 'Charro!' was Elvis Presley's
twenty-ninth movie and the only one in which he did not sing.
His singing voice is heard only over the credits performing the
title song. The song "Charro!" was written by Billy Strange and Mac
Davis and released as the B-side of the single 'Memories' from
Elvis'
1968 TV special. 'Charro!' the song was recorded on October
15, 1968 at the Samuel Goldwyn Studio in Hollywood. The session was
conducted by Hugo Montenegro, who was known for his work on the
theme to another western movie, 'The Good, The Bad and The Ugly',
starring Clint Eastwood. Playing drums for this session was Carl
O'Brien, who, in his youth, had been a Disney Mouseketeer known as
Cubby.
'Charro!', filmed in
Arizona during July and August of 1968. At the time,
Elvis had just finished taping his 1968 television
special, (a href="../../cd-only/68special-3-dvdbox.html">this
is the DVD)'Elvis', which would air in December.
He was looking great and grew a full beard for this
rugged role. Elvis' entourage, as well as his manager
Colonel Parker, got into the spirit and also grew
beards. The working title of the film was 'Come Hell,
Come Sundown'.
 'Charro!', a western was set in 1870
and based on a story written by Frederick Louis Fox.
Elvis plays Jess Wade, a reformed gunslinger who
is framed by his former associates for the theft of a cannon used in
Mexico's fight for independence. The prized Mexican relic had been
plated with gold and was very valuable. In Spanish the word "charro"
means 'rough, coarse, and unpolished'. In keeping with this theme
Elvis as Jess Wade sports a full beard and Charro is Wade's
nickname.
Elvis' leading lady was
Ina Balin,
who worked in such films as 'The Black Orchid', 'The Young Doctors'
and 'The Greatest Story Ever Told'. She was an advocate for the
orphans of Vietnam, helping hundreds to evacuate. She adopted three
Vietnamese girls in 1976. Balin died in 1990.
The late Victor
French played the villain Vince Hackett. His many roles included his
working with Michael Landon on television as a regular on 'Little
House on the Prairie' series and co-star on the 'Highway to Heaven'
series. He also starred in the series 'Carter Country'. French took
a turn at directing on various TV series including 'Fame', 'Father
Murphy', 'Dallas' and 'Buck Rogers in the 25th Century'. He was the
son of a stunt man and made his debut with a small role in the
television series 'Lassie'.
 Barbara Werle played Sara Ramsey, the
sheriff's wife. This was not Werle's first time to work
with Elvis - she had had roles in the Elvis films
'Tickle Me' and 'Harum
Scarum'. This longtime character actress played
many roles in both film and television productions.
Among her credits are the films 'The Battle of the
Bulge' and 'The Rare Breed' and television series such
as 'The Virginian', 'Ironside', and 'Laredo'.
Paul Brinegar played the town barber Opie Keetch.
Although he had a long career as a character actor in
shows like 'Perry Mason', 'Guns of Will Sonnett',
'Petrocelli' and 'Matt Houston', he might be best
remembered for his role of Wishbone in the TV series
'Rawhide' with Clint Eastwood.
A number of other
veteran character actors played roles in this film. The
role of Billy Roy Hackett was played by Solomon Sturges,
son of celebrated film director Preston Sturges.
Billy Strange, whose early career was as as
session guitarist in Hollywood, wrote the song
'Charro!'. This was not his first time to work with
Elvis. Among his gigs had been to play on the soundtrack
sessions for the Elvis films 'It
Happened At The World's Fair', 'Viva
Las Vegas' and 'Roustabout'.
Strange became a writer and producer. He often
collaborated with Mac Davis, with whom he co-wrote the
songs "A Little Less Conversation", "Nothingville",
"Memories" and "Clean Up Your Own Backyard", all of
which were recorded by Elvis.
Strange produced the
soundtrack session for the Elvis movie 'Live
a Little, Love A Little'.
Costumes for
'Charro!' were by Robert Fuca, whose work also included
the earlier Elvis film 'It Happened At The World's
Fair'. Among his other film credits are 'Mutiny on the
Bounty', 'How The West Was Won', 'The Music Man' and
'Planet of the Apes'. His television credits include the
series 'Mod Squad' and 'Hawaiian Eye'.
Rodd
Redwing played Lige, a member of the Hackett gang. Mr.
Redwing was well known as a Hollywood "fast draw artist"
and often taught other actors, including Elvis, how to
handle guns for their acting roles. He also made leather
gun holsters. Redwing made the one that Elvis used in
this film. It is tooled inside with an inscription to
Elvis. From time to time, the holster has been on
display in exhibits at
Graceland
along with the costume Elvis wore in the film.
The movie was written,
directed and produced by Charles Marquis Warren, who had
a long career in western movies. He is credited with
writing such films as 'Streets of Laredo', 'Oh!
Susanna', and 'Springfield Rifle' and writing for such
TV series as 'Gunsmoke' and 'Rawhide'. Many times he
would direct and produce material he had written.
 The movie was shot at the Apache land
Movie Ranch in Apache Junction, Arizona near the
Superstition Mountains, site of many paranormal stories
including the famous 'Lost Dutchman Gold Mine'.
Promotions for this film included twenty-five
Southwestern cities which held 'Charro Girl' contests,
with finalists appearing in Dallas and Austin. In
Austin, 'Charro! Day' was hosted by the then Governor
Preston Smith. Likewise, the governors of Oklahoma and
Louisiana declared 'Charro! Day' in honor of previews in
their states. A number of actors from the film traveled
to appearances at these sneak previews. The film opened
nationwide on March 13, 1969.
Soundtrack
 Charro!
Let's Forget
About The Stars (Cut)
Recorded at
Samuel Goldwyn Studios, Los Angeles. November 1968.
Musicians :
Elvis Presley (vocals), Tommy Tedesco, Ralph Grasso,
Howard Roberts (guitars), Carl O'Brien (drums), Don
Randi (piano), Emile Radocchia (percussion), the
Jordanaires (vocals).
Charro! -
National General 1969
Directed
Charles Marquis Warren
Writing Credits
Frederick Louis Fox (story), Charles Marquis Warren
A National General Production
Cast
Elvis Presley .... Jess Wade,
Ina Balin
.... Tracey, Victor French .... Vince, Barbara
Werle .... Sara Ramsey, Solomon Sturges .... Billy Roy,
Lynn Kellogg .... Marcie, James Sikking .... Gunner,
Paul Brinegar .... Opie Keetch, Harry Landers .... Heff,
Tony Young .... Lieut. Rivera, James Almanzar ....
Sheriff Ramsey, Charles H. Gray .... Mody, John Pickard
.... Jerome Selby, Garry Walberg .... Martin Tilford,
Duane Grey .... Gabe.
Elvis Presley as The
One Called Charro! is a great book, one of the
standout releases from JAT Productions and
a must have for all Elvis fans!
This 96 page book contains over 150 photographs
in color and black & white and features documents and
informative text pertaining to the film. From on the
screen to behind the scenes this book has it all.
 |
