The musical comedy Live a Little, Love a Little was Celeste Yarnall’s only film with Elvis Presley. In the film, she plays Ellen who has all the reasons why she and Elvis won’t match. Elvis is not ready to give up and woos her by showing a box with blinking lights. Then he sings A Little Less Conversation. However, their romance doesn’t take off as Michele Carey shows up in his apartment.
About her kissing scene with Elvis
Celeste was originally auditioned for the role of Michele Carey. Later, the makers of this film created the role of Ellen for her. Celeste remembered how she was brought down to meet Elvis the day before filming their scene. She was in utter disbelief that she was getting an opportunity to meet him. Her heart had almost stopped beating and she had no idea how she got through their initial conversation.
Further, she talked about one of the first days of their shooting. The alarm clocks never worked for her. So, she relied on an answering service that called and woke her up. She was paranoid about sleeping through the time that she was supposed to wake up. Besides, she hated the sounds of alarm clocks.
On the day of the shoot, the answering service didn’t wake her up. Instead, she got a call from the second assistant director. She flew over to MGM studios and made it to the set. Talking about the big kissing scene with Elvis, she joked that she was paid to kiss him.
Celeste Yarnall and Elvis Presley meeting
Celeste recalled in one of her interviews how Elvis was shopping at The Broadway and their eyes met. She had never seen Elvis before until that moment. According to her, Elvis looked great and healthy. In the interview, she mentioned that when they did the movie, his daughter had just been born.
Celeste Yarnall and Elvis Presley had lunch together every day in Elvis’s dressing room. She felt a spiritual connection with him and they became good friends. Celeste also remembered how Elvis had an open mind and was always willing to learn. He came from a gentlemanly southern background and he loved his mother dearly.
Elvis treated Celeste like a princess and she adored him. The last time that she saw Elvis in person was in 1968. After that meeting, they spoke once and never got the chance to meet again.
On the popularity of Elvis
She saw the first performances of Elvis on the Ed Sullivan Show. Celeste recalled how she grew up watching him and was completely in awe when she met him. In her opinion, he was absolutely nice to be with. She could never forget her time with him and being a part of the camaraderie. She remembered the incident of Martin Luther King’s assassination during the interview.
Elvis was pretty much devastated by the assassination as he always had an emotional connect with the Black community. On that day, he felt as if someone had taken away a brother from him. Both of them ended up crying bitterly. She recalled that it was a very touching moment for her.