Elvis ‘so humorous’ on Speedway set – Nancy Sinatra’s emotional private recollections | Films | Entertainment | EUROtoday

Following two years of military service in West Germany, Elvis Presley was welcomed house extravagantly.

Arriving again house Stateside, the King co-starred in 1960 TV particular The Frank Sinatra Timex Show: Welcome Home Elvis.

The programme additionally occurred to be the skilled debut of the crooner’s daughter, fellow future music and film star Nancy Sinatra, who was famously despatched to the airport on Frank’s behalf to welcome Elvis house to the USA.

She would later find yourself singing a duet on the TV particular together with her father of You Make Me Feel So Young/Old. And in a while within the present, Elvis and Frank carried out one another’s songs, Witchcraft and Love Me Tender, a verse at a time.

Then, some seven years later, Nancy and The King have been reunited as they co-starred in 1968’s Speedway collectively, a film that was launched 57 years in the past at this time

The musical motion film was shot the yr prior, which was additionally when her Sean Connery Bond theme You Only Live Twice was launched. Speedway noticed Elvis play NASCAR driver Steve Grayson reverse Nancy’s IRS agent, Susan Jacks. Her character’s function concerned being assigned to observe over Stev,e who had $150,000 in debt to pay with any future prize cash from racing.

Naturally, this being an Elvis film meant Nancy’s Susan ended up falling romantically for The King’s character. The movie, which was initially deliberate to star Sonny and Cher, was the final time Frank’s daughter ever acted in a film. Now 85-years-old, Nancy has shared touching recollections of her time on the Speedway set with Elvis, who died aged 42 in 1977.

Speaking beforehand with PEOPLE, she stated: “I know he was the funniest man and probably the most serious man I knew, both people in one. He made me laugh so hard. And at the same time, he would call me late at night to discuss things like the ghetto, and his concern for people in the ghetto. I don’t know if that’s surprising. People who follow his life probably are aware of his sensitivity.”

Nancy and Elvis by no means dated, however she has admitted up to now that there was some “friendly flirting.” The King had married his solely spouse Priscilla on May 1, 1967 and filming on Speedway started just a few weeks in a while June 26. Elvis and his co-star have been so shut that he had requested Nancy to throw a child bathe for Priscilla when she grew to become pregnant throughout filming. And the next yr earlier than Speedway was launched, The King’s solely daughter Lisa Marie Presley – who tragically died in January 2023 at 54 – was born.