EP 42: Ann- Margret Olsson (Elvis Month Part 1)

Welcome to our triple ELVIS PRESLEY special! This month your dolls Chanty & Lynx celebrate The King and the women he loved to honour the 40th anniversary of his passing. There’s even a bonus episode for those who have yet to listen as Chanty recorded one all about the incredible Tura Satana last year!

First on the bill is the fireball Ann-Margret. Originally from Sweden, Ann-Margret Olsson came to America at age 5 and almost immediately began training for a career onstage. Her love of music and dance led her from one talent show to another until she joined a band as a teen. It was on summer vacation from Northwestern when Ann-Margret’s life would change forever. Playing gigs around LA and Vegas, Ann-Margret’s undeniable talent was noticed and she was soon a part of comedy legend George Burns’ show.

From there Ann-Margret went onto films, getting her breakthrough role as groupie teen Kim McAfee in Bye Bye Birdie – a musical parody based on Elvis being drafted in the Army. For her next film the studios paired her with their leading male talent as the time… none other than Elvis himself. From the moment Viva Las Vegas went into rehearsals it was clear these two shared more then just raw sex appeal. The pair found themselves connecting deeper than they ever dreamed and began an intimate affair that would lead to a life-long bond.

As Ann-Margret states in her in her autobiography My Story, “I’ll never recover from Elvis’ death. He’s a part of me, of my happiness and my sorrow and that will never go away. I treasure the time we were together, and I feel lucky and fulfilled that we were able to sustain such a long loving and caring friendship. It’s rare to have such a friend as Elvis, rare to have such a soul mate.”

Ann-Margret has had many high points in her life including 2 Oscar nominations, 4 Golden Globe wins, countless sold-out tours and one of the longest lasting marriages in Hollywood (To 77 Sunset Strip actor Roger Smith), but she has also experienced her share of lows. Lynx tells Chanty all about Ann-Margret’s shady business managers, an accident that almost cost her everything as well as her battles with alcohol and substance abuse.

If you haven’t yet done so we highly recommend checking out Viva Las Vegas as well as early youtube videos of Ann-Margret performing, you’ll see right away why the press dubbed her “The Female Elvis”.

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