Love Me Tender - Robert D. Webb
A director with 19 titles to his name, his most recent work before LMT was The Proud Ones with Robert Ryan and co-starring among others Robert Middleton, Arthur O'Connell and Rodolfo Acosta, all people who would work with Elvis later on.
His next picture after LMT was The Way to the Gold with Jeffrey Hunter, Sheree North, Walter Brennan and Neville Brand. Incidentally, this was to be an Elvis picture. Fox was delighted with LMT and wanted Elvis back. But The Colonel wanted $250,000 plus a 50% profit split. Fox held at $150,000 plus 50%
Loving You - Hal Kanter
Recently deceased Hal Kanter was more known as a script-writer but he has 10 titles to his name as a director, with Loving You being the first.
His next directing job was I Married a Woman with Diane Dors and Adolphe Menjou.
Jailhouse Rock - Richard Thorpe
The prolific Mr. Thorpe directed 184 titles during his long career, including some early Tarzan films wit Johnny Weissmuller. His most recent work before JH was a thing called Tip on a Dead Jockey with Robert Taylor.
He followed this with The House of the Seven Hawks, again with Robert Taylor - albeit two years later.
King Creole - Michael Curtiz
Perhaps the most distinguished of all directors to direct Elvis, the Hungarian legend was at the tail end of his career by 1958. With at 173 titles to his name, the title preceding KC was The Proud Rebel with Alan Ladd and Olivia de Havilland, with Dean Jagger also in the cast.
He also directed Robert Taylor next, in The Hangman with Mickey Shaughnessy also in the cast.
GI Blues - Norman Taurog
A true Hollywood workhorse would spend his final working decade directing mostly - Elvis. He came into GIB from another Hal Wallis production, the Jerry Lewis vehicle Visit to a Small Planet (with Joan Blackman and Gale Gordon)
From Elvis it was then just a small step into directing Pat Boone in All Hands on Deck...Barbara Eden, Warren Berlinger and Gale Gordon from Elvis' future costars were, er, on hand...
to be continued...?
