Our weekend in Memphis

Well Vince and I had a good time in Memphis even if it was way too short of a trip. We left at about 1:30 in the morning Friday and arrived in Memphis at about 9:00. We went straight to Graceland after getting a quick bite to eat. It was just opening up for tours and we just walked around and checked out all the shops. We spent the afternoon going to some stores in Horn Lake. We finally got to check in at the Heartbreak Hotel about 3:30 so we could get a little rest before the meet and greet with Darlene Tompkins and the screening of Blue Hawaii. Darlene spoke some before the movie came on about the movie and Elvis. The movie started and Darlene kind of mixed with the crowd and spoke some about things throughout the movie. Unfortunately I missed a good portion of the movie because I was out in the hall on the phone tending to some things going on back home. After the movie we got some food and headed back to the room. We turned on the 24 hour Elvis channel the hotel had and watched Girl Happy as we went to sleep. We both could barley function by that time!
Saturday we got up pretty early and headed over to Graceland for our VIP tour. Going up to the mansion was as great as it always is. This was my thirteenth time and it was as moving as the first time I ever went in. As soon as I step into that house I just get the best feeling. You feel so welcomed and know Elvis would be glad you were there. I can't really come close to describing it. The reason for this big weekend trip was to see the new exhibits. The special VIP only Graceland exhibit was very cool. A lot of the same stuff as usual was in the room but a lot of stuff had been added as well. Old documents, receipts, letters, and such telling the history of the home. I was very fascinated by this. The thing that intrigued me the most was some of the receipts from when Elvis redecorated Graceland after he has purchased it. It kind of gives you insight of how the house looked and the feel it might have had. I was trying to imagine that anyway. You could really tell he was going all out and was for sure making good on his promise to give his mother the nicest home in town. The automobile museum also had two new additions to it. They added another Rolls Royce Elvis owned as well as a 6-door Mercedes Benz limousine featured in the movie Elvis on Tour. I has seen the limo last EW at the expo, but I had never seen the Rolls. That was a pretty sharp car. Another new thing added was the exhibit Elvis Lives: The King and Pop Culture. It was loaded with books, collectibles, cd's, movies, and more that has to do with Elvis over the years. The last exhibit was called Elvis In Hollywood. This was my favorite part of the tour because I am such a big fan of his movies. It showcases all 33 movies and documentaries Elvis made. Some cool stuff from Jailhouse Rock, Clambake, Viva Las Vegas, and Blue Hawaii I never have seen are on display. I was very excited over getting to see that stuff. After spending way too much money on cd's we finally started to make our way home late Saturday.
Overall it was a great trip. I am glad we decided to go. It was very tiring(I am still dead tired!) and I was a little preoccupied by some other stuff but I don't regret going. I really can't wait to go back in August. I picked up some new FTD's while out in Memphis. No way I was going to be in those shops and not buy a few. Nevada Lights,On Tour,Blue Hawaii,Kid Galahad, Elvis Today,Raised On Rock, and Wild In The Country was added to the collection. I have really enjoyed what I have got to hear from them. I will be doing some reviews on here for sure.
That puts my cd collection up to 157. I am really getting it built up now!

Jailhouse Rock: Black and White or Color?

I'm a huge fan of Jailhouse Rock (obviously with my pen name) because it shows the raw Elvis of the 50's in a badass sort of way. To me, Jailhouse Rock was never meant to be seen in color even though you can see it that way. It takes away the rawness of the movie and just looks very unnatural to me. This past Elvis Week was awesome because I got to watch Jailhouse Rock on the front lawn of Graceland at the Music and Movies event. Sadly, they wont be doing that this year. Another thing that I love about the move is the awesome soundtrack with my favorite song being "Young and Beautiful." What's sad about the whole thing is three days after completing the film, Elvis' co-star Judy Tyler was killed in an automobile accident which prevented Elvis watching the movie because they were close friends. On a lighter note, the movie has one of the most famous dancing scenes in history and is sometimes credited to be the first music video and that is of course the sequence of "Jailhouse Rock". Little do people know that the choreographer for the movie, Alex Romero, originally created a dance in a style that was geared for a more classically trained dancer than Elvis. After Romero saw that it wasn't going to work for the song, he asked Elvis how would he normally move to the song thus creating Elvis as an uncredited choreographer for the film. Flippy.... real flippy

Dont give a damn..

I'm not feeling that great and I am highly agitated at the moment. I am about to go watch Jailhouse Rock though. Vince was one of the coolest characters Elvis played in his movie career. A true bad ass, did not give a damn, and cared only about himself. This short clip is one of my favorites from this great movie.

New book coming soon

I just ordered the book "Not So Quiet On The Set: My Life In Movies During Hollywood's Macho Era". It is about Robert E. Relyea who made movies with Elvis, John Wayne, and many other stars. He talks about his time on Jailhouse Rock and Kid Galahad as well as many other movies he was involved in. I am excited to get this book because I want to hear about Jailhouse Rock. When I get it and read it all I will post my thoughts on here.

EW 08 pictures

I am going to share some of my pictures of the next few days I took in Memphis. The first one is from night one of Music and Movies when we watched Jailhouse Rock. Seeing Elvis on the big screen is awesome but seeing Judy Tyler on it was pretty sweet too. She was so beautiful. Love seeing her. I though this shot was pretty cool.
Me posted up by the Clambake movie poster. One of my all time favorite movies and the inspiration for this blogs name.
These trailers sit behind Graceland and are two of many Elvis has for friends and family to stay in. These are the only two that remain from his lifetime and are now are used for offices.
These chairs are from Ellis Auditorium. It was tore down and now the convention center sits on that site. A lot of history when it comes to Elvis happened in Ellis. The center has many of these chairs in it to sit in. For some reason this really fascinated me. I will share more pictures later on.

EW-DAY 2(part 2)

Last night was day one of Movies and Music at Graceland. The night started off with a performances from Andy Child's and his band. He was pretty good and sang many songs. Then Jerry Schilling and George Klein came out to talk a bit and introduce a preview of the new DVD about Elvis in Vegas. Jerry talked a bit about the making of the show. George talked some about Elvis making Jailhouse Rock and his role in the movie. Anytime you get to hear GK talk it is a treat. Finally we got to the movie. Seeing Jailhouse Rock on the big screen was awesome. Getting to do it on the the front lawn of Graceland with all the other Elvis fans it pretty special. We finished the night off at the tent listening to some people sing Elvis music. I was pretty worn out and was ready for the day to end actually. I could not even find the energy to get on here and post. Sorry we have not pictures at the moment to post. Something is wrong with the blog and it will not process our pictures for us. We will hopefully have some from the event tonight along with pictures from what we do today. We have a busy day today. We are about to head out for our Graceland tour and then we have night two of Music and Movies at Graceland.

EW- DAY 2(part 1)

Today we got up and went down to Graceland to pick up our tickets for the events we are taking part in this week. We browsed some of the shops and I am already mulling over what five FTD's to get. After going to get some food we decided to drive down the road and check out the property Elvis owned at one time in Horn Lake. Circle G was the name Elvis gave the property when he bought it in 1966. He owned the property until the early seventies. It span over 100 acres when Elvis owned if my memory serves me right. The property is pretty run down at the moment. You can't get up to it, we has to stop on the side of the road to take this picture. Not much more can been seen from what I can tell. I am glad I went anyway and that Vince got to see it. We are taking a break for a moment but out day is nowhere close to being over. We are heading back down to Graceland Crossing later to hang at the tent. Later tonight is night one of Music and Movies on the lawn of Graceland. Tonight Jailhouse Rock will be playing on the big screen. I am excited since it is some of the best work Elvis did in movies. It has always been one of my personal favorites as well.

No Jailhouse Rock this October

The talk to Jailhouse Rock being released by FTD in October turns out to be just a rumor. They have not announced what the releases will be but it is for sure not going to have Jailhouse Rock in the mix. I am very disappointed over this. I was looking forward to that more than anything Elvis related in a long time.

JAILHOUSE ROCK TO BE RELEASED BY FTD

According to Elvis Information Network FTD is going to be putting out Jailhouse Rock on FTD later in the year. I have been screaming over this for a long time now. I had heard about it sometime last year, that it was in the works. I am super excited. Apparently it will contain many things never head before. I always was curious why we had not heard more from the sessions for the movie. I assumed the material was lost, but I guess not. I have not been this excited about a release in a long time.

DOLL OF THE WEEK

Judy Tyler appeared with Elvis in the movie Jailhouse Rock. She was a model in her younger days and also danced at the Copa. She played on the Howdy Doody show for a time. She was getting into movies and had done a few when she landed the role in Jailhouse Rock. I thought she was a pretty good actress from what I have seen of her. She is very pleasing to the eyes as well. She is one the more naturally beautiful ladies in any of Elvis' movies in my opinion. Shortly after Jailhouse Rock was finished she and her husband was driving from LA to New York when they got in a car accident. He would die that night, and she would pass away the next morning. Elvis was said to be very fond of Judy. Right after her death Elvis spoke out about and said he could never watch this movie because it would be too painful. He never did watch it from what I understand.

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!

JAILHOUSE ROCK

I have not done a movie review in a long time and decided to do one tonight about Jailhouse Rock. Elvis' third film would be one of his best if not the best one he ever did. It is neck and neck with King Creole for that honor. Elvis would start filming Jailhouse Rock In May of 1957 and would work until the first of July on the project. This was Elvis' first film for MGM. He was assigned Clark Gable's former dressing room.Elvis would play the part of Vince Everette. The movie would also star Judy Tyler and Mickey Shaughnessy. You can see Elvis' band in the movie just as you did in Loving You.





Vince gets into a bar fight early in the movie and accidentally kills a man. He is sent to prison where he is put up in a cell with a guy named Hunk(Shaughnessy). Hunk takes the boy under his wing and teaches him many things. Hunk was a country music star before landing behind bars. Vince shows he has somewhat of a flair for singing and Hunk teaches him a few chord's and such. Hunk is in charge of putting together a show in the prison that is going to be put on TV. He gives Vince a spot and he is naturally a hit. Before getting out of prison Vince and Hunk sign a deal where they will be partners when Hunk gets out. Vince then tried to get a job as a singer in club but the owner would rather him make drinks. Vince tries to prove him wrong but does not go over well. While in the bar Vince meets Peggy (Tyler) who is in the music business. She tries to help Vince out. So they go to a recording studio to try to figure out what he needs to do to get better. Vince finds his sound, and the two of them try to put out a record.





It does not go that well, when they are took advantage of and someone steals Vince's hit. So then Vince and Peggy decide to be partners and start their own company. Vince records a hit,"Treat Me Nice", and they are a smashing success. Then Vince goes to Hollywood, because the next step is in movies. There is where Hunk shows up looking to get his. Vince has an up coming TV show. Vince puts Hunk on as a sideshow but Hunk flops big time. Vince comes of big with his number(Jailhouse Rock). Vince lays it out to Hunk, the contract means nothing legally. Though he remembers what he had tried to do for him in prison, so he makes him a flunky for a good amount of money.
Peggy comes to see Vince and he lays out an offer to her. He is wanting to sell out and get rid of the company. She is upset because of the way he is acting is leaves all torn up. Hunk sees this and gets in a fight with Vince. Hunk hits Vince in the throat and he has to be rushed to the hospital. After emergency surgery it is unknown if Vince is going to be able to perform again. Vince had a tough guy attitude and had a hard time showing people how he felt. At the end of the movie he finally shows Peggy how he feels. The movie ends with Vince singing and Peggy at his side.


That is pretty much what the movie is about. That will be part one of my blog on this great movie. I am not done with the story of Jailhouse Rock though. I am getting tired and I feel I need a break. I will be back with another part of this with thoughts on the movie and more interesting facts about the flick.

Part 2 to be continued...

NEED THIS DOLL

This is the 68 Comeback doll from the 1993 Hasbro collection of Elvis dolls. I have the other two the offered, Teen Idol and Jailhouse Rock. So I really want to get this to have all three. These are my favorite of all the Elvis dolls/toys I have seen. Actually when I got the dolls I do have I was very young and did not know better, and took them out the box. So I would really like to have all three. Though the run anywhere from $40-$80 each from the looking I have done. Hopefully I can get around to getting these. They are very cool.