In the film, McQueen plays a rockabilly ex-con in the Brando/Newman mold, in a script written by Horton Foote, who later wrote another movie about a tortured singer, the classic “Tender Mercies.” Foote also wrote the screen adaptation of “To Kill a Mockingbird.”

Yarbrough (formerly of the folk group the Limeliters) made it to No. 12 on the pop charts in the spring with his version:

McQueen’s definitely lip synching in this 1965 film, though I can’t say for certain whether he’s lip synching to Yarbrough or himself. What do you think?