Elvis Presley was enthusiastic about the proposal that Barbra Streisand made to him in his dressing room on March 28, 1975: to become his ‘partner’ in the remake of ‘A Star Is Born’. But the exorbitant demands of her manager, the popular Colonel Tom Parker, put an end to what could have been her return to the cinema.
locker room tours
Elvis Presley and Barbra Streisand knew and respected each other. The two shared residences in Las Vegas, at the International Hotel (later known as the Las Vegas Hilton), since the late 1960s. Elvis attended Barbra’s concerts and vice versa. On one occasion, the ‘King of Rock’ thanked Streisand for her presence, saying in public that she had “one of the best voices in the world”. But they were not mere spectators of their respective shows. Sometimes they visited each other in the locker room.
Elvis Presley in concert in 1975 / Getty Images/Press Images
On one occasion, after seeing the New York star at one of his shows, he sneaked into his dressing room by surprise. Just then, the artist was painting her nails and from what she herself said, she took the bottle with the nail polish, knelt down and began to paint his nails. That night, Presley confessed: “You’re the only person I’ve ever felt intimidated by.”.
There was another time the singer-actress asked the Tupelo icon what he thought of her performances. He has answered: “You have a beautiful voice Barbra, but you keep holding your hand in front of your face while you sing and it’s very annoying.” Jerry Schiling, then a member of Presley’s entourage – the so-called “Memphis Mafia” – and one of his closest friends, was present at the time.
“Barbra Streisand… and other musical instruments” / Getty Images/CBS Photo Archive
This is why he is surprised that a few months laterMarch 28, 1975, Streisand and Jon Peters (producer and hairstylist, as well as her boyfriend at the time) enter Elvis’ dressing room after a concert. His visit had a purpose: offer him to be his ‘partner’ in the remake of the film ‘A star is born’. After the two-hour conversation, Elvis was extremely enthusiastic about the project. “I will do it!”, said. “When they left,” said Schilling, “I can assure you that Elvis wanted to do it. But, like so many other things he wanted to do at this point in his life, I expected people to try to stop him“.
“His career was a bit on the decline”
If we look back, at this time in his career, Elvis, addicted to barbiturates, was not living his best moment. Neither physically nor psychologically. In an interview with Billboard, Streisand acknowledged it this way: “Her career was a bit on the decline, she was overweight and I thought it was perfect for her to play the part.” The role in question was that of a drug-addicted rock star on the way to self-destruction. Hers was that of an unknown singer whose career is in full swing.
Elvis Presley in concert at the Nassau Coliseum / Getty Images/Ron Galella
In effect, Presley wanted to do the remake of ‘A star is born’. His film career was at a standstill and his music career was going through a rough patch. Her last Top 10 single was Burning love… three years earlier. The reason he ultimately rejected it bears his own name: Colonel Tom Parker, Elvis’ manager and right-hand man for many years. He led the negotiations and He went too far in his demands. He asked for a million dollars up front, plus 50% of the profits. Also asked for the main role and deletion of all references to drugs. What the production company was offering was $500,000 and 10% of gross revenue.
As Jerry Schilling explained: “There was no way the film’s budget could cover the caches of two superstars.. Presley didn’t care about the money. He was smart enough to know that this secondary role could mean his return to the cinema“. Parker will eventually dissuade him from making the film..
Tom Parker and Elvis Presley / Getty Images/Michael Ochs Archives
Mick Jagger, Neil Diamond… and Kris Kristofferson
Interestingly, Rolling Stones singer Mick Jagger was also considered by Streisand to co-star in the film that summer of 1975. However, she confessed to writer Lawrence Grobel: “I never really thought Jagger was the right choice. Jagger is too fantastic. I don’t think his descent into hell was believable. He is too powerful. Besides, his physique did not match minehim and me together as a couple…”
Kris Kristofferson and Barbra Streisand in a scene from ‘A Star is Born’ / Getty Images/Bettman
After testing Neil Diamond – who declined due to his many commitments – the role ended up in the hands of Kris Kristofferson. “It was the perfect choice,” confessed the singer. “She’s got a great image. She can sing and play guitar. And she’s a Gentile, which suits me. The Jew and the Gentile.”
“A Star Is Born” was released in theaters in December 1976. The box office success was impressive. He raised 80 million dollars (the budget had been 8 million) in the United States alone. It became the second highest-grossing film that year. Additionally, she has received five Golden Globes; two of them to Streisand and Kristofferson for Best Actress and Best Actor, respectively. The song Evergreen won the Oscar for Best Song.
Official poster “A star is born” / Getty Images/Warner Bros.
The Frank Pierson-directed romantic drama was based on the original 1937 film (starring Janet Gaynor and Fredric March). In 1954, George Cukor made the first remake with Judy Garland and James Mason. The most recent adaptation is the one that in 2018 starred Lady Gaga and Bradley Cooper.