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Last October, we started a new series of pictorial essays celebrating the 50th anniversaries of Elvis’ movies. Number two in the series is Flaming star, which opened in December 1960. It was Elvis’s second western, and like Love Me Tender, his character died in it. Thankfully, that never happened again.
Flaming Star was exactly opposite the popular notion that all Elvis’ movies were fun, musical romps. It is a story of distrust, hate and killing, as neighbors and friends turn on Elvis’ half-breed character Pacer Burton and his Kiowa mother. This serious theme allowed Elvis to sink his teeth into a meaty role, and he did a great job with the part.
Movie Posters:
Belgian Poster
German Poster Swedish Poster
Lobby Cards:
Soundtrack Album Cover:
There were only two songs in the movie, the title song that played over the opening credits and one Elvis sang early in the movie before all the bad stuff started. Somehow, they made a Flaming Star album using seven other songs dug out of the vaults.
Actual Album Gay Stirical Album
Scenes from the Film:
Playing Guitar Early in the Movie Guarding the Homestead Later On
The Burton Family plus Roz (Barbara Eden)
Pacer Burton (Elvis) Laying Awake Worrying Buffalo Horn, Kiowa Chief
Shots On Set:
What Are They Doing to Elvis' Foot? Director Don Siegel
Wardrobe Test
Something Is Wrong Here:
Here are three publicity stills and one Australian DVD cover that have Elvis and Barbara Eden looking very close-up and lovey-dovey. Well, she was certainly an attractive co-star who later achieved her own star status on the TV show, I Dream of Jeannie. The problem is that she wasn’t paired up with Elvis in Flaming Star. She played the sweetheart of the Clint Burton (played by Steve Forrest), the white half-brother of Elvis’ character. At no point in the movie did Elvis even touch Barbara Eden’s hand, let alone get cheek-to-cheek or in deep embrace.
Trivia:
This is a publicity shot of Elvis in Flaming Star. Legend has it that Andy Warhol saw this picture on a German postcard, and it inspired him to create a series on silkscreened images.
They don’t seem like art to me, but they added to the Warhol mystic and made him lots of money.
In June, we will continue the 50th Anniversary Movie Pictorials with Elvis’ first movie from 1961, Wild In The Country.
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