In his ultimate months, Elvis confided in his girlfriend Kathy Westmoreland that his biggest remorse was by no means making a “classic film that would be remembered” – and but he had simply turned down Grease.

The total film truly attracts closely on the picture and stylings of Elvis from the hip swivelling to the quiffs and leather-based jackets.

When producer Allan Carr initially purchased the rights to the 1971 stage musical, he imagined the 2 leads as being like “Elvis Presley and Ann Margret.”

There actually isn’t any Danny Zuko with out Elvis whereas the tone of the film draw closely on the frothy big-screen musicals The King made all through the Nineteen Sixties.

When the large display screen model as greenlit, Carr desperately wished The King to participate and supplied him a juicy position.

Grease was launched 45 years in the past on June 16, 1978, and Elvis would die on August 16 the earlier 12 months.

His well being and spirits had been troubled all through that 12 months, a lot of which he spent on tour, typically spending the night time (primarily for consolation) with backing singer Kathy.

She recalled being known as to Elvis’ lodge room whereas they have been on tour in May 1977 as a result of he could not sleep: “He said, ‘how are people going to remember me? No-one is going to remember me. I have never done anything lasting, never done a classic film.'”

The producers of Grease had truly supplied Elvis the scene-stealing cameo as Teen Angel.

The character memorably performs the quantity Beauty School Drop-Out to Frenchie and her friends in a fantasy sequence within the diner.

Fellow Fifties heartthrob Frankie Avalon ultimately took the position nevertheless it’s straightforward to think about Elvis (maybe a bit of extra in his prime) making the half his personal.

He was solely 42 when he died, however in poor bodily situation. Especially when in comparison with the trim Avalon, who, at 37, was only some years youthful on the time.

Elvis had beforehand turned down one other iconic film position that would have rebooted and adjusted his total Hollywood profession when he rejected Barbra Streisand’s supply (and formal contract) to star alongside her within the Oscar-winning A Star Is Born.

It’s assumed that The King’s supervisor Colonel Parker sank the deal as a result of Streisand would have had high billing and the movie portrayed a light star consumed by his demons.

A cameo in Grease would have had no such points so it stays a terrific loss that Elvis was not in a position to take the half, but he nonetheless discovered himself ‘current’ in an unexpectedly tragic means.

In the top, the spectre of Elvis would hang-out Grease much more vividly when the solid discovered themselves filming a “creepy” scene on the identical day that The King’s loss of life shocked the world.

During Rizzo’s iconic Look at Me, I’m Sandra Dee quantity, Elvis is instantly referenced within the line: “Elvis, Elvis, let me be. Keep that pelvis far from me.”

Randall Kleiser later mentioned: “It was very eerie. It was all over the news, so everyone knew. We did this number, and everybody kind of looked at each other like: ‘Yeah, this is creepy.’”