*** WARM GREETINGS AND BEST WISHES FOR ALL ELVIS FANS ALL OVER THE WORLD ***

Elvis Presley's Memphis E-newsletter 

The Elvis Fact

Elvis and the U.S. Army

On January 19, 1953, like all young American men of the time were required to do at age 18, Elvis Presley registered for the U.S. Selective Service System. Under the draft system, young men of good health were expected to be available to serve in the military for two years of active duty and then four years in the reserves. (This system continued until after the Vietnam War when the U.S. went to a voluntary military system.) Elvis received his Selective Service No. 40-86-35-16. He then went on to finish his senior year at L.C. Humes High School and, soon after graduation, he began what would soon become his illustrious career as an entertainer. By 1956, he was as superstar of recordings, films and concerts. 

On January 4, 1957 Elvis reported to Kennedy Veterans Hospital in Memphis for an army pre-induction physical. On January 8, 1957, his twenty second birthday, the Memphis Draft Board held a press conference and announced Elvis would be classified 1A and would probably be drafted sometime that year. At the time the U.S. was not involved in any conflicts or wars. With the news of Elvis's forthcoming induction, the Navy and the Air Force offered bids for his services - the Navy offering to create a specially trained "Elvis Presley company" and the Air Force thinking it would be good for him to tour their recruiting centers. Elvis turned down their offers, not wanting any special treatment. He was going to serve like a regular G.I. 

On December 20, 1957 Elvis received his draft notice. In a letter dated December 24th he formally asked for a deferment to finish filming the movie he had already in the works. On December 26, 1957, the Memphis Draft Board granted Elvis a deferment until March 20, 1958 so he could film "King Creole". 

On Monday, March 24, 1958 at 6:35 AM, Elvis, accompanied by his parents and a group of family and friends, reported to the Memphis Draft Board. From there, he and twelve other recruits were bused to Kennedy Veterans Memorial Hospital. There, Elvis was assigned army serial number 53 310 761. After being processed and sworn in, Elvis said his good-byes and Private Presley was bused with the others from Memphis to Fort Chaffee, Arkansas for further processing. There, he received his famous G.I. haircut and coined the phrase "Hair today, gone tomorrow," in a comment to the news media. He was assigned to the Second Armored Division's "Hell On Wheels" unit (formerly led by General George Patton) and was stationed at Fort Hood, Texas. Within days, Elvis's manager received 5,000 pieces of mail sent to Elvis at Fort Chaffee and mail continued to pour in for the famous soldier. 

On furlough after his basic training, Elvis came home to Memphis and enjoyed some time with family and friends. He managed to squeeze in a quick Nashville recording session, his last session until the spring of 1960 after his discharge from active duty. 

On June 14, 1958 he returned to Fort Hood for ten weeks of advanced tank training. His mother and father moved temporarily to Killeen, Texas near the base. Elvis applied for and received permission to live off base with them - off-base living being an option any G.I. had the option of applying for. 

It was during the next month that Elvis's mother Gladys became seriously ill and had to return to Memphis for treatment. Later, Elvis went home to Memphis on emergency leave to visit his gravely ill mother. She died on August 14, 1958 at the age of 46. 

When he returned to Texas, Elvis was assigned to the Third Armored "Spearhead" Division, whose motto was "Victory or Death". His unit was stationed in Friedberg, Germany. His troop train left Fort Hood for the Brooklyn Army Terminal where, on September 22, 1958, Elvis boarded the U.S.S. Randall and sailed for Germany. Upon arrival he was assigned to the Ray Kaserne barracks. He served in Company C, a scout platoon. After a news conference he was declared "off limits" to the press (at least for a while).

In Germany, Elvis served as any other soldier. However, as in Texas, he chose to take the option of living off base. His wealth afforded him the ability to lease housing and to bring his father and grandmother to Germany to stay with him. Friends from back home also spent time there.

Elvis went on maneuvers and performed all the regular duties as required. (Some say he did more than what was required to ensure that no one get the idea that he was getting any special treatment or had a "star" ego.) One maneuver took his unit to Grafenwohr, near the Czech Republic border, for field training and weapons proficiency tests. While serving in Germany, he earned medals for marksmanship and in February 1960 he received his sergeant's stripes.

Elvis completed his 18-month stint in Germany and arrived back in the U.S. in March of 1960. At Fort Dix, New Jersey he was honorably discharged from active duty on March 5, 1960. He received his mustering-out check of $109.54 and Elvis Presley, Sergeant E-5 returned to home the life and career he had left behind. His fans' wait for new music, new movies and new performance appearances was finally over.

Just prior to his return, in an interview in Germany for Armed Forces Radio and Television, Elvis was asked about being in the field rather than entertaining in a service club. His response was, "... I was in a funny position. Actually, that's the only way it could be. People were expecting me to mess up (laughs), to goof up in one way or another. They thought I couldn't take it and so forth, and I was determined to go to any limits to prove otherwise, not only to the people who were wondering, but to myself."

Elvis the Humanitarian

Elvis Presley was known as a generous man, using his fame and wealth for the good of others. But, that part of his nature was well expressed long before he became a star. His family was far from wealthy, so all the little extras in life such as toys for young Elvis, were not so easy for his parents Vernon and Gladys Presley to come by. There were times when one of those toys would come up missing. His parents would ask Elvis about it, finding that he had given it to some other kid in the neighborhood whom he noticed had nothing to play with. His later fame and wealth did not create his material and spiritual generosity. It simply fueled what was there inside him all along.

Throughout his career, Elvis often performed benefit concerts in support of various causes - storm victims in Mississippi, Memphis charities, the U.S.S. Arizona Memorial in Hawaii, the Kui Lee Cancer Fund, just to name a few. He personally donated to many charities, some at random, some on a continuing basis. He also reached out to friends, family and total strangers on an individual basis - paying hospital bills and providing financial assistance for the necessities of life. Much of what he did was done quietly, without fanfare. 

For many years around the holiday season Elvis made annual donations to fifty or more Memphis-area charitable organizations. Here are some of them:

Abe Scharff YMCA 
Arthritis Foundation 
Ave Marie Guild Home for the Aged 
Baptist Children's Home 
Beale Street Elk's Club 
Boys Town of Memphis 
Convent of the Good Shepherd 
Crippled Children's Hospital 
Cynthia Milk Fund 
Elvis Presley Youth Center of Tupelo 
Episcopal Home For Girls 
Foundation for the Junior Blind 
Fraternal Order of Police 
Girls Club of Memphis 
Goodwill Home for Children 
Happy Acres 
Home for Incurables 
Jesse Mahan Center 
Jewish Community Center 
John Tracy Clinic 
Kennedy hospital 
King's Daughter's Trinity Circle 
Lions Club 
Mary Galloway Home 
Memphis Epilepsy Foundation 
Memphis Hebrew Academy 
Good Fellows 
Mile - O - Dimes 
Muscular Dystrophy 
Orange Mound Day Nursery 
Porter-Leath Children's Home 
Salvation Army 
St. Joseph Indian School 
Variety Club of Memphis


Elvis clearly believed in sharing his blessings with others. His choices were diverse and showed no preference for age, race or creed. He saw only the need.

One of his great joys was to see the reaction of someone to whom he gave a special, unexpected gift. To see the look of surprise and wonderment on the face of a stranger when presented a wished-for Cadillac or Lincoln he or she might never have been able to afford. When complimented on a piece of jewelry or an item of clothing, turning around and giving the item to the person who admired it. 

The stories of Elvis' generosity, his outreach to others, are many. Just one of the reasons that, twenty-five years after his death, Elvis Presley is still remembered with love and respect. May we all be inspired by his example in this new year.

Stax Records in Memphis

In the 1950's there was a record label in Memphis called Satellite Records. Its founders were Jim Stewart and his sister Estelle Axton. They moved their business to the old Capitol Theatre and in 1961 Stewart took the first two letters of his last name and the first two letters from his sister's last name and made a new label called STAX Records. Their design for their logo was a falling stack of records.

STAX Records became known in the 60's and 70's as the place to go to record soul music. Such famous recording artists as Issac Hayes, Booker T. and The MGs, Ottis Redding, Rufus Thomas, the Bar-Kays, and the Staples Singers all recorded there.

In 1973 Elvis needed to record more material to fulfill his contract obligations with RCA. He wasn't much in the mood to record as he hadn't been well, and he dreaded going back into the studio. His friend Marty Lacker, who had been instrumental in Elvis recording at American Sound Studio in Memphis four years earlier, was working at STAX. Since it was so close to Graceland, Marty got Elvis to agree to record there.

His first sessions there were in July 1973 and produced the singles "I've Got A Thing About You Baby", "Take Good Care of Her", "Raised On Rock" and "For Ol' Times Sake", as well as other songs that ended up on the album "Raised On Rock".

His second sessions at STAX took place in December 1973. It was during these sessions that many of the tracks for the albums "Promised Land" and "Good Times" were recorded. These included such songs as "It's Midnight", "Mr. Songman", "Love Song Of The Year", "My Boy", "Good Time Charlie's Got The Blues", "Your Love's Been A Long Time Coming" and many more.

STAX Records went out of business and, sadly, the building was torn down in 1989. A Memphis civic group took the remaining letters of the Stewart and Axton names and formed Ewarton, a group with the goal of creating a STAX museum on the same property where the studio once stood. Ewarton later became Soulsville and, in 1997, announced plans to build the STAX Museum of American Soul Music and STAX Music Academy.

Just recently the STAX sign was turned back on and soon the new building will be dedicated. It houses the museum with much of the old original recording equipment and a teaching and performing facility. It is hoped that many students will benefit from the music academy.

STAX is slated to open to the public by the fall of 2002. It will be another must-see spot for Elvis fans.

Elvis' Favorite Foods

Much has been said and written about Elvis and food. Most of it has been greatly exaggerated or misrepresented. Here's some thoughtful and balanced reporting.

Elvis' environment while growing up did not expose him to gourmet cuisine. He ate simple, down-home, country cooking. As an adult he never acquired a taste for more elaborate fare. Some of his favorite foods were pork chops, meat loaf and steak. He liked his meats well done, saying he was "not ordering a pet." He liked fresh vegetables like crowder peas, creamed potatoes,
and sliced tomatoes. A favorite from his youth was a Southern delicacy he referred to as "soaks", which is cornbread in buttermilk. He also liked cheeseburgers and milkshakes. He did not care for seafood.

He had a fondness for banana pudding and another Southern delicacy - the peanut butter and banana sandwich. We are often asked for that recipe. It is quite simply a grilled sandwich similar to a grilled cheese in preparation. On lightly toasted bread spread peanut butter. Layer with lengthwise slices of banana. Then grill it in a skillet with butter or margarine until browned. These are
best served when warm.

Next time you are in Memphis you can order an adaptation of this sandwich from the menu at our Elvis Presley's Memphis restaurant on Beale Street. There you will also find such treats as fried dill pickles and, of course, Memphis
barbecue.

Elvis' Employment History

The summer of Elvis' freshman year of high school, his dad Vernon bought him a push lawn mower. With the mower and a couple of sickles, Elvis and his three buddies - Buzzy Forbes, Farley Guy and Paul Dougher - started a lawn business. They charged $4.00 per yard. This was the beginning of the working life a young man who would very soon become a millionaire.

Elvis received his Social Security card # 409-52-2202 in September 1950. That all he went to work as an usher at Loew's State Theater on Main Street in Memphis.

Starting in June 1951, Elvis held a summer job at Precision Tool. He worked three months operating a spindle drill press at this plant, which manufactured rocket shells for the military. He made $27.00 a week. That same year he took his driver's license test using his uncle Travis Smith's 1940 Buick.

In April 1952 Elvis returned to Loew's State Theater as an usher, only to to be fired five weeks later for an altercation with a fellow usher. Some say it was started by the other usher, prompted by his jealousy over a female employee's apparent fondness for Elvis. Soon after, in June, Vernon Presley bought a 1941 Lincoln, which became regarded as Elvis' car. It is said he spent more time pushing it than driving it.

In August 1952 Elvis applied at the Upholsterers Specialties Company. On the application he gave his date of birth as January 8, 1934, adding a year to his stated age in order to qualify as old enough to work there. He worked there one month, earning $109.00.

In September 1952 Elvis worked for MARL Metal Products, a furniture manufacturer. He worked the 3:00 PM - 11:00 PM shift as an assembler. His mother Gladys made him quit this job because he kept falling asleep in school.

On March 26, 1953 Elvis visited the Tennessee State Employment Security Office. On his application he wrote under "leisure time activities": "Sings, playing ball, working on car, going to movies." The interviewer noted: "rather flashily dressed 'playboy' type". On April 6, 1953 he visited the employment office again and updated his application for work saying he wanted to operate "big lathes".

On another visit to the employment office on July 1, 1953, Elvis reported he needed to "work off financial obligations and that he owns his own automobile". This time he was sent to the M. B. Parker Company for a temporary job as an assembler. He worked there until the job ran out at the end of the month, making 90-cents an hour or $36.00 a week.

Returning to the employment office in August 1953, he indicated he wanted a job in which he could "keep clean". He was sent to several places for interviews, including a Sears & Roebuck store and a Kroger grocery store. He was not hired from any of these interviews.

On September 21, 1953 Elvis returned to Precision Tool company, operating a drill press for $1.55 a hour. He continued to work there until March 19, 1954.

Elvis filed his first income tax return on March 6, 1954, listing himself as "semi-skilled labor" and having earned at total of $129.74 at M.B. Parker and $786.59 at Precision Tool for a total of $916.33.

On April 20, 1954 Elvis began working at Crown Electric for $1.00 an hour. He delivered supplies to the job sites and hoped to train to be an electrician. He stayed at Crown until mid-October 1954 after having recorded his first record at Sun Studio and officially become a self-employed entertainer.

In 1955, he reported on his income tax return a total of $25,240.15 in earnings. This figure would jump the following year to $282,349.66. By 1958 he had earned over a million dollars in one year. In a short time he had come a long way from his days behind a push mower.

King Creole, Part I

Elvis' most critically acclaimed performance as an actor was in what is considered (rivaled only by "Jailhouse Rock")  the best of all the films
he starred in - "King Creole" (1958).  The story was based upon the Harold Robbins novel "A Stone For Danny Fisher".  Elvis played the role of Danny.  The film was directed by Michael Curtiz.

Harold Robbins was a successful author whose novels sold over 750,000,000 copies worldwide and most of them were made into movies. Robbins grew up in an orphanage as well as in several foster homes. He took his name from one of those foster families. His early jobs included a numbers runner and a futures buyer. He had made and lost a million dollars by age twenty.  He became a writer after working his way up with Universal Pictures, starting as a shipping clerk. He specialized in novels about celebrity and Hollywood.

Michael Curtiz was born Mano´Kertesz Kaminer in Budapest, Hungary. He began his acting and directing career in Hungary in 1912. He moved to the United States in 1926, going to work for Warner Brothers and making such movies as "The Adventures of Robin Hood", "Angels With Dirty
Faces", "Yankee Doodle Dandy", "Casablanca", "Mildred Pierce", "Life With
Father", "Jim Thorpe - All-American", "The Jazz Singer", " White Christmas", and the original 1937 version of "Kid Galahad".  Curtiz was nominated for four Academy Awards as Best Director, winning in 1944 for the film "Casablanca".

___________________________________

In "King Creole",  Kitty White played the un-creditied role of the street vendor with whom Elvis sings the song "Crawfish". She was the first songstress to perform a duet with Elvis on film.

King Creole, Part II


Elvis' movie "King Creole" co-starred Carolyn Jones, who is best known for her work in the TV show "The Addams Family". However, long before the TV series, she appeared in a number of stage productions and in movies such as "East of Eden", "The Seven Year Itch", "The Tender Trap" and "The Man Who Knew Too Much", as well as "The Bachelor Party", for which she her 1957 Oscar nomination or Best Supporting Actress. She also won a Golden Globe award in 1958 as Most Promising Female Newcomer. Ms. Jones was born in Amarillo, Texas in 1929. For a time she was married to producer Aaron Spelling.

Also co-starring in "King Creole" was Walter Matthau, born Walter Matuschanskayasky in New York City. Matthau's parents were Russian Jewish immigrants. He served in the Army Air Corps during World War II as a radio cryptographer. After the war he began his movie career. His many film credits include: "The Kentuckian", "Lonely Are The Brave", "Charade", "The Fortune Cookie", "The Odd Couple", "Cactus Flower", "Kotch", "The Sunshine Boys", "The Bad News Bears", "Dennis The Menace", "Grumpy Old Men", and "Grumpier Old Men" to name a few. Matthau was nominated for eight Golden Globe Awards, winning one in 1976 for Best Actor in "The Sunshine Boys". He was nominated for three Academy Awards, winning one in 1967 as Best Supporting Actor in "The FortuneCookie".

Co-starring with Elvis for a second time was Dolores Hart, daughter of actor Bert Hicks and niece of singer Mario Lanza. Dolores also starred with Elvis in his 1957 movie "Loving You". She would go on the appear in several other films including "Where The Boys Are" and "Come Fly With Me". Ms. Hart left her successful film career to become a nun in the cloistered Benedictine Monastery in Bethlehem, Connecticut, where, today, she a Mother Superior and still a voting member of the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences (The Oscars).

Dean Jagger played Elvis' father in "King Creole". He began in vaudeville in the 1920s and went on to appear in films such as "Brigham Young - Frontiersman", "The Robe", "Elmer Gantry" and "White Christmas", to name a few. He won the Academy Award for Best Supporting Actor for his role in "Twelve O'Clock High".

Actor Vic Morrow played Shark in the movie with Elvis. Born in New York, he had dropped out of school to join the Navy. After serving in the Navy, he went to school to study pre-law. After a taste of acting in a school play, Morrow decided to change majors and went into acting. After graduation, he signed with MGM. His movie debut was in "Blackboard Jungle" as a street punk. He then became typecast as a heavy, which is what he also played in "King Creole". In the 1960's he became well known for his role in the TV series "Combat!", for which he received an Emmy nomination. He also took up directing. In 1983 he was killed in an accident on the set of the film "Twilight Zone: The Movie". Today, his daughter, Jennifer Jason Leigh, is a successful actress.

Jan Shepard played Elvis' sister Mimi Fisher in "King Creole". She also appeared in the 1966 Elvis movie "Paradise, Hawaiian Style" as Betty Kohana.

John Indrisano played an uncredited role as a collector in "King Creole". He also appeared in an uncredited role as a card player in the 1963 Elvis movie "It Happened At The World's Fair".

Elvis and the Memphis Horns

Wayne Jackson (trumpet) and Andrew Love (tenor sax) make up the duo known as the Memphis Horns.

Both grew up in the Memphis area absorbing the sounds of Memphis music. They met in the 60s at the city's famed Stax Studio, where Wayne recorded with the Mar-Keys and where Andrew, who had been a session musician at Hi Records, came to try his luck.

When Andrew and Wayne played together for the first time they realized that they had a unique blend and became lifelong musical partners, playing on over 300 hit records. Those hits include Elvis' 1969 recordings "Suspicious Minds", "In The Ghetto" and "Kentucky Rain", which were recorded at American Sound studio in Memphis.

The Memphis Horns have been nominated for a Grammy Lifetime Achievement Award. They have performed on sixteen Grammy-winning records and twelve Grammy Hall of Fame songs. Some of the artists they have performed with include: Elvis Presley, Otis Redding, Sting, Billy Joel, Aretha Franklin, Bonnie Raitt, Joe Cocker, The Doobie Brothers, U2, Rod Stewart, Al Green, Neil Diamond, Sam & Dave, B.J. Thomas, Willie Nelson, Isaac Hayes, Percy Sledge and The Boxtops among many others.

On May 18, 2002, some thirty three years after recording at American Studios with Elvis, the Memphis Horns, who still work all over the world, performed at Elvis Presley's Memphis along with Zoe and the Alexander Band. They are scheduled to perform together again during Elvis Week 2002.

Elvis in Canada

Elvis has sold over one billion records worldwide. It is estimated that 40% of these sales were in foreign countries. His foreign sales are even more impressive when one considers the fact that Elvis' only concert performances outside the United States were five show in three Canadian cities in 1957. The dates and the three cities were: April 2 at Maple Leaf Gardens, Toronto; April 3 at Ottawa Auditorium, Ottawa; and August 31 at Empire Stadium Vancouver.

A fourth city, Montreal, that was slated for April 1957 had to be canceled due to both civic concerns as well as pressure from devout Catholic officials. Elvis was still very controversial then and his movements and dress were considered vulgar by many. Teenaged girls often worked themselves into a frenzied state while watching Elvis perform. Some students in Canada were told they would be expelled if they were caught attending his shows. Indeed, eight girls from Notre Dame Convent School who attended the Ottawa show were expelled.

The shows were booked through an Australian promoter who had hopes that Elvis' manager Colonel Tom Parker would agree to a booking in Australia as well. The Colonel never did agree to an Australian show, but he covered all bases in Canada by selling both "I Love Elvis" buttons as well as buttons that said "I Hate Elvis".

Elvis ended his shows in those days with the song "Hound Dog". The show in Vancouver had to be ended abruptly as the crowd kept rushing the stage. The cordon of police officers surrounding the stage managed to hold hands and stop them several times. Colonel Parker had to pull Elvis off stage twice and threatened the crowd that the show would stop if they didn't stay in their seats. Elvis performed only about thirty minutes and overzealous fans overturned the stage and instruments as he was departing the stadium.

Elvis was interviewed in both Ottawa and Vancouver. The following are excerpts from the Vancouver press conference:

MEDIA:
"...Elvis, when you get caught in a mob or something have you ever been seriously hurt by the girls?"

ELVIS:
"Yes, I've been scratched and bitten and everything."

MEDIA:
"What do you think about being scratched and bitten?"

ELVIS:
" ...I just accept it with a broad mind because actually they don't intend to hurt you. I mean, it not that. It's just they want...they want pieces of you for souvenirs is all. A crowd of people can hurt you and not even realize they're doing it, you know."

MEDIA:
"...If everything folded up tomorrow, which it isn't gonna by the looks of things, what would you do?"

ELVIS:
"Go back to drivin' a truck." (Laughs)

MEDIA:
"One thing that's got a big plug lately is that if you went into the army you'd have to have your hair cut. How do you feel on that?...There's been an awful lot of newspaper publicity on it...Would it bother you to?"

ELVIS:
"No, I don't care...It'll grow back. I mean, if it was a case of cutting it off and never having any more, then I would grumble." (Laughs)


Elvis did not get to tour in more foreign cities, something he always wanted to do. However, a modern-day production called "Elvis The Concert" (Elvis via video starring, accompanied by a live orchestra and a group of his own original band-mates live on stage) has toured all over the world to rave reviews since 1998. The show also garnered a Guinness World Record for being the first live tour headlined by a performer who is no longer living.

Making Up Elvis

During Elvis' movie career his makeup work was often done by or, supervised by, one of the famous Westmore family of makeup artists. 

George Westmore (1879 - 1931) was a British wigmaker who emigrated to the U.S. and began the Westmore dynasty at Metro studios in Hollywood in 1917. At that time there weren't any makeup departments at the studios and many actors did their own makeup. Westmore experimented and stablished techniques and guidelines that still exist today. 

George Westmore had six sons after moving to America and he taught them the craft. They each went on to head makeup departments at the major studios. Monty, the oldest, worked for Selznick International and supervised all the makeup work for "Gone With The Wind". Perc worked at Warner Brothers and specialized in feminine beauty. Ernest worked for Twentieth Century Fox. 

The three youngest sons - Wally, Bud and Frank - are the Westmores who worked with Elvis. Wally was the head of Paramount's makeup department for forty-three years. Bud was the head of Universal's department and he specialized in monster makeup. Frank the youngest, freelanced and he wrote a book about the family called "The Westmores of Hollywood". 

Today, another generation of Westmores excels in the field, working on such projects as "Star Trek", "Jurassic Park", "Baywatch", "X-Files" and many others. Michael Westmore, one of George's descendants, has won nine Emmy awards for his abilities which include his much celebrated work with latex on "Star Trek". The family established the Westmore Academy of Cosmetic Arts where today new students can learn the trade. 
They also started their own cosmetic line the House of Westmore. The following is a list of 
the Elvis movies that the Westmores worked on: 

Wally Westmore: 
Loving You, 1957 (makeup artist) 
King Creole, 1958 (makeup supervisor) 
G.I. Blues, 1960 (makeup supervisor) 
Blue Hawaii, 1961 (makeup supervisor) 
Girls! Girls! Girls!, 1962 (makeup supervisor) 
Fun In Acapulco, 1963 (makeup supervisor) 
Roustabout 1964, (makeup supervisor) 
Tickle Me 1965, (makeup artist) 
Paradise, Hawaiian Style, 1966 (makeup artist) 
Easy Come, Easy Go, 1967 (makeup supervisor) 

Frank Westmore: 
Tickle Me, 1965 (makeup artist) 

Bud Westmore: 
Change of Habit, 1969 (makeup artist) 

The Real Flying Elvis

In the 1950s Elvis Presley toured mostly by car. In fact, he and his band wore out a number of cars driving from city to city to perform. He rarely traveled by plane due in part to a troubled flight he had once in a small chartered plane. 

In the 1960's Elvis didn't tour, but rather focused on his movie career. He often traveled by train and then later his custom bus to get back and forth between Memphis and Hollywood.

With the 1970s came Elvis' return to the concert stage and touring across America. The distance between concerts and the fast pace of the tour
schedules made flying a necessity and he started chartering larger jet planes. In April 1975 he decided to acquire his own jet. He sent his associate Joe Esposito to look for one. Joe found Elvis a Convair 880, a former 96-passenger Delta airliner.

Elvis paid $250,000 for the plane and spent over a half a million dollars more to have it customized to include a lounge with suede sofas and leather-topped game tables, a conference/dining room with leather recliner chairs, a sitting/guest bedroom, a master bedroom with a queen-size bed, and a fully equipped galley, and two half-baths with 24K gold-flecked sinks. Television, video and stereo systems, sky phones and gold-plated seat belt buckles were among the other appointments and accessories. With the refurbishment the jet acquired a new
name, the "Lisa Marie" in honor of Elvis' daughter, and the nickname "Hound Dog I".
Elvis employed a full-time crew of four for his plane - Captain Elwood David, co-pilot Ron Strauss, flight engineer Jim Manning and flight attendant Carol Bouchere.

This Convair 880 was one of only 65 made by the Convair Division of General Dynamics Corporation of San Diego, California in 1958. It was called 880 based on its cruising speed in feet per second. It was a very fast plane but used a great
deal of fuel. It consumed 1,700 gallons per hour and using 2200 gallons on take-off alone. Used primarily by TWA, Delta, and Northeast Airlines, they became too expensive to operate and were retired in the wake of the oil crisis of the 
early 1970s. Once, many of the decommissioned Convairs were housed in the Mojave Desert 
where the climate protected their parts and wiring from decay. However, only a few now are
still in existence, having been scrapped in late 2000. Today, a group of volunteers called Team Convair 880 works to restore a plane known as Convair Ship 23 to air worthiness, determined to make this once proud bird fly again. Elvis' Convair, however, is permanently grounded, parked across the street from Graceland Mansion for the enjoyment of the Graceland visitors who take an on-board tour of the plane.