What Elvis Movie is this Song From? Quiz

Quiz Answer Key and Fun Facts

1. "Return to Sender" comes from a 1962 film in which Elvis plays a charter boat fisherman named Ross Carpenter who dreams of owning his own boat. Stella Stevens co-stars as a nightclub owner named Robin Gantner. A new young actress, Laurel Goodwin, plays Laurel Dodge. The story recounts the efforts of both as they vie to win the hand and heart of Ross. Think very, very, very, hard to name it.

Answer: Girls! Girls! Girls!

Paramount Studios released it in the U.S. on November 21, 1962. The original working title for the movie had been "A Girl in Every Port".

Other than a documentary, "Elvis on Tour" (1973), "Girls! Girls! Girls!" is the only Elvis full length feature film to be nominated for a Golden Globe Award.
It was nominated for Best Motion Picture-Musical, but lost to "The Music Man".

"Return to Sender", one of E.P.'s best selling singles, is about a jilted lover who continues to send letters hoping for a reconciliation with his former girlfriend. She refuses to accept them and each one is sent back with the ominous post office message stamped on the letter. The song was co-written by Otis Blackwell, who also wrote Elvis' "Don't be Cruel" (1956) and "All Shook up" (1957).

2. "Treat Me Nice" was sung in a flick in which Elvis plays a gent named Vince Everett. His character turns his life around for the better when he becomes, of all things, a rock star singer. Early in the picture, one of Vince's pals, Little Joe, is heard blowing on his slide trombone. Many critics believe Elvis' hip swingin' dance to the film's title song was his best scene from any of the movies he made. Name the movie that was nationally "released" by MGM on November 8, 1957.

Answer: Jailhouse Rock

After leaving Little Joe behind and getting out of the slammer, Vince, who had been incarcerated for manslaughter, becomes a singer after getting much encouragement from his sweetie, Peggy Van Alden. Peggy was played by Judy Tyler who had previously been Princess Summerfall Winterspring on "The Howdy Doody Show".

This picture, which was shot in just 35 days, was chosen for preservation in the National Film Archives (2004). It grossed $4 million and reached as high as number three on the "Variety" box office weekly charts

Sadly, both Judy and her husband were killed in a car wreck just days after the filming of the movie wrapped up. A distraught Elvis refused to ever watch it.

"Treat Me Nice" was written by Jerry Leiber and Mike Stoller, who also wrote two of Elvis' other top hits, "Hound Dog" (1956) and "Don't" (1958).

3. "Hard Headed Woman" is from a 1958 picture in which Elvis plays 19 year old Danny Fisher. The film is roughly based on a Harold Robbins novel, "A Stone for Danny Fisher" (1952), and the fine cast includes Walter Matthau, Carolyn Jones and Dolores Hart. It was the last film he made before heading off to Fort Chafee, AR to begin his tour of duty as a member of the U.S. Army. Name the film.

Answer: King Creole

Elvis has said "King Creole" is the favorite of all the movies he made, and Danny Fisher the favorite character he played. It was released by Paramount on July 2, 1958. This was Elvis' last film to be shot in living black and white.

When "Hard Headed Woman" was released as a single it became a number one hit. The song was written by Claude Demetrius, who co-wrote another one of The King's most popular tunes, "Santa Bring My Baby Back to Me" (1957).

4. "Can't Help Falling in Love" is heard in a picture released by Paramount on November 22, 1961. Elvis portrays an Army vet named Chadwick "Chad" Gates. His gal pal, Malie Duval a travel agency owner, is played by Joan Blackman. Chad, against the wishes of his family, chooses to work for Malie's company as a tour guide rather than at the island's fruit company. Angela Lansbury also appears in the film, in a somewhat bizarre role. Look to the heavens when you try to name this film.

Answer: Blue Hawaii

What was so puzzling about Ms. Lansbury's role? She was born in 1925 and Elvis was born just nine years later in '34, and yet she played HIS MOTHER!

The beautiful Coco Palms Resort on Kauai, which was the site of much of the filming, was destroyed in 1992 by the devastating Hurricane Iniki.

The sound track from "Blue Hawaii" was number one on the Billboard Top LP's chart for 20 straight weeks in 1961-62 and was also nominated for a Grammy Award. It was his best selling sound track. The single of "Can't Help Falling in Love" was designated Platinum when it sold over a million copies in the U.S.

By the way, "Charro!" is the only one of The King's 31 movies in which he is not seen singing and the only one in which he sports a beard.

5. "I Need Someone to Lean On" comes to us compliments of a 1964 film in which Elvis plays the role of Lucky Jackson, a race car driver. He has hopes of winning a big Grand Prix race in his souped up ride, but first he needs to earn some money to buy a new engine for it. At first he works as a hotel waiter, but then decides to try to cash in by winning a talent show. His simmering co-star is the Stockholm Sweden sweetie, Ann-Margaret, who portrays Rusty Martin, a swimming instructor. See if you can get lucky and guess this one.

Answer: Viva Las Vegas

The palpable chemistry between the two stars helped propel the film to number 11 on the top 20 movie box office list for the year. Some of the scenes were shot at Las Vegas' oldest wedding chapel, The Little Church of the West. A 17 year old Teri Garr had a minor part as a showgirl on The Strip. MGM released it on May 20, 1964.

"Viva Las Vegas" was Elvis' top grossing motion picture.

"I Need Someone to Lean On" was co-written by Doc Pomus, who also wrote another song that Elvis turned into a hit, "Suspicion" (1962). The good doctor is a member of the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame as well as the Songwriter's Hall of Fame.

6. "Down by the Riverside" is a little ditty from a 1966 picture in which Elvis plays the role of a riverboat singer. He makes his money croonin' in the boat's lounge and promptly loses most of it as an unlucky gamblin' man in the boat's casino. Donna Douglas plays his love interest. The movie also features "When the Saints Go Marching In", which had been a hit for The Fat Man, Antoine Domino, in 1959. Think twice and see if you can come up with the movie's moniker?

Answer: Frankie and Johnny

Donna Douglas is best known for the role of Elly May Clampett which she played in 274 episodes of "The Beverly Hillbillies" on TV from 1962-1971.

The film was released by United Artists on March 31, 1966.

Another picture with the same title, but an unrelated story line, was released in 1991. It featured Al Pacino as Johnny and Michelle Pfeiffer as Frankie.

"Down by the Riverside" is an old gospel song that traces its roots back to the era of the American Civil War.

7. "You Don't Know Me" was co-written by Country Music Hall of Fame singer Eddie Arnold. It is heard in a 1967 film in which The King plays Scott Heywood, the son of a pompous TX oil tycoon named "Duster" Heywood (James Gregory). Scott's wheels are a smokin' hot red Chevy Corvette. He decides to find out if his popularity with the fair sex is just because of his moolah and so he swaps IDs with a down and out swimming instructor. He then happens to meet Diane Carter (Shelly Fabares), and well, you know... Shucks, I bet you can name this flick.

Answer: Clambake

Elvis made a quartet of films for United Artists and this was the finale. It was poorly reviewed and it was the last time he would be paid a million bucks for a movie. U.A. released it on October 18, 1967.

Once again, the now 19 year old Teri Garr would perform in an uncredited role as a dancer.

The best-selling version of the often recorded "You Don't Know Me" is the one performed by the legendary Ray Charles. His 1962 rendition made it to number two on the Billboard Hot 100 charts.

Singing legend Eddie Arnold was known as The Tennessee Plowboy.

8. "Let's Have a Party" comes from Elvis' first movie to be filmed in color (1957). The story revolves around the lives of Deke Rivers (Elvis), a singing truck driver, Glenda Markle (Lizbeth Scott), who is the press agent for a band, and Susan Jessup (Dolores Hart), the female vocalist in the band. Ms. Hart was making her film debut. (Think she was a tad nervous?) Don't spend your whole life through before you pick this flick.

Answer: Loving You

Paramount released it on July 9, 1957 and cast Vernon and Gladys Presley, Elvis' parents, in bit parts as members of an audience. After his mom passed away, just a little over a year later, Elvis could never bring himself to watch it again. The soundtrack was nominated for two Grammy Awards.

"Let's Have a Party" was written by Jessie May Robinson, who was the the first African-American female to become a member of the American Society of Composers, Authors and Publishers (ASCAP).

9. "Swing Down Sweet Chariot" appears in a 1969 film about a group of performers, preachers, story spinners and entertainers known as a Chautauqua group. Elvis plays Walter Hale, the manager of the traveling troupe. Maryln (no typo) Mason plays Charlene, the group's "Story Lady", and Sheree North is Nita Bix, another member of the ensemble. Be careful when you try to name this one.

Answer: The Trouble with Girls

Others in the film were John Carradine, Vincent Price and Dabney Coleman. Even Duke Snider, the retired Major League Hall of Fame baseball player, snuck in as The Crankster, just long enough to prove he had chosen the right original profession.

The Chautauquas were popular in rural America from the mid 1870s thru the mid 1920s. In fact the original working title of the movie was "Chautauqua". It was changed because studio execs feared that potential audiences would say, "HUH", WASSUP WITH THAT"?

MGM released it September 3, 1969.

The earliest known recording of "Swing Down Sweet Chariot" came about 60 years earlier, when it was song by the Fisk Jubilee Singers at Fisk University in Nashville, TN. The Library of Congress honored the historic Negro gospel song as one of 50 recordings chosen to be listed in the National Recording Registry (2002).

10. "Blue Suede Shoes" was originally written by Carl Perkins (1955) and it appeared in Elvis' fifth film. In it he played a character named Tulsa McLean, who has some singing ability as well as a dream to open his own nightclub. Tulsa makes a wager with his pals that he can score a date with the standoffish entertainer, Lili (Juliet Prowse). The leggy Ms. Prowse raised a few eyebrows with her acclaimed performance as a club dancer. Name this popular movie.

Answer: G.I. Blues

The first film of Elvis' post Army tour of duty, it was released to the public by Paramount on November 23, 1960. As a thank you gesture to the U.S. Army for their help in the making of the film, Paramount allowed it to be screened on Army bases a full month earlier. The sound track of 11 songs, which also included "Wooden Heart", went to number one on the Billboard charts and stayed on the charts for 111 weeks.

Elvis' regular (1956-1972) backup singers, The Jordanaires, also appeared in the film.

Elvis' version of "Blue Suede Shoes" was certified Gold by the RIAA (Recording Industry Association of America) in 1999.

Source: Author paulmallon

This quiz was reviewed by FunTrivia editor jmorrow before going online.
Any errors found in FunTrivia content are routinely corrected through our feedback system.

The King has made a lot of movies, and Lord knows he's sung a lot of songs. Can you match the Elvis song to the movie in which it was sung? If you don't at least try, you ain't nothin' but a hound dog.

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