Elvis Presley was the hottest act in all of show business by the summer of 1956. The 21-year-old singing dynamo had electrified the entire world in his live shows, concerts and television appearances. His records and albums were selling like proverbial hotcakes. But in spite of all his incredible success, Elvis wanted more; he wanted to be a movie star.
As a teenager, Elvis had been an usher in a movie theater where he studied his silver screen idols, such as Marlon Brando and Montgomery Clift. Later, as Elvis' star was rising, so was his new movie star idol's- James Dean. Elvis watched Dean's iconic performance in 1955's Rebel Without a Cause dozens of times. It was reputedly his favorite film of all time.
Unsurprisingly, one of Elvis's fervent hopes at this early point in his career was to become the next James Dean.
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