There was an opportunity to change his on-screen fortunes however, when a few years later he was offered the chance to star alongside Barbra Streisand in the musical drama A Star Is Born.
As we know, the role eventually went to Kris Kristofferson, with Elvis declining the opportunity to revitalise his career in movies. But why?
It was certainly a missed opportunity - A Star Is Born went on to become a box office smash, and won four Oscars in the process.
Not only that, the film received retrospective recognition once again after Bradley Cooper and Lady Gaga remade the film in 2018. (Nina notes: too bad Cooper did not mimick Elvis instead of Kris, eh)
Barbra and Elvis were both aware of each other's talents, having both taken on stints at the Las Vegas International Hotel.
The only reason Elvis himself signed on to perform at the hotel was if someone else was their inaugural performer, which Barbra duly obliged, becoming the highest-paid performer in nightclub history at the time.
So, they knew what each other was capable of, and met in 1974 to discuss Elvis playing the tortured, booze-swilling male lead who falls in love with the young, talented female singer.
The Colonel's demands for his client were excessive, wanting Elvis to hold the first credit over Barbra as well as a $1 million salary and a daily per diem of £1000.
Worried that it might suggest Elvis' career was in decline if he didn't have top billing, that was far from the case - at least in a commercial sense, Presley kept packing out venues.
Safe to say, the demands were deemed too much for an artist who hadn't acted in half a decade. The contract is still reportedly in the Graceland archives.
see also
https://people.com/elvis-presley-regret ... ve-8745091
https://americansongwriter.com/why-elvi ... r-is-born/
