_**Elvis’ first movie, a Western, with Richard Egan and Debra Paget**_ "Love Me Tender" (1964) marks Elvis' initial foray into acting, the very first of 31 films he would appear in. Interestingly, both the film's title and Elvis’ involvement were decided relatively late in the production process. Initially, Cameron Mitchell was intended for the part, but when Presley stepped in, the role had to be expanded to accommodate his musical numbers. Consequently, it shouldn't come as a surprise that Elvis takes a supporting position in the narrative. Richard Egan and Debra Paget truly shine, embodying classic masculine power and refined feminine beauty respectively. Elvis delivers a respectable performance for his acting debut, and he’s exceptional during the film’s musical sequences—or perhaps they are better described as performances set to music. While some might find fault with how anyone could have moved like Presley at that time, it's possible to view the movie as an exploration of what someone possessing Elvis’ talent and magnetism would be like in that historical setting, and I think it manages to work well. The plot is reasonably engaging, though it does falter somewhat towards the end. This isn’t helped by the rather dull black-and-white cinematography or the geography which seems completely unbelievable at times. For instance, do those opening landscapes even remotely resemble Louisiana? The film's running time is 1 hour and 29 minutes. Filming took place at several locations including 20th Century Fox Ranch in Calabasas, Bell Moving Picture Ranch in the Santa Susana Mountains, both located in Southern California, as well as studio work done in Century City. GRADE: B-

Source on TMDB