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Ann-Margret
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Ann-Margret's wedding was something of a disaster. Immediately after she married Roger Smith, she began living with her parents instead of with her new husband. She did this despite the fact that Smith was a wonderful man and they were deeply in love. But Ann-Margret felt that her mother disapproved of her husband, and she was torn between pleasing her husband and her mother. So she spent the nights at the home of her parents, and spent time with her husband during the day. Finally, her husband and mother began talking with each other on the phone, trying to figure out what to do about Ann-Margret.
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Ann-Margret was an introverted child, who found it difficult adjusting to American culture. In her early years, she used her love for song and dance as a means of expressing herself. She began to sing at weddings, private parties, and church socials. By the time she was 14, she had appeared in a number of school revues and drama productions, and was a frequent winner at local talent contests.
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Swedish siren Ann-Margret immigrated to the U.S. with her family at the age of seven, settling in a Chicago suburb and later studying Drama at Northwestern University. Despite an innate bashfulness, the girl set out to become a musical entertainer, making her professional debut as a singer at the age of 17. Fortunately, she was spotted by comedian George Burns, who hired her for his Las Vegas show and arranged for several professional doors to be opened for his protégée. Her first film was Pocketful of Miracles (1961), in which she played Bette Davis' daughter; this was followed by a lead in State Fair the following year. Ann-Margret tended to be withdrawn when interviewed, which earned her the media's "Sour Apple" award as least cooperative newcomer. But she was able to overcome this initial bad press via a show-stopping appearance at the 1962 Academy Awards telecast, which turned her into an "overnight" national favorite and encouraged the producers of Bye Bye Birdie (1963) to build up her role.
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Ann-Margret graduated from high school in the spring of 1959 and entered Northwestern University that fall, majoring in speech with a minor in drama. She and two classmates joined with a Northwestern graduate to form a group called the Suttletones that appeared in clubs around Chicago on the weekends. The second recording with which she was associated was another amateur school effort, Among Friends -- Waa-Mu Show of 1960, a collector's item even though she only appeared as a dancer in the production and was not featured. After finishing her freshman year in June 1960, she and the Suttletones went to Las Vegas for a club engagement that fell through, then continued to Los Angeles, where they found bookings. At the end of the summer, she dropped out of college to pursue her career, while her fellow students returned to school. She earned her first recording contract with Warner Bros.
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In 1964’s Viva Las Vegas, Ann-Margret was noted for her performance as Elvis Presley’s love interest, a role that she was rumored to play on and offscreen. She continued to make a series of mildly successful films, including Kitten with a Whip and The Pleasure Seekers (both 1964). Although big box-office draws, Ann-Margret’s early roles merely exploited her sex appeal, including her portrayal as Steve McQueen’s promiscuous wife in The Cincinnati Kid (1965).
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Ann-Margret will be presented with the award at a “Viva Las Vegas†Centennial celebration thrown jointly by the festival and the City of Las Vegas during CineVegas, which runs June 10-18. The event will be held at Skin Pool Lounge at the Palms Casino Resort and will follow a special screening of Viva Las Vegas earlier in the day.
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