Stars Loved To Be In Elvis’s Movies
Elvis shot in front of a camera for over 30 different projects. Although he wanted to become a great actor and take on dramatic roles, his attempts were unpopular both with his manager and at the box office. A formula for his films was developed that brought commercial success.
Stars liked to appear in Elvis’s films, regarding them as safe bets. The majority of his films had soundtrack albums, but the rapid pace of filmmaking caused the quality of his songs in these records to decrease. People started to lose interest in the King.
Elvis’s Dance Style Was Seen As Controversial
Elvis’s appearances on TV shows made him a national celebrity. The Ed Sullivan Show was particularly explosive, with fans going crazy and screaming during the entire performance. However, he received a lot of backlash for his dance moves, which were considered to be very provocative.
Nonetheless, Elvis’s earnings were progressively increasing, especially after he started going on tour. He not only gained millions of fans but also introduced rock ‘n’ roll music to pop culture. Many people believe that he opened the door for future rock bands to become mainstream.
Elvis Tried To Hide His Problems
During the last years of his career – and his life – Elvis tried to keep his issues more private than ever, afraid that people would think less of him if they found out. But despite his efforts to conceal it, his physical deterioration was evident to everyone.
A combination of excessive weight gain and abuse of prescription pills had turned him into a shadow of his former glory, yet Elvis tragically refused to ask for help. His fans were everything to him, and he was terrified they would stop loving him if he ever admitted the truth about his lifestyle.
Elvis Had A Twin
When Elvis Aaron Presley came into the world, he wasn’t alone. His mother, Gladys Presley, had actually been pregnant with twins, but his brother, Jesse Garon Presley, was stillborn. Despite their joy upon receiving Elvis, Gladys and Vernon were devastated by the tragic loss of Jesse.
However, Elvis’s mother and father decided to pour all of their love and attention into the newborn child they did have rather than focus on the one they had lost. Some people believe that the traumatic experience of losing his twin brother was one of the reasons Elvis never wanted to be alone.
A Gift Changed Elvis’s Destiny
At 11 years old, Elvis was obsessed with guns, which worried his mother. Gladys wouldn’t let him anywhere near any type of firearm, so she gave him a guitar instead. This gift changed the course of the boy’s life as music became his new focus.
Elvis continued to be interested in firearms for the rest of his life, but he spent his youth learning how to play the guitar. At the time, no one could’ve guessed that his musical talent would make him the center of celebrity news in the United States.
Elvis Was Bullied
Many celebrities were bullied in their childhood, and not even the King of Rock ‘n’ Roll was exempt. Elvis was a very shy child, making him an easy target for this kind of harassment. As a result, he became even more insecure, retreating further inward.
Victims of bullying can suffer serious damage to their mental health. Fortunately, Elvis found solace in music, which became the main way he expressed himself. We can only imagine how surprised his former tormentors must have been when he became a worldwide star years later.
Elvis’s Music Teacher Underrated Him
Considering how bold his performances were, it seems hard to believe that Elvis was once shy. Since music became his comfort zone at an early age, he overcame his anxiety by expressing himself through song, though not everyone believed that he could be a musician.
One of the people with little faith in Elvis’s talent was his music teacher, who told him that there was nothing special about his musical abilities. Although many other children would have given up on a career in music after hearing this, Elvis was undeterred.
Elvis Was Not A Songwriter
Elvis was a successful singer and guitar player, but he didn’t write any of his songs. Two of the songwriters he most frequently worked with were Jerry Leiber and Mike Stoller, who wrote Hound Dog. Although his performance of this song is the best-known, it was originally released by Big Mama Thornton.
Mike and Jerry contributed directly to Elvis’s albums starting with his second record. He developed a close relationship with them when they wrote the songs for films like Loving You and Jailhouse Rock. They admired how quickly he would learn the lyrics. Songwriters for Elvis had to give up one-third of their royalty earnings.
Elvis Dyed His Locks For An Edgier Look
Elvis thought a darker mane would make him look edgier, so he changed his natural dirty-blond color to black. His instincts turned out to be correct: a key part of his iconic image was his dark tresses coifed in a unique style. There are few photos of him with his natural color.
Early in his career, Elvis used shoe polish to achieve his signature look, but as his fame grew he started switching to regular hair dye. His fans loved the look, and it was with this style that he rose to fame all over the world.
Elvis Even Dyed His Eyelashes
Elvis considered his image to be extremely important, so he went to great lengths to always look his best for his fans. Given that he was a natural blonde, it thus makes sense that he would dye his eyelashes black to match his signature hairdo.
It is said that Elvis’s habit of constantly dying his eyelashes sadly gave him health problems with his eyes years later. Yet to him it was but a small price to pay. As far as he was concerned, pleasing his fans was always worth it.
Elvis Kept His Mother’s Hairdresser
Taking care of Elvis’s iconic hairstyle was a big responsibility with which he trusted none other than his beloved mother’s hairdresser. The hairdresser, Homer Gilleland, was even given an airline pass so that he could fly to wherever his client was at a moment’s notice.
In this way, Elvis kept his appearance impeccable for his performances. Rumor has it that Homer saved some of the tresses he cut, which wouldn’t surprise us at all. Jars of Elvis’s mane trimmings have sold for over $20,000 at auctions. Some fans will take anything they can get.
Why Elvis Popped His Collars
Another aspect of Elvis’s iconic style was his use of popped collars. According to some sources, this habit actually stemmed from one of his insecurities. During his childhood, he reportedly was teased about his “scrawny” neck even by his mother and father, which deeply scarred his self-image.
As a result, the young Elvis started popping the collars of his shirts to hide his neck. When he reached stardom, it simply became part of his signature fashion choices. His tall mane and trendsetting suits formed a complete image he sold to the public.
Elvis Bought A Mansion For His Family
Within the first year of his success, Elvis was able to purchase a mansion. He kept the estate’s name, Graceland, which had actually been named for the previous owner’s daughter, Grace, and invited his mother and father, Gladys and Vernon, to move in with him.
Elvis’s family was very important to him. He even gave his parents the master bedroom to ensure that they had the most comfortable accommodations in the house. Gladys decided to decorate the room in purple, her favorite color, and the decor hasn’t been changed since.
Elvis’s Dad Left His Mark At Graceland
Graceland was both a family home and a family business. As Elvis’s success grew, his career became more and more difficult to manage, so his father, Vernon, had his own office where he mostly attended to his son’s affairs, aiming for efficiency at all times.
As a very busy man, Vernon always liked to get to the point and deeply disliked wasting time on people who weren’t there to work. Therefore, he installed certain warnings against loitering on the property. Visitors can still see these signs hanging in his office.
Elvis Liked To Play Jokes On His Fans
Elvis was quite a prankster. One of his favorite jokes was to change into the uniform of someone who had graduated from a police academy, then go around stopping people to give them tickets on some pretext. Upon receiving the tickets, fans would realize they were autographs.
These tickets are probably worth thousands of dollars now. For the King’s fans, it was a treat to be the target of one of his pranks. However, impersonating a cop is actually illegal. Elvis was lucky that he didn’t get into any trouble for it.
Elvis Had A Very Unusual Pet
Elvis was big on animal care, and he had a lot of pets over his lifetime. Graceland housed many animals from dogs to birds to horses, but one of the most unique was his pet chimpanzee, Scatter. Much like his owner, the chimp was a prankster.
Elvis and Scatter played numerous jokes together. Elvis would dress the animal as a chauffeur and then ask the actual chauffeur to crouch down while driving around town. When they saw Scatter on the driver’s seat, other people thought a chimp was driving the vehicle.
Elvis Left His Finances To His Manager
Colonel Tom Parker became Elvis’s manager. Trusting him implicitly, the King paid his manager unusually large amounts: Tom’s salary was comprised of a whopping half of the proceeds from Elvis’s films and recordings, as well as a third of the income earned from his live performances.
All of this was possible because Elvis was more concerned with his music than his finances. In fact, it is said that he hated the business side of being a rock star, routinely signing contracts and agreements without even reading them or consulting someone else.
No Concerts Outside North America
Considering the magnitude of his stardom, one of the oddest things about Elvis’s career is that he never performed anywhere outside North America even though he could’ve made a lot of money touring around the world. In fact, he never performed outside the United States except for a mere three concerts in Canada.
As it turns out, Elvis’s manager, Tom, was actually an illegal immigrant, so it would’ve been impossible for him to get a passport. It was thus inconvenient for him to have the King traveling all over the globe. Tom told him it was a bad idea, and Elvis followed his lead.
Elvis’s Military Service Won Respect
Elvis’s decision to put his career on hold so he could serve in the military further endeared him to the public. Many people already adored him, but now even his staunchest critics had to admit that he was an honorable man. His manager approved completely.
Furthermore, Elvis served as a regular soldier instead of enlisting in Special Services. He could’ve had special accommodations while performing in various military camps but insisted on being treated no different than anyone else. The military uniform and polished shoes would really pay off later on.
Elvis’s Devastating Loss Of His Mother
Elvis had been very close to his mother, Gladys, since childhood. Even after he grew up and achieved celebrity status, he continued to use baby talk and special pet names with her. This was another reason his peers bullied him so harshly in his youth.
In 1958, Gladys was diagnosed with a fulminant case of hepatitis that claimed her life at only 46 years old. Elvis was granted leave from his military service to visit her. He stayed at her side during the final two days of her life and was devastated when she passed away.
Elvis Protected His Siblings’ Privacy
Although Elvis was an only child for most of his life, he became a big stepbrother when his father remarried. His stepmother, Davada “Dee” Stanley Presley, was the mother of three children. Due to the age difference, Elvis was more like a father figure to the boys.
However, Elvis did his best to protect the privacy of his siblings despite his immense fame, so that there aren’t many celebrity photos of him with his stepbrothers. Because of his efforts, not many people knew about this side of his family until after his death.
Elvis’s Stepbrothers Shared His Story
Despite Elvis’s attempts to safeguard his siblings’ privacy, not all of them have avoided the spotlight. In fact, one of them, David Stanley, wrote a book titled My Brother Elvis: The Final Years, in which he shared his experiences while working as a bodyguard for Elvis during his teenage years.
David was very open about the drug habits of Elvis and his entourage. Similarly, another stepbrother, Bill Stanley, produced a documentary titled A Ride To Remember about his life with Elvis. The Stanley family has published a number of other works about Elvis as well.
How Elvis Met The Love Of His Life
When Elvis quit performing at the height of his career to serve in the military just like any other soldier, it was out of his deep love for his country. He had no idea that this decision would also lead him straight to his greatest romance.
After he was sent overseas to Germany, Elvis met Priscilla Beaulieu during a party at his house, and the two quickly fell in love. Priscilla was an American girl who had moved to Germany with her family because of her stepfather’s deployment there. At the time, she was only in junior high school.
Elvis Won Priscilla’s Parents Over
Because Priscilla was only a young teenager and Elvis was 10 years her senior, her mother and stepfather initially disapproved of their relationship. They were especially displeased that she got home very late on the night she met Elvis. However, he was ready to turn on his charm.
Priscilla would later recount Elvis’s visit to her house in his military uniform. He spoke with her stepfather, promising that she wouldn’t arrive home late again. Though Elvis won everyone over that night, Priscilla’s family would allow her to move stateside only on the condition of marriage.
Priscilla Knew Elvis Better Than Herself
When Elvis met his future wife, Priscilla, during his time in the military, she was still figuring out who she was. As Priscilla later stated in public interviews, she was so deeply in love with Elvis that her whole life started to revolve around him.
Priscilla had thought her relationship with Elvis would be over once he returned to America, but they kept in touch over the phone. Eventually, she visited him in the United States. Fans would often write letters to Priscilla, and the media wanted to know more about her.
The Origin Of Vegas Weddings
After seven years of dating, Priscilla and Elvis got engaged. They decided to tie the knot the next year, on May 1, 1967, holding a small ceremony in Las Vegas, Nevada, that many people regard as the origin of Elvis impersonators officiating nuptials in the city.
Priscilla and Elvis exchanged vows in their suite at the Aladdin Hotel, though they were rumored to have only married under pressure from Elvis’s manager. Reportedly, he believed that marriage was necessary to protect Elvis’s public image, and his judgment was indeed instrumental in the King’s success.
Keeping Her Man Was A Full-Time Job
During their entire relationship, Elvis never saw Priscilla without makeup. He also didn’t want to know how she got ready to go out in public, preferring instead to only see the final result. According to her, he liked to think of her beauty as mysterious.
Maintaining the mystique was time-consuming, but Priscilla didn’t mind at all. Elvis was her world, and she lived to please him. He was also very mindful of his own image, after all. Besides, a woman going without any cosmetic products on her face was unheard of in those days.
Priscilla Decided To Leave Elvis
Even before their marriage, Priscilla had objected to certain aspects of Elvis’s rock ‘n’ roll lifestyle, his constant infidelity taking a particularly heavy toll on their relationship. But it wasn’t until they welcomed their daughter in 1968 that the couple started to drift further and further apart.
As the distance between Elvis and Priscilla grew, they both started having relationships with other people. Elvis even had his girlfriend, Linda Thompson, move in with him before he and Priscilla separated. After a relationship that lasted 14 years, their marriage was over by October 1973.
The Woman Before Priscilla
There were many women before, during, and after Elvis’s relationship with Priscilla. Right before he met Priscilla, he had started an affair with another woman in Germany. At first, he had hired Elisabeth Stefaniak to take care of all of his fan mail for him.
However, Elvis and Elisabeth’s working relationship had soon escalated into a romance. After he met Priscilla and started to dedicate all of his time to her, though, he ended things with Elisabeth. She moved on as well, eventually marrying Rex Mansfield, another man in uniform.
Stars Loved To Be In Elvis’s Movies
Elvis shot in front of a camera for over 30 different projects. Although he wanted to become a great actor and take on dramatic roles, his attempts were unpopular both with his manager and at the box office. A formula for his films was developed that brought commercial success.
Stars liked to appear in Elvis’s films, regarding them as safe bets. The majority of his films had soundtrack albums, but the rapid pace of filmmaking caused the quality of his songs in these records to decrease. People started to lose interest in the King.
Elvis Settled Down In Los Vegas
After a streak of bad songs and poorly performing records, Elvis made a spectacular comeback in the 1968 TV special Elvis. Energized by this success, he was looking forward to a fresh start. An opportunity to have a residency in Las Vegas came at just the right time.
Elvis’s debut at the International Hotel in Las Vegas was an all-around success. He was offered a $1-million-a-year contract to sing during the months of February and August for five years. The hotel was making a huge investment, but it turned out to be well worth it. The King was back.
Elvis Helped Eradicate Polio
Not many people remember that Elvis was instrumental in the prevention of polio in the United States. As hard as it may seem to believe now, people were initially reluctant to get vaccinated. However, doctors approached Elvis with a proposal for the good of teenagers.
They asked him to get vaccinated with a professional photographer taking pictures. Elvis consented, and only days later the pictures were everywhere. This campaign to promote vaccination, together with the Teens Against Polio initiative, was highly effective. Incidence of the disease dropped by 90 percent.
Elvis Was A Germophobe
Elvis didn’t fear many things, but Priscilla says he had two huge fears: germs and being forgotten. He became a legendary international star, so forgetting his legacy seems unlikely. However, he had also been a germophobe since he was a little boy. How did he deal with this fear?
According to Priscilla, Elvis disliked being invited over for dinner because he would have to use other people’s dishes. On these occasions, he would bring his own silverware. When he had to share cups, he drank from the part of the rim nearest to the handle, where no one else would.
Elvis Didn’t Like Eating In Public
The media constantly followed Elvis around, taking pictures, which made it difficult for him to lead a normal life. According to Priscilla, he wanted to keep his image as immaculate as possible, so he went to great lengths to avoid being seen doing something unattractive.
For example, Elvis tried not to eat in public because he hated leaked photos in which he was shown chewing or biting into his food. Despite his efforts, some pictures have survived that capture the King having a meal just like any other human being.
Elvis’s Signature Sandwich
Elvis’s mother, Gladys, revealed the recipe of the special treat she made for the King, a sandwich combination he liked so much that he named it after himself: peanut butter, honey, bacon, and banana. It sounds delicious, though it’s not exactly the best for our health.
As tempting as it may be to eat like the King, we should keep in mind that the Elvis sandwich can do some serious damage to our bodies. This is the sort of thing we should indulge in about once a month, not every day.