Wild in the Country
| Wild in the Country | |
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Theatrical release poster
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| Directed by | Philip Dunne |
| Produced by | Jerry Wald |
| Screenplay by | Clifford Odets |
| Based on |
The Lost Country by J. R. Salamanca |
| Starring | |
| Music by | Kenyon Hopkins |
| Cinematography | William C. Mellor |
| Edited by | Dorothy Spencer |
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Production
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| Distributed by | 20th Century Fox |
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Release date
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Running time
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114 minutes |
| Country | United States |
| Language | English |
| Budget | $2,975,000 |
Wild in the Country is a 1961 American drama film directed by Philip Dunne and starring Elvis Presley, Hope Lange, Tuesday Weld, and Millie Perkins. Based on the 1958 novel The Lost Country by J. R. Salamanca, the film is about a troubled young man from a dysfunctional family who pursues a literary career. The screenplay was written by playwright Clifford Odets.
The movie starts off with Glenn Tyler (Elvis Presley) getting into a fight with, and badly injuring, his drunken brother. A court releases him on probation into the care of his uncle in a small town, appointing Irene Sperry (Hope Lange) to give him psychological counselling. Marked as a trouble-maker, he is falsely suspected of various misdemeanors including an affair with Irene. Eventually shown to be innocent, he leaves to go to college and become a writer.
Philip Dunne was approached to make the film by producer Jerry Wald when they were shooting In Love and War together. Wald always intended to cast Elvis Presley in the lead and originally wanted Simone Signoret to appear opposite him. Clifford Odets wrote the screenplay. Dunne was enthusiastic but says the studio came under the control of Bob Goldstein, who refused to meet Simone Signoret's salary demands, and insisted Dunne and Wald use someone under contract to the studio. They eventually cast Hope Lange, even though they felt she was too young for the part. The studio then refused to keep paying Odets, firing him two weeks before filming.
Wild in the Country was filmed on location in Napa Valley and in Hollywood Studios, although it is set in the Shenandoah Valley. The cast and crew created a public sensation in Napa for over two months of filming. The motel where many of the cast stayed, Casa Beliveau (since torn down), was so mobbed that Elvis had to be moved to the St. Helena home that was being used in the film as Irene Sperry's house, where Glenn Tyler went for counseling. Now a top-rated inn in Napa Valley and known as The Ink House, the room where Presley stayed for over two months can still be rented.
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Wikipedia