Misplaced Pages

Revision as of 12:50, 24 April 2005

An event in this article is a April 21 selected anniversary (may be in HTML comment)

I humbly suggest you mention Elvis fascination with Martial Arts, how he was one of the first westerners to receive a blackbelt, how he did demonstrations on stage, etc.

what about the Jordanaires? (sp?) [sp see section)

Presley's importance to American and world culture are such that this article deserves a serious rewrite. If someone will do it, that would be great....DW

P.S. Note I changed his middle name on the opening line to the way it is spelled on his birth certificate.

Yes, agree with all

The Martial Arts info is important, I'll see if I can find enough specifics to make an attempt.

It's really important to some joker on here to pretend Elvis is the gay son of a Jewish couple.... wouldn't be surprised if it's the author of one of the trash/loid books. Folks are always trying to make a buck inventing something new about Elvis, it's easier than accomplishing anything worthwhile on their own.

Not a joke, but information taken from a seriously written new biography which throws new light on his career.

Which are you, David Bret or his publisher? He has written some of the most discredited, inaccurate bios in the industry and this is just another of his throwaway, tabloid, invent-for-cash pieces of trash. This book is not considered a credible Elvis work regarding Elvis' career or his personal life and I believe you already know that. Further, it is completely inappropriate to use Misplaced Pages for the placement of product advertisements, particularly in the aggressive manner in which you persist in monitoring and pursuing the promotion of Bret.

I removed completely the "gay" reference. In this day and age, much trash is written and it is easy to do because a dead person cannot be slandered by law. {Actually since Elvis is a copyrighted trademark owned by EPE I think there is a way to rectify this outragous insistance about Elvis being gay. He was NOT, and EPE is looking into this right now.} As such, authors of limited skills like David Bret, immune from lawsuits, use any form of sensationalism to sell books. In the case of Presley, he provided zero proof of any homosexual relationship. His book and the claim of a gay Elvis has been totally dismissed by all but a few with an agenda. No credible media organization gave his book any validity of any nature. To add to Misplaced Pages this unfounded claim from such a source, belittles Misplaced Pages and does great harm to its credibility. NightCrawler 17:02, 7 Nov 2003 (UTC)

So much for the comment by a user who is still under a Misplaced Pages hard ban. Here is some other information on the author and his book:

French-born David Bret is one of Britain’s leading show business biographers. He has had many successful biographies published, including Gracie Fields: The Authorised Biography, Morrissey: Landscapes of the Mind, Piaf: A Passionate Life and George Formby: A Troubled Genius. He has also written innumerable magazine articles (for instance, for The Stage) and lectured at the University of Chicago.

Bret's book is a comprehensive guide to Elvis Presley's career on film and TV which analyzes the King's every celluloid appearance, including his 33 films, documentaries, TV appearances, tributes, biopics and retrospectives. Accompanying this exhaustive study is a biography of the legend and a complete filmography. The book uncovers a wealth of previously unpublished material and presents photographs from the author's personal collection.

David Bret is a sensationalist, don't believe anything he writes! David Bret is GAY!

I don't think that the material from the David Bret biography should be deleted, but I would like to see it corroborated. ffirehorse 23:17, 3 Jul 2004 (UTC)

The gay reference to Elvis NEEDS to be deleted and kept deleted! Bret did not even know Elvis! Most of his information such as discography and filmography was lifted from other Elvis books. For him to take the word of Dee Presley is absurd! That woman is squirrley and she has made up some disgusting stories about Elvis. Besides, if Elvis was gay (which he wasn't) then why did he sleep with hundreds of women? For Brett to say that Elvis and Priscilla only had sexual relations one time is preposterous....was Brett in their bed too?

In her autobiography, Priscilla Presley herself said that although Elvis would spend hours alone with her in her bedroom he never made any advances toward her. This statement is totally contradictory to your claim that Elvis was 100% heterosexual and a womanizer.

Isn't there anything exciting in Duisburg for you do besides trying to ruin a dead man's reputation?

I have been living for some time in Memphis. I am interested in facts throwing new light on the king's life and career. If Bret and Dee Presley are right this would explain a lot, for instance, the strong influence of Colonel Parker, though I would not go so far as to say that those men of the Memphis Mafia who were with Elvis everyday from 1956 on were all gay. What's wrong with the fact that Elvis may have been gay or bisexual? As a musician, he is still a much loved legend.

Elvis was very much aware of the fact that Priscilla Presley was under age at the beginning of their relationship, and he was reticent to engage in a sexual relationship with her while she was under age. As their relationship grew more serious, Elvis refrained from having sex with her because he wanted to marry a virgin.

Could this be the normal behavior of a womanizer who slept with hundreds of girls and women?

No, disagree with

"the demand for transistor radios exploded so much so that Sony went from a small Japanese telecommunications company making radios to a giant global conglomerate"

Uuuuuh ! What about this? Is it all thank to Elvis that Sony becam what it is now?? If not (and I'm pretty sure it's not), this information has no place here.

Elvis sightings links here, but this page says nothing about the phenomenon, or about the Church of Elvis, or the many other strange things related to him.212.42.97.111 11:14, 11 Oct 2003 (UTC)

Elvis Presley's international influence

I love Elvis's music, but I don't know much about his international impact. The thing is that the section isn't quite complete, so I was wondering if there's someone who knows a great deal about Elvis Presley's international influence. Then you can expand on information on Elvis's influence. If there's somebody who's a big Elvis fan, please let me know. Marcus2 13:59, 1 Jul 2004 (UTC)

       Elvis had more Top 10 hits in the UK than in the US, and was popular all over the world. Interestingly,   
       he never played a concert outside of North America. Elvis' touring was confined to the United States
       and Canada. It has been claimed this was due to Col. Tom Parker having entered the USA as an 
       illegal alien in his teens, and thus Parker did not want to call attention to his immigration status.

Elvis' cultural legacy

It might not hurt to have a mention of his legacy among impersonators and such, as well as more on Elvis sightings and mentions of the Churches in his name (though they are mostly jokes), but they are still part of his legacy: Church of Jesus Christ Elvis and First Preslyterian Church of Elvis the Divine. Let he who has not sinned cast the first rhinestone... --DanielCD 20:29, 23 Jul 2004 (UTC)

Bret's Book =

With due respect, David Bret has made a career out of thinly researched books containing "revelations" of celebrity sleaze. Until a reputable source prints this info, we're better off without.

In her book The Intimate Life and Death of Elvis, Dee Presley, the king's stepmother, also makes some astonishing accusations. She says that Elvis was with men, too, and also mentions his affair with Nick Adams.

Dee Presley is known for her over the top remarks. She has always had an axe to grind since her flirtations with Elvis were ignored. Those who were close to Elvis for his entire life are in total agreement that Elvis was 100% hetrosexual. His desire for women never waned. These statements about Elvis being gay are totally unfounded and need to be stopped. If anyone wants to speak to Elvis' first cousin Billy Smith who was with Elvis from the very beginning to the end, please say so and I'll arrange it. I can also arrange for you to speak to many of the other Memphis Mafia, Marty, Larry, Sonny, Red, etc.

• • Why is it that as soon as the gay reference to Elvis is removed it reappears again in a matter of minutes?

I am contacting my friends at EPE and we will get this settled once and for all. They will not tolerate Elvis being called gay!

It is an undeniable fact that Elvis and Nick Adams were boyfriends. For instance, in Los Angeles, where Elvis made movies, Judy Spreckels remembers going out on a Sunday with him and his friend Nick Adams. The latter had become the companion to a group of homosexuals and Elvis was one of his male friends.

Top Tens

Madonna has 35 Top 10's, the last was "Die Another Day" in November 2002. And Elvis has 38 Hot 100 Top Tens, this was confirmed when Billboard published "110 Musical Milestones" in celebration of their 100th anniversary a month or so ago. MadonnaFan 17:39, 27 Nov 2004 (UTC)

Top 40 singles=

http://go.to/madonna -- FAQ --- the webmaster discusses the records that Madonna, Elvis, The Beatles, etc. hold. The site is down but will be up soon... MadonnaFan 04:41, 4 Dec 2004 (UTC)

Why is ELV1S 30 #1 Hits spelled with a "1"?

A- Because that's the way BMG decided to spell it.

Category:Identical twins

Jesse Garon Presley was Elvis' stillborn identical twin. Here's the link to his bio at the official site. In the interest of completeness, I added both to the category. I think its appropriate, but im not looking for a fight, i wont re-apply it if it disappears again. popefauvexxiii 11:34, 1 Apr 2005 (UTC)

Johnny Hallyday

I removed this:

In France, singer Johnny Hallyday copied Presley in the French language, becoming a huge star in that country.

I don't know much about either of them, but I haven't found any source to support the theory that Johnny Hallyday is nothing but a French-language Elvis impersonator. It might be accurate to say he was strongly influenced by him, but then who wasn't? Deco 01:52, 11 Apr 2005 (UTC)

Spelling The Jordonaires/Jordanaires

I read the booklet of my "The complete 50's masters" (5 CD-box, RCA, bought 1993).

• It has pictures of posters, saying "The Jordonaires".

page sessionography, second page

page starting with 'Tutti Frutti', background picture.

• But the same chapter, recording personnel-lists say "Vocals: The Jordanaires".

Fed investigation requested. -DePiep 14:32, 14 Apr 2005 (UTC)

I have many of their autographed pictures, the correct spelling is Jordanaires.

Aight Kids, Reel it in a little

Hey, stop it with the edit-summary-challenged reverts. Before anyone else reverts any more changes, please discuss these edits here. I'm sure we can come to a solution that everyone is happy with- some people here don't want Elvis to be slandered posthumously, and others want possibly relevant biographical information to be included somehow. I'm sure we can couch the information properly so that it can be included with a grain of salt. --DropDeadGorgias (talk) 20:20, Apr 22, 2005 (UTC)

Well, if it's written by David Bret it SHOULD be taken with a grain of salt. He's a modern day Albert Goldman! Here's some facts about Elvis' sexuality. I am in close contact with many of Elvis' friends, former employees and family. At one time or another at least one of these people were always with Elvis. According to them, Elvis never lost his interest in women,and he was never faithful to any one woman! While married, he slept with hundreds of other women, then when Linda Thompson-Jenner-Foster came into the picture and lived at Graceland he cheated on her. While he was engaged to Ginger Alden he had a tryst with Alicia Kerwin(a bank teller from Memphis), and a few others in Las Vegas. Just because he knew Nick Adams does not make EP gay! I have gay friends too....does that automatically make me gay?

As for his step-mother Dee, she has made some very unsavory remarks about Elvis and his own mother! (Gladys) If she can say something that vile, then she's capable of saying anything. Besides, she's mentally unstable.

Also, this Bret creature claims Elvis and Priscilla only made love one time... HOW would he know such a thing?

I will not stand by and let him tarnish the name of one of the greatest entertainers of all time and a true American Icon.

Many of the Memphis Mafia have written tell-all books and if this gay factor fit in they would have used it to boost sales. They are all in total agreement that Bret is full of .....well, you know what.

A devoted Elvis fan is constantly deleting what is written about Presley's possible homosexuality in two different books on Elvis and some other sources. One of these sources is written by the king's stepmother, Dee Presley. In the article on Elvis is only written that some authors claim that Elvis was gay. The reader may decide whether or not this accusation is true. This Elvis fan seems to be the same guy who is still under a Misplaced Pages hard ban. He is even deleting parts of the present discussion and claims, without proof, that Elvis slept with hundreds of women. I do not understand why this Elvis fan sees the king's possible homosexuality as a problem.

• It's a problem because it's a LIE!

This is your opinion. Others would say that there is enough evidence that it's true.

• • Actually, the "devoted fan" is someone who knew Elvis all of his life.

This is what you claim you are. Sorry, it seems more likely that you are a member of the Elvis Mafia who wants to make money selling "girl's guides to Elvis Presley" and all of this stuff and therefore wants to keep alive the story of Elvis the prodigious lover of women. Why are you so keenly interested in suppressing other opinions in this talk on Elvis? According to the Misplaced Pages guidelines, you are not allowed to delete contributions by other users on discussion pages.

There is nothing for the reader to decide about Elvis' sexuality, he was 100% heterosexual. It's a shame someone is taking the word of Dee Presley, one of the few women Elvis despised! There have been over 2,000 books written about Elvis, and only 2 (two) of them mention him being gay.....one is by Dee Presley and the other is by a plagiarist named David Bret.

Sorry, this is not true. There are even some discussions how gay some Elvis lyrics may have been, for example in the song, "Teddy Bear":

Baby let me be,

your lovin' Teddy Bear

Put a chain around my neck,

and lead me anywhere

Oh let me be

Your teddy bear.

Once the reader gets past the requisite Abu Ghraib reference, it could well be that Elvis is singing about the leather-laded gay bear scene.

• • What an idiotic conclusion!!!

As for Abu Ghraib, let us further examine the king's famous "Jailhouse Rock":

The drummer boy from Illinois went crash, boom, bang,

the whole rhythm section was the Purple Gang.

Let's rock, everybody, let's rock.

Everybody in the whole cell block

was dancin' to the Jailhouse Rock.

Number forty-seven said to number three:

"You're the cutest jailbird I ever did see.

I sure would be delighted with your company,

come on and do the Jailhouse Rock with me."

Let's rock, everybody, let's rock.

Everybody in the whole cell block

was dancin' to the Jailhouse Rock.

The sad sack was a sittin' on a block of stone

way over in the corner weepin' all alone.

The warden said, "Hey, buddy, don't you be no square.

If you can't find a partner use a wooden chair.

When was the last time you heard of a co-ed prison? There is also the expression "Purple gang". The reader may know that lavender is the official gay color. Number 47 also seems to have something for fellow inmates. In addition, you may try to figure out what two partners might do with a wooden chair. If you have any ideas, let me know.

--OH now that is rich! Elvis didn't write those songs....and even if he did. Are you saying that Eminem is a rapist/murderer because he "sings" about rape and murder? Your logic is twisted, and you're sadly mistaken about Elvis having ANY gay tendencies. No, I'm not a member of the MM, but let me tell you some of them have written factual books about EP, such as: Revelations of the Memphis Mafia, Elvis What Happened, Portrait of a Friend, Elvis From Memphis to Hollywood. Perhaps you need to contact Elvis historian and former Memphis entertainment reporter Bill E Burk. He has several highly accliamed Elvis books in print, and he was a personal friend as well. He believes in researching his work, not listening to idle gossip the way Bret does.

What shall we do now? Despite recent claims by some authors, among them Elvis's stepmother Dee Presley, that the king may have been gay as he had an affair with homosexual actor Nick Adams, there is the opinion of many others that such accusations are only based on hearsay. I think that both opinions should be mentioned in the article. At the beginning, the said passage on the king's relationships clearly says "From the beginning of his career, Elvis was a sex symbol who sent legions of women swooning. He had a string of girlfriends, before and after he became famous, including celebrities such as Mamie Van Doren, Natalie Wood, Tuesday Weld, Cybill Shepherd and Ann-Margret." Therefore, I have now added at the end the sentence, "Despite these accusations, many other authors believe that there is still much evidence that Elvis was heterosexual." I hope that this is satisfactory and acceptable to all.