'The Elvis Files Magazine' Issue 4 Review - Elvis Information Network

Issue 4 of The Elvis Files magazine is out now and it’s hard to believe the series has been going for a year already.

Firstly the cover – and what an absolutely stunning photograph on the front cover.

Once again the magazine continues with the unpublished Frank Powolny photographs from his September 1956 photo shoot, this time some marvellous shots all in a full-page glory.

Two features particularly impressed me. One is several pages dedicated to Elvis attending Nancy Sinatra’s opening night at Caesar’s Palace in August 6, 1970.
Elvis looks magnificent in every shot (see below right) and it is a surprise to find that indeed this Las Vegas outing and these great images were missing from the packed-to-the-gills Elvis Files Vol.5 1969-1970.

Ten Years - From April 1960 - to Las Vegas August 1970

But that’s what’s so good about these magazines as they fill in the small sections and newly discovered photos that have previously been missed out.

Another highlight for me was the feature on Elvis’ April 1960 train journey to Los Angeles to begin work on ‘GI Blues’. Elvis sure looked handsome on his return from the army, his face glowing health and his eyes looking interested and alive in all the fourteen photos featured.

Also included in 1960 train feature is a new interview for me with Elvis by D.J. Jack Murray.
It includes….

Jack Murray: You have movies scheduled?
Elvis: Yeah, it's a picture called "G.I.Blues".

Jack Murray: "G.I.Blues",who's going to be in that with you Elvis?
Elvis: They havn't picked a co-star yet. I believe it'll be a foreign girl.

Jack Murray: Foreign girl, those are the best kind.
Elvis: Well I don't know. You said that, I didn't!

The magazine also features eight pages of new October 1957 photographs of Elvis performing in LA and San Francisco. Elvis looks supercool as ever and there is even a marvellous Gold Lame jacket photograph from the Pan Pacific auditorium that surprisingly wasn’t featured in the Elvis Files Vol.2 1957-1959.

Full page image of Elvis in dynamic 1957 Live action.

Super fan, Virginia Coons daughter (Elaine Christan see below) continues her delightful story about meeting Elvis and there is a super selection of 1968 candid photographs from outside his Hillcrest home in LA. Once again there is a delightful article to go with it that the captures the sincerity and kindness of Elvis when meeting fans outside his home.

..... Elvis must have seen that I was shy because he bent down ever so slightly and whispered just for me to hear "You think you're nervous, I have to stand here the whole time". Then he gave me that crooked grin. He was kidding and it made me feel more comfortable. In the picture of Elvis and me he barely has his mouth open and he was talking to me at the time it was taken. It was still only two days after he shaved off the beard he wore for "Charro" and he still wasn't shaving too close. He has a very slight beard in the photo. I treasure that photo that Cricket insisted I have taken and I can't help but wonder, "Does anyone else have a picture of Elvis and me?" Maybe through the wonders of the internet I'll come across another one someday.

.. all of a sudden Elvis looked up and we suddenly realized that everyone had stopped talking and we were all just staring at him, which wasn't hard to do! He glanced around, sort of chuckled uneasily and said, "Somebody say something!" We all laughed and started asking him questions again.

EIN friends Lee Dawson and Joe Krein from Elvis Express Radio also provide a nice off-beat article about Elvis and his famous luxury gold Cadillac. Boy, the mid-sixties were a weird time for Elvis and Elvis fans!

Ten pages are dedicated to Debra Paget - 'The Women In Elvis' Movies' - and the friendship she had with Elvis. There are some fantastic full-page photographs here along with some candid snaps from ‘Love Me Tender’.

In the article Debra Paget discusses Elvis' sensitivity…

... "At first I'd been under the impression that he was quite indifferent to the attacks made on him for the way he sings, dresses, wears his sideburns, and all the other comments. But he isn't. Not that he'd admit the fact easily to a stranger ... I could tell he was deeply hurt when his performances were criticized, or when he was threatened with being banned from certain cities."

"Had anyone told me that he'd never had a dramatic lesson, never stood in front of a movie camera, I wouldn't have believed it. His acting was convincing, he always knew his lines, he picked up like a trouper the purely technical aspects, like moving in and out of camera range, and the many other tricks of the trade that usually take months and years of experience to learn. However, he was so modest about his ability to catch on quickly, he was just about the only person who didn't think he was doing well."

For seventies’ fans another interesting feature jumps 20 years forward to October 1976 and Fort Wayne in Indiana. Elvis certainly didn’t look his best in 1976 – wow those heavy sideburns - but the photos here are pretty stunning. See images below.

In another feature ‘Not Like Any Other Soldier’ this time by Alan Hanson about Elvis in army and again features some marvellous new photos including some colour candids from Germany. There is an amazingly high-resolution full-page photo of Elvis receiving an award for Jailhouse Rock been voted one of the top five records and 1957.

Elvis’ haircut is so short and you can see every hair! Can you imagine this full-page and in high-resolution! A fabulous image.

Other articles I haven’t mentioned are...

- Presley Marketing Juggernaut Rolls – 1956
- Elvis Wows San Francisco fans – 1957
- Hedda Hopper "He is the Greatest Phenomenon"
- Love Me Tender – Candid Behind the Scenes photos
- Elvis, Scotty & Bill On Stage with The Browns.

- See more page sample images below -

And just in case you are a jumpsuit fan, this time the one featured is the Blue Rainbow/Blue Swirl suit. There is an interesting photograph from College Park September 28, 1974 and most of us know how bad that concert was.

Pedantic observers might notice that there are a couple of the pictures that have appeared in the Elvis Files books before, however this time they are in far better quality and also blown-up to full-page size to look even better and well worth collecting as full-page photos.
And yes, San Francisco gets misspelt a few times too! Can't spell phenomenon either!

I still find it funny that the magazine time-line jumps around from era to era but this still doesn’t in any way hamper the enjoyment of reading through the magazine, stumbling upon one fantastic photo after another.

Overall Verdict: This magazine series is a real joy for anyone who loves great quality Elvis photos along with some interesting alternate reading. Please note that I've featured only 14 photos above from the over 120 images in the magazine - of which thirty-three are full-page photos! Grab a copy or borrow a friends!

Please note that all photos in this article are very low-res scans and do not represent the image quality of the magazine.

If you are an Elvis fan interested in newly uncovered stories about our man as well as unpublished photos then this magaizne is well worth checking out – CLICK HERE for more info and subscription.

The magazine costs 'delivered to your door'
58 Euros for one-year subscription to anywhere in the world,

'The Elvis Files Magazine'

EIN checks out Issue #4

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