A Star Is Born

[spinout-designs]

Suppose Elvis had actually starred in the movie 'A Star Is Born'.

Would it have been the challenge he needed as many speculate................how would he have played the role ?

Would it have ultimately changed things for him and perhaps been the catalyst which lead to the sort of dramatic roles he for so long had wanted to play ?

What if he had played the role of John Norman Howard opposite Barbara Streisand...................how might things have developed ?

Comments invited.

[nashville cat]

I'm a big fan of Streisand and her version of "A Star Is Born". I thought Kris Kristofferson did an excellent job in the role of John Norman Howard. I think Elvis could have played the role, however I think it would've been a very different movie.

I can't imagine Elvis doing drugs in a movie, or allowing himself to portray an artist in decline. (Even though he was really playing the part in real-life.) I think his version of the role would've been very different.

The soundtrack of the movie would've been different as well. Paul Williams wrote a lot of the score. He's an excellent writer, and I would be really interested to hear what he might have come up with for Elvis. Elvis had a lot better pipes than Kristofferson!

Streisand had a lot of control over that movie and the score, I just wonder how that would've worked with the Colonel and his business dealings and what not. What about Elvis' billing and his standard part of the publishing and profit, etc? There almost would've surely been a clash between the two camps.

Fascinating to think of nonetheless.

[Wendy56]

In that movie... Elvis would have acted wonderfully!

[orwell1976]

When the film was released some critics called it "A Bore Is Starred" and they hit the point! I think Elvis was already so deep into his "medication" that his addiction would have been noticed. He still could be straight for his performances and give great shows, but I think Elvis wasn't able to do that anymore. I guess the colonel was very afraight that his client's problem could be noticed and I think he was right about that. Some may call it cynic, I think it was realistic. Sad, but true. And remember: If Elvis really would have wanted to make that movie, he could have told Mrs. Strisand, that he was the one to deal with, not the colonel. And he could have told the colonel to make the deal if he want to keep his job.

[Joe Car]

Elvis would have been great in this movie and it would have motivated him to get into top shape. Remember, it was 1974, not 77 and EP was still fairly slim and could have kicked the medication at least for that role. The man needed challenges and this would have made him hungry for more. Who knows where this would have lead him had he stood up to the Colonel and did this movie. Perhaps a world tour, it would have been great for him. It was a blown opportunity by both he and the Colonel.

[KPM]

The debate about who is to blame for not doing this will go on forever. He had pretty much always deferred to the Col. on business and this was business. He had cut the movie strings in 69 except for the documentarys. Movies take a lot of time and discipline. Elvis had been out of that for 4 years, perhaps he was not ready to get back into harness-or perhaps as has been said the COl. made sure no deal would be reached who knows. He might have been spurred to give the best acting of his life. Sinatra was the model for this. Career was dead in 1952, he lost his voice for a while. People were not buying his music or flocking to see him as in the 40s. He knew if he could get the Maggio role in From Here to Eternity he could turn around his career. He did with the Oscar. Elvis in 75 was still Sold out everywhere he went. He was still having mild hit with occasional bigger ones-the urgency to change was not the same as Sinatras. Maybe if it had been closer to the Sinatra situation both the Col. and Elvis would have taken a different approach with a little more at stake.

[Unchained Melody]

If Colonel would have let Elvis to go ahead and do this movie I think he would have definiteley turned things around. But we'll never know I always thought Elvis was a Great actor.

[joanne]

If Colonel would have let Elvis to go ahead and do this movie I think he would have definiteley turned things around. But we'll never know I always thought Elvis was a Great actor.

**** right he was.

[ForeverTheKing]

It's a real pity Elvis didn't make "A Star Is Born" because that film would have been the real occasion to change his career in movies and show his big talent.

I look some of his movies (King Creole, Wild In The Country, Flaming Star, Jailhouse Rock) and I notice how talented he was in acting and how natural he was in front of the camera and how deep were his interpretations.

Then I look him in the others movies that I like, but I think it has been a real waste of talent, year after year because they pointed on Elvis as a icon instead an actor(as he wanted).

Sometimes I feel very sad for him because he was THE KING but he counldn't realized all his dreams before his death: he wanted to make serious movies but he didn't manage to be satisfied of his job; he wanted to tour abroad but he didn't manage too... ...this makes me understand that popularity, money, success can't make you do everything you want....Elvis was on the top of the world but he lived in a gold cage!

[graceland123]

I have always thought that Elvis didn`t want to do it in the very end. he had misgivings about playing someone who committed suicide.some others say he did want to do it i just guess we will never know.

[KPM]

The shame is he did not realize all his dreams, but as he said in his 1970 award speech "Every dream I've dreamed has come true a thousand times.." so maybe when we think of the " what might have beens" we should remember he accomplished so much in a short time and did so many things first- before anyone else. He had a few bad years and then was gone. But in his life what entertainers can compare to his lists of accomplishements. Beatles fans will contend they can compare but other than them who else. No one.

[Menwithbrokenhearts]

I think, despite some of the quality of scripts and movies he had, Elvis did an always good and sometimes excellent job of acting and was natural. I think he would have done a better job that Kris and it would have been more believable as a character. That character being a worldwide rock star and selling out stadiums ( sorry, but not singing and looking like Kris does and did) Elvis I could believe though.

[THENATUREBOY]

I think Elvis's acting abilities get a bad rap, he was a pretty good actor despite the horrible scripts he got.

If he would have done "A Star Is Born" I think it very well could have turned things around. Elvis always questioned his work in music and well as in the movies and said he had never done anything lasting and anything people would remember him for. Oh if he only knew.....

If Elvis would have done this movie and it had won all the awards if would have definitely rejuvenated his career and I think he would have possibly gained a new outlook on his life. I think he would have done a fantastic, and more believable job than Kris Kristofferson did. Its a shame that Elvis was in a situation where he never got to do what he really wanted most...

[KPM]

I think I posted this somewhere here before but here it is again if I did- Frank Sinatra was in a horrible career slump in the 50s partly due to Elvis and Rock. He lost his voice completely for a few months could not sing a note. He heard of this part in "From Here to Eternity" a huge movie in the 50s form a book about WW2 and Pearl Harbor. Everyone wanted to be in it. Sinatra wanted it so bad, he got the Mafia to persuade the producer to give him the part.(see the movie the Godfather no horse head ended up in the producers bed though) It turned his career around and he won a Best Supporting Actor Oscar. A Star Is Born could have been Elvis's, From Here to Eternity and it could have turned his life and career 360. Sad he did not do it, he needed the challange.