Graceland...Haunted?

Above, the upstairs office windows of Graceland from the backyard. Photo by Armand Vaquer.

The first job I ever had was as a dishwasher at a Hawthorne, California convalescent hospital.

One day, I was talking to the cook, whose back was to me and separated by a stainless steel kitchen counter. A metal dessert cup was face down on the table. The table was dry and there were no vibrations. Suddenly, the dessert cup moved, as if by an unseen hand, about seven inches.

Ever since that experience, I don't doubt stories of hauntings and other paranormal activities.

The latest comes from Elvis Presley's Graceland mansion. 

The Express (U.K.) reported:

Elvis Presley lived and died at Graceland 45 years ago. The King was fascinated by death and once visited a morgue in Memphis with his inner circle. His cousin Billy Smith knew it was time to move out of the mansion when he became hearing the late star calling him from upstairs where he suffered a fatal heart attack in 1977.

Speaking previously on his son Danny’s YouTube Channel Memphis Mafia Kid, Billy said of sensing Elvis’ presence at Graceland: “I did. In fact, I guess that was the biggest reason I left Graceland. Got to a point where I’d go to sleep, it’d be early in the morning and I would hear him calling me. And I even got up and got Jo up too. She used to wake up too sometimes close to the same time.”

Yet it was when Billy was near the front of Graceland and he saw the upstairs windows that he says he felt something.

Billy continued: “I’d get dressed and I’d go out to Graceland and for some reason I always looked up at his office window because I felt like he was calling me and he was looking out the window. Oh boy that…that…got to me. And after they brought Elvis’ casket back into Graceland and they buried it then I felt like I was a little more at ease and it was time for me to get out of there.”

Above, the upstairs windows of Elvis Presley's bedroom. Photo by Armand Vaquer.

To read more, go here. 

Presley Family Has Concerns Over New Movie

Above, the Graceland Pool and the Meditation Garden in the background. Photo by Armand Vaquer.

Since Elvis Presley's death in August 1977, I have seen only one docudrama on the King of Rock 'N Roll. That was the one starring Kurt Russell and Season Hubley. It was an okay movie, but I have no interest in seeing the new one that's about to be released. I really don't see Tom Hanks as Col. Tom Parker, Presleys manager.

I was wondering if the Presley Family had any input into it. Apparently very little. In fact, they have concerns about it.

According to the Express (U.K.):

ELVIS PRESLEY's relatives, who were so close to The King that they'd spend hours talking to him on his bed upstairs at Graceland, have shared their concern over the upcoming Baz Luhrmann Elvis movie starring Austin Butler and Tom Hanks, claiming they weren't consulted and that The Colonel's voice is wrong. Meanwhile, Priscilla Presley has admitted she is "very nervous" about how the film could turn out, despite having met with the director.

Around a month ago, Warner Bros released the first trailer for the upcoming Elvis movie. Baz Luhrmann’s biopic will chart the life and career of The King through the Fifties, Sixties and Seventies. The creative team behind the film have consulted Graceland and others like the star’s ex-wife Priscilla Presley about the project, although some family members aren’t sure what they’re going to make of the movie’s accuracy, having seen the first footage.

Elvis Presley's cousin and last surviving original Memphis Mafia member Billy Smith knew The King before he was famous and was one of the last people to see the star alive.

On his YouTube channel Elvis Fans Matter, he said: “I just won’t go to the movies to see something like that now. When it comes on TV, I’ll probably wind up watching it sooner or later. It’ll be interesting to me to see how Tom Hanks plays The Colonel. Outside of that, I don’t know. I’ll probably get around to watching it, but I don’t know when or where or if I’m going to be here to watch it, but we’ll see. And with that, I don’t care nothing else about this subject.”

When he and his wife Jo, who used to spend hours talking to Elvis in his Graceland bedroom, were asked if they were consulted for the movie, they said no and added: “It’s from another point of view.”

If there's any documentary on Elvis Presley worth watching, it would be Elvis Presley:The Searcher.

To read more, go here. 

Flying The Lisa Marie

Above, Elvis Presley's Lisa Marie jet. Photo by Armand Vaquer.

One of the many things visitors to Graceland in Memphis, Tennessee can tour is Elvis Presley's private jet, the Lisa Marie. 

The jet sits at the campus on Elvis Presley Blvd. that includes the mansion, the Elvis Presley's Memphis complex, the Graceland RV Park and the Guest House at Graceland. I last visited Graceland six years ago, while the Elvis Presley's Memphis complex was nearing completion.

The Express (U.K.) posted an article by one of Presley's family members who recounts his trips aboard the Lisa Marie.

The article begins with:

ELVIS PRESLEY named his lavish private jet after his daughter Lisa Marie and used the plane to travel across the USA on his extensive tours. Now a family member has shared their amazing memories of flying on board with The King, describing the aircraft as "like a whole apartment floating through the air."

Elvis Presley fans visiting Graceland today can tour not only the mansion but also his private plane. The King purchased the Convair 880 jet from Delta Airlines in April 1975 for an unbelievable sum of $250,000 ($1.3 million today). This came to a whopping total of $600,000 ($3.1 million today) when the refurbishing was completed by the same team who had recently customised Air Force One. Naming the rebooted aircraft the Lisa Marie after his only child, The King had a penthouse bedroom fitted in the back with a custom-made queen size bed and executive ensuite bathroom – complete with a gold-plated sink and taps, plus a hairstyling chair.

To read the full article, go here.

The George Lazenby Saga

Above, an autographed photo of George Lazenby.

On Her Majesty's Secret Service (1969) and George Lazenby, the "fella" who took over the role of James Bond following Sean Connery's departure, are getting much attention these days. 

This is due to the major nods given by Daniel Craig's swan song 007 flick, No Time To Die, wherein John Barry's OHMSS main theme and its love song, "We Have All The Time In The World" are used (to great effect, I might add). Lazenby himself noted the use of the music from his Bond outing.

Personally, although he was no Sean Connery (who was, except for Connery?), I feel Lazenby did a creditable job considering his limited acting experience when he took on the role. Today, many Bond fans consider OHMSS to be one of the best in the Bond series.

Lazenby only made one James Bond movie and was dismissed by the producers and/or he quit. Some of it was his fault and some belonged to producer Albert Broccoli. What exactly went wrong?

A new article in the Express (U.K.) spells it all out.

It starts with:

JAMES BOND actor George Lazenby only ever made one 007 movie, On Her Majesty's Secret Service, but why? He later released a statement admitting he had been "a total fool" but also blamed his agent. Sean Connery called him a "prize s**t' and Bond producers said he was the "biggest mistake we ever made." How did it all go so wrong?

An Aussie model famous for a chocolate commercial may seem a strange choice to take over as a suave upper-class British spy in the biggest franchise in Hollywood – but then Sean Connery was a Scottish former boxer and bodybuilder (and part-time male nanny) before he slipped into the tuxedo. The critics and public barely had time to take it all in before Lazenby sensationally left the role. Was he really that bad? Looking back, it is clear he was a forerunner for the more textured Bonds that were to come, and even had a realistic and emotionally-charged relationship with Diana Rigg's Tracy di Vicenzo. It was Lazenby himself who "blew it" but where does the blame actually lie?

To read more, go here.

Final Photograph of The King On Display At Graceland

Above, the last known photo of Elvis Presley before his death.

We're a little more than two months away for Elvis Weeks at Graceland in Memphis, Tennessee and organizers are already preparing for the event.

One display got the attention of the U.K. Express, and that is the last automobile Elvis drove before he died in August 1977 and the last photo taken of him driving it just hours before his death. He was returning home to Graceland after a visit to the dentist.

According to the Express:

Elvis Presley’s death on August 16, 1977 at just 42-years-old shocked the world. But did you know the final photograph of The King, taken just hours before his death, is on display at Graceland for fans to see? The picture is located by the last car he ever drove, his 1973 Stutz Blackhawk III.

The last car Elvis Presley drove is located across the road from the Graceland mansion at the Presley Motors Automobile Museum.

Express.co.uk saw the Stutz on a virtual live tour of items associated with The King’s life and career, that took place earlier this year.

And at one point, our expert guide Vice President of Archives and Exhibits Angie Marchese showed off the interior.

She said: “Elvis purchased this car in September ’74 for a little over $20,000 and yet it is customised.”

To read more, go here. 

Graceland Trivia By Linda Thompson

Above, the stained glass glass peacocks that divide the living room and music
 room were designed by Thompson and added in 1974. Photo by Armand Vaquer.

Much has been written about Elvis Presley's Graceland mansion in Memphis, Tennessee, but ex-girlfriend Linda Thompson shares some interesting trivia on the mansion in an article in the Express (U.K.).

It begins with:

Elvis Presley had a number of serious relationships, including with Miss Tennessee Universe Linda Thompson. The young model dated The King from 1972 to 1976 after his separation and divorce from Priscilla Presley. And now the 70-year-old has shared some fascinating photos from inside Graceland when she lived with the star during that period.

Linda wrote on her Instagram account: “Flashback Friday to that year I helped Elvis re-decorate Graceland - deferring to his distinctive taste…

“The jungle room has become the most famous room at Graceland…

“I’m not sure why I was wearing a ‘me Jane, you Tarzan’ ensemble, but I guess that’s part of the reason the room got it’s name…”

The King’s former girlfriend shared a couple of pictures of herself in the Jungle Room dressed in the theme of the room, alongside a photo of Elvis smoking a cigar while driving her.

 To read more, go here.