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Elvis' #1 Pop Singles on Cashbox, USA: Heartbreak Hotel (1956) Don't Be Cruel (1956) Hound Dog (1956) Love Me Tender (1956) Too Much (1957) All Shook Up (1957) Teddy Bear (1957) Jailhouse Rock (1957) Don't (1958) Stuck On You (1960) It's Now Or Never (1960) Are You Lonesome Tonight? (1960) Surrender (1961) Good Luck Charm (1962) Return To Sender (1962) In The Ghetto (1969) Suspicious Minds (1969) Burning Love (1972) (The Cashbox chart is now defunct) Elvis Facts: Elvis was 5' 11" tall
Elvis' natural hair color was dark blond
Elvis' blood type was O Positive
Elvis' shoe size was 11D
One of Elvis'( maternal) ancestors, Morning White Dove (born 1800, died 1835), was a full-blooded Cherokee Indian
Elvis' uncle, Noah Presley, became Mayor of East Tupelo on January 7, 1936
The Presley family moved to Memphis on November 6, 1948
Elvis was issued a Social Security card in September 1950 with the # 409-52-2002
In 1954 some of the shows played by Elvis & The Blue Moon Boys were at the Overton Park Shell; the Bel-Air Club; Sleepy-Eyed John's Eagle's Nest Club and the Louisiana Hayride
Elvis' first manager was Scotty Moore, then Bob Neal, before signing with Colonel Tom Parker
The first DJ to play an Elvis record was Fred Cook (WREC), not Dewey Phillips (WHBQ). However, Dewey had the distinction of being the first DJ to play an Elvis record in its entirety
Elvis once dated famous stripper, Tempest Storm
Elvis was filmed from the waist up only during his 3rd and final appearance on The Ed Sullivan Show
In the 50s Elvis was friendly with rising stars, Natalie Wood, Robert Wagner and Ty (Bronco Lane) Hardin
Gladys Presley was 46 years old when she died, not 42, as many books suggest
The Roustabout album sold 450,000 copies on its initial release, 150,000 copies more than any of the preceding three soundtrack LPs. It was Elvis' last "soundtrack" album to reach #1 on the major album charts in the US
Elvis received $1m for filming Harum Scarum (aka Harum Holiday). The film grossed around $2m in the US
Elvis and Priscilla married on May 1, 1967
They were officially divorced on October 9, 1973
Elvis earns nearly $3.5m in 1968 and pays just over $1.4m in income tax
Elvis' return to live performing in Las Vegas on July 31, 1969 was in front of an "by invitation only" audience. Stars in attendance included Wayne Newton, Petula Clark, Shirley Bassey, Burt Bacharach and Angie Dickinson
On January 9, 1971, the national Junior Chamber of Commerce (Jaycees) announced Elvis as one of "The Top Ten Young Men of the Year". Elvis spoke at the official awards ceremony on January 16
"Elvis: Aloha From Hawai" made entertainment history on January 14, 1973, when it was beamed around the world by satellite. In the Philippines it drew 91% of the audience, in Hong Kong 70%. The viewing audience was estimated at more than 1 billion
For his 4 week Hilton Vegas season in August 1973 Elvis received $610,000 Sales of Elvis' 1973 album, Raised On Rock, were less than 200,000 units on its initial release
Elvis paid $2,959,000 in income tax in 1973
In December 1976 Elvis was sworn in as a special deputy sheriff of Shelby County (Memphis) by Sheriff Gene Barksdale
Elvis' final live concert was in Indianapolis on June 26, 1977 When Elvis died, he and his father Vernon, were embroiled in an FBI investigation called Operation Fountain Pen More than 1,500 books have been published about The King in more than 30 languages
At Dec 2005 Elvis' biggest selling album in the US is the budget priced, Elvis' Christmas Album, with accredited sales of 9 million units (fingers crossed it reaches 10 million to give Elvis his first "Diamond" award)
By early2006, Sony BMG's "collectors label", Follow That Dream, had released more than 50 Elvis CDs
During the 1980s, tour guides at Graceland stated that Elvis' biggest selling album (globally) was Moody Blue, with sales exceeding 14 million
While Sony BMG estimates Elvis' global sales exceed 1 billion, the company is unable to substantiate this figure. Accredited sales worldwide are estimated to be less than 400 million
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...star of "Elvis Killed My Brother" In 1990 the short film, Elvis Killed My Brother, opened to critical acclaim in Perth, Australia. The streets surrounding the cinema had to be closed off by police due to the large crowds trying to get in to see the new movie. Made by 'Taking Care of Business Productions' on a restricted budget with the assistance of the WA Film Council and the Australian Film Commission, the intention was to secure funding for a full-length feature film around the same subject. Sadly, additional funding was not forthcoming and this gem of a short film was largely forgotten....until recently. Following an article EIN published last year in which we mentioned Elvis Killed My Brother, we were contacted by the star of the film, Peter Hardy. Peter provided us with a copy of Elvis Killed My Brother and agreed to this interview. Peter's stage, TV and film credits are numerous including Mamma Mia!; one of Australia's most popular shows, Blue Heelers and the film, Chopper, starring Eric Bana.
EIN: Are you still acting, and if yes, what are some of your credits (stage, TV, film)?
PH: Yes. It's a lifelong exercise. My favourite moments in a colourful career are:
Stage: Peter Barnes' "The Ruling Class", Sam Shepard's "Fool For Love", One Man Show "Chasing Rabbits", Sophocles "Oedipus" & "Antigone". I also appeared in the hugely successful musical, "Mamma Mia!" - it's always good to be part of a phenomenon. TV: ABC Dramas "Phoenix" & "Janus", "Naked - Stories of Men: Coral Island"- quality will always out. Hey - wake up you funding wallies!!
Film: EKMB, Chasing Rabbits & "Chopper". Eric Bana's performance in Chopper is the best thing ever seen in an Australian film. To get to see it come to life was a privilege. EIN: Are you an Elvis fan? PH: Fan? Are you kidding? Since watching "Blue Hawaii" from the front seat of a Morris Minor at the Pink Lake Drive In in Esperance (I thnk it was 1963 before it got to us down there...)! The cassette tape of Aloha Live from Hawaii was on constant rotation in the tape deck through my college years. And then discovering at a much later date the wonders of The King's performances on DVD... "Love Letters" is one hell of a love song, with the possible exception of his version of George Harrison's "Something" which is THE love song of all time.
EIN: How long did the filming take?
PH: If my memory serves me correctly it was shot in six days, beginning to end. We had no time to waste.
EIN: Was it coincidental that around the time EKMB was made there was a magazine story about Elvis claiming to have killed a man?
PH: I'm sure it was purely coincidental that Elvis heard that we said he killed a man.
EIN: EKMB features many close-up shots giving it a more in-your-face impact. Was this deliberate? PH: Every shot in the film was deliberate. Some more deliberate than others. There was an intention to create an in-your-face live graphic look in the style of the panels of a comic. The seedy, dimly lit flop house gives those scenes a 'film noir' feel. Was this intentional? As the film develops, it becomes more and more dark. (This is not just a filmic in-joke.) Both Otis and DOP Lazlo Baranyi actively pursued the whole seedy seamy film noir feel as the story went deeper into the world of Elvis's current existence. EIN: Peter, the film used some clever camera shots when showing the "Elvis" character, half-face close-ups and profile shots. These are an important device as they add to the mystery, the suspense, begging the the viewer to ask...is it really Elvis? Whose idea was it to shoot the character of "Elvis" this way?
PH: Otis & Lazlo. The original story board of the film is clear in its intent. That it worked in the execution is a credit to the team.
EIN: EIN understands there were plans for a full-length film around EKMB. What happened?
PH: I'm still waiting...
EIN: Had a full-length feature film been made, what genre would it have been?
PH: Definitely a sensationalist film noir spectacular! It would make Sin City look lame. Can you imagine the tabloid coverage? Elvis Death Hoax: Body In Coffin? "IT WAS WAX!!!"
EIN: It's been around 15 years since EKMB was made. Is it too late for a full-length adaptation?
PH: It's never too late for a good story to be told....
EIN: What public screenings were there of EKMB (short film)?
PH: The premiere screening at the Oxford Cinema in Leederville was an extravaganza the like of which has never been seen in Perth before or since. We expected maybe a few dozen mates to turn up to support this little film we'd all sweated over but word had got out and they had to close off the intersection of Oxford and Vincent Streets due to the crowds queued around the block. The cast turned up 10 minutes before screening time and had to find seats on the stairs of the cinema to watch their own film. That was pretty cool.
EIN: Jeremy Callaghan played Chad and John Ryan played Elvis. What are they doing in 2006?
PH: Last I heard Jeremy was living in a blissful arrangement in France and John was running a successful business in Perth. John was touring an Elvis concert gig through Germany on a regular basis but whether that's still on or not I don't know. I hope so. He gave good Elvis.
EIN: Who owns the rights to EKMB?
PH: Unfortunately not me. I guess they reside with Otis.
EIN: Are there any plans to release EKMB (short film) on DVD?
PH: If we can track Otis down (these film makers do play hard to get) we could get him to answer all sorts of questions... EIN: Peter, thank you very much for taking time to talk to us about one of the little known but most interesting short films ever made around the Elvis story. EIN Website content © Copyright the Elvis Information Network.
Elvis Presley, Elvis and Graceland are trademarks of Elvis Presley Enterprises. The Elvis Information Network has been running since 1986 and is an EPE officially recognised Elvis fan club.
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Quote: "Elvis Presley is the supreme socio-cultural icon in the history of pop culture" (Dr. Gary Enders) Quote: " Elvis is the 'glue' which holds our society together....which subconciously gives our world meaning" (Anonymous) Quote: "Eventually everybody has to die, except Elvis" (humorist Dave Barry) Quote: "He is the "Big Bang", and the universe he detonated is still expanding, the pieces are still flying" (Greil Marcus, "Dead Elvis") Quote: "I think Elvis Presley will never be solved" (Nick Tosches) Quote: "He was the most popular man that ever walked on this planet since Christ himself was here" (Carl Perkins) Quote: "When I first heard Elvis' voice I just knew I wasn't going to work for anybody...hearing him for the first time was like busting out of jail" (Bob Dylan) Quote: "When we were kids growing up in Liverpool, all we ever wanted was to be Elvis Presley" (Sir Paul McCartney) Quote: "You can't say enough good things about Elvis. He was one of a kind" (Johnny Cash) Quote: "And don't think for one moment he's just a passing fancy....he's got enough of it to keep him on top for a long time" (R. Fred Arnold, Fury magazine, Aug 1957) Quote: "It isn't enough to say that Elvis is kind to his parents, sends money home, and is the same unspoiled kid he was before all the commotion began. That still isn't a free ticket to behave like a sex maniac in public" (Eddie Condon, Cosmopolitan) Elvis records reaching #2 & #3 on the Cashbox Pop Singles chart: #2: A Fool Such As I (1959) #2: A Big Hunk Of Love (1959) #3: Hard Headed Woman (1958) #3: One Night (1958) #3: (You're The Devil) In Disguise (1963) Elvis Facts: Tickets for Elvis' show on March 29, 1957 in St. Louis cost $2.00 to $2.50
While in Germany Elvis was hospitalised with tonsillitis in October 1959
Despite being an illegal immigrant, photographic evidence shows Colonel Tom Parker traveled to Canada with Elvis in 1957
Elvis strongly believed there weren't enough good songs in King Creole to justify releasing a soundtrack album. RCA initially agreed, releasing two very successful EPs from the movie. A soundtrack LP eventually followed
During the 1960s Elvis had his own football team, Elvis Presley Enterprises, which played in the Menphis touch football league. In the 1962 final, EPE narrowlt lost to Delta Automatic Transmission. 6-13.
In Clambake, (Elvis) Scott Hayward's driving licence shows February 23, 1940...taking 5 years off Elvis' real age
In the 1970s Elvis was ofered $5m to stage a concert in front of the Pyramids in Egypt. When the Colonel declined the offer, Saudi billionaires raised the offer to $10m
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