Ann-Margaret blew Elvis away even though she was far from his usual kind. The king is known to have preferred the least assertive and more innocent (and often younger) women. Priscilla was 14 when they met, and now, still 17, she found herself anxiously waiting to go home to Graceland as reports spread that her husband was, once again, courting a co-star with him. Only this time it was unparalleled. It was a love and bond that lasted throughout Elvis’ life, with Anne Margaret invited to his funeral. From the moment they met, the actress charmed him – but he wasn’t the only one fighting for her affections. Even worse, out of his anger, Elvis finds himself writhing on screen—including in the movie’s famous final scene.
Sydney and Ann Margate had already braided eyebrows for the 1963 Bye Bye Birdie set.
Coincidentally, the movie was based on a 1960 Broadway musical that was actually inspired by Elvis’ time in the army. King was offered the role of rock star-turned-GI Conrad Birdie, but his manager, Colonel Parker, turned it down.
The movie Ann-Margret catapulted to stardom and Sydney’s fascination was evident from the way it expanded the role of her character. Apparently he so infuriated Ms. Janet Lee, who was a big star after the 1960’s Hitchcock thriller Psycho, that she slapped Sydney.
Their co-star Dick Van Dyke described one moment when he and Lee walked onto the stage to find Anne Margaret sitting on Sydney’s lap. They both apparently looked at each other and said, “Oh oh.”
Lee was also furious to discover a new title song was filmed on Ann-Margret’s Secret Show (see below). This pattern will continue in Viva Las Vegas, much to Elvis’s wrath.
Filming Viva Las Vegas was a hotbed of emotion, as Sydney continued her love for the actress, while in turn beginning her highly publicized affair with Elvis.
She later said of the King: “We both felt a current, an electricity that passed straight through us. It will become a force we cannot control.”
Friends Elvis and Ann Margit described a sexy cat dancing across the room growling, “You made me run” and snarling, “You made me run.” Elvis bought her a pink round bed for her Beverly Hills apartment.
While Ann-Margret embraced her romance with The King, she also enjoyed the loyal attention of Sidney who, once again, gave her scene-stealing opportunities, favorable close-ups and extended musical sequences.
He even managed to squeeze her into the last scene, stealing Elvis’ thunder. Scroll down to see exactly what we mean.
This led to major confrontations with Colonel Parker and even Elvis himself.
King was perfectly happy to follow the Swedish beauty off screen, but he did not appreciate appearing on screen.
Sidney later said, “We made this picture, no problem. The only problem was that Elvis didn’t want the girl Anne Margaret to take any close-ups. He wanted all the close-ups. And he didn’t want her to do that. I have no numbers. Ok , I said, “No… I’m directing the picture. I’ll do it my way.”
This extended to the famous final scene on the split screen where Elvis comes out singing while Anne-Margaret dances and stops. They were shot separately and it was reported that Elvis didn’t want to share the spotlight, so Sydney secretly filmed Ann Margaret and then entered her (see below).
The drama continued after the film was shown.
sydney said: “Well, the photo came out in New York and they didn’t even put his name on top of the photo. And they, his people, wanted to sue.”
Ultimately, Viva Las Vegas was a huge box office success and both Elvis and Ann-Margret were praised for their performances.
Meanwhile, their relationship continued, with the actress using the code name Thumper whenever she called Graceland. When foreplay hit the gossip columns with reports of her engagement, Priscilla was so angry that she threw a vase across the room and finally confronted Elvis.
Even after the relationship ended, Elvis (or EP as she called it) continued to send Anne Margaret guitar-shaped flower arrangements whenever she opened a cabaret in Las Vegas.
Anne-Margaret went on to marry film producer Roger Smith in 1967 and they remained faithful to each other until his death in 2017.
In the meantime, Sydney soon retired from directing. His latest film, the musical Half A Sixpence (1968), is famous for Tommy Steele’s stunning Flash-Bang-Wallop routine that celebrates photography.
He remained a major force in film and television. His first feature film, Anchors Aweigh (1945), starred Frank Sinatra and featured Gene Kelly dancing with the mouse from Tom and Jerry. This led to his lifelong involvement in animation and founding the animation studio Hanna-Barbera Productions in 1957.
Sydney was called by studios and directors to consult on film projects until his death in 2002.
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