ELVIS PRESLEY Movies & Songs

"When I was a child, I was a dreamer. I read comic books and I was tha hero in the comic book. I saw movies and I was the hero in the movie." Elvis Presley

Elvis Presley Movies begins the Winter of 1935 in Tupelo, Miss. with Gladys Presley giving birth to twin boys and only one surviving. The Presley’s were share croppers and struggled most of the time just to maintain the basics of life. The surviving child would never forget the struggles his parents went through or what it felt like to have to go without.

Perhaps it was these very struggles that connected him to everyday people so strongly and them to him. Throughout his entire adult life, his greatest pleasure would come from sharing his good fortune with others who had been less fortunate than him. I will always remember Elvis Presley Movies and Elvis Songs, but most of all I will remember Elvis’s generous heart.

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When Colonel Tom Parker got Elvis into the movies back in 1956, who would ever have foreseen how important capturing Elvis on film would be for future generations. Imagine trying to explain in words, what it was like to see Elvis perform “Mean Woman Blues” or “Jailhouse Rock”. The magic of Elvis was his ability to stir peoples emotions with his music and physical presentation. You might forget the lyrics of one of his songs, but you could never forget what it was like “seeing” Elvis.

Back in 1957, the movie “Jailhouse Rock”  spotlights probably one of Elvis’s most memorable performances of that very song. Today, go to Google and type in the words “Jailhouse Rock” into the search bar and you’ll get 4,220,000 results in Web Pages and 10,700 videos. The Top Video has been viewed 28,828,898 times since it was posted on June 13, 2006. WOW, that’s not bad for someone who was supposed to be a flash in the pan back in 1956.

As a child, Elvis was very much the dreamer, but it took the likes of Colonel Tom Parker to really make those dreams come true. When Elvis and the Colonel first talked about what their plans would be back in 1956, Elvis expressed an interest in trying his hand at acting. By the end of that year the Colonel had made a deal with Paramount Studios for Elvis to appear in his first movie, “Love Me Tender” and the rest is history.

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Of course, if we are going to talk about the movies it is impossible to leave out the songs. Elvis is credited with recording either in the studio or live while on stage approximately 800 songs. Most people feel “That’s All Right, Mama” (1954) to be his first and his last one done in a studio session was “Moody Blue” (1977). It is estimated that Elvis has sold enough records to circle the Earth three times over. Although it is still a question of verification, it is believed “Elvis Worldwide Record Sales” have reached the One Billion Mark.

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Many people over the years have tried to examine exactly why so many people feel so strongly about Elvis. I don’t know why either, all I know is when I hear a tune like “Don’t Be Cruel” or “All Shook Up” coming through those speakers, it makes me feel good. It’s hard to feel unhappy when your knee is bouncing up and down to the music I guess.

So, why try so hard to analyze everything anyway…

…Why not just enjoy the movies and songs.

20,075 Days a Elvis Fan… No End In Sight.

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If we look back over the history of Elvis Presley, we will discover many stories about  Elvis’s generosity and other kind acts that you may or may not be aware of yourself.  Most of these things have gone by unnoticed, but I will share all that I know and hope you share as well…

Elvis promoting Polio Vaccinations for March of Dimes with Poster Girl Joanne Kelly - 1956

In November of 2007  the 1950′s Poster Girl Joanne Kelly for the March of Dimes was interviewed about her role and what she remembered about meeting Elvis. She said she and her parents were not big fans at the time and she was not really enthusiastic about kissing him.  She remembers after the pictures were done, Elvis spent more than an hour talking with her and offered to provide help to the family in several different ways. Her parents declined to accept any help, but always said Elvis was the nicest celebrity they had ever met.

She remembered her parents talking about their experiences meeting so many celebrities as poster Girl…
“My parents were surprised at how wonderful he was to them. Many other celebrities just show up for the pic and rush out as soon as they can. They said he seemed very concerned about my welfare and asked many questions about the surgeries I had and what my future would be like.”

March of Dimes Promo-1959

At the end of the interview Joanne was asked if there was anything else she would like to say to people reading this article…

“Elvis will always be the King! I’ve never been to Graceland but my cousin has. He said that there is a room devoted to all Elvis’ charitable works. My picture is behind a glass case. He also did a lot for the American Heart Association. I saw my pic at the beginning of a show about Elvis and Gospel music that was on cable TV. Sometimes, around Elvis’ birthday one of my pics appear in a newspaper.”

Over the years many of the people in Elvis’s circle of  friends have told about some of the generous things they saw Elvis do.  Some of these stories have been featured in documentary style films, but some of the most revealing stories about Elvis’s giving nature are told for the first time in the film - “Elvis…A Generous Heart” .

Lowell Hays...friend and personal jeweler.

Lowell Hays -   tells one story…

Garnet Cross

“We were in Mississippi. getting ready to go do a live performance when we got word that a little boy was dying and really wanted to see Elvis. He was hospitalized and too sick to get  to the show, so we loaded up in cars and went to the hospital. Elvis was dressed for his show and was wearing a cross made of garnets. Elvis talked with the boy for a while and just before leaving, he took off the cross and gave it to the little boy.”

George Klein...Lifelong friend

George Kline – tells how when Elvis first started getting money in…

“Elvis wanted to share his good fortune as he was a sharing person and would get into confrontations with his father about him giving so much away.” Elvis’s dad would say, “son, we’re pretty wealthy, but you are giving away houses and giving away Cadillac cars to people off the street who walk into the dealership. You know, pretty soon the bank account is gonna take a hit.”

Elvis and Vernon Presley

Elvis would say, “Look dad, I enjoy giving away things to people, that’s how I get my enjoyment.”  He’d say, “I can go out on tour for six weeks and make two million dollars. I’m not worried about money, I want to make people happy.”

” I am so lucky to be in a

position to give.

It’s really a great gift

to be able to give.”

- Elvis Presley

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Elvis & Frank - 1960

” I’m just a singer,
Elvis Presley is the
embodiment of the
whole American culture.”
- Frank Sinatra

It is January of 1935 and Elvis is born in the height of the Great Depression in Tupelo, Mississippi. His father, Vernon is a sharecropper and the family is poor, often lacking in the most basic necessities of life. Elvis’s father couldn’t even afford to pay back the $180 he borrowed to build their small two room house. These early memories of his childhood would remain with Elvis for the rest of his life. He would never forget what it felt like to have to go without. Perhaps this is why he connected with the everyday person so strongly.

Elvis Signing Autographs

A few years later, Elvis would share his personal thoughts and feelings with close friends. He never wanted to be just like other people, he enjoyed dressing and acting different from others in order to stand out from the crowd. He would study other entertainers and observed how they treated people, how they were nice about signing autographs. Also how they were nice about shaking hands or taking pictures with people. Elvis told his closest friends… “If I ever make it, I’m gonna do that, I’m gonna be as nice as I possibly can.”

In 1991 the infamous owner of Sun Records, Sam Phillips reflected on what made Elvis connect with people…
…”People not only enjoyed his work as an artist, but they believed in him as an individual. And also to think to know that he basically did not change a lot so far as his relations with people. Just the ordinary person on the street was something absolutely imperative to his unbelievable success.”





Someone once said that the true measure of a man’s success is not what he achieves and acquires for himself in his lifetime, but what of himself he gives to others. Elvis Presley touched the lives of millions of people the world over with his movies and his live performances. Elvis brought joy to the hearts of people everywhere and even today more than three decades after his untimely death, Elvis’s music and legacy continue to have a lasting and profound impact on music and popular culture around the world.

In 1958 the Pacific War Memorial Commission was given the task of raising $500,000 to build a monument to the USS Arizona. It was also decided  that it must be built without public funding. Initially the Territory of Hawaii contributed the first $50,000 along with additional fund raising efforts by many organizations and private individuals.

In December of that year the popular television show “This Is Your Life” kicked off the private fundraising campaign by featuring the Medal of Honor winner Samuel Fuqua. He was the senior surviving officer of the USS Arizona and the show’s publicity raised over $95,000 towards building the structure.

For the next two years fund raising was not going very good and public interest in the project was beginning to fade. Then in November of 1960 the Colonel, Tom Parker, had read an article in the Los Angeles Examiner about plans to erase a Memorial for the 1,102 officers killed on the USS Arizona during the Japanese attack on Pearl Harbor in 1941.

The colonel offered to stage an Elvis concert to benefit the memorial fund and Elvis enthusiastically agreed.

Elvis Concert Bloch Arena

The show was slated for Sunday, March 25 – 1961 at 8.30 P.M. at the Bloch Arena in Pearl Harbor. There were 4000 tickets sold in the price range from $ 3 – $ 10. An additional 100 tickets of $ 100 were reserved for a special ringside section at Pearl Harbor’s Bloch Arena. 50 of these tickets were bought by Elvis and The Colonel for patients from Tripler Hospital.

The show raised nearly $65,000 for the USS Arizona Memorial building fund. This show created one of the biggest private donations to the memorial. On March 30, the Hawaii House of Representatives passed Special Resolution 105 thanking Elvis and the Colonel.

The resulting publicity gave new life to the fund-raising effort,which had by then,lost all of it’s momemtum. Soon thereafter the Fleet Reserve Association partnered with Revell Modal Company to sell plastic models of the battleship USS Arizona. Inside each kit with the models instructions was information explaining how to donate. This fund raising effort led to over $40,000 being raised for the memorial.

Finally, on September 6th, 1961, freshman Hawaii Senator Daniel Inouye secured federal funding for the final $150,000 to complete the construction. In the end, public money was required to meet the goal of the PWMC. The legislation stated that the Memorial was “to be maintained in honor and commemoration of the members of the Armed Forces of the United States who gave their lives to their country during the attack on Pearl Harbor, Hawaii on December 7, 1941.”

In 1962 the memorial was finished and was dedicated on Memorial Day. Four years later, while in Hawaii filming Paradise, Hawaiian Style, Elvis visited the completed memorial and placed a wreath there. Photographers and reporters rushed in to record the event, but Elvis sent them away. He did not want his visit to the memorial to become a publicity stunt.To Elvis it was always a source of quiet satisfaction and pride to know that he had a significant role in making the memorial possible.

LOVING YOU "Clip"- Released In Movie Theatres July 30, 1957

Elvis Presley Movies now spotlights his second movie and first one in Technicolor,  “Loving You.  Unlike Love Me Tender, it takes place in a more contemporary setting and time. Elvis plays the role of a truck driver with a natural talent for really belting out a song. When the show opens Elvis is asked to sing a song for the folks in the local town square by Lizabeth Scott . Elvis says no at first, but is talked into it by his good friend and side kick Skip Young. You’ll recognize Skip from the “Ozzie and Harriet” TV series as he was Rick’s always joking friend “Wally”. After the song she decides he could become the next big singing sensation and make her a lot of money doing it.

The story line appears to reflect exactly what Elvis himself went through in his career up to that point, so it must have been easy for him to relate to the story line. In addition, Elvis belts out some real great numbers, including “Mean Women Blues”, which includes Elvis doing one of his most memorable dance numbers as well. When Col. Parker got Elvis into the movies, who would ever have foreseen how important capturing Elvis on film would be for future generations to see exactly what people saw when it all began. And please pay special attention to the audience scenes, as Elvis’s parents, Vernon And Gladys Presley appear several times in the audience cheering their son on.

KING CREOLE "Trailer"-1958

Elvis’s fourth movie was filmed only a few months before his induction into the army. He played Danny Fisher, a young delinquent who just flunked out of high school. He quits his job as a busboy in a nightclub, and one night he gets the chance to perform. Success is imminent and the local crime boss Maxie Fields wants to hire him to perform at his night club The Blue Shade. Danny refuses, but Fields won’t take no for an answer…

One of the co stars of King Creole.. Walter Matthau said of Elvis…

“He [Elvis Presley] was an instinctive actor…He was quite bright…he was very intelligent…He was not a punk. He was very elegant, sedate, and refined, and sophisticated.”

Elvis - A Generous Heart "Clip" - 2007

When I think back over the years, I can remember always reading about some of the things Elvis had done. There was a story about how Elvis ran into a soldier in a airport back in the early 60′s. Elvis recognized the insignia on the arm of his uniform as being from the same outfit he was in when he was in the Army. When he found out he was going home for Christmas, Elvis gave him $500 and said have a “Merry Christmas”.

This movie brought out so much more,  most of which I had never heard of before. I had always heard Elvis had someone making all his jewelry for him, but now that person (Lowell Hays) also turns out to be a close friend as well. Plus, the stories he tells are amazing about all the wonderful things he witnessed Elvis do. As always, George Klein remains one of Elvis’s best friends and reviels amazing inside information like how Vernon Presley was concerned over how much his son was giving away. I have to agree with the others, that this is a MUST TO ADD to any Elvis fans collection.

He Touched Me - The Gospel Music Of Elvis Presley

“He Touched Me – The Gospel Music Of Elvis Presley” takes place in the late 30′s and early 40′s in Tupelo, Miss. where Elvis was born. From an very early age, he was exposed to the Black gospel music of the South and he would continue to be influenced by it for the rest of his life.

Being the son of a sharecropper, Elvis had very little in the way of worldly possessions. Their home consisted of only two rooms, a bedroom and kitchen and was located in the poor side of Tupelo. Elvis never forgot how it felt like to be poor and to have to go without for the lack of money.

Perhaps this is why he wanted to share his good fortune with others when he became famous and had money. But Elvis would also share his time and offer spiritual guidance to the people in his immediate group. There are also countless stories told by his backup singers that will touch your heart and make you even more prouder than you already are to be an Elvis Fan.

Viva Elvis The Album - From The Cirque Du Soleil Show 2010

“Viva Elvis The Album” is a tribute to the life and music of Elvis Presley. The Album is a 21st century celebration of Elvis and his music, featuring the voice of the king in a whole new context. Choosing the show’s musical pieces from Elvis’s impressive catalogue could have been a real puzzle. The show’s producers Vincent Paterson and Armand Thomas had the unique opportunity of listening to original track recordings by the King. They started out with a song list with over 100 songs at first. Then divided them into: A-must consider, B- maybe but lesser known songs, C- songs that they’d love to use but may not fit into the message of the show. All the songs feature the voice of Elvis himself, but with all new arrangements and background instruments. it is as if Elvis was re-recording the songs himself to fit into the current contemporary styles of today.