Elvis Presley: Is He For Real? (1956 article)

[The fool]

Elvis Presley: Is He For Real?
by Florence Epstein
Silver Screen, December 1956

[George Smith]

Just wonderful, the fool, thank you!

Glorious pictures, and the "I Was The One" story is hilarious.

[Mississippi]

Very interesting. Thanks, The fool.


Mississippi

[drjohncarpenter]

Wow, lots to talk about with this latest, wonderful share.

"... and he sings like a couple of cats locked up in an alley ..." what an amusing opening by writer Florence Epstein. She actually covers the facts of his career better than most of the magazines of the time, and interviews not only Elvis but also Vernon and Gladys Presley. Given a full read of the article, she must have travelled to Memphis to capture all these thoughts.

Epstein recounts Presley's first visit to Sun in 1953, and again we hear Elvis explain that he "had a notion to find out how he sounded," and when he went in he spoke to "a woman there." No Sam Phillips memories are forthcoming from that day.

I'm also intrigued by the anonymous comments we read from "his former manager," which must be Bob Neal. Reading his testimony with care, it is clear Neal is talking about the famous first performance at the Overton Park Shell on 7-30-1954, and his description this time out is just a tad different:

"Ever since he started," his former manager says, "he's been doing a sort of little bop dance. In one number, one his his legs got going round and round in corkscrew fashion. It got such a roar from the crowd that he kept it and enlarged on it.

The wild incident at the Mosque Theater in Richmond, where scores of fans are invited to "come up and help" him sing "I Was The One," dates to his two-show booking on 3-22-1956 (Thu). Since Elvis tells the crowd there is no quartet with him, the date I cite is the only one that fits the timeline. The Jordanaires would be a part of the troupe when he returned to the same venue on 6-30-1956 (Sat) for two more shows. It is a cool story, and I totally believe it.

The article also touches on the things that would come back to haunt him later in life, namely the odd and inconsistent diet, and especially the inability to sleep. "He is always under great tension before or after a show and can't unwind enough to go to sleep before three in the morning." That would never change.

And can it be true that he wore a tuxedo and attended the Hollywood premiere of the epic drama, "War and Peace"? There is no other known instance where he did such a thing, even for his own movies. It was a big-budget, Paramount-distributed film starring then-married stars Audrey Hepburn and Mel Ferrer.

560821_Ferrer_Hepburn_War and Peace.jpg

The Los Angeles opening was on 8-23-1956 (Thu). Elvis was in town, and could have been there. The next day he had a soundtrack session for his 20th Century Fox film debut, where he would record several songs, including "Love Me Tender."

http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0049934/
http://pqasb.pqarchiver.com/latimes/doc/167006114.html?FMT=ABS&FMTS=ABS:AI&type=historic&date=Aug+24%2C+1956

Although "War and Peace" was not really his kind of film, running three hours and 28 minutes, if Elvis went to the premiere, it would have been at the invitation of Paramount producer Hal Wallis, the epic was produced by that studio. But no photos have ever surfaced of such a thing, and I've never read a report of any kind. What an interesting possibility, even if likely untrue.





The photos that accompany the article are mostly new to my eyes and quite gorgeous.

The new ones are worth a second look!

560805_Tampa_01.jpg

560805_Tampa_02.jpg

560805_Tampa_03.jpg

These appear to be from the 1956 Florida tour, and my guess is they are from backstage in Tampa on 8-05-1956 (Sun).

Anyone know more? Note that the fourth portrait was reversed, I've corrected it above. Also, does Silver Screen magazine credit the photographer anywhere?


Thanks again for a really cool share.

[Mississippi]

Super stories, thanks Doc.

Mississippi

[The fool]

Just wonderful, the fool, thank you!

Very interesting. Thanks, The fool.

Thanks again for a really cool share.

Thank you for your kind words, George Smith, Mississippi and Doc!

[drjohncarpenter]

Just wonderful, the fool, thank you!

Very interesting. Thanks, The fool.

Thanks again for a really cool share.

Thank you for your kind words, George Smith, Mississippi and Doc!

No love for "War and Peace"?

[The fool]

No love for "War and Peace"?

No. Just lots of love for Audrey Seriously, cool info, thank you! This page from the same magazine.

I just checked, but I could not find any photo credits in this magazine.

[drjohncarpenter]

No love for "War and Peace"?

No. Just lots of love for Audrey Seriously, cool info, thank you! This page from the same magazine.

I just checked, but I could not find any photo credits in this magazine.

Heh! Audrey was a lovely, lovely lady and a very good actress. We will both have to keep an eye out for any images surfacing from the 8-23-1956 Los Angeles premiere of "War and Peace." What if, somehow, the article is correct, and Presley was there?

Thank you for checking if there were any credits. I wonder who took those attractive Elvis photos?

[rjm]

Another masterpiece found and shared by "The Fool." This one appears to be quite a relevatory gem. Many thanks, as always!

rjm

[The fool]

Another masterpiece found and shared by "The Fool." This one appears to be quite a relevatory gem. Many thanks, as always!

Thank you, Robin!