Elvis meets Eric Clapton July 1974 (updated 2023)

[monkboughtlunch]

On the other thread, @intheghetto posted back in 2013 he listened to a George Klein interview of Jerry Schilling where the Eric Clapton meeting is discussed.

Does anyone have a link to this Klein/Schilling interview?

@intheghetto says that Mr. Schilling tells Mr. Klein that the meeting occurred at the Crosstown Theater.

I was listening to an interview George Klein was doing with Jerry Schilling this morning and they got on the subject of when Eric Clapton while touring through Memphis in the 70s met Elvis. ... What I didn't know was that according to Jerry Schilling (with GK's corroboration) the meeting took place at the Crosstown Theater one night when Elvis rented it out and not the Memphian as I originally understood.

Anybody who understood the same, please update your files. Those who challenge, the floor is now open for argument.

http://www.historic-memphis.com/memphis-historic/movietheaters/crosstown.html

The July 27, 1974 Memphis Press-Scimitar appears to show that the 1950s period film, Macon County Line, was also playing that night at the Crosstown Theater.

It also advertises That’s Entertainment!, comprised of clips of old MGM musicals, begins showing at Crosstown August 9, 1974. Since the film was released in May, Crosstown may have already received their print by late July.

thatsent.jpg

[monkboughtlunch]

Has Linda Thompson ever commented on the Clapton meeting?

Here's a recap of where various folks said the Presley / Clapton meeting occurred. I put a question mark by Schilling #1 and #2 as I don't yet have a specific quote attribution from him for either location.

Jerry Schilling #1: General Cinema? (Note: Whitehaven Cinema #1 or Whitehaven Cinema #2 -- two separate buildings, relatively close proximity)
Jerry Schilling #2: Crosstown Theater?
Richard Cole: Orpheum Theater
David Stanley: Memphian Theater
Rick Stanley: Memphian Theater
Joe Esposito: Memphian Theater
Pattie Boyd: It was a five screen complex. Elvis said "We're going to the theater next door"

If Ms. Boyd is credible, Elvis saying "we're going to the theater next door" is a clue to suggest the facility had at least two screens. Although, it could also mean they are traveling to another theater that is close by!

I think both Whitehaven Cinemas I & II (located roughly across the street from each other) may have had two screens each, totaling four screens. EDIT: Whitehaven 1&2 totaled 5 screens. See below.

Not sure about how many screens the old-time theaters have, such as Memphian, Orpheum and Crosstown. Were they situated close to each other? In general, really old theaters often had just one auditorium and screen, but there are exceptions to the rule...

[monkboughtlunch]

Update: Whitehaven #2 had three screens (per below news clipping). This is now a liquor store.

The Doc mentioned upthread he found that Whitehaven Cinema #1 (the original building now demolished) had two screens.

So it appears Whitehaven 1 & 2 combined were a five screen complex, roughly situated across the street from each other.

These were run by General Cinema.

whitehaven2.jpg

[monkboughtlunch]

Mr. Presley was photographed wearing these casual outfits (Western inspired vests with alternate colorways) in June and July 1974.

If the meeting with Mr. Clapton did happen in July of 1974, perhaps he wore something like this to the encounter.

The first photo is purportedly from The Memphian on July 5, 1974. So he considered this ensemble "movie-screening approved."

elvisjuly74.jpg

june74a.jpg

june74b.jpg

[drjohncarpenter]

Wouldn't it just be easier to edit your title to read Elvis meets Eric Clapton June 1975 ?

What is the obsession here? You've visited the topic 335 times to date. It's becoming borderline offensive.

The fact that Mr. Cole and Mr. Schilling did not meet until March 1975 throws all your 1974 movie ephemera out the window.

It accomplished this the first time I brought it to your attention, and it does again now.

Mr. Schilling and Mr. Cole both agree on the basic facts of when they met, and when Mr. Clapton was brought to meet the singer.

The end.

[monkboughtlunch]

Wouldn't it just be easier to edit your title to read Elvis meets Eric Clapton June 1975 ?

What is the obsession here? You've visited the topic 335 times to date. It's becoming borderline offensive.

The fact that Mr. Cole and Mr. Schilling did not meet until March 1975 throws all your 1974 movie ephemera out the window.

It accomplished this the first time I brought it to your attention, and it does again now.

Mr. Schilling and Mr. Cole both agree on the basic facts of when they met, and when Mr. Clapton was brought to meet the singer.

The end.

@drjohncarpenter

Please keep it civil.

You keep stating that Mr. Cole and Mr. Schilling did not meet until March 1975.

Mr. Schilling appears to disagree with you.

Mr. Schilling told Ken Sharp he hadn’t **seen** Richard Cole “in a year or so” when he received the call from Mr. Cole who was doing the 'I Shot The Sheriff' tour with Eric Clapton. We know that Mr. Cole managed the 1974 Clapton tour because his book mentions the Yale Bowl. Mr. Clapton only performed at the Yale Bowl in 1974, not 1975.

This means Mr. Schilling knew Mr. Cole at least a year or so prior to the phone call requesting the Clapton/Presley meetup.

Source: https://www.elvisinfonet.com/interview_jerryschilling.html

Ken Sharp: Not much has ever been reported about Elvis meeting one of rock's greatest guitar players, Eric Clapton.

Jerry Schilling: That happened through my friend, Richard Cole, who was Led Zeppelin's road manager. After Zeppelin met Elvis, I became pretty good friends with Robert Plant, Jimmy Page and Richard Cole. I hung out a lot with all of them. I hadn't seen Richard in a year or so, and he called me and said he was doing the 'I Shot The Sheriff' tour with Eric Clapton.

[drjohncarpenter]

340 topic visits. You are obsessed. I've gone well out of my way to help you understand.

Read the books by Cole and Schilling as I did, or just keep doing what you're doing here.

[monkboughtlunch]

I'm attaching the Friday, July 26, 1974 Memphis Press-Scimitar news article corroborating Pattie Boyd's account of Eric Clapton meeting Stevie Wonder in Memphis in 1974 -- one day before meeting Elvis Presley.

The full article shows that Mr. Wonder performed at Memphis Memorial Stadium (later known as Liberty Bowl Memorial Stadium) on July 27, 1974. Mr. Clapton performed at the same venue the following day on July 28, 1974. The "Memphis Jam" concert had a 4:00 p.m. start time.

Based on Ms. Boyd's account:

a) Mr. Clapton met Mr. Wonder the evening of July 27, 1974
b) Mr. Clapton met Mr. Presley the evening of July 28, 1974

From Ms. Boyd's biography, Wonderful Tonight: George Harrison, Eric Clapton, and Me:

"When Eric was playing in Memphis and staying for a couple of days, Roger Forester, who was looking after him, came into our hotel room and said, 'Stevie Wonder wants to meet you.' Next we had a phone call. 'Elvis wants you to go to the cinema with him.' Wow, I thought. What's happening? First Stevie and now the King! Then there was a knock at the door. 'Oh, hi, Stevie, come in.' We chatted to him, had a few drinks, and the next night we had a few drinks with Elvis, then went to see a film."

july261974.jpg

[Sugarfoot]

What is the source for ruling out Mr. Schilling having been present to meet Mr. Cole at either the May 11, 1974 LA Forum concert or the post-show hotel meet-and-greet between Mr. Presley and Mr. Cole and some members of Led Zeppelin?

'
Me and a Guy Named Elvis

I know I'm stupid, but the only reference to the May 1974 meeting in that book I can find is this

Elvis had met some of the members of Zeppelin before a show at the Los Angeles Forum in 1974.

There's no mention of whether Jerry was there or not. We do know he was working security at the Forum shows, so it would be a bit curious he would miss out on the subsequent meeting on the same date... can you please point to where exactly in the above source it is stated he was not there for the meeting?

jerryLA74.jpg

[DEH]

“Jerry Schilling: That happened through my friend, Richard Cole, who was Led Zeppelin's road manager. After Zeppelin met Elvis, I became pretty good friends with Robert Plant, Jimmy Page and Richard Cole. I hung out a lot with all of them. I hadn't seen Richard in a year or so, and he called me and said he was doing the 'I Shot The Sheriff' tour with Eric Clapton.”


Good research Monk. It would appear by Jerry’s comments that they first met in 1974. Likely May 1974.

[drjohncarpenter]

I know I'm stupid, but the only reference to the May 1974 meeting in that book I can find is this

Elvis had met some of the members of Zeppelin before a show at the Los Angeles Forum in 1974.

There's no mention of whether Jerry was there or not. We do know he was working security at the Forum shows, so it would be a bit curious he would miss out on the subsequent meeting on the same date... can you please point to where exactly in the above source it is stated he was not there for the meeting?

JFC.

It's page 287 in the Schilling book. The time frame he presents is March 1975.

If you read with a careful eye, you will see that Jerry says NOT ONE WORD about the May 1974 Inglewood meeting, other than it happened, and Elvis met three members of Led Zeppelin.

We know that a lot of funny things occurred during this "summit meeting," and had Jerry been there, HE WOULD HAVE SAID SO.

The May 1974 is a reference, intended to set up his first-person account of:

• the fourth member of Zeppelin wanting to meet Elvis

• being called by Richard Cole to request this meeting

• letting us know Schilling's already seen the band several times with Cole

• giving us details of this March 1975 meeting BECAUSE HE WAS THERE

The opaque, non-critical thinking on this topic is mind-numbing.


'

[monkboughtlunch]

Pattie Boyd **correctly recalled** Stevie Wonder being in Memphis in 1974 (corroborated by contemporary news reports) the day prior to meeting Elvis Presley.

Given the veracity of her recollection about Mr. Wonder, let’s examine if other comments made by Ms. Boyd also align with contemporaneous newspaper documentation.

From Ms. Boyd’s Wonderful Tonight biography:

"We found ourselves watching some boring old 1950s movie. At the end Elvis said, "Do you want to see another? We're going to the theater next door." It was a five screen complex. We had visions of going from one to the next watching more boring fifties movies, so we made our excuses and left."

It's possible Ms. Boyd refers to a film made in the 1950s which Mr. Presley obtained a print of.

But on July 28, 1974, there were at least three 1950s period films showing in Memphis:

--Macon County Line (Memphian Theater – 1 screen theater)
--Lords of Flatbush (Malco’s Quartet Cinema – 4 screen complex)
--American Graffiti (Fare Four Cinema – 4 screen complex. Note: Later renamed Palace Cinema)

The one-screen Memphian Theater appears to be a less plausible screening location because Mr. Presley allegedly invited Mr. Clapton and Ms. Boyd to the “theater next door” to watch another film after the first film ended. Unless there was another theater next door to the Memphian, Ms. Boyd's comments appear to rule this theater out.

That leaves the two four-screen complexes: Malco’s Quartet Cinema and Fare Four Cinema. Of these two, Malco’s Quartet Cinema is significantly closer to both Graceland (10 miles) and Liberty Bowl Stadium (2.4 miles) where Mr. Clapton had just performed.

Lords of Flatbush was the 1950s period film currently showing at Malco’s Quartet Cinema.

Malco's Quartet Cinema
3473 Poplar Avenue, Memphis, TN 38111

Did Mr. Presley ever rent out the Malco's Quartet Cinema?

Below: Trailer, and images from Lords of Flatbush. Plus photos of the Malco's Quartet Cinema (building still standing):

july2874.jpg

july2874b.jpg

flatbushposterl.jpg

lords4.jpg

large.jpg

large-1.jpg

malcotoday.jpg

[John Coctostan]

Pattie Boyd **correctly recalled** Stevie Wonder being in Memphis in 1974 (corroborated by contemporary news reports) the day prior to meeting Elvis Presley.

Given the veracity of her recollection about Mr. Wonder, let’s examine if other comments made by Ms. Boyd also align with contemporaneous newspaper documentation.

From Ms. Boyd’s Wonderful Tonight biography:

"We found ourselves watching some boring old 1950s movie. At the end Elvis said, "Do you want to see another? We're going to the theater next door." It was a five screen complex. We had visions of going from one to the next watching more boring fifties movies, so we made our excuses and left."

It's possible Ms. Boyd refers to a film made in the 1950s which Mr. Presley obtained a print of.

But on July 28, 1974, there were at least three 1950s period films showing in Memphis:

--Macon County Line (Memphian Theater – 1 screen theater)
--Lords of Flatbush (Malco’s Quartet Cinema – 4 screen complex)
--American Graffiti (Fare Four Cinema – 4 screen complex. Note: Later renamed Palace Cinema)

The one-screen Memphian Theater appears to be a less plausible screening location because Mr. Presley allegedly invited Mr. Clapton and Ms. Boyd to the “theater next door” to watch another film after the first film ended. Unless there was another theater next door to the Memphian, Ms. Boyd's comments appear to rule this theater out.

That leaves the two four-screen complexes: Malco’s Quartet Cinema and Fare Four Cinema. Of these two, Malco’s Quartet Cinema is significantly closer to both Graceland (10 miles) and Liberty Bowl Stadium (2.4 miles) where Mr. Clapton had just performed.

Lords of Flatbush was the 1950s period film currently showing at Malco’s Quartet Cinema.

Malco's Quartet Cinema
3473 Poplar Avenue, Memphis, TN 38111

Did Mr. Presley ever rent out the Malco's Quartet Cinema?

Below: Trailer, and images from Lords of Flatbush. Plus photos of the Malco's Quartet Cinema (building still standing):

I think you've nailed it Monk.....your contemporaneous evidence is far more convincing than Jerry's yarns published some 30+ years after the event.

Nice work!

[monkboughtlunch]

A quick follow up: Blazing Saddles, rumored to be a Presley favorite, was also showing at Malco's Quartet Cinema along with Lords of Flatbush, The Sting and Mr. Majestyk.

I found one more Memphis four-plex that was showing the 1950s period film Macon County Line. It's the UA Southbrook 4 inside the Southbrook Mall. The UA Southbrook 4 is only two miles to Graceland. Elvis is known to have rented this theater. Spa Guy did a video on it. See below.

malcoq.jpg

southbrook.jpg

[monkboughtlunch]

I'm sharing all the cinema ads from 1974 and 1975. I'll separate these ads into two posts divided by year.

Below: cinema ads for Sunday, July 28, 1974.

741.jpg

742.jpg

743.jpg

744.jpg

745.jpg

[monkboughtlunch]

Below: cinema ads for Wednesday, June 18, 1975

751.jpg

752.jpg

[Sugarfoot]

JFC.

It's page 287 in the Schilling book.

The opaque, non-critical thinking on this topic is mind-numbing.

Thank you for the courteous clarification.

[YDKM]

A possible problem with the July date is Elvis vacationed in Hawaii late july-early August( but I cannot find the dates) and the book "All shook up" it says 'for several weeks', which would almost certainly include the last week of july

[monkboughtlunch]

A possible problem with the July date is Elvis vacationed in Hawaii late july-early August( but I cannot find the dates) and the book "All shook up" it says 'for several weeks', which would almost certainly include the last week of july

Very interesting. Please see if you can find the info. If correct, that rules out 1974.

[YDKM]

Well all I know is it was sometime getting back to memphis by 9th August(because he saw another movie then) and if you go back 2 weeks then he left for Hawaii on say 27th July!
Now as he was last noted at the cinema on 10th July he could even have spent longer in Hawaii, but that holiday is difficult to find info on, but does Point more to a 1975 cinema date

[monkboughtlunch]

Candid Central dates these photos to July 24, 1974. No city is listed. Is July 24 the correct date, and does anyone know where these were taken?

https://www.elvis-collectors.com/candid-central/redwhfans70s.html

rw74f.jpg

redwhfans2.jpg

rw74fb.jpg

rwf74.jpg

redwhfans.jpg

[YDKM]

Well then he was around on July 24th.....but must have left for Hawaii not long after that.

[PiersEIN]

Pattie Boyd **correctly recalled** Stevie Wonder being in Memphis in 1974 (corroborated by contemporary news reports) the day prior to meeting Elvis Presley.

Given the veracity of her recollection about Mr. Wonder, let’s examine if other comments made by Ms. Boyd also align with contemporaneous newspaper documentation.

From Ms. Boyd’s Wonderful Tonight biography:

"We found ourselves watching some boring old 1950s movie. At the end Elvis said, "Do you want to see another? We're going to the theater next door." It was a five screen complex. We had visions of going from one to the next watching more boring fifties movies, so we made our excuses and left."

It's possible Ms. Boyd refers to a film made in the 1950s which Mr. Presley obtained a print of.

But on July 28, 1974, there were at least three 1950s period films showing in Memphis:

--Macon County Line (Memphian Theater – 1 screen theater)
--Lords of Flatbush (Malco’s Quartet Cinema – 4 screen complex)
--American Graffiti (Fare Four Cinema – 4 screen complex. Note: Later renamed Palace Cinema)

The one-screen Memphian Theater appears to be a less plausible screening location because Mr. Presley allegedly invited Mr. Clapton and Ms. Boyd to the “theater next door” to watch another film after the first film ended. Unless there was another theater next door to the Memphian, Ms. Boyd's comments appear to rule this theater out.

That leaves the two four-screen complexes: Malco’s Quartet Cinema and Fare Four Cinema. Of these two, Malco’s Quartet Cinema is significantly closer to both Graceland (10 miles) and Liberty Bowl Stadium (2.4 miles) where Mr. Clapton had just performed.

Lords of Flatbush was the 1950s period film currently showing at Malco’s Quartet Cinema.

Malco's Quartet Cinema
3473 Poplar Avenue, Memphis, TN 38111

I think you've nailed it Monk.....your contemporaneous evidence is far more convincing than Jerry's yarns published some 30+ years after the event.

Nice work!

Damn impressive work indeed.
Cheers
Piers

[John Coctostan]

Damn impressive work indeed.
Cheers
Piers

Absolutely, like a dog with a bone!

Mystery solved!

[Wayfarer]

I appreciate Monk's time on this work. I'm now going to see the various films mentioned!