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!

IMAGE OF THE WEEK

Elvis in the movie Kid Glahad.

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.

DOLL OF THE WEEK

The doll of the week is Joan Blackman. Joan appeared with Elvis in the movies Blue Hawaii and Kid Galahad. Elvis as usual had a little something going on with her but it was nothing serious. She tried to make it out as some big love affair years later but most people know better. I have read a mixture of things on her. Some say she can be very nice and a lovely person. Some say though she is crazy as hell and can be awful. I don't know really, shes probably somewhere in between. From what I have read she seems crazy. She was still a pretty lady at one time. She was not bad to look at. She is not in the Mary Ann or Ann category, but she was pretty enough to earn the distinction of doll of the week.

Kid

I was too busy to blog tonight. I am dead so I am going to curl up in a ball and pass out while watching a movie. Click below on the video to check out a few minutes of what I am watching tonight. Kid is a very underrated movie and one of Elvis' better efforts all the way around. I have been craving some Lola Albright as well. I hope I can make it far enough into the movie to see her before I pass out. Enjoy the clip.

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.

King Of The Whole Wide World

This morning I have decided to watch Kid Galahad. Kid was Elvis's tenth film. The film would open in August of 1962. Elvis would play the part of Walter Gulick. Fresh out of the Army and needing a job. He takes up boxing to gather up some money.To make a long story short Elvis wins the fights and gets the girls. Kid is a very good movie. Gig Young and Charles Bronson also appear in this movie. It is reported that Elvis did not like Young at all. Joan Blackman plays the female lead that Elvis ends up with. She has appeared earlier with Elvis in Blue Hawaii. Joan was a pretty lady, but Lola Albright was the lady who did it for me. She played the part of Willy's girl.Elvis sang six songs in this movie. I think all of the songs are pretty good. I Got Lucky and Riding The Rainbow are my favorites. Kid Galahad ranked #37 for top grossing films grossing about $1.75 million.