Elvis and Wallis

Chapter Four examines Elvis’s post-King Creole acting career. While the film was critically well received, critical approval did not fully translate into box office success. This led to another renegotiation of Elvisness. The chapter shows that the screen Elvis of the 1960s was not only a renegotiation of Elvisness but also a continuation. The Elvis that emerged in these years was less rebellious and, I argue, more paternal and domesticated, but this screen image was often reliant on his former position as a rock and roll rebel. Returning to youth culture, this chapter shows how Elvis’s typecasting put him at odds with other youth developments of the decade, such as Beatlemania, the screen anti-heroes typified by Paul Newman and Steve McQueen, and the sexual revolution.