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Elvis Presley Las
Vegas -
Elvis Presley Vegas
Elvis Vegas - Elvis Live -
Elvis Concert
Throughout
his lifetime Elvis gave very few interviews. When he did, the questions
where so blase we discovered little about the man behind the legend. In
this rare interview, the first in 9 years Elvis spoke determined to set
the record straight while displaying an ability to joke about himself.
Following the opening of Elvis Presley Las Vegas show at the International
Hilton on 29 July 1969. No longer contracted to Hollywood and with
the success of 68' Television Special looming fresh, a mature Elvis was
reawakened with his return to performing live on stage.
For opening night, Elvis trimmed off the Hollywood fat. Now slim and
handsome, looking healthy and relaxed in a simple black suit, he held
off the press questions with all the bravado of an icon while he seated
himself and took a deliberate, long sip of water.
Without the benefit of one question being fired, Elvis went into his
spiel. "How I got in this business and how I got started, where and
when, and so forth... Its been written up so many times, people don't
even know - the true story," Elvis explained in his cool Southern
accent.
"When I was a boy, I always saw
myself as a hero in comic books and in movies. I grew up believing this
dream... When I got outta High School I was driving a truck. Ya know, I
was just a poor-boy from Memphis, Memphis," said Elvis, denoting
the name of his home with an exaggerated Southern accent. "I was
driving a truck and training to be an electrician. He grinned. "I
suppose I got wired the wrong way round somewhere along the line,"
laughed, Elvis.
"One day, I went into a recording studio and made a record for a
guy named Sam Phillips on Sun Records. He put the record out in about a
week. I went back to driving a truck and just forgot about it. Man, that
record came out and was real big in Memphis. They started playing it,
and it got real big. Don't know why? (laughs) The lyrics had no meaning.
I was just this kid, who went awopah-awh-a-awh on record," Elvis
said impersonating his vocals.
"Anyway, they put the record out
and it got pretty big in the South. But I still had my job. Awh was
driving a truck daytimes and working nightclubs at night... and things
like that.
The 1970 concert documentary has been re-mastered, revised and is
on sale now! This latest offering audience's get to see the superb
musical instincts and raw charisma of the man who, single-handedly
defined Rock-n-Roll in the '50s.
Directed by Denis Sanders, the documentary chronicles Elvis'
triumphant Las Vegas appearances - which were widely cheered Elvis fans
when first, released in 1970.
The 'new' version has been
vastly reworked with more than half an hour of new concert and rehearsal
footage that focuses more on Elvis's creative process than his
celebrity. Producer Rick Schmidlin, editor Michael Salomon and
rerecording mixer Bruce Botnick, spearheaded the new project.
Unlike the actor of the previous 29 Hollywood formula films, Elvis
comes alive in front of the camera in this documentary, whether horsing
around with his musicians during rehearsal or losing himself on stage in
the music. Elvis is a t his consummated best in front of a live
audience.
As soon as, "Heartbreak Hotel" established the Pelvis in 1956,
Elvis headed for Hollywood. Just as rock 'n' roll was viewed as a
passing fad, Elvis enticed his manager, Col. Tom Parker, to help make
his dream come true of becoming an actor like his heroes James Dean and
Marlon Brando.
Sure Elvis made a few decent films, but any hopes of being a serious
actor were soon sabotaged by Parker, who wanted long-term, big-money
guarantees rather than creative control of the films.
So, the promise of such films as, "Loving You,"
"Jailhouse Rock" and "King Creole" gave way to
travelogue tales, pretty women, and asinine soundtracks. Presley
complained in private, but he continued to make 31 Hollywood movies over
16 years.
Elvis received rave reviews and set
box-office records that even Frank Sinatra couldn't match. After a
second spectacular engagement at the International in January 1970,
Parker signed with MGM to do a documentary of Presley's third
International stint . In retrospect, the documentary might have been
stronger if Sanders had shot it during the second engagement.
Driven by the challenge of performing to a live audience after a decade
away, Elvis was thoroughly focused in the first two engagements.
However, by the summer the challenge was gone, and Elvis was fast
becoming a caricature of his former self. Still, some insightful moments
are thrilling, when Elvis like a man un-caged, makes all his songs a
unique experience.
In 1956 I met Colonel Sanders," Elvis burst into a laugh.
"Nay, nay, Parker, I mean Parker. He arranged to have me go on
television."
Elvis drew a deep breath remembering the unsavory episode of being
forced to sing HOUND DOG to a basset dog dressed in a top hat.
"So they put me on television. And the whole thing broke loose. It
was wild. I tell ya for sure. I did the Ed Sullivan show, four times. I
did the Steve Allen show. I did the Jackie Gleason show. They had me
singing to a dog and filmed me from here up," Elvis put his hand to
his waist.
"All the time, they were telling me. 'Hey! You! Stand still! Stand
still!' And they kept asking me, 'we're you from white-boy?' I told
them,
Memphis,
Memphis
. They thought,
'he's a dummy, we'll just put him in back." Elvis broke up and
laughed. "I gotta tell
you," continued Elvis in a somber tone. "The first time I
auditioned for the Arthur Godffrey talent show they turned me down! They
said, 'm-a-n get him outta here! Get him out!" They took that
jerk-off, instead! What's his name?" Elvis looked to his father for
the answer.
Vernon
shrugged his
shoulders. "Pat Boone, yea, it was Pat. That was okay by me, cause
he had a pretty good voice...""Anyway, later on they send me
to
Hollywood
. To make movies. It
was all new to me. I was only 21 years old... When they yelled 'action'
Aaah didn't know what to do. So I yelled,
Memphis
!
Memphis
!" joked, Elvis
jerking his right shoulder. "They looked at me and said, 'Is that
all we can get outta him...'"
"I made four movies, and in 1958, I got drafted... I went into the
army and stayed a couple of years. That was loads-a-fun...
They made a big deal outta cuttin' all my hair off and all that
jazz. I was a soldier, now." Elvis stood up and saluted. "Yes
sir!"
....
"The next thing I knew, I was out of the service and making movies,
again. My first picture was called, GI BLUES and I thought I was still
in the army, " said Elvis, blinking madly and turned his head
around as if not knowing where he was. "I did some good picture that did very well for me, like Blue
Hawaii
... and some pretty
forgettable ones too!"
When asked whether he felt it had been a mistake to release those
terrible soundtrack albums, Elvis admitted, "I sure lost my musical
direction in
Hollywood
. My songs were the
same conveyer belt mass production, just like most of my movies
were... Now I'm back and on the right road..." He raised his glass,
toasted the press. "Those movies sure got me into a rut. I want to
make amends. I really missed working live, in front of an audience,
that's why I'm here..." Elvis stood up and took a bow. The
reporters gave him a standing ovation. In a soft polite voice, he ended.
"Ah hope I didn't bore you too much, with mah life story..."
There are 113
hotels
currently in Las Vegas. On the Vegas Strip itself, there are approximately
38 large hotels for you to choose from. Most of these include at least
1,000 rooms. The most popular hotels on the Strip include the Mirage, the
Venetian, the Bellagio, the Hard Rock, the Sahara, Paris Las Vegas,
Caesars Palace and Mandalay Bay.
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