domingo, 20 de abril de 2014

Has There Been a Reassessment Of Elvis Presley’s Films?


Has There Been a Reassessment
Of Elvis Presley's Films?

Recently Encore's family of cable movie channels has been showing two Elvis Presley films. The two offerings are contrasting examples of a "good" Elvis movie (Kid Galahad) and a "bad" one (Frankie and Johnny). I didn't watch them, of course, since I have DVDs of both films. I only mention it because it surprised me that Encore was airing any Presley picture at all. Was it recognition that Elvis's movies are starting to be considered worthy enough to appear on major cable movie channels? OK, that's a stretch, I admit. But it started me thinking that a reassessment of Presley's Hollywood output might currently be in the works among cable programmers and viewers.
Elvis Presley 1957 If so, the genesis of such a re-examination probably occurred in 2007, when nearly every Presley film was released on DVD by Viacom, Warner Entertainment, and 20th Century Fox. It was a boon for Elvis fans, but, more importantly, it gave serious movie analysts an opportunity to view and assess Elvis's film work in its totality instead of piecemeal. As a result, in January 2010 reassessments of Presley as an actor began to appear in a smattering of U.S. newspapers, including The Los Angeles Times. And on January 8, 2010, what would have been Elvis's 75th birthday, Turner Classic Movies (TCM) aired a 20-hour "King-a-thon" of 11 Presley films.
Before considering the effect of these recent events, however, let's go back and consider the lowly status of Presley's films at the time of his death in 1977. When Elvis left Hollywood for the Las Vegas stage in 1969, both his fans and the general movie viewing public seemed willing enough to leave his 31 theatrical films in the past. By the summer of 1977, Presley's films were so little in demand that United Artists, which then controlled theatrical rights for many of Elvis 14 MGM titles, was renting them out to theaters at the cut-rate price of $50 per showing.
In a New York Times article on August 17, 1977, Molly Ivins provided the following generally accepted assessment of Elvis's combined Hollywood output. "He made 28 films, virtually every one of them frivolous personality vehicles, and nearly all of them second-rate at best."
Of course, immediately after Elvis's death, theaters all over the country besieged distributors with orders for Presley films. Variety reported in its August 24, 1977, issue that, "The death of Elvis Presley last week in Memphis has ignited interest in the late rock star's films, existing prints of which are being snapped up by exhibitors around the country, as well as by colleges and other sources—including prisons."

Elvis Presley in Jailhouse Rock United Artists figured to cash in by raising the rental rate, but distributors soon realized that they couldn't even begin to meet the demand. It turned out that only about 100 prints existed of all the Presley MGM films, and many of them had already been booked for the next few months at the bargain-basement $50 rate.
"I've never seen this kind of translation from public event to film rental," said New York film sales company vice-president Seth Willenson at the time. "In my 10 years in sales, the death of no star has provoked this kind of interest in old films. That includes the death of Marilyn Monroe in August 1962."
While United Artists scrambled to meet the demand for Elvis's MGM films, theater owners were having trouble determining exactly who owned the nine Paramount titles, which included King Creole, G.I. Blues, and Blue Hawaii. The studio explained their rights to the films had lapsed some years back to producer Hal Wallis, who was out sailing west of Hawaii when Elvis died. When Variety tracked down Wallis's former partner, Joseph Hazen, he revealed that he and Wallis had sold the rights to all their Presley films to Viacom. "They could show them theatrically, in cassettes, on TV, in syndication," explained Hazen. "They can eat them if they wanted to. They own them outright."
As happened with the sudden rise in demand for Presley records at the time, film distributors worked day and night until the requests for Elvis films were met. Variety then observed that, "Now it's sit back and wait at the nation's box offices, as well as in the non-theatrical outlets to see if the Elvis boomlet fades or turns into a groundswell." Film sales executive Willenson added, "What we do with this depends on that. If it builds, we'll repackage with a special promotion and raise our prices … If it doesn't, Elvis will go back into the catalog with a lot of other great stars who rent out flat in the hereafter."
Of course, that first opportunity for Elvis's films, or at least some of them, to earn classic status fizzled out. Soon the whole lot went back into the vault, where critics generally agreed they should remain. Presley's legacy seemingly would have to rest solely on his music (minus the soundtrack rubbish, of course), which held up well in the eyes of music industry experts through the years.
Elvis Presley in Flaming Star In his Los Angles Times article of January 5, 2010, Mark Olsen explained how Presley's music had overwhelmed his movies in significance. "Elvis Presley's gifts as a singer, producer and arranger, as an interpreter of emotions, likely made a step toward acting seem part of a natural progression," Olsen allowed. "But his stirring musical vision—his daring and imaginative blend of country, pop, gospel, R&B and rock 'n 'roll—rarely found an analogous expression in the 31 narrative films he made in Hollywood."
However, Elvis's 75th birthday in 2010 prompted Olsen, along with a few other entertainment writers, to reassess Presley's Hollywood era and assign it an appropriate place in the entertainer's legacy. Olsen started by stating the obvious. "Any consideration of Elvis movies must acknowledge that there are a lot of duds, lighthearted but workmanlike romps with such titles as 'Tickle Me,' 'Easy Come, Easy Go' and 'Kissin' Cousins' that Presley mugged his way through half-heartedly. All the danger, sex appeal and implicit rebellion of his early career was neutered or, at best, put into neutral by these shameless products, among the earliest instances of multi-platform branding and synergy whereby movies and records simultaneously promoted each other."
Yet, Olsen correctly concluded that while most of Presley's films should be shelved permanently for mass markets, not all of them deserved to be. "Within his body of often-dismissed films there is a submerged narrative of unrealized potential and unexplored talent," Olsen declared. "Amid the flotsam are films with talented directors and actors in which Presley showed glimpses of startling sincerity and emotion, a true actor in the making."
Of course, Olsen's point begs an often-pondered question, one that Olsen himself made no attempt to answer: Which Presley films are flotsam to be forgotten and which are pearls to be remembered? Since the former group is clearly much larger than the latter, the obvious challenge is to identify the Presley films worthy of remembrance.

Elvis Presley in Viva Las Vegas "Believe it or not, Elvis Presley actually made some good movies." That's how Gary Susman introduced his list of "The 10 Best Elvis Presley Movies" on the respected film web site movie-fone.com. "It's time to reexamine the conventional wisdom that Elvis' movies are a part of his career that's best forgotten. Turns out Elvis really could act, if he had a decent director and script and not too many sugary songs to sing."
 
Below is Susman's top 10 Presley film list, posted on January 8, 2010, in ascending order:
 
10. Girl Happy (1965): "Piffle, but entertaining piffle. Proof of how much star power and pure entertainment value Elvis could radiate, even in one of his more perfunctory vehicles."
 
9. Live a Little, Love a Little (1968): "Most Elvis movies with all their squeaky-clean vaudeville spectacle, seemed an anachronism in the revolutionary 1960s. Not this one … Elvis is actually shown in a woman's bed and he even has a psychedelic freak-out."
 
8. This Is Elvis (1981): "A warts-and-all account of the King's career. The movie uses actors for voiceovers and reenactments of pivotal moments in Presley's life … controversial and groundbreaking at the time."
 
7. Viva Las Vegas (1964): "Elvis found his greatest leading lady in Ann-Margret, the only one in all his musicals who could compete with him in showmanship, raw sex appeal, and hip-shaking moves."
 
6. Wild in the Country (1961): "Elvis' most underrated movie is also his least musical and contains one of his most dramatic performances. The movie's failure at the box office crushed Elvis' dreams of becoming a serious thespian."
 
5. Flaming Star (1960): "In another strong, largely non-musical performance, Elvis stars in this revisionist Western as a biracial man torn between his white and Kiowa heritages."
 
4. Elvis on Tour (1972): "This concert film shows Presley at the beginning of the fat-Elvis hunka-hunka-burnin'-love period, but he's still a riveting stage performer with tremendous vocal chops and charisma to burn."
 
3. Elvis: That's the Way It Is (1970): "Elvis was still at the top of his game during the filming of this backstage doc, the best of Elvis' theatrically-released concert films."
 
2. Jailhouse Rock (1957): "In Elvis' third film, he truly came into his own as a screen performer. There's more dramatic grit than usual in this tale of a short-tempered ex-con whose gift for music brings him both fame and heartbreak."
 
1. King Creole (1958): "Elvis longed to be another James Dean, and in this gritty drama of vice and corruption in New Orleans, he nearly got there. Elvis' edgiest screen performance also features some of his rawest-rocking tunes."
 
Such lists are subjective and personal, but the point is that Elvis Presley made some commendable films. We Elvis fans can always view our favorite Elvis "duds" in the privacy of our own homes. But if Elvis's entertainment legacy is ever to include a Hollywood element, it must rest with a handful of feature films that have lasting relevance for past, present, and future generations.
So, has the reassessment of Elvis Presley's films, offered by Mark Olsen and others in January 2010, gotten any traction with film critics and viewers? Perhaps it's too early to tell; after all it was first suggested just 15 months ago. But alas, I see no indication that it has. Two Presley films on Encore's cable channels is not enough to convince me that the general dismissive attitude about Elvis's movies has changed. The Presley film faithful will just have to be patient and hope that someday Elvis Presley will take his rightful place in the Hollywood firmament.
 
Alan Hanson

Elvis Wasn’t the only Fifties Teen Idol Who Tried to Make It in Hollywood

Elvis Wasn't the only Fifties Teen Idol
Who Tried to Make It in Hollywood

  It has long been fashionable in Hollywood, and even among many of his own fans, to belittle Elvis Presley's movie career. Certainly, many of his films, especially those in the mid to late sixties, were artistically challenged. However, Elvis was a bankable star in Hollywood during his entire thirteen-year run in pictures. All 31 of his vehicles made a profit, and he walked away from the industry on his own terms.
Elvis Presley in Love Me Tender Elvis was certainly not the first entertainer who sought to parlay success as a singer into a Hollywood career. Bing Crosby in the 1930s and Frank Sinatra in the 1940s are the ultimate early examples of singers who went on to achieve great success in pictures. However, there were many other crooners in the pre-rock 'n' roll era who tried but failed to make the transition to the big screen. They included Perry Como, Dick Haymes, Vic Damone, and Johnnie Ray, all of whom made ill-fated attempts at Hollywood stardom.
Elvis was the first rock 'n' roller to achieve success in Hollywood, and his early triumphs with films like Jailhouse Rock and King Creole caused studio execs to search out other young male singers of the late fifties as possible leading men. Like Crosby and Sinatra before him, however, Presley was the only singer of his generation to enjoy a long and profitable career in films. Pat Boone, Frankie Avalon, Fabian, Bobby Darin, and Ricky Nelson were among the recording stars of the early rock 'n' roll era who had some success in Hollywood, only to fade quickly from the scene.

Pat Boone Pat Boone
Early on, Pat Boone was Presley's biggest rival, both on the record charts and on the movie screen. Singing mostly ballads, the clean-cut Boone was the second biggest selling recording artist of the late 1950s, behind only Elvis. In his first movie, 1957's Bernadine, 20th Century Fox handled Boone the same way it did Elvis in his initial film, Love Me Tender, the year before. To compensate for their modest acting ability, both young heartthrobs were surrounded by more experienced actors (Richard Eagan and Mildred Dunnock in Love Me Tender ; Natalie Schafer and Janet Gaynor in Bernadine).
Bernadine was a hit at the box office, and when Boone's second film, April Love, also cashed in, it allowed Boone to finish ahead of Presley on the theater owners' list of "Money Making Stars" of 1957. Boone was third and Presley fourth, trailing only Rock Hudson and John Wayne.
Even with his chief rival for the youth market away in the army for two years, Boone was unable to keep up the momentum. In 1959 he played an ensemble part in Disney's Journey to the Center of the Earth. His next big role was in Fox's remake of State Fair in 1962. In that one Boone was completely eclipsed by costar Ann-Margret, who would give Elvis all he could handle two years later in Viva Las Vegas. Concentrating on gospel music in the 1960s, Pat Boone appeared only occasionally in films. While Elvis churned out two or three movies per year during the decade, Boone's career film appearances total just a dozen movies to date.

Ricky Nelson LP cover Ricky Nelson
Ricky Nelson, who came on the scene as a singing teen idol in 1957, seemed a natural for film work, considering he had grown up in front of the camera on the his family's weekly television series. Like Elvis, Nelson made his film debut in a Western, 1959's Rio Bravo, in which he received equal billing with costars John Wayne, Dean Martin, and Angie Dickinson. Although the film was a big hit, Nelson seemed out of place in it.
The next year he was cast alongside Jack Lemmon in The Wackiest Ship in the Army. After that off-beat film, Nelson vanished from Hollywood until 1965, when he appeared with his wife, Kristen Harmon, in the forgettable, Love and Kisses. In a fate shared by many of his American contemporaries, Ricky Nelson's Hollywood career, along with his recording career, took a nosedive into mediocrity with the arrival on the scene of The Beatles in the mid-sixties.
 
The Golden Boys—Frankie Avalon, Fabian, Bobby Rydell
Frankie Avalon and Annette When Elvis entered the army in early 1958, it created a vacuum at the top of the music charts that was filled by three young and handsome heartthrobs from Philadelphia—Frankie Avalon, Fabian, and Bobby Rydell. All put recordings near the top of the charts and later took their chances in Hollywood. Avalon is best remembered for a series of "beach blanket" teen films: Bikini Beach (1964), Beach Blanket Bingo (1966), and How to Stuff a Wild Bikini (1965). After the format faded away, so did Avalon, who was reduced to taking odd show biz jobs and playing the oldies circuit.
Fabian's movie career began with The Hound Dog Man, a moderately successful film in 1959. It earned him a major role alongside John Wayne and Stewart Granger in 1960's North to Alaska. Despite turning in a credible performance in the film, Fabian's Hollywood star quickly faded. In 1962 he had a bit part in The Longest Day, but thereafter was reduced to taking roles in B movies. One of them was Dr. Goldfoot and the Girl Bombs, a 1966 Italian spy-spoof film starring Vincent Price. It has since become a bit of a cult classic.
Bobby Rydell seemed to have hit the jackpot when he landed the role of Ann-Margret's boyfriend in Columbia Pictures' 1962 big screen version of the musical Bye, Bye Birdie. Rydell's film career, however, suffered the same fate as Pat Boone's, when Ann-Margret stole the movie, making him and everyone else in the cast forgettable. Bye, Bye Birdie was both the beginning and the end of Bobby Rydell's Hollywood career. In recent years, Avalon, Fabian, and Rydell, billing themselves as "The Golden Boys," have toured together, each reprising their fifties hits.

Bobby Darin and Sandra Dee Bobby Darin
Of all the late-fifties pop singers other than Elvis, Bobby Darin showed the most promise in Hollywood. He broke on the pop scene in 1958 with his hit recording of "Splish, Splash." Two years later he married "teen queen" actress Sandra Dee, and together they starred in the comedy film, Come September. Two years later his Hollywood career took a step forward with a fine dramatic role as a Nazi mental patient in Pressure Point, and in 1963 he was nominated for an Academy Award for his supporting role in Captain Newman, M.D. However, personal problems and heart disease slowed his career. He died at the young age of 37 in 1973.
While many contemporary pop singers had spotty careers in Hollywood, Elvis Presley enjoyed continued success in 31 films over 13 years from 1956-1969. The film industry found the light musical comedy formula that worked for him, and Elvis rode that format until he walked away from Hollywood in 1969 to resume his concert career.
His detractors will always downplay his role in movies, but there is no doubt that among all the pop singers of the late 1950s who tried their luck in movies, Elvis topped them all by a mile. What Crosby and Sinatra were to Hollywood in the thirties and forties, Presley was in the 1950s—the young pop phenom whose success in the recording studio catapulted him to stardom in tinsel town.
 
Alan Hanson_._,___

ELVIS FOR EVERYONE


 
 
Elvis Presley,Blue Hawaii - Orange Label,UK,Deleted,LP RECORD,371571
 
According to the album "Elvis For Everyone" - Blue Hawaii" was the biggest selling Elvis album up to 1965.
 
I decided to have a read about the 1963 Great Train Robbery and I was amazed that the £2.6 million that was stolen is now the equivalent of £39 million in today's money.  £2.6 - £39 million is about a15% increase, so I got to thinking about the $ million albums hat are listed on the back of the cover of the 1965 album "Elvis For Everyone."  They don't really look very impressive anymore.  There are 15 albums listed from 1956-64 each of them have their worldwide sales.  Looking at the biggest seller at the time - "Blue Hawaii" with a total of $5,025,000, this album looks more impressive when brought up to today's value - $75,375,000.  Even "Roustabout" which was released in 1964 had a nice healthy sale of $1,125,000 not bad for an album that had only been out for one year, but when brought up to date it works out to $16,875,000.
 
The total sales for all the albums listed (and it does not include "His Hand In Mine") comes to $30,350,000 and in today money that's $455,250,000 and this doesn't include all the singles and EP's that RCA released from 1955-65.

An Elvis fact ( from Linda lee)



 
Sam Phillips started Sun Studios in February of 1952. The Sun Studios logo, a rooster against a sun, was designed by a commercial artist from Beale Street. Shortly after starting Sun Records, Sam was sued by the Sun - Ray Company from Albuquerque, New Mexico for the use of the name Sun. Sam Won!!!

  The Sun Records warehouse was operated by Sam Phillip's older brother, Thomas. He took care of inventory, shipping and returns.
  The first Sun Records were pressed on March 27, 1952. The 45 and 78 rpm records first produced by Sun in the 1950's were pressed by companies such as Plastic Products, located at 1746 Chelsa Avenue in Memphis. Their phone number was 35 -7160.
__._,_.___
En 1968 el sello Sun dejó de existir, tras haber editado 226 singles, más 71 bajo la marca filial Phillips International formada en 1957 y otros ocho en la marca Filp fundada en 1955.
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DJ Dewey Phillips



  That's All Right" was aired on July 8, 1954, by DJ Dewey Phillips. Listeners to the show began phoning in, eager to find out who the singer was. (The DJ mispronounced Presley's apparently unusual name as "Elton Preston.") The interest was such that Phillips played the demo fourteen times. During an interview on the show, Phillips asked Presley what high school he attended—to clarify Presley's color for listeners who assumed he must be black.
   The first release of Presley's music featured "That's All Right" and "Blue Moon of Kentucky". With Presley's version of Monroe's song consistently rated higher, both sides began to chart across the South.
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sábado, 19 de abril de 2014

Elvis Star

CREDITS

TRIVIA AND QUOTES

    • Despite being regarded as the "King of Rock & Roll", Elvis only ever won a Grammy for his gospel music.
    • Elvis was a friend of Johnny Cash and the two of them would imitate each other.
    • The FBI had over 600 pages of files on Elvis. The FBI wanted to know about death threats and other important things about him.
    • Elvis was mentioned in Shania Twain's song "That Don't Impress Me Much", taken from her 1997 album Come On Over, in Marillion's song "Three Minute Boy", taken from their 1998 album Radiation and in Roy Orbison's song, dedicated to Elvis, entitled "Hound Dog Man".
    • Elvis is a distant cousin of President Jimmy Carter. He is also a direct descendant of Abraham Lincoln's great-great grandfather, Isaiah Harrison.
    • Even today, Elvis' legacy of being generous is still alive with his fans keeping up his tradition in his name.
    • Elvis was nominated for a "Grammy for Best Soundtrack Album or Recording of Original Cast from a Motion Picture or Television" for G.I. Blues and Blue Hawaii in 1961 and 1962 respectfully.
    • In 1963, Elvis won second place in the "Golden Laurel for Top Male Musical Performance" in Girls! Girls! Girls!. In 1965 he won third place for his movie Viva Las Vegas. In 1966, he finally won the award for his movie Tickle Me.
    • Elvis dated a number of women before marrying Priscilla, especially starlets and co-stars of his movies. He briefly dated actress Natalie Wood early in his career. He dated his G.I. Blues co-star, actress/dancer Juliet Prowse. He dated actress Connie Stevens for a short time. He dated co-star Anne Helm during the filming of Follow That Dream. He dated actresses Regina Carrol and Ann-Margaret for a short time, both of whom he met while filming Viva Las Vegas. He also once dated actress Cybill Shepherd. His last relationship was with Ginger Alden. They were together from November, 1976 until his death and were reportedly engaged to be married.
    • When The Beatles first came to America in 1965, Elvis was the only person they wanted to meet. On August 27, they got their wish. According to John Lennon, they spent an entirely enjoyable evening at the Presley home in Bel Air, California, talking, singing and laughing with each other. Afterwards, Lennon said they enjoyed his company very much. Ironically, Elvis thought the Beatles were a bad influence on America's youth.
    • Elvis purchased his famous Graceland mansion (along with the now infamous pink Cadillac for his mother) in 1957. In 1982, Priscillaopened Graceland to the public, claiming the funds were necessary to maintain the property. Today, Graceland is the second most-visited house in America after the White House. Highway 51, which runs in front of Graceland, was officially renamed Elvis Presley Boulevard.
    • Elvis once wrote a letter to President Richard Nixon, asking to become an undercover narcotics agent. President Nixon responded by providing Elvis with a special agent badge for the Bureau of Narcotics and Dangerous Drugs.
    • Elvis' songs Hound DogAll Shook Up and Heartbreak Hotel are ranked #31, #68 and #71 on VH1's 100 Greatest Songs of Rock & Roll (2002).
    • Elvis gave people he was close to, matching diamond and gold necklaces sporting a thunderbolt. The masculine necklace was engraved with "TCB" (Taking Care Of Business) and the feminine necklace was engraved "TLC" (Tender Loving Care).
    • In 1956, Elvis released his first RCA single, had his first television appearance, and his first movie release.
    • Elvis had a cook named Alvena Roy, who resided in Los Angeles. She was very active in Elvis clubs in the '90s, and used to love to tell stories about him.
    • Throughout 2006, Elvis Presley Enterprises celebrated the 50th Anniversary of the year Elvis became a superstar, which was the lightning rod for the controversy of early rock 'n' roll.
    • Elvis is one of only a few artists, including Johnny Cash and Hank Williams, to be inducted into both The Rock & Roll Hall Of Fame and The Country Music Hall of Fame.
    • Elvis once gave a robe to Muhammad Ali embroidered with the phrase "The Peoples Champion."
    • On August 29, 1977, there was an attempt to steal Elvis' body, but it failed. Because of that, Vernon Presley received approval from the Memphis Adjustment Board to allow re-interment of the bodies of Elvis and his mother, Gladys, in the Meditation Garden behind Graceland.
    • Elvis suffered from chronic insomnia. His doctor prescribed him highly addictive sleeping pills, which some people believe led to his untimely death.
    • Elvis was diagnosed with glaucoma in the 1970s.
    • The Holy Bible and The Impersonal Life were Elvis' two favorite books.
    • Elvis' favorite actors were reported to be Marlon Brando and James Dean, whom he credited in a 1956 interview as being acting genius'.
    • Elvis' favorite sports were raquetball and football.
    • Elvis was featured on a 5.50 kr postage stamp issued by Sweden in 2004.
    • Elvis purchased a poor black East Memphis woman an electric wheel chair, picked her up and personally sat her in it (1976). He gave his car to the woman's teenage daughter after she told him she liked his car and he also got her boyfriend a job.
    • Elvis helped to support an All-Negro Day at the Memphis Zoo in 1956.
    • By the time he died, Elvis was the second biggest selling recording artist of all time after Bing Crosby.
    • Elvis once attended a concert for singer Connie Francis, but left for emotional reasons when he heard her sing the Italian song "Mama" as his mother had just recently died.
    • Elvis held a single day's attendance record for his March 74 shows at the Houston Astrodome in March 1974, with 89,000 fans attending two shows.
    • Elvis was the #1 touring act in America for the year of 1977.
    • Elvis sang the gospel song "Peace In The Valley" on The Ed Sullivan Show even though Sullivanasked him not to.
    • Elvis received 3 Grammy Awards for his Gospel music, two of which were the 1968 and 1975 which was from his rendition titled "How Great Thou Art."
    • Elvis' debut album Elvis Presley earned him his first gold album award.
    • Elvis' song "Heartbreak Hotel" (1956) was the No. 1 country song of the year 1956 and it then went Gold.
    • During the 60s and early 70s Elvis used to play touch football at Whitehaven High School with kids around the neighborhood.
    • Elvis loved football very much and often had three televisons set up at Graceland to watch all of the games.
    • Elvis has also been the subject of many documentaries, including the theatrically released hybrid film This Is Elvis (1981), which combined actual Presley footage with reenactments of incidents in his life.
    • Elvis has been portrayed in a number of films and TV movies, perhaps most notably in John Carpenter's telefilm, Elvis (1979), in which he was played by Kurt Russell, who as a child had appeared with Presley in It Happened at the World's Fair (1963).
    • Elvis' 1960 single It's Now Or Never is one of the best selling singles of all times (if not 'the' best selling single) with sales which are estimated between 25 and 30 million copies.
    • Elvis reportedly fell for Elizabeth Montgomery on the set of Kid Galahad (1962). She is said to have visited his house on two occasions. Nothing came of it as she was married to Gig Young at the time, but they remained good friends until he passed away.
    • The lightest Elvis ever weighed, as an adult, was 170 lbs in 1960 following his discharge from the U.S. Army. The heaviest was at the time of his death, which was 260 lbs.
    • Hysteria over Elvis "sightings" after his death were lampooned in the Mojo Nixonsong "Elvis Is Everywhere" and the Living Color song "Elvis Is Dead".
    • Elvis' 1977 country hit, Way Down, was the No. 1 song on Billboard magazine's country singles chart the week of Elvis' death.
    • Elvis did not like confrontation. He wanted to fire his manager, Colonel Tom Parker, many times. He would tell his friends "Tell Parker, he's fired." His friends would go tell him, then the "Colonel" would say "Tell Elvis to tell me personally." Elvis never would. To this day, many people believe that Parker took advantage of Elvis' loyalty.
    • Elvis was one of the first people in the U.S. to own a "Betamax" system VCR.
    • Elvis was one of the performers featured on a set of stamps of rock and blues legends issued by the U.S. Postal Service in June 1993. Fans had fought for years to get Elvis a stamp, and many were disappointed that they had to vote for either the "Young" Elvis (which eventually won) or the "Jumpsuit" Elvis. He'd touched so many hearts, they'd hoped both would be released.
    • The book Elvis was reading at the time of his death was The Scientific Search for the Face of Jesus by Frank O. Adams.
    • In September of 1955, "Country Song Roundup" magazine was the first to feature and article on Elvis, calling him a "folk music fireball."
    • Elvis' television debut was on the regionally telecast Louisiana Hayride, 5 March 1955 in Shreveport, Louisiana.
    • During July of '77, three former body-guards published Elvis: What Happened? which told about Elvis' drug use for the first time in public.
    • From June 19-21, '77, concerts were recorded by RCA and were videotaped by CBS for the special Elvis in Concert. The special clearly shows Elvis' deteriorating condition. It wasn't shown until after his death on October 3.
    • Elvis is touring during the early part of 1977, but from April 1-5, he is hospitalized and some of shows had to be cancelled.
    • During February, 1976, RCA hauled all manner of mobile recording equipment to Graceland. The week of recording in the den will produce an album From Elvis Presley Boulevard, Memphis, Tennessee A wonderful boost, this album went to #1 on country charts.
    • On Christmas of '75, Elvis performs a New Year's Eve concert in Pontiac, Michigan, and sets a single performance record of 62,500.
    • In 1951, Elvis was a member of the the ROTC unit at Humes High.
    • The Pentecostal church services attended by the Presleys was the first place that exposed the young Elvis to music. It is also where he picked up a lot of his "habits" during his stage performances.
    • When Elvis was three, his father, Vernon Presley, served an eight-month prison term for writing bad checks. After his release, the senior Presley's erratic employment kept the family just above the poverty level.
    • Elvis more or less considered his singing career primarily as a means to an end; his real ambition was to be a movie star.
    • Despite declining health, Elvis maintained a full schedule of live appearances up until his death at the age of 42.
    • Actor Nicolas Cage, who was briefly married to Lisa Marie Presley, is a noted Elvis fanatic. He is even reported to have a shrine to "The King" in his home.
    • Even though certain aspects of his later lifestyle would show differently, Elvis was a devoutly spiritually minded Christian.
    • Besides his late brother Jesse, Elvis had three step brothers by his father's second marriage to Davada Stanley Presley.
    • In 1969, Elvis appeared in his last fiction film as the star, Change of Habit. It was his 31st movie.
    • In 1972, Elvis had his last Top 20 hit: "Burning Love." It went to #2 on the charts.
    • On June 26, 1977 Elvis' last live performance anywhere was in Indianapolis, IN.
    • In 1979, the Tennessee Board of Medical Examiners charged Presley's private physician Dr. George Nichopoulos with "indiscriminately prescribing 5300 pills and vials for Elvis in the seven months before his death"; Nichopoulos was later acquitted.
    • For a short time, Elvis left the concert stage and concentrated on film acting; by the mid-1960s he was making $1 million per film plus a large percentage of the gross.
    • Elvis made his last appearance at the Hilton between December 2-12 of '76.
    • On August 18, 1975, Presley begins an engagement at the Hilton which is cut short on the 20th as Elvis returns to a hospital in Memphis until September 5.
    • On January 29 - February 14, 1975, Elvis is hospitalized yet again for drug related medical problems. From here, Elvis' health starts to decline.
    • In August of 1974, Elvis supposedly received an offer to resurrect his acting career when Barbra Streisand and her producer-boyfriend Jon Petersoffered Elvis the lead role in the remake of A Star is Born. Although Elvis was bored on the road and needed a new challenge, the opportunity never came to fruition.
    • Priscilla and Elvis get divorced on October 9, 1973. Although Priscilla is granted custody of Lisa Marie, Elvis remained very close to both of them.
    • On March 1973, Colonel Parker sells RCA the E's royalty rights on Elvis' entire recording catalog up to that point. 700 songs for five million dollars. A good deal for the Colonel, but a bad deal for Elvis and his heirs who could have enjoyed a lifetime income off those songs.
    • On January 14, 1973, Elvis: Aloha from Hawaii was taped at Honolulu International Center Arena. It was seen by nearly 1.5 billion people. The album went to #1 quickly, it was al Elvis' last album to do so.
    • During June 9-11, 1972, entertainment history is made as Elvis, in advance, sells out all four engagements at Madison Square Garden. Among the 80,000 attendees were John Lennon, George Harrison, David Bowie, Bob Dylan and Art Gurfunkel. His stirring rendition of "An American Trilogy" was a highlight. Surprisingly, this was Elvis' first live concert in New York City.
    • During March and April of 1972, Elvis films on and off stage during his 15-city concert tour. This tour started in New York and ended in New Mexico. The footage is part of the documentary Elvis on Tour, which recoups it's production costs after three days in theatres and receives a Golden Globe Award for Best Documentary.
    • In June of 1971, More recording in Nashville, mostly for the gospel album He Touched Me, which won Elvis his second Grammy Award.
    • August 18, 1977, Elvis was buried in Forest Hill Cemetery in Memphis.
    • January 16, 1971.Elvis accepts the honor of being named One of the Ten Outstanding Young Men of the Nation by the United States Junior Chamber of Commerce (The Jaycees). He is very proud of this - and rightly so.
    • July 31 - August 28, 1969. The now famous four-week, fifty-seven show engagement at the International Hotel in Las Vegas. His show is wildly successful. Elvis' first live album, Elvis in Person at the International Hotel is recorded during this engagement.
    • During January and February of 1969 Elvis records some of his best work ever. Returning to Memphis, his produces four hits which will be released in late '69 and early '70. They are "In the Ghetto," "Suspicious Minds," "Don't Cry," "Daddy" and "Kentucky Rain."
    • June 27, 28, 29, and 30, 1968. Taping for an NBC television special, which actually aired on December 3, 1968. The true name was Elvis but it is commonly called the '68 Comeback Special.
    • February 1, 1968, nine months to the day of their wedding, Priscilla gives birth to Lisa Marie Presley.
    • May 29, 1967, Elvis and Priscilla dress in their wedding clothes and have a second wedding reception in the trophy room at Graceland to include their family and friends who were not in Las Vegas for the wedding.
    • May 1, 1967. Just after 9:30AM Elvis married Priscilla in a small, private ceremony at the Aladdin Hotel in Las Vegas. A press conference and breakfast reception follow. Then the couple honeymooned for a few days in Palm Springs.
    • With his huge generosity always evident, in July, 1964, Elvis donates $50,000 to the Motion Picture Relief Fund, reportedly the largest single donation the organization has ever received up to this date. Barbara Stanwyck and Frank Sinatra accepted the gift.
    • In early 1964 Elvis purchases the Potomac, former presidential yacht of Franklin Roosevelt, for $55,000.
    • Elvis records and shoots for his fifteenth motion picture, Kissin' Cousins in October of 1963.
    • In July, '63, Elvis had gone to Las Vegas to film one of his most popular films: Viva Las Vegas.
    • Priscilla Beaulieu flew from West Germany to visit Elvis for Christmas 1962. In early 1963 she moved to be with him, and finished her senior year of high school in Memphis.
    • March 25, 1961 fouds Elvis at the Bloch Arena at Pearl Harbor. His performance and support raised money and awareness which enabled the USS Arizona Memorial to be completed the following year. This was Elvis' last live, non-movie performance until his 1968 television special.
    • On July 3, 1960, Vernon Presley married divorcee and mother of three sons, Davada (Dee) Stanley, an American whom he met in Germany. Although they lived at Graceland briefly, they later moved to a home nearby.
    • May 8, 1960 brings ABC airing Frank Sinatra's Welcome Home, Elvis edition of his variety show, for which Elvis was paid a staggering $125,000.
    • Having developed an interest in karate while in the Army, Elvis received his first degree black belt in March of 1960.
    • Elvis returned from Germany on March 2nd, 1960, and was officially discharged from military service on March 5.
    • In early 1960, Elvis was promoted to Sergeant in the Army.
    • Elvis first meets Priscilla Beaulieu in November of 1959. She is the only child of a Navy pilot, Jack Wagner, who was killed in a plane crash when Priscilla was an infant. Her mother Ann had remarried to Captain Joesph Beaulieu.
    • Elvis' mother, Gladys Presley, died on August 14, 1958, due to acute hepatitis. Elvis was able to get back and see her before she died.
    • In March, 1958, Elvis was inducted into the U.S. Army at the Memphis Draft Board and is assigned serial number 53310761. Pvt. Presley goes to Fort Hood, Texas for basic training and is stationed there for six months.
    • Elvis' first movie, Love Me Tender, premiered on November 16, 1956.
    • In July of 1956 he does a parody of that sketch on Steve Allen's show by singing to a real Bassett hound. Elvis wasn't happy about the idea - but he does it anyway. His success on Berle and Allen prompt the previously reluctant Ed Sullivan to sign a three appearance deal for $50,000 - an unheard of amount back then.
    • In April of 1956, Presley signed a seven-year movie contract with Hal Wallis and Paramount Pictures. Through-out his movie career, he longed to do a serious movie, but he was only offered "silly" roles for the most part. It seems the greediness of his manager Col. Tom Parker was to blame; he wanted Elvis to star in as many pictures as possible, and to film them as quickly as possible, in order to get as much money as they could.
    • Between January 28 and March 24 of 1956 Elvis made 6 appearances on the Jackie Gleason-produced Stage Show, starring Tommy and Jimmy Dorsey on CBS.
    • When Elvis' now legendary hit Heartbreak Hotel was released, it sold 300,000 copies the first week.
    • In August of 1955, Colonel Tom Parker replaces Bob Neal as Elvis' manager.
    • In the Summer of '53, Elvis drops into the The Memphis Recording Service (Sun Studios) and records "My Happiness," and "That's When Your Heartaches Begin." The cost for the recording was $4.00.
    • Elvis' favorite female singer was Anne Murray and he recorded a version of "Snowbird."
    • Elvis' parents made cameos in his film, Loving You.
    • Elvis was offered the lead role of Tony in the film adaptation of the Broadway musical,West Side Story, but Colonel Parker forced to make Presley turn it down as non-commercial despite Elvis' arguments it would legitimize his acting career. The film won ten Academy Awards including Best Picture. A very unfortunate choice...
    • Elvis was proud of his role in King Creole because the part was originally offered to one of his idols, James Dean. Although songs were later slipped into the movie, Elvis considered it his best work.
    • Billboard's Joel Whitburn declared Elvis the "#1 Act of the Rock Era," beating out The Beatles. His opinion was based upon Elvis' dominance of the top 100 list of singles artists since 1955.
    • Elvis Stojko, a Canadian who was the three-time World Figure Skating Champion, was named after Presley by his mother, who was a big fan.
    • According to Steve Brown's book, Scandalous Freedom: The Radical Nature of the Gospel, Elvis gave a concert and, at its conclusion, a woman came forward with a crown restling on a plush pillow. She lifted the crown to Elvis and shouted, "You're the King!" "No, honey," he said, "I'm not the King. Christ is the King. I'm just a singer."
    • Elvis was the first artist to sell over one billion records worldwide and was the best-selling record artist in history.
    • Elvis's hair was a natural sandy brown but he dyed it jet black after filming Love Me Tender.
    • The Cryolophosaurus is nicknamed 'Elvisaurus' because of its head crest being alike to Elvis's hairstyle.
    • Elvis was drafted into the United States Army for a two year service on December 20, 1957.
    • Elvis was nicknamed "E" by his bandmates and some of his family members.
    • Elvis gave money to many charities. Each year giving approximately $1,000 or more to each Memphis-area charity, though he preferred to keep most of his donations anonymous.
    • On his eleventh birthday, Elvis received a guitar as a gift. He was disappointed because he'd been hoping to get a bicycle.
    • The only time Elvis ever played outside of the United States was for three concerts in Canada.
    • Elvis' middle name was spelled 'Aron' on his birth certificate rather than the traditional spelling 'Aaron' to match his twin brother's name, Jesse Garon. It is spelled 'Aaron' on his tombstone.
    • More of Elvis' favorite foods included pork chops, meat loaf and steak. He liked his meat well-done. Elvis also liked fresh vegetables and creamed potatoes. Along with those, he also liked cheeseburgers and milkshakes, as well as fried peanut-butter and banana sandwhiches.
    • The exact time and place of Elvis' birth was in a small, two-room house in Tupelo, Mississippi at 4:35 AM on January 8, 1935.
    • When he died, Elvis' estate was valued at more than $10 million, unfortunately, his estate went through probate, and taxes and fees consumed a stunning 73% of the estate's value, leaving his heirs with less than $3 million.
    • Elvis had 18 televisions in his Graceland home, including one installed on the ceiling over his bed.
    • Elvis' idol was General Douglas MacArthur.
    • Elvis collected statues of Joan of Arc and Venus de Milo.
    • In 1988, Elvis' name made approximately $15,000,000.
    • In 2002, a remixed version of his 1968 song "A Little Less Conversation" was featured in a Nike commercial. It was released as a single in the UK, and went straight to #1.
    • Elvis only made one commercial during his entire career. It debuted on November 6, 1954, and it was for "Southern Made Doughnuts." He sang the jingle "You can get 'em piping hot after four PM, you can get 'em piping hot. Southern Made Doughnuts hit the spot, you can get 'em piping hot after four PM."
    • In 1985, Elvis was nominated for an ACE for Performance in a Music Special
      for: Elvis: One Night with You (1984).
    • Phillips began working with Elvis in early-1954 and put him in touch with Scotty Moore (Electric Guitar) and Bill Black (Acoustic Bass) to work on developing a repertoire and style of his own. On July 6, 1954, the trio was in the studio recording tunes for their first record when Elvis began banging out a raucous, impromptu rendition of Arthur "Big Boy" Crudup's "That's All Right (Mama)". Sam told the boys to "Run through it again and I'll put it on tape" and history was made. Phillips had found his "white man who had the negro feel" and rock and roll sprang forth from its roots in a frenetic blaze of youthful glory.
    • Ostensibly, Elvis recorded his first acetate as a gift for his mother, Gladys; however, it is more likely that he wanted to bring himself to the attention of Sam Phillips - as he ignored the cheaper amateur record-making service at a nearby general store. In January of 1954 he returned to Memphis/Sun to record a second acetate : "I'll Never Stand In Your Way" and "It Wouldn't Be the Same Without You". This time, Phillips himself took Elvis's $4.
    • On a Saturday afternoon in the summer of 1953, Elvis walked into the offices of The Memphis Recording Service (Sun Records) and paid receptionist Marion Keisker $4 to record an acetate disc of "My Happiness" and "That's When Your Heartaches Begin". Although frustrated when he wouldn't categorize himself or say who he sounded like ("I don't sound like nobody"), Marion was impressed enough to take down Elvis's contact information and save some of his recording on tape - noting : "Good ballad singer. Hold."
    • Elvis' time on Beale Street and the influence of musicians he admired began to overcome his native shyness. He began wearing flashy clothes and letting his hair grow. Although he was a member of his school's ROTC unit, the football coach cut him when he tried out for the team - apparently because he wouldn't trim his ducktail and sideburns. Then, in April of 1953, he set aside his shyness completely and competed in Humes's annual "Minstrel" show. "I wasn't popular in school ... I failed music - only thing I ever failed. And then they entered me in this talent show ... when I came onstage I heard people kind of rumbling and whispering and so forth, 'cause nobody knew I even sang. It was amazing how popular I became after that."
    • By 1949, the Presley's were living in a Memphis public housing complex called "The Courts" and Elvis was attending Humes High School. When he wasn't ushering at Loew's State Theater or working at Precision Tool or the school library or MARL Metal Products or driving a truck, he was continuing to learn the guitar and study music - soaking up influences, black and white, and accepting help whenever it was offered. Most of what he learned, he learned via ear - by way of jukeboxes, the radio, record store listening booths and live Beale Street shows.
    • Elvis' first public performance was in a singing contest at the Mississippi-Alabama Fair and Dairy Show on October 3, 1945. The nervous ten-year-old, standing on a chair to reach the microphone, sang Red Foley's "Old Shep". Three months later, on his eleventh birthday, Elvis received a guitar which cost $12.95 at the Tupelo Hardware Store. He was disappointed because he'd been hoping to get a bicycle - or a rifle.
    • While Elvis' mom, Gladys, struggled to keep the impoverished family afloat, often relying on government assistance or the charity of neighbors; his dad, Vernon, drifted from one low-paying job to the next. When Elvis was three, his father was found guilty of altering a check and was jailed for eight months, causing the family to lose their home.
    • Elvis was born in a small, two-room "shotgun shack" in Tupelo, Mississippi at 4:35 AM on January 8, 1935. Jesse Garon Presley, his identical twin brother, was delivered 35 minutes earlier, stillborn - a fact which haunted Elvis until his dying day, causing him to believe that he had two souls within him, and two lives to live in a single lifetime.
    • Elvis Presley: Don't criticize what you don't understand, son. You never walked in that man's shoes.
    • Elvis Presley: Truth is like the sun. You can shut it out for a time, but it ain't goin' away.
    • Elvis Presley: Rhythm is something you either have or don't have, but when you have it, you have it all over.
    • Elvis Presley: The first time that I appeared on stage, it scared me to death. I really didn't know what all the yelling was about. I didn't realize that my body was moving. It's a natural thing to me. So to the manager backstage I said 'What'd I do? What'd I do?' And he said 'Whatever it is, go back and do it again.'
    • Elvis Presley(on performing onstage) It's like a surge of electricity going through you. It's almost like making love, but it's even stronger than that... Sometimes I think my heart is going to explode.
    • Elvis Presley(on becoming famous) I just fell into it really. My daddy and I were laughing about it the other day. He looked at me and said, 'What happened E? The last thing I remember is I was working in a can factory and you were driving a truck.'
    • Elvis Presley(on the differences of the 1960s music versus the 1950s) There's been a big change in the music field in the last 10 or 12 years. I think everything has improved--the sounds have improved, the musicians have improved, the engineers have definitely improved. I like a lot of the new groups, y'know, The Beatles and The Byrds and the... whoever, but I really like a lot of the new music, but a lot of it is basically rock 'n roll music, gospel, or rhythm and blues. People have been adding to it, adding instruments to it, experimenting with it.
    • Elvis Presley: Some people tap their feet, some people snap their fingers, and some people sway back and forth. I just sorta do 'em all together, I guess.
    • Elvis Presley: I don't like being called 'Elvis The Pelvis.' That's gotta be one of the most childish expressions I've ever heard coming from an adult.
    • Elvis Presley: My daddy had seen a lot of people who played guitars and stuff and didn't work, so he said, 'You should make up your mind either way about being an electrician or playing a guitar, and I never saw a guitar player that was worth a damn.'
    • Elvis Presley: A live concert to me is exciting because of all the electricity that is generated in the crowd and on stage. It's my favorite part of the business--live concerts.
    • Elvis Presley: I've never gotten over what they call stage-fright. I go through it every show. I'm pretty concerned, I'm pretty much thinking about the show. I never get completely comfortable with it, and I don't let the people around me get comfortable with it, in that I remind them that it's a new crowd out there, it's a new audience, and they haven't seen us before. So it's got to be like the first time we go on.
    • Elvis Presley: I want to entertain people. That's my whole life. To my last breath.
    • Elvis Presley: I wiggle my shoulders, I shake my legs, I walk up and down the stage, I hop around on one foot. But I never bump and grind. Why, that's vulgar. I'd never do anything vulgar before an audience. My mother would never allow it.
    • Elvis Presley: Take care of the fans and they will sure as hell take care of you.
    • Elvis Presley: People who read sex into my music have dirty minds.
    • Elvis Presley: When you let your head get too big, it'll break your neck.
    • Elvis Presley: I don't sound like nobody.