Flaming Star
| Flaming Star | |
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Film poster
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| Directed by | Don Siegel |
| Produced by | David Weisbart |
| Written by |
Clair Huffaker (novel) Clair Huffaker Nunnally Johnson |
| Starring |
Elvis Presley Barbara Eden Dolores del Río |
| Music by | Cyril J. Mockridge |
| Cinematography | Charles G. Clarke |
| Edited by | Hugh S. Fowler |
| Distributed by | 20th Century Fox |
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Release date
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Running time
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92 minutes |
| Country | United States |
| Language | English |
| Budget | $1.7 million |
| Box office | $2 million (US/ Canada) |
Flaming Star is a 1960 Western film starring Elvis Presley and Barbara Eden, based on the book Flaming Lance (1958) by Clair Huffaker. Critics agreed that Presley gave one of his best acting performances as the mixed-blood "Pacer Burton", a dramatic role. The film was directed by Don Siegel and had a working title of Black Star. The movie reached No. 12 on the box office charts.
Elvis Presley plays Pacer Burton, the son of a Kiowa mother and a Texan father working as a rancher. His family, including a half-brother, Clint, live a typical life on the Texan frontier. Life becomes anything but typical when a nearby tribe of Kiowa begin raiding neighboring homesteads. Pacer soon finds himself caught between the two worlds, part of both but belonging to neither.
The film rights for Flaming Star had been circulating around Hollywood since 1958 when 20th Century Fox finally decided to cast Presley in the lead role. Originally Frank Sinatra and Marlon Brando were lined up to play the brothers. The Executive producer was Buddy Adler, but he died a week before the start of filming, his duties taken by David Weisbart.
Presley's previous film, G.I. Blues, had been a success at the box office and had led to one of his best selling albums to that point. However, determined to be taken seriously as an actor, Presley asked for roles with fewer songs.Flaming Star was initially to include four songs, but after Presley demanded two of the songs be removed, it ended up with only the title song and a short number at the opening birthday party scene.
Barbara Steele, a British actress originally signed to play the love interest, was replaced during filming by Barbara Eden after studio executives decided that Steele's accent was too pronounced. (Steele claims she quit.)
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