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Projecting a positive image
Officially recognised by Elvis Presley Enterprises, Inc
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Flaming Star (A 20th Century Fox Production, 1960) |
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| In August 1960 Elvis began filming his second period western, based on the novel Flaming Lance by Clair Huffaker, first published in 1958. The title during production was Black Star, but was then changed to Flaming Star. This was a very powerful tale of racism, hatred and divided loyalty in which Elvis gave a captivating performance as the tormented protagonist of the story. With a strong supporting cast that included Steve Forrest, Barbara Eden, John McIntire, Dolores Del Rio, Richard Jaeckel and L.Q. Jones (in his second of three westerns with Elvis), and under the firm direction of Don Siegel, this was a significant drama of its time. It was not the first film to be sympathetic to the plight of the American Indians, but it offered a very specific viewpoint on the enormous difficulties surrounding the interaction between `White' people and Red Indians. A fairly violent film for the time of its production, Flaming Star gave a harrowing insight into the unavoidable tragedy of a mixed-race family caught in the middle of intense racial conflict. David Weisbart served as producer on the film, a role he had undertaken on Elvis's film debut some years earlier on Love Me Tender, also for 20th Century Fox. The story was set in Texas, but much of the filming actually took place at the Conejo Movie Ranch in the San Fernando Valley near Los Angeles - a location used for a number of television and movie productions. Director Don Siegel later commented that he considered Elvis to be a surprisingly accomplished dramatic actor with great potential. He also noted that Colonel Parker had a very real influence over Elvis, and that he found the constant surrounding of Elvis by `friends and associates' to be quite disconcerting. Given these circumstances, Siegel had no real desire to work with Elvis again (which was rather sad really) although he offered the clear view that none of these `problems', as he saw them, detracted in any way from the quite tremendous performance Elvis gave in the movie. In terms
of a music soundtrack, for such dramatic material it was nothing short of incredible
that four songs were written for intended use in the finished production. Both
Elvis and Don Siegel attempted to have all the songs removed, but the Studio insisted
on having two songs remain, as some form of compromise. It was probably more to
do with the fact that preview audiences laughed at the scene where Elvis sang
Summer Kisses, Winter Tears in the Indian camp. This song, along with Britches,
was wisely removed, considering the material. Along with King Creole,
Flaming Star is generally regarded as the acting highlight of Elvis's
movie career.
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