Viva Pod Vegas: The Elvis Presley Film Podcast

We've made it to Elvis's "big movie" (biggest ever? biggest so far? who can say?!), as he teams up with Ann-Margret for our namesake, Viva Las Vegas! After opening the mailbag (and finding more kindred Elvis spirits), we talk about the disorienting ADR in this movie, explore more bad taglines, and officially enter "the Ann-Margret era." (This lasts exactly one film.) We find out how Col. Tom Parker rears his ugly head once again, talk about the heavy "Toretto vibes" in this movie, and try to make sense of Ann-Margret's dancing style. We reflect back on Fun in Acapulco, wonder if we've uncovered a unifying Elvis character theory, and break down the inconsistent music reality of Viva Las Vegas. We talk about the movie forgetting (then remembering in the last moments) how it's about a racecar driver. We make our guesses for Roustabout, then peek ahead to see how far off we were.

We're back with a brand new episode of Viva Pod Vegas, and we're talking all about Kissin' Cousins! (Hoo boy.) After briefly discussing how the movie passes Joey's one ask of Elvis movies, we share lots of Elvis news before Mike vamps about Joey's cats and then reads between the lines of the movie's taglines. We try to make sense of Kittyhawks, discuss why Elvis hated this movie, and wonder why it decides to begin in such a misleading way. We talk about the Elvis movie charm NOT working (for once!), what "kissin' cousins" means, and why this movie seems more pro-polygamy (and hornier) than his other movies. We look ahead to Harum Scarum, learn lessons from the titular song "Kissin' Cousins," and plan for the (long distant) future of the podcast. Also: Batgirl is back, girl.

We're headed down to Mexico -- without Elvis, though, and we'll explain why he isn't allowed to join us -- to talk about Fun in Acapulco! We're talking about *another* Elvis character named Mike, love triangles on (and off?!) screen, and Col. Tom Parker's soundtrack mandate (and how that will become the "new normal" for Elvis movies). Joey shares the craziest bit of Elvis movie trivia we've found so far (to which Mike wonders, "Why even make this movie?). We talk about Elvis's ability to sing in Spanish, him having fun again on screen, and the craziest Elvis character backstory so far. We discuss remaking Elvis movies, his first on-screen appearance with a cape, and an on-screen Col. Tom Parker stand-in. We also talk about how Fun in Acapulco gives us another huge Elvis song ("Bossa Nova Baby") and a Top Gun-esque ending and reconciliation. We try to make sense of our "forced songs" game scale and peek ahead to our next episode to brace ourselves for Kissin' Cousins.

We're entering 1963 and headed (via plane!) to Seattle for this episode about It Happened at the World's Fair! In this episode, Mike gets a crash course on various World's Fairs (and Diane Warren) while also playing a couple guessing games and coming up with some merch ideas. (He also caught "hair blindness" from Joey, but finds himself able to revel in the fact that Elvis's character is named Mike.) We talk about Norman Taurog's continue (literal) reign of terror, how nice the print for this movie looks, and how It Happened at the World's Fair is (unexpectedly) "the Kurt Russell movie"! We compare Elvis to Pepe Le Pew and Michael Jackson, praise his fight choreography, and urge filmmakers (long since dead/retired) to get Elvis into space. We discuss the caliber of music in the movie, admire Elvis's ability to act on screen with children, and discover some really exciting new ways to incorporate music into his movies. We wonder what the titular "it" that happened at the World's Fair is, why there are so many clowns, and what a particular Elvis joke means. Plus, we share some wild Baz/Elvis news!

Viva Pod Vegas returns as we hit the open sea for Girls! Girls! Girls!, a movie that should probably instead be called Boats! Boats! Boats! After comparing Elvis's character of Ross Carpenter to Vin Diesel (again) and past Elvis characters, we call on Brian Rodriguez (High School Slumber Party, Uncle Francis's Wine Cellar) for an expert opinion on which Friends character E would play. Then, we dive into the Golden Globe-nominated (!) film to talk about passing the focus to other singers, behind the scenes drama, and whether or not the cast was in genuine danger while making this movie. We wonder what Laurel's backstory is (and explain why the movie should be about her), debate whether or not Elvis singing in Chinese is good or bad, and find ourselves in disbelief at the times the movie decides to cut away from the action. Joey's favorite Elvis song pops up, we talk about "The Implication" from Always Sunny, and we look ahead to Sofia Coppola's Priscilla. But, most importantly, we spend a long, long time talking about "The Walls Have Ears," which is the greatest Elvis cinematic scene to date.

Two episodes of Viva Pod Vegas in one month? Unprecedented! We're back with another one of Elvis Presley's 1962 films, and this time we're talking about his stint as a boxer in Kid Galahad! In this episode, we compare Elvis to Nicolas Cage (or vice versa) and Dom Toretto before we wonder, what exactly *is* a musical, anyway? Joey's brain actually works (for a change), allowing him to make a deep cut connection. We talk about Elvis as a boxer (who can sing, too?!), on-set tensions between Elvis and Charles Bronson, and whether or not Kid Galahad hints at the same kind of seediness other Elvis movies have hinted at before. We compliment the boxing cinematography, debate how hard it is to write movie-specific songs, and look ahead to (possibly) our first dud in Girls! Girls! Girls, the next movie we're set to cover.

After our recent time warp to cover Baz Luhrmann's Elvis, we're back on the original timeline and talking about Elvis Presley in Follow That Dream! But... is homesteading a dream? We have questions! We talk about how we've been duped (yet again) into thinking every remaining movie is a musical, how weird this movie is in particular, and how terrible Elvis's character's name is. We discuss how Follow That Dream shows Elvis (once again) falling in love with a familial relation -- even though he isn't girl crazy -- and why this movie is so horny. We also share a Tom Petty connection, talk about toilets for a while, and lament the lack of a real EP being available for this movie. Plus, we begin to look at these original Elvis movies through the lens and lessons learned by watching Baz Luhrmann's Elvis. Is Pops in this movie a stand-in for the Colonel? Maybe!

It's a Viva Pod Vegas / #HANX for the Memories special crossover event as we talk about Baz Luhrmann's Elvis, the Elvis Presley biopic! We discuss Austin Butler's portrayal of Elvis (and how he is the movie), Tom Hanks's portrayal of Colonel Tom Parker (and why he took the role), and Baz Lurhmann's novel take on the biopic via a new POV. We talk about Hanks's makeover and his level of "going for it," the movie's frenetic pacing and structure, and how it navigates around some controversy. We also wonder if Riley Keough would have fit in the movie and try to picture Tom Cruise as Colonel Tom.

It's (basically) (or literally) musicals from now until the end of Elvis Presley's filmography, and today's is a pretty good one: Blue Hawaii! Art imitates life, and Elvis's Chadwick "Chad" Gates is back from two years of service. He was (mostly) faithful, but his relationship will (once again?) be put to the test as he's tasked with leading a group of young girls on a tour of the island(s). In this episode, we talk about songs we're surprised to find on the Blue Hawaii soundtrack, Elvis's island pals, and Angela Landsbury as Elvis's worst mom yet. Whether you "Can't Help Falling in Love," find yourself "Slicin' Sand," want to sail away to an "Island of Love," get stricken with the "Beach Boy Blues," want to take a "Midnight Swim," or hope there are "No More" of these phrases, grab a mixed drink and join us on island time for Blue Hawaii!

The Viva Pod Vegas train is back on the tracks with another (surprise?!) dramatic Elvis Presley performance in Wild in the Country! After talking about the (not great) title (and a better alternative), we dive deep into the unbelievability of the plot in Wild in the Country, and the absolutely crazy way that the movie begins. We also talk about parallels to The Godfather: Part III, the many (many, many…) characters in the movie, and what this movie made us hope we see in future Elvis movies. We also review our guesses for this movie (including Mike’s shockingly accurate ideas) and see what Riley Keough has coming out in the next few months. We also sort of preview our next movie, Blue Hawaii, even though one of us may have accidentally watched it before we recorded this episode. (You’ll have to listen to find out who that was!)