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27-560: Mount Clef Ridge was featured in the film Flaming Star (1960) starring Elvis Presley . The horse training scenes in Dark Victory (1939) starring Ronald Reagan also features sequences by the ridge. An army was storming off Mount Clef Ridge in the film Spartacus (1960). The ridge was also featured in Wuthering Heights (1939), where the ridge dubbed for Peniston Crag, England. A rock shelter, known as Wildflower Cave (Ven-486),

54-592: A Los Angeles golf course. He was 52, and was survived by his wife and two daughters. At the time of his death, Weisbart was producing the high-profile Valley of the Dolls , based on the novel by Jacqueline Susann . The film was released in December 1967. Although it received scathing reviews, it was 20th Century Fox's biggest box office hit of the year. Weisbart graduated in 1932 from Fairfax High School in Los Angeles and

81-428: A Western and a Western couldn't get in as much as it would cost, something like that." Huffaker was asked to make rewrites. "I took two weeks rewriting the script and only ten days of the book," he said. "I hate to say it, but in rewriting the script, I think it makes a better story than my original." Frank Sinatra and Marlon Brando were originally slated to play the brothers before Fox decided to cast Presley in

108-402: A distance yet to go to dramatic power and polish. But 'Flaming Star' and ' G.I. Blues ' are a long way up from ' Jailhouse Rock .'" Richard L. Coe of The Washington Post criticized the film for "flat, one-syllable dialogue" and "ruthless predictability," though he found some of the outdoor shots "handsome." The Monthly Film Bulletin wrote that although the film "never really gets beyond

135-411: A few critics lauding Presley's performance and noting his improvement as an actor. A. H. Weiler of The New York Times praised the film as "an unpretentious but sturdy Western that takes the time, the place and the people seriously." Variety called the plot "disturbingly familiar and not altogether convincing, but the film, attractively mounted and consistently diverting, will entertain and absorb

162-408: A frontier party, at an encampment, and during a horseback ride over the plains." Fox wanted a theme song, so Huffaker changed the title to Black Star , which he felt would be more fitting for a song than Flaming Lance would be. He concocted an old Indian legend about a black star. "It was OK to change the title and have a song written about a star," he said. Presley recorded a theme song, but it

189-709: Is located here and was utilized for shelter by the Chumash people in pre-colonial times. It is frequently used as a spot to smoke marijuana, particularly by California Lutheran University students. The cave is hidden from view from most trails in Wildwood Regional Park and has no (official) trails leading up to it. One can find it with enough exploration. The ridge is named in honor of the California Lutheran Education Foundation (CLEF), which worked to establish California Lutheran University in

216-535: The 1950s. The ridgeline extends from the Norwegian Grade westwards to Wildwood Regional Park. A rock formation that spells out "CLU" can be found atop Mount Clef on the campus of California Lutheran University, and a 30-foot cross is located just east of the landmark letters. The cross was made from old telephone poles. This part of the ridge, Dr. Rudy Edmund Living Laboratory, was dedicated on May 5, 2003, in order to enhance student research in biology and geology at

243-491: The audience it is tailored for." Harrison's Reports graded it "Very good," calling Presley "believable" and John McIntire "a powerful figure." Charles Stinson of the Los Angeles Times appraised the film as "standard for its type — the half-breed tragedy — but done well enough to head a program double bill." Stinson wrote of Presley that "he seems to be improving noticeably with every film. He has, of course, rather

270-729: The book Flaming Lance (1958) by Clair Huffaker . Critics agreed that Presley gave one of his better acting performances as the mixed-blood "Pacer Burton", a dramatic role. The film was directed by Don Siegel and had a working title of Black Star . The film reached number 12 on the box-office charts. It was filmed in Utah and Los Angeles , as well as in Wildwood Regional Park in Thousand Oaks, California . A road near Wildwood in Thousand Oaks has been named Flaming Star Avenue after

297-416: The comic-strip weepie stage," director Siegel "has managed to communicate considerable excitement through flashes of imaginative cutting and handsome composition, notably in the first Indian attack, and in some realistically staged fight, chase and battle passages ... But Siegel's main achievement is his direction of Elvis Presley, still basically not an actor, but no longer a joke as a screen personality. Given

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324-566: The film. The government, which had strict laws to keep the races separate , banned the picture that same day because Presley "played the son of an American Indian woman and a white man." A day later, 20th Century Fox appealed, convincing the South Africa Board of Censors to lift the ban as long as it would not be shown to the country's indigenous population. The film then opened to segregated theaters, starting in Durban in early June. However, it

351-458: The first Elvis Presley film. Weisbart would produce three more Presley movies, as well as April Love (1957) for another teen idol , Pat Boone . With Samuel A. Peeples , Weisbart created the television series Custer , also known as The Legend of Custer , which ran on ABC for seventeen episodes in 1967. On July 21, 1967, Weisbart died of what was apparently heart failure; he collapsed while playing golf with film director Mark Robson on

378-570: The full, virile build-up, he plays the half-breed with a brooding presence that is surprisingly effective." Johnson eventually saw the film and said he "liked it very much." He thought Siegel "did a first-rate job and also Presley did." Quentin Tarantino later called the film "a truly great '50s Western, and maybe the most brutally violent American Western of its era." According to an Associated Press report from Johannesburg dated May 31, 1961, South Africans were initially not permitted to see

405-658: The guy," said Johnson. "He didn't do anything, as he admitted. I was wondering what in God's name they would do with Elvis Presley in this. All they did was put in a kind of a hoedown dance and Presley sang a song at the opening and then they went right on into the picture." Filming started in August 1960. Parts of the film were shot in Delle, Lone Rock , and Skull Valley in Utah . Filming also took place at Rancho El Conejo in Thousand Oaks, California. Barbara Steele , originally signed to play

432-736: The largest, "Elvis Times Eleven", which is currently housed at the Andy Warhol Museum in Pittsburgh . Sales generated by at least 11 of these silkscreens through auction houses or in private sales are, as of May 13, 2021, in excess of $ 380 million. The film was released on videocassette by Key Video in February 1985 as part of the release of 11 videos to mark the 50th anniversary of Presley's birth. It has also been released internationally on DVD and Blu-ray disc. David Weisbart David M. Weisbart (January 21, 1915 – July 21, 1967)

459-412: The last of his films to have a minimal number of songs until the 1969 release, Charro! , coincidentally his next western, had only a title song featured. Johnson was contacted when abroad by Huffaker, who had written the original novel. He told Johnson that Presley was cast and wanted know if Johnson objected to Huffaker having credit on the script. "I'd always objected to that, but I couldn't say no to

486-477: The lead role. Presley's previous film, G.I. Blues , had been a success at the box office and had led to one of his best-selling albums . Determined to be taken seriously as an actor, though, Presley asked for roles with fewer songs. "Physically he's right," said producer David Weisbart , who had produced Presley's first film, Love Me Tender . "His Army training and the athletic interests he picked up there have left him in superb condition. He probably always

513-477: The love interest, was replaced during filming by Barbara Eden after studio executives decided that Steele's British accent was too pronounced, though Steele claims that she had quit. The film was released only one month after G.I. Blues , but did not achieve the same degree of box-office success, reaching number 12 on the Variety box-office survey for the year. The film received generally positive reviews, with

540-503: The movie. Pacer Burton is the son of a Kiowa mother and a Texan father working as a rancher. His family, including a half-brother, Clint, live a typical life on the Texan frontier. Life becomes anything but typical when a nearby tribe of Kiowa begin raiding neighboring homesteads. Pacer soon finds himself caught between the two worlds, part of both, but belonging to neither. The film was based on Clare Huffaker's novel Flaming Lance , which

567-442: The university. Ecological field studies also take place here. The area's namesake, CLU professor Rudy Edmund, published extensively on the need to preserve Mount Clef Ridge. 34°14′04″N 118°53′11″W  /  34.23444°N 118.88639°W  / 34.23444; -118.88639 Flaming Star Flaming Star is a 1960 American Western film starring Elvis Presley , Barbara Eden , and Steve Forrest , based on

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594-434: Was an American film editor and producer. Born in Los Angeles, Weisbart began working as a film editor for Warner Bros. in 1942. Over the next decade, he was involved in the editing of some twenty films, including The Constant Nymph (1943), Mildred Pierce (1945), Night and Day (1946), Dark Passage (1947), The Fountainhead (1949), The Glass Menagerie (1950), and A Streetcar Named Desire (1951). He

621-589: Was graceful... but now his grace is trained and refined and developed. What's more his slight Mississippi accent is no problem in a film set in West Texas ." Director Don Siegel shot tests with Presley wearing dark contact lenses, but decided that they detracted from Presley's acting too much and discarded them. Fox insisted on the addition of four songs. "We aren't courageous enough to present him without any songs at all," said Weisbart. "We've spotted them [the songs] where they'd come in naturally," said Weisbart. " At

648-550: Was later rerecorded as "Flaming Star", using the same words and melody. Flaming Star was initially to include four songs. Siegel wished that Presley not appear "professional" in those scenes: "He should have an awkwardness and an absence of the Presley mannerisms." Eventually, Presley demanded that two songs be removed, leaving just the title song and a short number at the opening birthday party scene. Despite Presley's aforementioned desire to make films with fewer songs, this would be

675-588: Was nominated for the Academy Award for editing Johnny Belinda (1948). In 1952, Weisbart became a producer, the youngest under contract to Warner Bros. That same year he produced his first film, Mara Maru , starring Errol Flynn and Ruth Roman . In 1955 he produced the film for which he is probably best remembered: the James Dean classic, Rebel Without a Cause . Weisbart left Warner Bros. for 20th Century Fox , where he produced Love Me Tender (1956),

702-591: Was permanently banned in cinemas in Kenya , Uganda , and Tanzania , as colonial government officials in those British territories were concerned that the movie could reignite racial tensions in the aftermath of the recent Mau Mau uprising . A publicity still from the film was used by Andy Warhol to create several silkscreens , among them numerous versions of "Single Elvis", "Double Elvis", "Elvis x 2" and "Elvis I and I", as well as an " Eight Elvises ", and at least four " Triple Elvis " paintings, an "Elvis 4 Times" and

729-403: Was published in 1958. Film rights were purchased by 20th Century Fox and Nunally Johnson was assigned to write the script. It was originally titled The Brothers of Flaming Arrow , then Flaming Lance . In May 1958, Fox announced that a film version would start shooting the following month. Johnson later recalled that the studio "said they couldn't make it because it would cost too much for

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