DOLL OF THE WEEK

Tuesday Weld is the doll of the week. I have always loved her. She played in the movie Wild In The Country with Elvis. They also dated while filming this movie. I have been in the mood to watch that movie and think I will this weekend.

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!

DOLL OF THE WEEK

Hope Lange is the doll of the week. She played in the movie Wild In The Country with Elvis. I have always thought of her as a pretty talented actress who never reached the heights she probably should have, for whatever reason.

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!

DOLL OF THE WEEK

The doll of the week is Tuesday Weld. Tuesday appeared in the 1961 film Wild In The Country. I have always had a thing about her. She was hot and she was wild. Elvis and her would have a fling but it was nothing serious. She was eighteen at the time, but always had relationships with older men. She appeared in the movies Sex Kittens Go To College, High Time, and The Cincinnati Kid among others. She is also famous for some of the great roles she turned down. She was offered a part in the movie True Grit. She turned it down. It has became a classic and John Wayne won an award for the role. True Grit is one of the best movies ever, I can't imagine how great it would have been with Tuesday playing the part of baby sister.

DOLL OF THE WEEK

The doll this week is Millie Perkins. She played alongside Elvis in the 1961 movie Wild In The Country. She played the part of Betty Lee Parsons, one of three ladies involved with Glenn. I always thought she was pretty good in the movie and found her to be very pretty. Millie also would go on to portray Gladys in the short lived TV series Elvis The Early Years. I thought she was also wonderful in that role. She has continued to work ever since the late 50's when she made her first movie. I have always found it interesting that mostly she has worked on TV shows and mini series and just a few movies here and there. I have always been curious why this was, I thought she was a pretty good actress.

Kicking it at High Tension Grove

I am watching Wild In The Country at the moment and feel the need to share my thoughts on it. First lets look at a few facts about the movie. This would be Elvis's seventh film which would premier in June of 1961. Wild In The Country was one of the few flops when it comes to Elvis movies. It was one of the few roles where Elvis was challenged as far as an actor. It was not the usual movie the "Presley formula" produced. This movie is considered by a lot of fans as on of the best performance's Elvis ever gave.Elvis played the part of Glenn Tyler, a troubled but talented young man. Elvis has three ladies in this movie that is involved with in some way. Hope Lange plays a psychiatrist who tries to help Glenn with his literary talent. Millie Perkins plays Glenn's sweetheart. The beautiful bad girl Tuesday Weld plays the troubled cousin who tries to seduce Glenn. Gary Lockwood(It Happened At The Worlds Fair) also appears in the film. The soundtrack only consists of four songs. Another reason why the movies flopped in my opinion. People always talk about Elvis's awful movie music and such. Though fact is the less he sang in a movie, the worse it did with the public. Wild In The Country has always been on of my favorite movies. It showcases Elvis's talent, has a few key songs, and Millie and Tuesday are smoking hot. For those who said Elvis could not act, see this movie. You might have a different opinion.