IMAGE OF THE WEEK

This is a shot from the movie It Happened At The Worlds Fair. Of course this is the movie that Elvis' character was named Mike Edwards. One of his coolest characters, and where my pen name came from.

TODAY IN ELVIS HISTORY

Elvis concluded the work on It Happened At The World's Fair with some publicity stills. It Happened At The Worlds Fair is probably my favorite Elvis movie, and one of my all time favorite movies period. Elvis Character Mike Edwards of course inspired my pen name on here.

IMAGE OF THE WEEK

I am always glad to go to Graceland. It feels like my second home every time I walk in. This year was extra exciting because the leather jacket from the movie It Happened At The Worlds Fair was on display. I have never got to see this. I am so glad to know they still have this in the archives. As you can tell by my name I am a huge fan of the character Mike Edwards from It Happened. One reason is his cool duds. This jacket was the staple of the wardrobe from this movie which was around $20,000. This jacket alone cost $10,000. Notice the name Mike Edwards on the jacket.

An Instant Classic.....A look at Jailhouse Rock(part2)

I am finally back to finish my thoughts on Jailhouse Rock. This movie seems to have been perfect for Elvis. It came about at just the right time. It served notice this guy could cut it in Hollywood. First lets start with the story. The script is pretty good. No it is not the best one he was a part of in my opinion. Though overall I thought it fit. I would have had to wonder, how many times can we see this story about the young guy discovering his musical talent and making it big? Well three times in a row in the 50's and it paid off. The reason it did was because of the great music and the fact Elvis was actually becoming a good actor. The character is really nothing like the 22 year old boy who was playing him. Vince Everette was a tough guy who had a soft side, but really wanted to put out that vibe that he was not to be messed with. It is one of Elvis' coolest characters. Elvis has a pretty good cast to work with as well. I don't think it was as solid as the cast in King Creole, but it was still solid. I love Judy Tyler in the role of Peggy Van Alden. She and Elvis worked well together. She was a very pretty lady and seemed very talented. It is such a tragedy the way her life ended. The music was very good in the movie. Jailhouse Rock was an instant classic and defines the Rock and Roll side of Elvis to many people. It is one of the songs a lot of the general public thinks of when they thinks of Elvis. My personal favorite from the movie is (You're So Square)Baby I Don't Care. Jerry Leiber and Mike Stoller wrote some great music for the film.The wardrobe it also far out. I love Elvis' style from the 50's and it is reflected in this movie. I don't know if Elvis ever looked cooler then in the scene by the pool.
We all know the story about Elvis swallowing a tooth cap during production of the movie. He was rushed the hospital. It was a pretty serious deal, though Elvis made it through it alright. The most interesting part of the film to me is the Jailhouse Rock production number. It is without a doubt Elvis' best number on film, and was said to be his favorite. I believe it is the best production number from any movie ever, period. Alex Romero was the choreographer for the movie. Most people think Elvis came up with the dance, but this is false. Romero came up with something in the style of Fred Astaire. Elvis was not feeling it, and frankly couldn't have made it work. Romero asked Elvis to perform some of his songs and move like he did on stage, He left that night with some ideas, and had a new number by the next morning. Elvis still did not have an easy time with it. There is a great story about Elvis working on it and finally getting it. I should put it in here, but I am not. I might save that for another day. Romero and Presley sure came up with something special. Interestingly enough they would work together one more time years later. That would be in the 1967 movie, Clambake. That is one of the more odd things ever to me. Are two movies more on the opposite sides of the spectrum when it comes to Elvis? Clambake is a personal favorite of mine, but the none of the musical numbers are really that great to most people. Even though Hey Hey Hey is pretty key. Sorry, I have got off on a Clambake ramble now. Easy thing for me to do.
Jailhouse Rock is a classic, which ranks as some of Elvis' best work. I personally think it is one of his best movies along with King Creole and Wild In The Country. It is also on of my favorite movies. It does not top It Happened At The Worlds Fair, but it is probably a close second. I will discuss the music of this movie in the near future. I am going to finish this off with a clip from the movie. This is my favorite movie. The songs is cool. Elvis looks far out in his duds, and the whole vibe just rocks. This inspired me to go out and by a damn sweater just like his!

Look whats new on exbit on Graceland

I just got in and decided to check out the the Elvis Insiders forum before I went to bed. A lady was talking about going to Graceland and seeing the new exhibits. She has a picture of the leather bombers jackets Elvis(Mike Edwards) wore in It Happened At The Worlds Fair. I am having a fit. I have been wanting to see this forever. I knew that had it in archives but had just about gave up on it. I have been to Graceland now elven times and had never seen it. It is on display now and I hope it is still there in August. This is the best news I have heard in a long time. I have had seeing this jacket as one of my top goals for a long time. I am truly having a fit over this. If I see this jacket during EW it will be the highlight for sure. If I could have anything from the Graceland archives this might just be it.

IMAGE OF THE WEEK

Elvis,Scatter, and some of the guys taking a break during shooting of It Happened At The Worlds Fair. Scatter was key, look at him go.

Give me a story with a Happy Ending

As usual this morning I woke up with an Elvis movie on. I am going to talk about my favorite movie ever, It Happened At The Worlds Fair. It was shot in the later part of 1962 and was released in April of 1963. Elvis plays the part of Mike Edwards, a pilot barnstorming the north west with his partner Danny. They end up getting there plane took away because of gambling debts ran up by Danny. They go to the Seattle Worlds Fair hoping to find an old friend who can give them work. Mike and Danny meet a little girl Sue-Lin while catching a ride to the Fair. Mike ends up spending the day with Sue-Lin at the fair. Mike ends up falling for a nurse who works the fair. The movie is pretty much about Mike trying to woo the nurse while working and taking care of the little girl. This movie is short in part on location of the actual Worlds Fair. This movie took a lot to be made. They needed an extra one hundred police officers to help protect Elvis during shooting at the fair. Elvis also had all the mafia on location to make him feel better. Elvis's wardrobe cost over $9,000 for this movie. A lot of money for an actors clothing for a movie at the time. It was worth it Elvis never looked cooler in any of his 60's movies. Ten songs were featured in the movie and some real hidden gems lay in this work. A very underrated soundtrack with some great vocals by Elvis. There are many reason this is my favorite movie. The location is really cool and seeing the Worlds Fair is really neat. I have always had a fascinating with the Worlds Fair. The script is not that bad either, Elvis seems to have a pretty good time during the movie. The music is outstanding. Unfortunately is gets overlooked like most of the early 60's work. Also like any other Elvis movie it has a lot of beautiful ladies. It Happened At The Worlds Fair is my favorite movie without a doubt and ranks in the top ten or so of Elvis's best screen work.

The Collection grows

Last week I went crazy and dropped a hundred dollars on Elvis movie posters. It was money well spent. I got replica prints of the original movies posters from Kid Galahad,Girls!Girls!Girls!, It Happened At The Worlds Fair, and King Creole. The Creole poster is the alternate one used back in 58. I will post pics of them when I get them framed and put on the wall. These things are a steal at only 24.99 a pop. I have been looking for these for quite some time. I am really pumped over the IT poster since it is my favorite movie. They have several others that I hope to get in the coming months.

DOLL OF THE WEEK

Yvonne Craig appeared in two Elvis films,It Happened At The Worlds Fair and Kissin' Cousins.She was long been a favorite of mine. She is pretty, the those hips kill me. She only had a small role in IT. She plays the girl Elvis falls for in Kissin' Cousins. She lights up the screen with her beautiful smile and kick ass body. Yvonne is also famous for the role of Batgirl in the Batman series in the 60's. I am off to watch Yvonne in Kissin.

Take me to the fair

In my quest to visit the many historical places that have to do with Elvis I am going to set my sights on Seattle. I have found that many things from the 1962 Worlds Fair still exists. I would find it interesting to visit these grounds where the fair was held. It Happened At The Worlds Fair is my favorite movie and to see these things would be pretty special. The whole idea of what the Worlds Fair also intrigues me. I think it would have been neat to go to one back then. They seem so extravagant with a lot of neat things. To see where this movie was made and the history of the great fair would make this trip worth the trouble. I might have to look into this in the very near future.