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Episode

Hix Nix Stix Pix : Viva Las Vegas

Mike O'Meara, Robb Spewak, Josh Sroka

July 6, 2026 · 57 min

This week on Hix Nix Stix Pix, we're headed to the bright lights of the Strip for one of the most iconic movies of the 1960s—Viva Las Vegas! Elvis Presley and Ann-Margret light up the screen with unforgettable chemistry, energetic musical numbers,…

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Was this Elvis' greatest movie? Does the story still hold up more than 60 years later, or is it all style and soundtrack? We break down the good, the bad, and how the film plays for a modern audience in 2026. Along the way, we dive into the legendary performances, behind-the-scenes stories, the unforgettable title song, and why this film remains one of the King's most beloved screen appearances.

So grab your blue suede shoes, hit the gas, and join us as we ask the only question that matters: does Viva Las Vegas still deserve a jackpot, or should it stay in the past?

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[SPEAKER_01]: If you want to get your backyard summer ready, but you don't want to break the bank, Wayfair gets it, planning on dining al fresco, or relaxing poolside.

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[SPEAKER_01]: Don't wait!

[SPEAKER_01]: Shop Wayfair's Fourth of July clearance now through July 6 at Wayfair.com.

[SPEAKER_05]: Michael Mera, Radio Entertainment.

[SPEAKER_06]: Hicks, Nicks, sticks, picks.

[SPEAKER_06]: A podcast about Rob's movies with your hosts.

[SPEAKER_06]: Rob's Buak, and Josh Sroka.

[SPEAKER_06]: And now, ladies and gentlemen, let the show begin.

[SPEAKER_06]: It's a...

[SPEAKER_03]: I hate mistakes.

[SPEAKER_07]: I hate when you show up in costume.

[SPEAKER_03]: I hate when you don't.

[SPEAKER_03]: I wouldn't kill you to get a pair of glasses.

[SPEAKER_07]: All right.

[SPEAKER_07]: We'll see eventually there'll be a movie and I'll show up in costume like you know.

[SPEAKER_03]: Okay, Hicks, Nicks, Picks, the service of the micro-marish show with Rob Spuek and Josh Shroka.

[SPEAKER_03]: I'm the Rob that they talk about in the title that says these are my movies.

[SPEAKER_03]: And this is truly one of my movies.

[SPEAKER_03]: This was, and I have here the actual VHS copy I bought in high school.

[SPEAKER_03]: and I would every time I had friends over and back then I had friends Josh.

[SPEAKER_03]: I'd try to talk them into watching it and invariably they were annoyed but they ended up enjoying it.

[SPEAKER_03]: Oh and as far as the glasses they are official Elvis glasses from Graceland.

[SPEAKER_03]: Not the cheap ones you buy at party city.

[SPEAKER_03]: These actually have a TCB on the what we call that the arm of the glasses.

[SPEAKER_07]: That would be the arm of the glasses.

[SPEAKER_03]: Yeah so they've got butt.

[SPEAKER_03]: They're not my medication.

[SPEAKER_03]: So from Elvis to Old Man, here we go.

[SPEAKER_03]: This week's movie is from 1964, the Elvis Presley Classic, Viva Las Vegas, starring Elvis Presley and Margaret William Demerist.

[SPEAKER_03]: Do you know who William Demerist is?

[SPEAKER_07]: Yeah, he's the guy in this movie.

[SPEAKER_03]: Yeah, he's Mr. Martin, but he also played Uncle Charlie on my three sons and he goes back and he goes back to the 30s.

[SPEAKER_03]: Okay.

[SPEAKER_03]: Well, he's been around a while.

[SPEAKER_07]: I know who Elvis is.

[SPEAKER_03]: Yeah.

[SPEAKER_03]: Well, that's good.

[SPEAKER_03]: It's good when you know the most the most recognized person in the last hundred years.

[SPEAKER_07]: Rob, this is my first time experience out in Elvis.

[SPEAKER_07]: Besides.

[SPEAKER_07]: Elvis movie at all.

[SPEAKER_07]: Besides here in his music.

[SPEAKER_03]: Which I'm sure you don't listen to a lot.

[SPEAKER_03]: Okay, well, we'll get you, we'll get you one to, we'll put on a toe at this time, but we'll get you there.

[SPEAKER_03]: Say Zardinova plays the count.

[SPEAKER_03]: Now, have you ever seen animal house?

[SPEAKER_03]: I have.

[SPEAKER_03]: Okay, he plays the mayor of the town in animal house.

[SPEAKER_03]: The guy that is opposite, Dean Warmer, he says, I don't want those drunken riots in my town.

[SPEAKER_03]: and then Nicky Blair as Shorty Farmsworth and Jack Carter, he plays the comedian that hosts the talent show at the end, spoiler alert, who is widely working, he recently passed, but widely regarded as one of the most unpleasant men.

[SPEAKER_03]: in show business.

[SPEAKER_03]: He was pretty much hated.

[SPEAKER_03]: It was directed by George Sidney.

[SPEAKER_03]: I don't know why this surprises me.

[SPEAKER_03]: The screenplay is by a lady, Sally Benson, who also wrote some great classic film.

[SPEAKER_01]: If you want to get your backyard summer ready, but you don't want to break the bank, Wayfair gets it, planning on dining al fresco, or relaxing poolside. [SPEAKER_01]: Wayfair has everything you need to prep your space. [SPEAKER_01]: Shop now and save up to 70% off during Wayfair's Fourth of July clearance. [SPEAKER_01]: Score huge deals on outdoor furniture, area rugs, and more. [SPEAKER_01]: We're talking thousands of products for every style and budget. [SPEAKER_01]: Plus, surprise flash deals July 6. [SPEAKER_01]: Don't wait! [SPEAKER_01]: Shop Wayfair's Fourth of July clearance now through July 6 at Wayfair.com. [SPEAKER_05]: Michael Mera, Radio Entertainment. [SPEAKER_06]: Hicks, Nicks, sticks, picks. [SPEAKER_06]: A podcast about Rob's movies with your hosts. [SPEAKER_06]: Rob's Buak, and Josh Sroka. [SPEAKER_06]: And now, ladies and gentlemen, let the show begin. [SPEAKER_06]: It's a... [SPEAKER_03]: I hate mistakes. [SPEAKER_07]: I hate when you show up in costume. [SPEAKER_03]: I hate when you don't. [SPEAKER_03]: I wouldn't kill you to get a pair of glasses. [SPEAKER_07]: All right. [SPEAKER_07]: We'll see eventually there'll be a movie and I'll show up in costume like you know. [SPEAKER_03]: Okay, Hicks, Nicks, Picks, the service of the micro-marish show with Rob Spuek and Josh Shroka. [SPEAKER_03]: I'm the Rob that they talk about in the title that says these are my movies. [SPEAKER_03]: And this is truly one of my movies. [SPEAKER_03]: This was, and I have here the actual VHS copy I bought in high school. [SPEAKER_03]: and I would every time I had friends over and back then I had friends Josh. [SPEAKER_03]: I'd try to talk them into watching it and invariably they were annoyed but they ended up enjoying it. [SPEAKER_03]: Oh and as far as the glasses they are official Elvis glasses from Graceland. [SPEAKER_03]: Not the cheap ones you buy at party city. [SPEAKER_03]: These actually have a TCB on the what we call that the arm of the glasses. [SPEAKER_07]: That would be the arm of the glasses. [SPEAKER_03]: Yeah so they've got butt. [SPEAKER_03]: They're not my medication. [SPEAKER_03]: So from Elvis to Old Man, here we go. [SPEAKER_03]: This week's movie is from 1964, the Elvis Presley Classic, Viva Las Vegas, starring Elvis Presley and Margaret William Demerist. [SPEAKER_03]: Do you know who William Demerist is? [SPEAKER_07]: Yeah, he's the guy in this movie. [SPEAKER_03]: Yeah, he's Mr. Martin, but he also played Uncle Charlie on my three sons and he goes back and he goes back to the 30s. [SPEAKER_03]: Okay. [SPEAKER_03]: Well, he's been around a while. [SPEAKER_07]: I know who Elvis is. [SPEAKER_03]: Yeah. [SPEAKER_03]: Well, that's good. [SPEAKER_03]: It's good when you know the most the most recognized person in the last hundred years. [SPEAKER_07]: Rob, this is my first time experience out in Elvis. [SPEAKER_07]: Besides. [SPEAKER_07]: Elvis movie at all. [SPEAKER_07]: Besides here in his music. [SPEAKER_03]: Which I'm sure you don't listen to a lot. [SPEAKER_03]: Okay, well, we'll get you, we'll get you one to, we'll put on a toe at this time, but we'll get you there. [SPEAKER_03]: Say Zardinova plays the count. [SPEAKER_03]: Now, have you ever seen animal house? [SPEAKER_03]: I have. [SPEAKER_03]: Okay, he plays the mayor of the town in animal house. [SPEAKER_03]: The guy that is opposite, Dean Warmer, he says, I don't want those drunken riots in my town. [SPEAKER_03]: and then Nicky Blair as Shorty Farmsworth and Jack Carter, he plays the comedian that hosts the talent show at the end, spoiler alert, who is widely working, he recently passed, but widely regarded as one of the most unpleasant men. [SPEAKER_03]: in show business. [SPEAKER_03]: He was pretty much hated. [SPEAKER_03]: It was directed by George Sidney. [SPEAKER_03]: I don't know why this surprises me. [SPEAKER_03]: The screenplay is by a lady, Sally Benson, who also wrote some great classic film. [SPEAKER_03]: She wrote Meet Me in St. Louis. [SPEAKER_03]: She did this one. [SPEAKER_03]: This will not surprise you. [SPEAKER_03]: She wrote the sound of the script of Vivo Las Vegas in 11 days. [SPEAKER_03]: It's an MGM movie, one hour and 25 minutes long. [SPEAKER_03]: Now, before we start, I'm going to tell you something that I feel will surprise you. [SPEAKER_03]: I love Elvis, that won't surprise you, but of all of his songs. [SPEAKER_03]: Viva Las Vegas is one of my least favorites. [SPEAKER_03]: Oh, but it's one of the most recognizable. [SPEAKER_03]: It is, it's iconic, but if you think about it, it's very, it's a love song to a city, so it's fairly shallow. [SPEAKER_03]: It's easy to grab on to because it's about Las Vegas. [SPEAKER_03]: If you ever listen to the stereo mix of it, it's upsetingly bad. [SPEAKER_03]: It was such a poorly made record. [SPEAKER_03]: The other one I don't like very much is, is love me tender. [SPEAKER_03]: other than that uh i think this is one of the strongest soundtracks he ever came out with but we'll talk about that later what came first the song or the movie oh this the song was written for the movie okay okay so i mean there was a mark of them yeah of course i mean what they would do is they would [SPEAKER_03]: they used to ask Elvis especially when he got frustrated with his movies they say what's the new movie about and he'd say different city new girl 12 songs I fight a guy and then I get the girl that's every Elvis movie so this one only has 11 songs in it one was cut but yeah it's a pretty strong soundtrack all the way through so let us now examine the 1964 classic Vivo Las Vegas [SPEAKER_03]: Now one thing I like is that it opens with the Bongo music over the MGM logo and Leo the Lion. [SPEAKER_03]: and it opens with the song that Viva Las Vegas. [SPEAKER_03]: Now, it is actually a gorgeous movie, the color, the widescreen, and as someone who has been, we've twice been to Vegas together, right? [SPEAKER_03]: Once. [SPEAKER_03]: Once, we had downtown grand, right? [SPEAKER_03]: And you know the way the city looks, and this is all an old town Vegas, the captures of the strip at this era are beautiful. [SPEAKER_03]: Yeah, and it's really really good looking at this montage. [SPEAKER_07]: Right. [SPEAKER_07]: And you go down the the scene and the casino is awesome because you'll hear the slot machines, but it's not the constant video game sound that you hear today. [SPEAKER_03]: No, it's like bells and bells and dropping coins. [SPEAKER_03]: Yeah, I love it. [SPEAKER_07]: That makes it so much more of a big deal when someone wins. [SPEAKER_03]: exactly. [SPEAKER_03]: This can be compared to the original Oceans 11 as not just a fine film on its own right, but a capture of an era in Vegas that is truly, truly gone. [SPEAKER_03]: There was nothing like the win or the X caliber or circus circus. [SPEAKER_03]: It was just lines and lines of hotels and casinos all on the strip. [SPEAKER_03]: That's one of my favorite aspects of the film is sort of the capture and the background a lot of Elvis movies We're just called travel logs and I can only look at a travel log of Hawaii so many times But this is a travel log of Las Vegas, and I love it You see so many of the great hotels like the hotel freemont the horseshoe Wilbur Clark's desert in the pioneer club And of course a place that I'm quite familiar with the golden nugget, but [SPEAKER_03]: If you look at where the golden nugget is in the opening sequence, you realize you're only about 1,000 yards from the downtown grant. [SPEAKER_07]: Yeah, but the town has grant wasn't there that. [SPEAKER_03]: No, and it's not really much to look at anyway, but this is our neighborhood, Josh. [SPEAKER_03]: I don't know. [SPEAKER_07]: It's going away, right? [SPEAKER_07]: Did they fall backwards this week this year anyway? [SPEAKER_03]: Yeah, because we didn't come this year. [SPEAKER_03]: was they needed was all of our money and and the dollar hotdogs in the casino that was the difference the dollar hotdogs and the dollar tall boys. [SPEAKER_03]: We see as the music fades race card driver slash singer and remember whenever you're talking about an Elvis movie it's always his occupation is always what he does in the movie slash singer because you know he's gonna sing. [SPEAKER_03]: So like in jailhouse rock, xconvict slash singer. [SPEAKER_07]: Yeah, if they did a better job here with this thing in of it being like a reason to sing. [SPEAKER_03]: Not woven into the file. [SPEAKER_03]: Exactly. [SPEAKER_03]: Exactly. [SPEAKER_03]: Lucky Jackson arrives in Las Vegas, towing his race car. [SPEAKER_03]: It looks like something out of the Jetsons. [SPEAKER_03]: They say, oh, he built it himself. [SPEAKER_03]: That modern looking car kind of comes off looking a little dated. [SPEAKER_03]: He has no engine for the car, and I know you want to know why I chose it for this time of year. [SPEAKER_03]: It's technically a July 4th movie, Josh, because the Las Vegas Grand Prix is July 4th. [SPEAKER_07]: All right. [SPEAKER_07]: Yeah, okay. [SPEAKER_07]: I see. [SPEAKER_03]: It ain't exactly Yankee Doodle Landy, but it does have a connection. [SPEAKER_07]: Yeah, but you picked it way earlier than July 4 because you picked this movie two weeks ago. [SPEAKER_03]: Yeah, but this is podcast. [SPEAKER_03]: We'll have a tale. [SPEAKER_03]: Okay. [SPEAKER_03]: The only problem is he's going to enter this Las Vegas Grand Prix. [SPEAKER_03]: The only problem is he doesn't have the motor. [SPEAKER_03]: Got a beautiful car. [SPEAKER_03]: No engine. [SPEAKER_03]: So he walks into the casino. [SPEAKER_03]: It's the Flamingo. [SPEAKER_03]: He has input. [SPEAKER_03]: possibly black hair. [SPEAKER_03]: It does not move. [SPEAKER_03]: It's a color not found in nature. [SPEAKER_03]: He looks around and has an amazing run at the crab's table and wins enough money to buy the engine, which is in Los Angeles. [SPEAKER_03]: And as being looked over by his assistant and mechanic, Shorty Farmsworth, so he managed to raise the money, but he's still on a shooting budget and he's still in Vegas and he has his car, but no engine. [SPEAKER_03]: So he stores his car at a garage, and while he's at the garage, he meets his main competitor, this is so obvious. [SPEAKER_03]: The Italian Racing Count, Milo Mancini, and that is the guy that is played by Sayzar De Nova, who you know from Animal House. [SPEAKER_03]: uh... the count offers lucky to quote unquote drive for him which doesn't mean he's going to drive his car it means he's going to block and drive defensively to make sure the count can win the last pick is great pre eldest says uh... one thing uh... i'm gonna win this race and i don't work for anybody and uh... i don't count second anybody so he turns it down which myths and myths the count a little bit so they're talking and at that point uh... they're actually under the car on one of those back [SPEAKER_07]: You know, I believe it's a creeper. [SPEAKER_03]: Is it really? [SPEAKER_07]: I believe so. [SPEAKER_07]: Okay. [SPEAKER_07]: I just pulled that. [SPEAKER_03]: Well, I love the fact that it's a creeper right as Ann Margaret walks in and you don't even see your face. [SPEAKER_03]: They just show her legs. [SPEAKER_03]: And she is hyper-sexualized in this movie for 1964. [SPEAKER_03]: They really are selling the fact that she is Anne Margaret and They both meet Rusty and she says she has a whistle in her car. [SPEAKER_03]: She is by the way I can say this because I watched the original trailer. [SPEAKER_07]: No, you know, it's okay. [SPEAKER_07]: You don't have to say it [SPEAKER_03]: The original trailer for the Vivo Las Vegas. [SPEAKER_03]: Do you know what the last words on the screen were? [SPEAKER_03]: It's a knockout. [SPEAKER_03]: Yeah, I will. [SPEAKER_07]: It's it's a knockout. [SPEAK

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