Elvis arrives in Hollywood on the evening of thursday August 16th 1956.
Elvis with Ken Darby
Ken Darby : I was told the period was 1864, and the challenge was to provide Elvis Presley with a series of songs which would be ingenious to the period and yet satisfy the demands of his following for Presley-type-music. I was made aware of the potential emotional impact of a sweet ballad if sung by Presley as his theme song. I brought a lot of songs in and played them and studied them. In the end there was a small selection, five melodies.*>
Rehearsals for the Soundtrack recording -
Monday 20th/Tuesday 21st/Wednesday 22nd August 1956.
20th Century Fox Studios
Ken Darby's office/bungalow
Elvis with Ken Darby
Ken Darby : When Elvis came on the lot to start the movie,we invited him to listen to them and choose a melody for the theme song of his new picture. He listened and selected one particular melody. It was an instant decision. He knows what he likes when he hears it, he can feel a melody and make it his own instantaneously. "This is the one" he said, and I took it home to my wife. She is a composer in her own right,and she came up with the title "Love Me Tender." It didn't take Vera more than an evening to write a few stanzas<, then the draft was brought back to Elvis.(see notes 1,2,3)
Ken Darby and Elvis
Ken Darby : He (Elvis) adjusted the music and the lyrics to his own particular presentation. Elvis has the most terrific ear of anyone I have ever met. He does not read music,but he does not need to. All I had to do was play the song for him once,and he made it his own! He has perfect judgment of what is right for him. He exercised that judgment when he chose 'Love Me Tender' as his theme song.
Trude Forsher, Colonel Parker's west coast secretary pictured with Elvis, Fox Studios,August/September 1956. Elvis is wearing one of two shirts given to him by film star Natalie Wood.
Trude Forsher diary notes 1956 : For the week that followed, Ken Darby and Elvis worked on the song, the atmosphere in the bungalow was conducive to intensive work, it was a serene place, surrounded by trees, away from the main throughfare of stages and traffic. Elvis spent his days with Ken Darby at the bungalow. They also had to choose some hoedown numbers and spirituals to be featured in the picture.
Trude Forsher diary :
Wednesday August 22 1956 - At 10.00 am Colonel Parker calls me to report to music director Mr Ken Darby's bungalow where Mr Presley is rehearsing the song he sings in 'Love Me Tender'. The Colonel arrived, Elvis and his cousin Gene also entered. When I came into the bungalow, standing next to the grand piano with Mr.Darby playing - with his head back and thick dark hair tumbling over his eyes Mr.Presley was oblivious to those around him. Soon the bungalow was filled with Elvis' strong voice singing the most beautiful ballad, I thought. He was dressed in his favorite dark gabardine slacks and blue sports shirt with turned up collar,open at the neck, Mr Presley likes freedom in his shirts-he needs the room to move around. One broad horizental white stripe was around the shirt and across his chest accentuating Mr.Presley's naturally broad shoulders. As we were ready to leave, here was a change in tempo and Elvis sang,"There's A Crack In The Wall"*** a lively spiritual. He stood by the grand piano,the lock of his hair falling over his eye,oblivious to the people about him. When we left the bungalow, Mr Presley walked in front.
Army Archerd from Photoplay : The biggest surprise about Elvis and his singing had been revealed, when he gave us a private concert.He sang a soft, ultra-slow ballad. He invited us over to the quaint music bungalow on the far west side of 20th lot. It was away from the bustle of traffic and from the big stages. It looked like the kind of cottage Walt Disney would have built for Snow White and Prince Charming. This was where Elvis felt relaxed, comfortable. Ken Darby sat at the grand piano at the far end of the living room. Elvis stood a few feet behind him,and in front of a tall stained-glass window. He stood erect, as if he was in a choir.
Ken started to play the soft melody. I hardly knew that Elvis had started to sing, as his voice,barely louder than the piano, was saying : "Love Me Tender..." His voice was pitched slightly higher than his usual rock 'n' roll tunes. It had a lot of resonance vibration,and Elvis was on-key for every note, no matter how long, short, high or low. The expressions on his face were kind and lacked any of the familiar exaggeration of his mouth, eyes, or shaking of his head. He sang each word with the meaning he (and Mrs Ken Darby) had written into it . When he finished,it seemed only normal to express our amazement."People think all I can do is belt,I used to sing nothing but ballads before I went professional. I love to sing slow,but seldom get to do it" He continued to explain that as a boy,an only child, he would sing like that when he sang with his mother and dad in church. "It was a small church, only seated about 75,you couldn't sing too loud there."
Peter Guralnick : In the midst of it all, Scotty and Bill and D.J. showed up after driving cross-country from Memphis. They had been promised a tryout for the picture,and there was an RCA recording session with Mr Sholes scheduled for the following weekend.
The tryout was held in the music bungalow on the west end of the lot where Elvis was rehearsing his three songs with Mr. Darby,the musical director.They were asked to play their regular show, but when they got done, they were told they were not 'hillbilly' enough for the picture. Scotty was furious-if they had known the musical director wanted 'hillbilly' he fumed, they would have given him banjos and jugs and Roy Acuff music.
On the set of Love Me Tender. Scotty Moore, Elvis, Neal Mattews, Richard Egan, Bill Black, D.J. Fontana, Gordon Stokers, Hoyt Hawkins, Hugh Jarrett.
Thursday morning August 23rd 1956 - Stage 3 : Elvis has his measurements taken by the wardrobe department, their arms filled with civil war uniforms. Elvis has discussions with the script department. (See Note 4)
After lunch Mr. Presley returns to the stage for rehearsal, a problem comes up that requires attention, and Colonel Parker asks me to take a dictation from Mr. Presley on the set. After the all day rehearsal, Mr. Presley followed by Gene, came storming into the dressing room like parachute troopers, Mr. Presley promptly kicked off his boots, turned on the radio and fell asleep on the couch.
Friday August 24th : Elvis comes over to my desk this morning, he is wearing a beautiful unusual pink shirt,"Do you like my shirt?" "Yes I do Elvis, did you have it made to order?" The smile I enjoy from his face,"Well,no,a girl made it up for me".
Mr. Presley has an electric fascination for the girls in the commissary, ninety percent of them are teenagers related to studio executives, they have wrangled their way into the studio for lunch. They sit starring in awe, as Mr Presley prepares to eat. He walks from table to table chatting,shaking hands and signing autographs.
Photo's above and below taken in the Commissary - Cafe De Paris,20th Century Studios,August 24th 1956
(after lunch) Gene drops in,we walk over to the recording session together. The soundstage is crowded with people,the guard says "This is sure different, I don't know where they all come from".
August 24 1956
20th Century Fox Stage 1 - Hollywood, California
Soundtrack Session for "Love Me Tender"
20th Century Fox Music Producer : Lionel Newman
Arranger and vocal supervisor : Ken Darby
Engineers : Bob Mayer / Ken Runyon
Edward B. Powell : Orchestration
1.00pm - 6.00pm
Musicians:
Backup Vocals: The Ken Darby Trio: Rad Robinson; Jon Dodson; Charles Prescott
Guitar : Vito Mumolo
Bass : Micheal "Myer" Rubin
Drums : Richard Cornell
Banjo : Luther Rountree
Accordion : Dom Frontieri
We're Gonna Move
Poor Boy
Love Me Tender
We're Gonna Move ('Men's Chorus' Overdub)
We're Gonna Move ('Hand Claps' Overdub)
Poor Boy (Instrumental)
Elvis at the Piano with Army Archherd (left)
(+)'THERE'S A LEAK IN THIS OLE BUILDING'
<<>>Gene Smith,Lionel Newman,Elvis and Ken Darby.Elvis' hair gives a clue to the order in which the photo's were taken,this one being fairly early on.
Producer Lionel Newman,Red Robinson,Elvis,John Dodson and Ken Darby.
Lionel Newman,John Dodson(partially masked)Elvis and Ken Darby.
Guitarist Vito Mumolo with back to camera, Ken Darby, Elvis, Charles Prescott, Red Robinson, Jon Dodson with sheet music, and Micheal "Myer" Rubin holding the double Bass.
In this photo, Elvis can be seen holding a piece of card containing the title of the number at the time of the recording, which was 'There's a leak in this ole Building' (see below as the title was later changed to 'Were Gonna Move') and the lyrics written out in pen. This image is cropped compared to the FTD Flashback book.
Florida boys version of 'There's a leak in this ole building'
Photo removed
Foreground left and sat on chairs are Luther Rountree on rhythm guitar, Vito Mumolo on acoustic lead guitar ( both with back to camera), Producer Lionel Newman stood clicking his fingers as Elvis reads the words to the number. The Ken Darby singers - Charles Prescott, Red Robinson, Jon Dodson(masked) and Ken Darby. Micheal "Myer" Rubin can now be seen holding the double Bass.
Trudie Forsher Diary : Elvis faces the microphone,to his left are the "King's Men" a famous quartet with Ken Darby singing the chorus, just warming up and doing "Tumbling Tumbleweeds" for the pure fun of it. >
*>Ken Darby mentions the numberbof chosen selections as five,so could the number "Tumbling Tumbleweeds" been the fifth tune.
<>>
(+)
'RECORDING'
Elvis is left of frame with the boom microphone above him,The Ken Darby singers Charles Prescott, Red Robinson, Jon Dodson are at their microphone postion. Ken Darby looks on, as Lionel Newman clicks to the beat. right of frame the musicians can be seen clearly, Vito Mumolo on acoustic lead guitar, sat in classical concert postion with Micheal "Myer" Rubin on the double Bass. Luther Rountree is sat down on rhythm guitar, with Richard Cornell using a stool instead of the drum kit behind him.
Army Archerd from Photoplay : The musicians - two guitarists,a drummer and a pianst - returned from their 'break' Ken Darby's trio took its place at one mike and Elvis went over to another, they were ready for a take. The red light went on at the stage door, music conductor Newman counted 'one-two-three, and the music started beating. Elvis got the downbeat from Darby and started singing 'There's a leak in this old building'. He kept the beat with his body, slowly moving back and forth. There was no hand-clapping, foot-stomping, or finger-snapping. Elvis moved slowly, his arms leading his long, wiry frame, back and forth in tempo. It gave everyone the urge to rock with the beat to clap hands with the tempo, even the walls were aching to shake. When the number was completed, all the crew clapped the hands,every face wore a smile.
Then Ken Darby asked the boys in the booth to play back the recording. Elvis stood nervously in a corner of the stage, waiting.
He noticed a couple of boys in another corner who had been quietly watching and listening,their faces were tense,too. They were Nick Adams who had been a good pal of Jimmy Dean's, and Dennis Hopper, also one of Jimmy's buddies, who does a great job in 'Giant'.
Elvis went over to them, said 'Hi' just as the playback cue thundered through the huge stage, which was sprinkled with only a handful of humans. Everyone was strained to urge the first note from the mammoth loudspeakers. Nick and Dennis listened - and they looked, they looked at Elvis, as if someone they had knew, someone they had known before, perhaps. Dennis Hopper winked to us "I'm going to start singing soon too, and I'm not kidding- I'm taking lessons".
The number ended and everyone agreed it would be a natural top-seller. Elvis went over to Ken Darby to discuss changes for another take.
Trudie Forsher diary : Then Elvis does "There is a crack in the wall"*** the rhythm is perfect, his whole body is tensed to the rhythm of the song, and the famous leg marks every beat. He is dressed in his pink shirt, which I admired this morning, open at the neck, black pants, and black-grey spectator shoes, he looks very handsome, a photographer photographs his every pose. As he sings, he confers with the famous Lionel Newman, who conducted the number for special effects, the instrumentation was most interesting, for special effects, two guitars, one bass, and for a special, there was a wooden chair instead of a drum.
During playback, Elvis buries his head in his hands and listens intently, he is not satisfied, there is a conference, and another take! At last it sounds good to him. He relaxes for a while. The hardened show business veterans assembled there applaud him, again that shy smile, thanks, and he calls out to me jokingly,"Trude,send them a membership card please".
Dennis Hopper : Elvis came to see me before he made the movie 'Love Me Tender'. He invited me out to the studio, It was at 20th Century Fox, and I went out and he recorded 'Love Me Tender', and it was really strange because I was standing about five yards away from him, and he was singing into a microphone and I couldn't hear him. I thought how strange it was, and I thought well maybe he's not really doing anything..cause I was standing a way behind him, and then he asked for a playback and his voice came out,(sings) 'Love Me Tender..' and I thought 'Wow!' How strange! I knew so little about music, it was a different world to me..That he could be actually recording something that would come out that clearly..and yet I was like in touching distance, practically, of him and I couldn't hear his voice. I showed him around Hollywood and this is before he had all of his cousins with him,all of his bodyguards - the big entourage. We got to know each other pretty well for the two weeks. He was a very sweet and innocent naive kind of guy.**
Actor Dennis Hopper.
Elvis on the fox set filming 'We're Gonna Move'. Saturday 25th August 1956.
Trude Forsher Diary notes September 1956 :
When Elvis felt ready to record the soundtrack, word had gotton around that he had chosen a slow ballad. There was a feeling of curiosity among all, how the rock 'n roll rebel would do with a gentle love melody. Though the sign on the doors of the stage read "Closed set-Absolutely No Vistors', when one went through the double doors, the stage, which seemed to be about an acre in size, was crowded with people.
Elvis was standing in the middle of the stage with a tremendous boom microphone in front of him. As he began to sing,the quartet leaned in towards the mike. As the volume increased, the microphone retreated towards the bank of sound of mixers, running half the length of the stage. After the warm-up,conductor Lionel Newman said, 'Set'. The crowd became absolutely silent. Elvis was singing...The guitar around his broad shoulders, he leaned towards the mic and the words 'Love Me Tender', Love me sweet' were picked by the tremendous boom microphone facing him. He sang the music softly.
Elvis had finished, and he gave the sign for the playback, Elvis turned to the wall, his eyes closed, listening with intense concentration. The air was filled with a nostalgic, long ago love as the song ended, 'Happiness will follow you..everywhere you go ..for my darling..I love you.. and I always will..'
There was a stunned silence, Elvis was satisfied, So was Lionel Newman, so were Ken Darby and the King's Men. As the playback ended, there was an awed silence. The Ken Darby, the quartet and the old 'pros' in the orchestra broke into spontaneous applause. All at once I heard a torrent of words. 'Great','Terrific', 'Tremendous'. Elvis smiled his thanks,he was sincerely humble, but he appreciated this reaction,coming from the people who knew music well.
Trude Forsher Diary notes, September,1956/A day on the set,Diary excerpts,september 1956, Elvis Homesick, Memoirs 1977.
The next day (after the vocal recording/24th August 56),the soundtrack was played on the set. I happened to be present as Elvis acted out a scene on the porch of the farmhouse,singing, 'Love Me Tender' to his mother, played by Mildred Dunnock. It was towards the end of the day of filming 'Love Me Tender, Elvis autographed some records for Debra Paget and Dick Egan. We then walked over to the projection room and watched the rushes with Elvis' cousin Gene. I was greatly impressed. 'There is a crack in the wall' (We're Gonna Move) the other scene we saw was of a different nature.(*)
June Juanico : Elvis sang 'Love Me Tender' to me on the phone. He said "How do you like it?What do you think" I said "I love it" Wouldn't I have given anything to have had a little record button on my telephone? I could have kept that memory forever.
Saturday August the 25th : 'We're Gonna Move' & 'Love Me Tender' are filmed with playback, Fox Studios.(*)
Sunday 26th August 1956 : No filming or recording took place.
Monday August 27th :The commencement of filming starts on location for exterior shots at the ranch.
Tuesday August 28th : location filming continues
Wednesday August 29th : filming continues
Thursday August 30th : filming continues
Friday August 31st : filming continues
August 31, 1956. Agreement between Parker and 20th Century Fox assigning all rights to three songs from an upcoming film, “Love Me Tender,” “There’s A Leak in the Old Building,” and “Poor Boy,” to Parker, with the film company intending to record an instrumental version of “Love Me Tender” as well.
On the Friday before Labor Day weekend, Mr. Sholes visited the set, and Colonel got him into a broad-brimmed straw hat while donning a fake goatee and mustache himself for a photograph with other RCA executives to commemorate the occasion."from "Last Train To Memphis" by Peter Guralnick: " Date August 31st 1956,Fox Studios.<>
Saturday 1st : Radio Recorders - Hollywood, California (recording section topic will follow next on these three dates)
Sunday 2nd Radio Recorders - Hollywood, California
September 3 : Radio Recorders - Hollywood, California
September 4th 1956
20th Century Fox Stage 1 - Hollywood, California Soundtrack Session for "Love Me Tender"
20th Century Fox Producer : Lionel Newman
Arranger : Ken Darby
Engineers : Bob Mayer / Ken Runyon
9.00am - 12.00pm
Musicians:
Backup Vocals:The Ken Darby Trio: Rad Robinson; Jon Dodson; Charles Prescott
Guitar : Vito Mumolo
Bass : Micheal "Myer" Rubin
Drums : Richard Cornell
Banjo : Luther Rountree
Accordion : Carl Fortina
Let Me (Track)
Poor Boy (Partial Verse Track)
September 5th 1956
20th Century Fox Stage 1 - Hollywood, California Soundtrack Session for "Love Me Tender"
20th Century Fox Producer : Lionel Newman
Arranger : Ken Darby
Engineers : Bob Mayer / Ken Runyon
1.00pm - 4.00pm
Musicians:
Backup Vocals:The Ken Darby Trio: Rad Robinson; Jon Dodson; Charles Prescott
Guitar : Vito Mumolo
Bass : Micheal "Myer" Rubin
Drums : Richard Cornell
Banjo : Luther Rountree
Accordion : Carl Fortina
Poor Boy (Partial Verse (3) Vocal Overdub)
Poor Boy (Composite)
Let Me (Vocal Overdub)
Elvis with The Ken Darby singers - The Ken Darby singers - Charles Prescott,Red Robinson,Jon Dodson. Unknown photographer is stood behind them
Elvis on guitar (with photographer far left ) while Red Robinson,Jon Dodson and Charles Prescott look on
(From Ger Rijff collection)
Producer David Weisbart and Army Archard talk with Elvis.
Elvis told writer Army Archard and Producer of Presley's first picture 'Love Me Tender', on the 20th Century Fox's huge recording Studio
"I'd sure like to take a crack at it, I know I could do it easy" with the suggestion that Elvis could portray the life of James Dean on the screen. Elvis sat back on his haunches, David agrees "I'm sure that Elvis would do a good job portraying Jimmy". "I think I could do it easy, I want to play that more than anything else" repeated Elvis. Then he shook his head, as if to bring himself back to the present and to the fact that he was capturing Hollywood just as he captured every audience he's ever faced.
Producer David Weisbart and Army Archard talk with Elvis
>>October 1 1956
20th Century Fox Stage 1 - Hollywood, California Soundtrack Session for "Love Me Tender"
20th Century Fox Producer : Lionel Newman
Engineers : Bob Mayer / Ken Runyon Murray Spivak
Musicians unknown
vocals unknown
Love Me Tender (End Title)
Elvis is seen here at the 20 Century Studios Commissary 'Cafe De Paris' . (Right photo) on the far left of frame Ken Darby can be seen enjoying the moment, and, the photo's are said to be from the first week of October 1956 (FTD Photo info), maybe with Ken Darby in view and Elvis not in his movie costume, they could be from Monday October 1st 1956, the day that Elvis recorded a new end title version. There are further images taken at this time which can be found inside the FTD flashback book.
Elvis attends Junco Studios on East Sixty-Ninth Street,New York on October 29th 1956 for a new ending to be shot for the movie 'Love Me Tender'. It was concluded that after preview screenings,a superimposed Elvis Presley over the dying Clint Reno singing the main title theme would be more acceptable.
Any corrections in dates,captions would be most welcome
Davide
Note 1: The date for this adaption and new title, at the Darby home would I suggest, be either the evening of Monday 20th or tuesday 21st of August 1956.
Note 2 : 'Love Me Tender' was adapted from the tune of "Aura Lee" (or "Aura Lea"), a sentimental Civil War ballad with music by George R. Poulton and words by W.W. Fosdick. "Aura Lee" was published in 1861 and this Civil War song.
Note 3 : It has been widely reported that Ken Darby used his wife's name due to copyright problems, and that Darby although an established writer with ASCAP, conflicted with Elvis in the role of songwriter who was a BMI member-and that therefore Darby signed up as a BMI member under his wife's name, which isn't how Ken Darby explains the situation above. Although Elvis's name was put down as one of the writer's as an arrangement with Hill & Range, Elvis, it seems is not given enough credit with the arrangements of his numbers, especially his early work.
Note 4 : This photo is not directly connected to the recording sessions, but gives an idea of the build up to the sessions which commenced the following day. In the photo above, the date can be seen as 8/23/56 which is the date the wardrobe was fitted and recorded (by photo) for future reference. and used by the continuty department. This does not mean that filming commenced on this date.
Note : Some of the extracts used from Trude Forsher book 'The Love Me Tender years Diary' have been shortened,and in some parts are a composite. For full details of this time in Elvis' life the purchase of the book is advised.
>"Tumbling Tumbleweeds" is a song composed by Bob Nolan, one of the founding (albeit reluctant) members of the Sons of the Pioneers. Although one of the most famous songs associated with cowboys, the song was composed by Nolan back in the 1930s while he was working as a caddy and living in Los Angeles. Originally titled "Tumbling Tumble Leaves", the song was reworked into the title "Tumbling Tumbleweeds" and into fame with the Gene Autry film of the same name. A private recording featuring Elvis was made by Red West on his private potable reel-to-reel recorder in Hollywood at Elvis' residence at Rocca Place in early 1966 .
**Text from ETMAHM 25 text from Interview between Gloria Hunniford on BBC Radio 2 with Dennis Hopper 27/09/04
***Correct title should be 'THERE'S A LEAK IN THIS OLE BUILDING'
>>Note this Image is undated at present,although it belongs in this time frame taken at Fox Studios during the production of 'Love Me Tender'
< Prosody a fixed number of verse lines arranged in a definite metrical pattern, forming a unit of a poem
<>thanks to hilton22000 for the date/info.
<>>This image is taken from the Ger Rijff book Studio B Blues,I have corrected the image,as it's reversed in the book. Elvis is holding a piece of card with the lyric's to 'We're Gonna Move'.
<<>>http://www.joeynewman.com/index.php/gal ... tegory/C4/
(+)thanks to Claude91
