In 1975, singer-actress Barbra Streisand offered the male lead role for her forthcoming film "A Star is Born" to Elvis Presley.
For those who have seen the 1976-version of "A Star is Born", the character of John Norman Howard is clearly based on an Elvis-like character. The fame, the women and the drugs. JNH forgets the words to songs and is driven around in over-sized Cadillacs.
According to Elvis' former bodyguard-friend Red West, he absolutely wanted to do the movie and was excited about it. Elvis' recording career was in a slump. His last top ten single had been "Burning Love", three years earlier. Three years is a long time in the pop music industry.
There are two theories as to why Elvis turned it down...
Theory 1 - Elvis changed his mind because he didn't want to play second banana in a Streisand-vehicle. Elvis had starred in all of his movies, except for the first, "Love Me Tender" (1956.) Also, the character of John Norman Howard snorts cocaine. Elvis had always played the ultra-good guy. What would fans think?
Theory 2 - Elvis' manager, Col. Tom Parker killed the deal because he feared Elvis would outgrow him. After all, the Colonel was originally a "carny" - a carnival huckster. Yes, Colonel Tom got Elvis movie roles, but the lightweight comedy-musicals-travelogues had nearly destroyed his career.
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The truth lies somewhere in between.
The Colonel asked "A Star is Born" producers Jon Peters and Streisand herself for one million dollars upfront. Instead, they offered "points", a percentage, a far better deal in the long run. The answer was no.
The Colonel asked for star billing for "his boy" Elvis. Barbra Streisand had already won an Oscar for "Funny Girl" (1968) and was nominated for "The Way We Were" (1974). This was her motion picture. The answer was no.
Finally, the Colonel asked that all drug references be removed. Drugs were one of the reasons for the downfall of the male lead. (And, ironically, for Elvis himself.) The answer was no.
The Colonel would then talk Elvis out of the movie for the reasons stated in Theory 1.
The role of John Norman Howard would go instead to Kris Kristofferson, who would go on to win a Golden Globe for Best Actor in a Comedy or Musical (1976). Streisand would also win a Golden Globe for Best Actress. The song "Evergreen" would win an Academy Award for Best Song.
The repercussions for Elvis would prove fatal. He would go on to record two more albums and the tragic "Elvis in Concert" CBS-TV special, until......
August 16, 1977. Elvis dies of a fatal heart attack, brought on by drugs, being overweight and, most likely, a broken heart.Throughout the years, Col. Tom Parker would continue to rake in revenue from Elvis, although it was proven later in court that "his boy" had been grossly mismanaged and charged an outrageous 50% cut.
One can't help but wonder what Elvis would have done with the role of John Norman Howard. There are glimmers of greatness in his previous films, such as "Flaming Star" and "Follow that Dream" before the formula pictures took over.
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