"Only Made It Out To Needles" --> 1967 Gas Station Hello!

[drjohncarpenter]

The other day I stumbled across a cute, fuzzy little candid taken of Elvis with a young fan in Needles, California.

It looked like the site kind of guessed at the date, and I decided to see if I could do better.

670600_w fan Patty Regan_Needles gas station.jpg

Patty and the King: 1962
Submitted by BamBam on Mon, 08/22/2011 - 12:03pm.

Patty Regan Kingsbaker, my commercial agent when I'm in Denver and one of my favorite people in the world. Photo taken at a gas station in Needles California when she was 12 years old. Oh, and that guy standing beside her? Yeah, that's Elvis.

https://www.shorpy.com/node/11003

Well, it's not from 1962, as the vehicle behind them is Elvis' 1964 Series 75 Fleetwood limousine.

My guess is this was taken in June 1967, with Elvis en route to MGM to film "Speedway."

• Needles is a straight shot westward from Memphis

• He appears to be wearing a weighted fitness belt (trim a bit more for the movie?)

• Elvis looks very much like a candid from this time, taken at 10550 Rocca Place in Los Angeles

670000_outside 10550 Rocca Place_Los Angeles.jpg

From Memphis TN to Needles CA.jpg

And young Patty Regan could easily have been about 17, she's not a very tall lady. She graduated from high school in June 1968.


Patty Regan 1968
Miami Palmetto High School Graduates, Pinecrest, Florida
https://www.alumniclass.com/miami-palmetto-high-school-panthers-pinecrest-fl/profile/patty-regan/1415732/


She's still with us, living the good life in Colorado.

Patty Regan Kingsbaker_Aug 2020.jpg

Patty Regan Kingsbaker, talent agent and artist

https://www.pattykingsbaker.com/
https://www.instagram.com/pattyregankingsbaker/
https://www.facebook.com/patty.kingsbaker/


Maybe little stopovers like this were one reason Elvis was later drawn to cover the Three Dog Night hit, "Never Been To Spain" . . .


Well, I headed for Las Vegas
Only made it out to Needles

[Gary Crawford]

The other day I stumbled across a cute, fuzzy little candid taken of Elvis with a young fan in Needles, California.

It looked like the site kind of guessed at the date, and I decided to see if I could do better.

Patty and the King: 1962
Submitted by BamBam on Mon, 08/22/2011 - 12:03pm.

Patty Regan Kingsbaker, my commercial agent when I'm in Denver and one of my favorite people in the world. Photo taken at a gas station in Needles California when she was 12 years old. Oh, and that guy standing beside her? Yeah, that's Elvis.

https://www.shorpy.com/node/11003

Well, it's not from 1962, as the vehicle behind them is Elvis' 1964 Series 75 Fleetwood limousine.

My guess is this was taken in June 1967, with Elvis en route to MGM to film "Speedway."

• Needles is a straight shot westward from Memphis

• He appears to be wearing a weighted fitness belt (trim a bit more for the movie?)

• Elvis looks very much like a candid from this time, taken at 10550 Rocca Place in Los Angeles

And young Patty Regan could easily have been about 17, she's not a very tall lady. She graduated from high school in June 1968.


Patty Regan 1968
Miami Palmetto High School Graduates, Pinecrest, Florida
https://www.alumniclass.com/miami-palmetto-high-school-panthers-pinecrest-fl/profile/patty-regan/1415732/


She's still with us, living the good life in Colorado.






Patty Regan Kingsbaker, talent agent and artist

https://www.pattykingsbaker.com/
https://www.instagram.com/pattyregankingsbaker/
https://www.facebook.com/patty.kingsbaker/




Maybe little stopovers like this were one reason Elvis was later drawn to cover the Three Dog Night hit, "Never Been To Spain" . . .


Well, I headed for Las Vegas
Only made it out to Needles

It's an interesting shot. It's a pity about the quality as it makes it quite hard to date. I really would't want to call it in terms of the date. A bit of me thinking that the hair seems a bit shorter than Speedway 1967. The face also seems a bit rounder more in keeping with 1964. I agree that I can't see it being 1962. However wondering if possibly 1964, given hair a bit shorter and seems a bit heavier? You could be right about the belt being an exercise belt with the intention of trying to shed a few extra pounds before filming started. However, also wondering if it could be similar to the leather motorcycle belt worn in Roustabout in 1964? You date the car to then, would it have been off the production line as early as March 1964? Just so hard to tell with how blurry the photo is. The neck scarf would have been more likely 1967/68 but not completely out of the question for 1964. The hair may just appear a bit shorter in the photo also.

[LesterB]

Those sunglasses look distinctive. Can this provide further evidence for a 1967 date?
I have seen photos with these sunglasses - seem to remember that they were from 1967

[Sugarfoot]

https://www.elvis-collectors.com/forum/viewtopic.php?f=8&t=64053

[joekro1977]

Needles is just up the road from where my brother lives in Laughlin, NV. Today it's kind of a pitiful little place (lots of poverty) that hangs it's hat (somewhat) on its connection to Route 66. I always wondered what in the world was so notable about it that it warranted a mention in the song.

It's interesting to note that some of this journey (assuming it took place in 1967) would potentially have been along Route 66, as Interstate 40 wasn't fully complete until 1973 (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Interstate_40)

Very cool to see a new picture (fuzzy or clear) and your investigation into dating it seems to draw some reasonable guesses.

[joekro1977]

Those sunglasses look distinctive. Can this provide further evidence for a 1967 date?
I have seen photos with these sunglasses - seem to remember that they were from 1967

The glasses remind me a little of the glasses shown on the cover of the book "Summer of 61"

Capture.JPG

[LesterB]

;Perhaps these ones

B32DA312-CE92-4FF1-9D0D-0F01F0F506ED.jpeg

[jurasic1968]

Cool pic. Thanks a lot.

[drjohncarpenter]

It's an interesting shot. It's a pity about the quality as it makes it quite hard to date. I really would't want to call it in terms of the date. A bit of me thinking that the hair seems a bit shorter than Speedway 1967. The face also seems a bit rounder more in keeping with 1964. I agree that I can't see it being 1962. However wondering if possibly 1964, given hair a bit shorter and seems a bit heavier? You could be right about the belt being an exercise belt with the intention of trying to shed a few extra pounds before filming started. However, also wondering if it could be similar to the leather motorcycle belt worn in Roustabout in 1964? You date the car to then, would it have been off the production line as early as March 1964? Just so hard to tell with how blurry the photo is. The neck scarf would have been more likely 1967/68 but not completely out of the question for 1964. The hair may just appear a bit shorter in the photo also.

It's unfortunate that the photo is blurry. A little sharper and we could nail the approximate date. Don't feel it's anywhere near 1964.

Did some more digging. It's also possible the shot is circa July-August 1966, when he was making "Double Trouble" for MGM.

Since he flew to Los Angeles in late June for film pre-work, a stop in Needles would happen on one of the weekends he drove to Las Vegas during production. Certainly the glasses and hairstyle, as best we can see, look similar (see images below).

This and my previous guess seem to be the most viable answers on this one. Patty was either 16 or 17 when she met Elvis.


'

[drjohncarpenter]

BONUS CADILLAC


Here's one of the Memphis Commercial Appeal's beautiful color photos made by Charles Nicholas in early March 1965.

Elvis is in the 1964 Cadillac Fleetwood Series 75 we see in the Needles candid. He may've recently acquired it then.


'

[monkboughtlunch]

It's unfortunate that the photo is blurry. A little sharper and we could nail the approximate date. Don't feel it's anywhere near 1964.

Did some more digging. It's also possible the shot is circa July-August 1966, when he was making "Double Trouble" for MGM.

What year was Ms. Kingsbaker born? If she was 12 for part of 1962, she may have also been 12 for part of 1963 as well.

There are photos of Mr. Presley wearing a similar if not identical belt in 1964. Also, in 1964, his hairstyle featured that short, small tuft that hung down over his forehead. The 1964 candid Memphian photo below has a similar cut jacket -- maybe made by the same tailor.

Someone could message her on Facebook and see if she has a more precise date: https://www.facebook.com/patty.kingsbaker/

belt.jpg

memphian.jpg

[monkboughtlunch]

Below is a comparison of Elvis' belt on the set of Roustabout in 1964 with the belt he is wearing in the Needles candid gas station photo.

roustabout.jpg

[monkboughtlunch]

A candid photo which some have dated to September 1963. The jacket appears to be a match to the Needles gas station photo.

jacket.jpg

[monkboughtlunch]

Here's a higher resolution image of the jacket worn at the Memphian Theater, apparently circa September 1963.

If this date is correct, Elvis was wearing a similar if not identical jacket in September 1963. And he was wearing a similar if not identical belt on the set of Roustabout which started filming circa March 1964.

I think late 1963 or early 1964 seems plausible and reasonably consistent with Ms. Kingsbaker's recollection of being aged 12. Depending on the month she was born, she could have still been 12 in 1963. Even if she was aged 13 for the encounter with The King, that's not far off her original age estimate.

memphianjacket.jpg

[drjohncarpenter]

Very important to note that Elvis does not have a 1964 Cadillac Fleetwood Series 75 at the time of any of your photo examples.

This is why my research indicates the candid likely dates to summer 1966 or 1967. As noted, the car appears in the photo.

Also, the original (erroneous) dating on the Shorpy page does not come from the fan, but someone who employed her as a talent agent years later.

[monkboughtlunch]

Very important to note that Elvis does not have a 1964 Cadillac Fleetwood Series 75 at the time of any of your photo examples.

This is why my research indicates the candid likely dates to summer 1966 or 1967. As noted, the car appears in the photo.

Also, the original (erroneous) dating on the Shorpy page does not come from the fan, but someone who employed her as a talent agent years later.

Is it established that the Cadillac seen in the Needles photo is Elvis' vehicle?

What month in 1963 did the 1964 Fleetwoods start rolling off the GM assembly line?

When did Elvis acquire a 1964 Cadillac Fleetwood Series 75?

Did he rent them for cross-country travels? Or did he purchase it?

A quote below from The Cadillac Database web site which speculates Elvis used this model for travels but may not have owned them.

Source: http://cadillacdb.planeteldorado.com/Dbas_txt/Starprsl.htm

"Here is a photo of Elvis driving one of these 1964 Series 75 limousines himself. My guess is that it was one of a fleet of such cars used (but not necessarily owned) by him for comfortable travel..."

[monkboughtlunch]

I enhanced the resolution of this photo in Photoshop. The jacket looks identical to the one Elvis wears at The Memphian circa September 1963 -- right down to the dangling zipper.

Given that Elvis was a clothes hound, I have a hard time thinking a jacket he wore in 1963 would still be in his wardrobe rotation in 1966 or 1967. Are there any photos of Elvis wearing this jacket and belt in 1965, 1966 or 1967?

I'm inclined to go with 1963 or 1964. I would imagine Ms. Kingsbaker would know how she appeared at age 12 or 13 versus at age 16 or 17.

Anyway, Ms. Kingsbaker's Facebook page says she went to Miami Palmetto High School. That's located in Miami Dade County in Florida. https://www.facebook.com/patty.kingsbaker/

If anyone has a Classmates.com subscription, they could look up her high school Yearbook photos quite easily and compare her hair length / appearance to the Needles photo. Shouldn't be too hard to triangulate the approximate timeframe of the Needles photo.

needles.jpg

[monkboughtlunch]

Very important to note that Elvis does not have a 1964 Cadillac Fleetwood Series 75 at the time of any of your photo examples.

This is why my research indicates the candid likely dates to summer 1966 or 1967. As noted, the car appears in the photo.

Also, the original (erroneous) dating on the Shorpy page does not come from the fan, but someone who employed her as a talent agent years later.

Miami Palmetto High School (in Florida) yearbook photos of Patty Regan. She was only pictured in the 1966 and 1967 yearbooks.

Most schools take class photos in the fall semester. My guess is this is how Ms. Regan appeared in fall 1965 and fall 1966, respectively. Looks like she had her hair colored blonde for the 1966-67 term.

Patty was either 16 or 17 when she met Elvis.

She was apparently born in April 1950. So she would be probably age 15 and 16, respectively, in the below photos.

I think her shorter hair and bangs in the Elvis / Needles gas station photo points to timeframe of either late 1963 or 1964. Maybe Mr. Presley was en route to Hollywood or returning home to Graceland due to the Roustabout film production in 1964 when they took the snapshot at the gas station.

Ms. Regan only appeared in two volumes of the Florida yearbook -- so it's unclear if she lived somewhere else prior to the 1965-1966 and 1966-1967 high school terms.

pattyregan.jpg

[drjohncarpenter]

Thanks so much for all the effort, but all the evidence points to a summer 1966 or summer 1967 date for this blurry candid.

[monkboughtlunch]

Thanks so much for all the effort, but all the evidence points to a summer 1966 or summer 1967 date for this blurry candid.

You're welcome. This is how Ms. Regan appeared in the yearbook for the 1966-1967 high school term.

patty67.jpg

[monkboughtlunch]

Comparison of the jacket worn at The Memphian circa September 1963 with the Needles gas station jacket. Note the similarities in the zippers (red arrow notations) and the reverse stitching accents. And Elvis is not wearing a scarf at the gas station. That's a shadow cast from his collar and the angle of the sun.

elvisjacketcompare.jpg

[monkboughtlunch]

...all the evidence points to a summer 1966 or summer 1967 date for this blurry candid.

Side by side comparison of Patty Regan in the 1967 high school yearbook next to Patty Regan at the Needles gas station...

pattycompare.jpg

[draig goch]

No way 64....I go for 66/67.

[monkboughtlunch]

No way 64....I go for 66/67.

Does a silver re-paint job rule out 1966 and 1967?

"During 1966, Elvis had the ’64 Cadillac Fleetwood limousine repainted silver – the color which it remains today, as seen here."

Source: https://www.classiccarstodayonline.com/2023/10/01/if-youre-going-to-dress-up-as-elvis-for-halloween-you-should-know-a-little-about-his-personal-cars/1964-cadillac-fleetwood-limo-elvis-c/

silverrepaint.jpg

[AndrewJ]

Although, Elvis' appearance is not too dissimilar to these candids from July 1967:

68car.jpg

67car2.jpg

67car3.jpg

Source: https://elvis-collectors.com/candid-central/68car.html