Did you know that Elvis Presley wanted to be a serious movie actor? He did not just want to sing and dance on the big screen.
In 1960, right after he came home from serving in the Army, he got his biggest chance to prove it. He starred in a serious Western movie called Flaming Star.
His co-star in that movie was a lovely actress named Barbara Eden. You might know her as the magical genie from the famous TV show I Dream of Jeannie.
Recently, Barbara talked about what it was like to work with Elvis. She said that Elvis was an excellent actor who did a fantastic job playing a tough cowboy torn between two worlds. He sang only two short songs throughout the film so people would focus on his acting.
Barbara Eden Talks About Elvis
Unfortunately, big Hollywood movie bosses did not care about Elvis’s acting dreams. They only cared about making lots of money. When Flaming Star came out, it made some money, but it was not a giant hit. Fans at the time were confused because they just wanted to see the happy, singing Elvis they already knew and loved.
Because the serious movie did not make billions, Hollywood quickly changed their plans. They stopped letting Elvis make serious movies and put him right back into silly musical comedies full of singing and beach dancing.
Barbara Eden feels this was a sad mistake. She believes that the movie studios just wanted to cash in on his fame instead of letting him grow into a truly great dramatic actor.
Today, many people look back at Flaming Star and realize that Barbara was right. It stands as a beautiful reminder of what could have been. It shows us that beneath the flashy outfits and the famous rock ‘n’ roll music, Elvis Presley had the heart of a true artist who was capable of doing amazing things on the big screen.