Crown Media
Tonight’s Countdown to Christmas movie, Christmas at Graceland, was filmed exactly where the story takes place. Sometimes Hallmark “recreates” a movie in Canada, but this time the movie really was filmed in Tennessee, including Elvis Presley’s iconic Graceland. The movie stars Kellie Pickler as Laurel and Wes Brown as Clay. Read on for more details.
Yes, Christmas at Graceland was filmed in Memphis, Tennessee, including at Elvis Presley’s Graceland. But the movie was filmed in the summer, so the production crew used their “magic” to create a beautiful, wintery feel.
Christmas at Graceland was filmed on location at Elvis Presley’s stunning Graceland mansion in Memphis, Tennessee. Director Eric Close said that Hallmark is the first to film at Presley’s estate.
This is one time when you can actually visit the set where the movie was filmed yourself and pretend like you’re really there. You can get a personal Ultimate VIP Tour of Graceland if you want for $169, but there are also tours starting at around $40.
The movie was filmed in July, so the weather was quite a bit different than it’s portrayed on the screen. The temperatures were close to 100 degrees, and cast had to wear sweaters and wool coats. The crew put down sheets of white cotton for snow, USA Today reported, and sprayed the bushes, grass, and trees with eco-friendly artificial snow to create a wonderful, holiday feel.
Here’s another photo from the filming. This was at the Central Gardens neighborhood in Memphis.
And residents in Memphis loved the “Christmas in July” feeling:
Here are some more behind-the-scenes photos from crew member Meghan Johann:
Another filming location was the Court Square in downtown Memphis, shared resident Liza Bump, who took some fun photos that you can view below:
Resident Cindy Migliore took this photo from the filming in downtown Memphis:
Because it’s filmed on location, this movie has a very authentic feel. Pickler and Brown actually perform on Elvis’s piano, and sometimes sing Presley Christmas songs. Here are some behind-the-scenes photos from the Tennessee Entertainment Commission:
And here’s a behind-the-scenes video:
USA Today notes that The Guest House at Graceland gets almost more screen time than the Graceland mansion itself. You can book your own experience at The Guest House here.
Graceland actually pitched the movie idea to Hallmark, Commercial Appeal reported. Michelle Vicary, executive vice president of programming for Crown Media Family Networks, told Commercial Appeal: “Graceland pitched the idea, and of course we said yes immediately because what an iconic landmark in American history the house is — the house and Elvis.”
The only set constructed for the movie was recreating the Graceland music room, Commercial Appeal noted. But the production crew used actual Graceland Christmas lights and ornaments for the movie.
Other locations used in the filming included houses on Carr Avenue in Midtown, one of which was Pickler’s character’s childhood home. Elizabeth Domas owns the home that was Pickler’s childhood house in the film, Commercial Appeal reported.