Anne Helm on Following that Dream

Gina Wilhelm Actress - Anne Helm on Following that Dream

In Elvis Presley's 9th feature, "Follow That Dream," his costar is Anne Helm, who plays an orphan raised by The King.

In it, he tells her not to get attached to him, because he's not the marrying kind.

Helm is in Olive Branch, TN, this weekend for the Memphis Film Festival, a convention for fans of classic films and television.

She's one of the few women at the convention. The majority of the guests of honor hail from Westerns.

She took some time to speak with thecommercialappeal.com about her illustrious career.

She admitted to having had a little romance with Elvis during the filming. However, she was really shocked when they went out and were met by his crazed fans.

She said that she loved the way he treated his fans.

She also said that during the course of filming, she really became "one of the guys."

She particularly enjoyed guest starring on "Route 66," as it was written by Stirling Silliphant, who won the Oscar for "In the Heat of the Night."

She also enjoyed working on "The Magic Sword," a film starring Basil Rathbone and Estelle Winwood and made by Bert I. Gordon.

She said Rathbone was very cordial. Her prince in the movie was Gary Lockwood, with whom she had a lot of fun. They had dated prior to that.

That movie has gained a cult status (including being on an episode of "Mystery Science Theater 3000").

She also discussed "Nightmare in Wax," a movie made so cheaply that the victims were kept in cardboard boxes. Any time the actors struggled, it was clear they could easily break free.

Her final acting job was an episode of "Amazing Stories." It turned out that there were several great actors up for the part, including Tuesday Weld.

John Lithgow got an Emmy for Outstanding Guest Performer for that episode, and Helm got to keep her prop.

That episode was a nice way for her to say goodbye to acting.

Gina Wilhelm Actress