Love Me Tender was originally to be titled The Reno Brothers, but when advanced sales of Presley's "Love Me Tender" single passed one million - a first for a single - the film's title was changed to match.
Interestingly, Presley didn't want to sing in his movies, but the opportunity to cross-promote was something the studios couldn’t ignore.
After the first movie was made, and before he became an 'actor', there was a time where studio execs believed that Presley could play Dean Martin's 'straight' role with Jerry Lewis, shortly after the pair split.
Test screenings of 'Tender' resulted in people being upset at the death of Presley's character. Attempting to reach a compromise between the death and pleasing his fans, Presley filmed an extra scene and recorded an extra verse to the titletrack to be played over the end credits. During a private screening Presley's mother, Gladys, cried at the death of her son's character, leading Presley to insist that his characters would never die on screen again.
Love Me Tender was the only time that Presley played a historical figure.
