BLUE CHRISTMAS BLUE EYES CRYING IN THE RAIN BLUE HAWAII BLUE MOON
Wednesday, August 31, 2011
On August 16, 1977, We Lost Elvis Presley
http://www.zoomers.ca/video/old-friend-elvis-tribute Bill Medleys Tribute To Elvis, Taken From The 1980s TV Special Graceland, And was hosted by Priscilla Presley. Remembering Elvis on this tragic day in history, gone much too soon, gone but never forgotten…. “And God shall wipe away … Continue reading
On August 16, 1977, We Lost Elvis Presley is a post from: The Elvis Presley Blog
The Rainmaker A BIG HUNK O LOVE A BOY LIKE ME A GIRL LIKE YOU A DOG S LIFE
Return to Sender? How to Avoid the Christmas Post Blues
John Smith asked: Christmas ? a time for giving, receiving, and for that warm glow of goodwill generated by knowing that there is something bigger out there than ourselves ? the spirit of Christmas. However, it is often the case that the giving and receiving of Christmas gifts gets scuppered.Established in 1660 ? and with [...]
Can a Book Be Considered a Killer?
Did Elvis die because of a book?� According to this interesting story, a book may very well have helped to kill Elvis Presley.� You all know the book I am talking about.� Elvis: What Happened was published just 2 weeks … Continue reading
Can a Book Be Considered a Killer? is a post from: The Elvis Presley Blog
A HOUSE THAT HAS EVERYTHING A HUNDRED YEARS FROM NOW A LITTLE BIT OF GREEN A LITTLE LESS CONVERSATION
Tuesday, August 30, 2011
Monday, August 29, 2011
Sunday, August 28, 2011
Priscilla Presleys Plastic Surgery - Is She Plastic Too?
Sheila Clinch asked: Living in a town where there is a constant struggle to look good, Hollywood stars would not mind if they have to shell out their living just to pay a cosmetic surgeon to maintain their look. Or this is what they think. There are numbers of celebrities that turned out to be [...]
DIRTY DIRTY FEELING DIXIELAND ROCK DO NOT DISTURB DO THE CLAM
July 2011 Elvis Auctions -- Part 1
July was a good months for auctions containing Elvis memorabilia items. Gotta Have It had 25 of them up for bidding that closed on July 22, and Heritage Auctioneers had 48 Elvis items in an auction that ended July 29. The first had a generous assortment of Elvis clothing and could be evaluated as a bigger success of the two. So, let?s take a look at the Elvis wardrobe items that changed hands at The Rock and Roll Auction from Gotta Have It.
1969 Return to Las Vegas Outfit:
This black mohair jacket and pants (plus the boots and scarf) attracted the second-most bids and brought in the highest price. The winning bid of $36,772 (including the auctioneer?s premium) was above the expected $20-30,000 range. The reason it was so popular is that this is the outfit Elvis wore when he returned to live shows at the Las Vegas International Hotel in the summer of 1969. It was before the jumpsuits came along, but as the auction website said, ?During Elvis? first engagement in 1969, Elvis? costumes were more subdued, but Elvis looked the best he ever had, and the suits he had designed for this engagement were simple and stunning.?
Here are two of the hundreds of photos taken during this engagement. Note the red satin kick pleats in the pants foreshadowing an iconic feature of Elvis? future jumpsuits. Included in the ensemble is the pair of the ?Verde? boots Elvis loved so much and wore during the engagement. The buyer also received one of the scarves Elvis wore at that time. However, these were accessories and not used like the ones he would come to give away to screaming fans several years later.
There is no question that this set is the genuine thing. There are custom labels and Elvis? name in indelible ink inside the coat and pants verifying they belonged to him. In addition, a letter of providence from Elvis? long-time wardrobe manager, Richard Davis, seals the deal. This is a major, big-time Elvis collectible.
IC Costume Blue Shirt:
This hand-tailored blue shirt received the most bids, and it went for $8,983, a price near the topside of the expected range. Because Elvis never gave the shirt a favorite name, the auction website simply calls it the IC Costume Blue Shirt, named after the store where he got it. The shirt had all the requirements needed to generate bidding interest: a custom label, a color photograph of Elvis wearing it, and a letter of authenticity from his long time buddy Alan Fortas.
Lansky Bros. Outfit:
There was no doubt this suit and shirt combo would go for big bucks. As the label shows, Elvis got it from Lansky Bros. Men?s Shop. He subsequently wore it for all sort of photography sessions in 1956. It even appears in a picture on the back of his first album, Elvis Presley. The happy new owner of this iconic outfit shelled out $25,725 to get it
Jailhouse Rock Shirt (Sort of):
The expected range for this brown, black and gray shirt was $5,000 to $10,000, but it brought only $3,146. The reason can be found in the fine print on the auction website description. Four color variations of this shirt were bought for the movie Jailhouse Rock, but the red version was chosen for Elvis to wear in it. In a nice display of honesty, they even admit that Elvis is wearing the red one in the accompanying photo taken on the set with co-star Judy Tyler. There is no letter of provenance to prove that Elvis ever wore the auction shirt, so bidders were understandably cautious.
IC Costume Shirt, Pants and Belt:
The shirt in this outfit is similar to the other one from IC Costume Co. above, but pants and gold metallic belt are also included. You would think it would bring considerably more, but the whole package went for just $10,631, about half of that expected. I don?t get it. It comes with a supporting photograph taken in front of the Graceland front door, and it has a letter of provenance from Harold Lloyd, Elvis? first-cousin and Graceland gate guard. This looks to be a good bargain for the lucky bidder.
Shirt, Vest and Pants Outfit from Lansky Bros:
The auction photos all show just the white rayon shirt and the red vest, but the set included a pair of black pleated and cuffed pants. The shirt and vest both have personalized Elvis labels as well as standard Lansky Bros. labels. Publicity photographs featuring Elvis wearing this outfit accompany the lot. The auction website says the photographs were most likely taken during the King Creole film period, but the outfit does not appear in the film. With the photos of Elvis wearing the clothes and a letter of authenticity from buddy Alan Fortas, the three-piece set equaled expectations and topped out at $13,798.
Monogrammed Purple Terry Robe: You have to look closely to see the EP monogram at the top of this robe. The auction website says it was obtained from Felton Jarvis who was Elvis' record producer with RCA Records. Felton received the robe from Elvis during the Jungle Room Sessions held at Graceland on February 5, 1976. There was no accompanying photo of Elvis wearing the robe, but it was accompanied with letter of authenticity from Elvis biographer, Hal Noland, and it achieved a high bid of $5,445, Army Shirt Worn in Germany: I guess this shirt is authentic, but there are several things in the auction website text and pictures that make me wonder. Three shots were displayed showing different printed or stamped images and words on the inside of the shirt. The two below both contain stamps of ownership: Elvis Presley in script and Presley E A in block letters. The next picture shows inside the collar, and the blow-up shows the shirt size at the top: 14� ? 32. Elvis may well have had a 14� inch neck back in his Army days, but just a 32 inch sleeve length? Seems pretty short for a guy who was 6?1? tall. I Googled Elvis? vital statistics but couldn?t find anything on that. Farther down on the blow-up, we see SP 4 Elvis Presley, a rank Elvis achieved. But, if the rank is printed on the inside of the shirt, why isn?t the insignia sewn on the shirt? Do you think two extra stamps besides the one inside the collar seems like too much? The thing that put up the biggest red flag for me on this shirt was in the auction website text. It actually said, ?Comes from the Vince Everett Elvis Presley Museum in the UK with a signed COA from Vince Everett himself.? If the name Vince Everett sounds familiar to you, it should. That was the name of Elvis? character in Jailhouse Rock. So, they were offering a certificate of authenticity from a fictional character? The high bidder thought this was worth $5,069. If I had that kind of money, I think I?d look for less questionable Elvis memorabilia to spend it on. � 2011 Philip R Arnold, Original Elvis Blogmeister All Rights Reserved www.ElvisBlog.net Elvis, Elvis Presley, and Graceland are registered trademarks of Elvis Presley Enterprises, Inc.
CAN T HELP FALLING IN LOVE CARNY TOWN CATCHIN ON FAST CATTLE CALL
Saturday, August 27, 2011
Friday, August 26, 2011
Thursday, August 25, 2011
Wednesday, August 24, 2011
Tuesday, August 23, 2011
Bad Hair Day / Good Hair Day -- You Call It
My friend Alan Hanson writes a wonderful blog about Elvis Presley. He and I have often come up with similar ideas, but usually they are years apart after time has dulled our memory of the other?s work. This week we both independently decided to do a blog on Elvis? hair.
DIRTY DIRTY FEELING DIXIELAND ROCK DO NOT DISTURB DO THE CLAM
Elvis Presley to Become a Comic Book Hero
The above title was the heading of a recent news announcement on the official Elvis website, Elvis.com.
The announcement heralded a new oversized coffee-table book called Graphic Elvis, a collaboration between EPE and Liquid Comics. Elvis? love of comic book superheroes is credited as the inspiration for the Graphic Elvis. As a teenager, Elvis was a huge fan of Captain Marvel Jr., who influenced his hairstyle, his TCB lightning logo, and his colorful jumpsuits and capes.
On the tour through Elvis? boyhood home at Lauderdale Courts, a Captain Marvel Jr. comic book is visible on the nightstand in his bedroom. Graphic Elvis features original artwork by leading international graphic artists and is praised as an homage to Elvis? lifelong appreciation of comic books.
The press release also quoted part of Elvis? acceptance speech at the ?Ten Outstanding Young Men? in 1971:
?When I was a child, I was a dreamer. I read comic books, and I was the hero??
I think Graphic Elvis will be a terrific book, and I would love to have one, but I vowed years ago not to buy any more Elvis stuff. The book is priced at $195, which may put it out of reach for many fans. However, it will have a limited printing of just 2,500 copies, so I?m sure it will sell out. Graphic Elvis is available by mail-order here, and it will ship in time for Christmas. According to Elvis.com/news, if you buy before the end of August, you can use the discount code ELVIS FANS and get a $50 discount. Graphic Elvis will also be in stores by early April 2012.
Some of the artwork has been included in the media reports. Let?s look at a few. The triple Elvis drawing above is good work, but all three images show him in familiar attire. I?m not sure about the relevance to comic book superheroes.
Artwork by Mukesh Singh for Liquid Comics
This image is really clever. You see young Elvis sitting on the floor surrounded by comic books. Then a swirling vortex of comics rises above him and morphs into some kind of Arabian Nights hero.
Artwork by Jeevan J Kang for Liquid Comics
The next two images certainly capture the essence of Elvis in all his jumpsuit splendor. The one on the right could possibly be a caped crusader ready to leap into action, but the one on the left appears to simply be Elvis performing on stage.
Artwork by Mukesh Singh for Liquid Comics
This one is my favorite. Look closely and you can make out young Elvis playing guitar at the bottom. His superhero powers must be in all those tentacle-like things coming out of the guitar. The press release did not give the titles of these pictures, and I can?t imagine what they will call this, either. One thing for sure, if any bad guys try to mess with this Elvis, they will be asking for trouble.
After seeing the sneak preview of some of the images from Graphic Elvis, I wondered what else is out on the internet that portrays Elvis as a comic book superhero. Here are a some good ones.
TCB Man
Stone Cold Elvis
The Winged Avenger
The Masked E-Man
Fluid Man
Undead Elvis
Squiggle-E
Elvis Klingon Master (and his cute sidekick)
Rock Star Android (with very large sock stuffed in his pants)
In fairness to Graphic Elvis, it gives a modern generation of artists a chance to create works inspired by Elvis? music, his personal and public appearances, and the many reflections on life that he jotted down in books. So, the artwork will cover a lot more than comic book heroes.
Maybe EPE could put together a smaller, cheaper book of just superhero-inspired Elvis art. I might have to break my vow and buy that one.
� 2011 Philip R Arnold, Original Elvis Blogmeister All Rights Reserved www.ElvisBlog.net
Elvis, Elvis Presley, and Graceland are registered trademarks of Elvis Presley Enterprises, Inc.
CRYING IN THE CHAPEL DAINTY LITTLE MOONBEAMS DANNY DANNY BOY
Monday, August 22, 2011
Sunday, August 21, 2011
Elvis' First Trip to Las Vegas was a Blast
A few weeks ago, when I was reviewing pictures in my files for the recurring feature Postscripts to Earlier Elvisblogs, there were several photos from Elvis? first appearance in Las Vegas. That was his two-week engagement at the New Frontier Hotel?s Venus Showroom from April 23 to May 6, 1956.
BECAUSE OF LOVE BEGINNER S LUCK BEYOND THE BEND BEYOND THE REEF
Saturday, August 20, 2011
Postscripts To Earlier ElvisBlogs -- 7
We took a look at Elvis? Fabulous Rings back in May. In the article, I suggested you check out Elvis? hands in any of his jumpsuit pictures, because he would usually have three or four on each hand. Now, look at the picture below. There are no rings on his right hand.
The Rainmaker A BIG HUNK O LOVE A BOY LIKE ME A GIRL LIKE YOU A DOG S LIFE
Friday, August 19, 2011
Thursday, August 18, 2011
Wednesday, August 17, 2011
Tuesday, August 16, 2011
Monday, August 15, 2011
Sunday, August 14, 2011
The Last Photograph of Elvis Alive
The celebration of Elvis Week is going on right now in Memphis. I?ve been to four of these so far, and plan to be back next year for the 35th Anniversary. Elvis fans are quite content to refer to these yearly anniversaries without also including the qualifying phrase of the death of Elvis. Elvis Week is a certainly a celebration of Elvis? life, but his passing was the genesis of thousands of fans making the pilgrimage to Graceland every August.
I start early each year trying to figure out a new way to blog about the anniversary of Elvis? death. A few weeks ago, when I researched the ElvisBlog article about Elvis on the covers on the tabloid The Sun, I came across my copy of the September 20, 1977, issue of the National Enquirer. On the cover was a photo of Elvis in a car, and the tag was ?Hours Before He Died.? The caption under the picture was, ?The Last Photo of Elvis Alive.?
This photo, in both color and black-and-white, has been all over the internet for years. However, I have never read anything about who took it and the circumstance around the event. Then, I opened up that old National Enquirer, and there was the whole story.
On Page 57, Enquirer writer Chris Fuller had a two-column article, including a photo of the folks who took the picture.
So, in celebration of the 34th anniversary of Elvis? passing, here is that article, edited slightly for brevity and emphasis.
Story Behind the Last Picture of Elvis Alive
Robert Call was ready with his camera when the car stopped at the front gate of Graceland in Memphis. People were shouting ? ?Elvis! Elvis!? Suddenly, inside the car, the King of Rock smiled and waved at Call?s four-year-old daughter Abby.
And that?s when Call took the picture?the last photograph of Elvis alive.
The time was 12:28 on the morning of August 16. Just a few hours later, Elvis would be found dead.
?We were excited when my husband took the picture,? said Call?s wife Nancy, ?but we didn?t realize it would be the last one ever taken of Elvis.
?I?ll never forget the way it happened. Elvis was driving the car. There was a lady sitting in front with him and two men in the back. I had Abby in my arms almost right up against the car window.
?She was hollering ? ?Hi!? ? and grinning from ear to ear. Elvis smiled really big, then he put on the brakes for a second, pointed to Abby and waived to her. That?s when my husband took the picture.
?Later that day we heard on TV that Elvis had died. We had just seen this man laughing, smiling and waving.?
The Calls, who live in Pierceton, Indiana, had gone to Memphis ?because I was determined to get pictures of Abby and the other children at the Elvis home for my scrapbook,? Mrs. Call said.
Mrs. Call said little Abby?reacted to Elvis? death with a touching remark. She said,
?I bet he?s going to be an angel.?
Maybe we should say we are celebrating the 34th annivesary of Elvis' ascendancy to Heaven.
� 2011 Philip R Arnold, Original Elvis Blogmeister All Rights Reserved www.ElvisBlog.net
Elvis, Elvis Presley, and Graceland are registered trademarks of Elvis Presley Enterprises, Inc.
DO THE CLAM DO THE VEGA DO YOU KNOW WHO I AM DOIN THE BEST I CAN
Saturday, August 13, 2011
Friday, August 12, 2011
Thursday, August 11, 2011
Can a Book Be Considered a Killer?
Did Elvis die because of a book?� According to this interesting story, a book may very well have helped to kill Elvis Presley.� You all know the book I am talking about.� Elvis: What Happened was published just 2 weeks … Continue reading
Can a Book Be Considered a Killer? is a post from: The Elvis Presley Blog
CATTLE CALL CCRIDER see SEE SEE RIDER CHANGE OF HABIT CHARRO
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