Letter to the editor: Elvis was ‘in the house’ at the Palm Springs International Film Festival

The morning after the Palm Springs International Film Awards, the Variety Impact Awards took place at the Parker Hotel. Celebrities, fans and friends gathered to recognize the ‘10 Directors to Watch’ honorees and to also pay tribute to those who have garnered much attention this awards season. The Creative Impact Awards were given out to "Black Panther: Wakanda Forever" star Angela Bassett, "Causeway" actor Brian Tyree Henry, "Glass Onion" director/writer Rian Johnson and "Elvis" director Baz Luhrmann for their performances and contributions to this year’s films to watch.

The 10 directors honored at this year's event were: Maggie Betts (”The Burial”), Elegance Bratton (“The Inspection”), Elijah Bynum (“Magazine Dreams”), Alice Diop (“Saint Omer”), Eva Longoria (“Flamin’ Hot”), Nida Manzoor (“Polite Society”), Laurel Parmet (“The Starling Girl”), Saim Sadiq (“Joyland”), Jingyi Shao (“Chang Can Dunk”) and Charlotte Wells (“Aftersun”).

Michael Dante, award-winning actor, author and celebrity talk show host was a guest of Variety at the event. Michael has starred, co-starred and guest starred in 30 films and 150 television shows; authored five published books; and received many awards for his outstanding work in the entertainment industry.

It was a timely meeting between Michael and Austin Butler, the star of "Elvis," because Michael co-starred with the actual King of Rock 'n' Roll as the boxing champ Joie Shakes in the movie "Kid Galahad." Michael and Elvis did all the boxing scenes, and this was the first and only film Michael sang in! Elvis and the group in the film sang the song "This is Living," sitting on the porch of the lodge that was shot in Idyllwild. Last June, at an "Elvis 60 Years" event in Idyllwild, Michael located the same lodge, sat on the porch and reminisced, not believing that 60 years had passed since making the film.

Michael said, “It was an ethereal experience.” Needless to say, Austin was so flattered that he was meeting an actor that actually worked with and knew Elvis Presley. Sadly, all of the other top actors in "Kid Galahad" have passed away: Gig Young, Joan Blackman, Lola Albright, Charles Bronson and Elvis, but Michael Dante was there, to share his unforgettable experience.

The two had a wonderful conversation about Elvis Presley and Austin’s performance as Elvis, portraying a one-of-a-kind film and music icon. Baz Luhrmann, the director of Elvis, was also impressed meeting Michael, and they enjoyed discussing the challenges of successful movie making. It was very special.

Michael has lived in Rancho Mirage for over 30 years and has made the desert his home. His films and television shows are seen on various cable channels and his classic film, "Winterhawk," can also be seen on YouTube. His latest project is streaming the radio show interviews that he recorded from 1996 to 2008 with the top names in entertainment and sports from the Golden Age of Hollywood. A list of his guests and the shows can be heard free, at teamdanteradioshows.com and on Spotify. His official website, michaeldanteway.com, has all of Michael’s information regarding his movies, television shows, books, awards, appearances and more (such as how Michael Dante Way is a street named after him in his hometown of Stamford, Connecticut).

On Jan. 6, Elvis Presley’s spirit was alive and well at the Parker Hotel for the Variety Creative Impact Awards and 10 Directors to Watch Brunch.

This article originally appeared on Palm Springs Desert Sun: Elvis was ‘in the house’ at Palm Springs International Film Festival