley film, with Ann-Margret as a strong and memorable leading lady. Notably, none of Elvis’s loyalists blamed Ann-Margret for the perceived directorial favoritism, and she herself remained silent on the controversy in her own memoirs.
While Elvis may have shown flashes of professional jealousy regarding camera angles, it never tainted his personal connection with Ann-Margret. Their relationship quickly blossomed into a passionate love affair. Lamar Fike, a close associate of Elvis, stated, “Elvis’ affair with Ann-Margret was not just an affair. He was really in love with her. It got hot and heavy.” Marty Lacker added, “Neither one of them was married, and they really cared a lot about each other… and Priscilla was back at Graceland.”
Ann-Margret, in her autobiography, chose to focus less on the intimate details of their romance and more on the shared adventures they experienced as close companions, such as their motorcycle rides.
The intimate bond between Elvis and Ann-Margret clearly extended well beyond the wrap of Viva Las Vegas. Jerry Schilling, in his book, recounts seeing Ann-Margret enter Elvis’s California home late one night in the fall of 1964 using her own key, heading directly to his bedroom. Marty Lacker further revealed, “She used to write him letters and sign them ‘Bunny’ or ‘Thumper.’ And she’d call Graceland and use the same code.” Ann-Margret herself acknowledged the depth of their connection in her autobiography, stating, “Elvis knew I loved pink and had commissioned a round, pink bed in a moment of tenderness.”
• Elvis had to fulfill his commitment
Ann-Margret sensed that their love affair, however passionate, was destined to end. She explained in her autobiography, “There were other factors in Elvis’s life that forced him apart from me, and I understood them. Elvis had always been honest with me, but still it was a confusing situation. We continued to see each other periodically, until we had dated for almost a year. Then everything halted. We knew the relationship had to end, that Elvis had to fulfill his commitment.”
That commitment was his marriage to Priscilla in Las Vegas on May 1, 1967. Ann-Margret made a similar commitment just a week later, marrying actor Roger Smith in the same city.
Despite the end of their romance, Elvis and Ann-Margret remained devoted friends for the remaining decade of his life. When she made her Las Vegas stage debut in June 1967, Elvis sent her a guitar-shaped floral arrangement, a tradition he continued for all her Las Vegas openings. Ann-Margret was in the audience for Elvis’s opening at the International Hotel on July 31, 1969, as confirmed by Lamar Fike. Throughout the 1970s, they made an effort to attend each other’s Las Vegas shows and visit backstage whenever possible.
The 1970s also saw both stars grapple with substance dependency. While Elvis struggled with prescription medication abuse, Ann-Margret battled alcohol addiction. She candidly shared, “I reached a point where my days and nights blended into one continuous, foggy state of inebriation. I’d drink a fifth of scotch, pass out, wake up, drink some more, and pass out again. I suffered periods that I couldn’t remember.”
Ann-Margret successfully overcame her addiction, but Elvis did not. In early 1977, rumors of Elvis’s declining health reached her. When Joe Esposito attended her show at the Tropicana in Las Vegas, she inquired about Elvis’s well-being. “Don’t worry,” he reassured her, “Everything’s fine. There’re a few problems, but we’re taking care of them.”
• Ann-Margret faithful to the end
On August 15, 1977, as Ann-Margret opened at the Hilton, a familiar gesture was notably absent: for the first time in a decade, no flower arrangement or telegram arrived from Elvis. The devastating news came the following morning with a phone call from Graceland. Joe Esposito, anticipating the chaos in Memphis for the funeral, advised her against coming. “We’re coming,” she insisted. Upon her arrival at Graceland, she and Vernon Presley embraced. “There was so much to say, to recount,” she remembered, “but instead, we cried.” Vernon softly told her, “He was so proud of you.”
Three months later, Elvis’s father and Colonel Parker asked Ann-Margret to host a two-hour NBC tribute, Memories of Elvis. She described it as one of the most “difficult, wrenching jobs” she had ever undertaken.
In early 1979, upon learning of Vernon Presley’s serious illness, Ann-Margret flew to Memphis to visit him. “We had a good visit, laughing and crying and trading stories,” she recalled. “He told me how much he missed his son, and I said that I missed him, too.” To offer comfort, she occasionally called Vernon in the months leading up to his death on June 26, 1979.
Marty Lacker, one of Elvis’s best men at his wedding, once mused, “If Elvis had ended up with Thumper, this whole story might have wound up differently.” The question of whether Ann-Margret could have saved Elvis when others couldn’t remains a poignant, albeit moot, point. Even at the height of their love affair, both understood it was a connection that could never endure.
— Alan Hanson | © January 2014
