An expert weighs in

A Chicago newspaper article and interview with the author of a new Elvis book:

Presley's still shakin' things up

January 13, 2005

BY MIRIAM DI NUNZIO Staff Reporter The man is gone, the music lives on. And on. Elvis Presley would have been 70 years old on Jan. 8, and though he died nearly 30 years ago, his song catalog is constantly being repackaged and re-released. So powerful is his music that the re-issue of "Jailhouse Rock" is currently sitting atop the British pop charts.

Chicagoans can get their fix of Presley tunes as more than two dozen of his songs are the basis for the new musical "All Shook Up," opening tonight at the Cadillac Palace Theatre. The show tells the story of a guitar-wielding, hip- swiveling stranger who arrives in a small Midwest town one day and changes the lives of everyone around him through his music.

While the musical is not the story of Elvis' life, you can explore that subject in Elvis Presley: The Man. The Life. The Legend ($35, Atria Books), a new book by Pamela Clarke Keogh (no relation to Lisa Marie Presley's ex-husband, Danny). In a rare gesture, Keogh was given the full blessing and cooperation of Elvis Presley Enterprises (the company which until recently held the world rights to everything Elvis), which gave the author unprecedented access to the Presley archives.

Keogh spoke to the Sun-Times about her famous subject.

Q. How much time did you spend combing through Elvis' belongings?

A. I spent one week going through them. What you see on display at Graceland is probably 5 percent of what they have in storage. They drove me to a giant airplane hangar [where] I walked around with three white-glove-wearing archivists who found specific things I asked for, or took items down from shelves for me. Elvis was a pack rat, and they've just kept everything.

Q. What was the coolest thing you found among the items?

A. There was this very old, rough-hewn box, sort of like a military [foot locker], only it was made of wood. It was probably something from the 1940s and was probably something the Presleys used when they moved from Tupelo to Memphis. It was completely empty except for a few games that a little child would have played with probably in the '40s. They were made of cardboard and colored paper. Simple games like tic-tac-toe. Maybe games that a child would send away for with box tops or something. On the same table with the box was a very Vegas-style gold lamp with a telephone as its base. So on that one table was the arch of Elvis' life.

Q. What was the most ridiculous item you found?

A. They lifted up a white sheet and there were 30 professional football helmets. I guess Elvis wanted to make sure his pals were properly outfitted for their infamous football games at Graceland.

Q. What was the most interesting thing you discovered about his life as you put the book together?

A. It surprised me how absolutely beautifully he could sing. He could sing the dopiest song in a movie and you believed it. That's where his genius begins and ends. Elvis could sing the way Picasso could paint.

Q. What surprised you the most about his life?

A. What struck me was his intelligence. Writers often overlook that. He read all the time. There were thousands of books in the archives. Lots of philosophy, metaphysics. He was searching and questioning, trying to find out who he was and why he was put on this earth, why he had this gift for music.

Q. What's the first question you would have asked Elvis if you had had the chance to interview him?

A. What have you learned from your journey, your experience? And I would have loved to have meditated with him. He meditated all the time. He was very spiritual. How groovy is that?

Q. What would Elvis be like today, had he lived to see his 70th birthday?

A. In a perfect world, he would have cut out the carbs. He would still be singing, without question. And doing a relief concert for the tsunami victims.

Cinema Elvis could have been a whole different story

While Elvis Presley's music career soared to unimaginable heights, his movie career landed with a resounding thud.

Though some of his films, such as "Jailhouse Rock" and "King Creole," were actually palatable, the bulk of his dismal 31 film roles was the result of Col. Tom Parker's alleged insistence that Presley be paid a whopping $1 million per film, which sent many a reputable producer running. Here's a look at some of the meatier roles that didn't go to Elvis... but what if they had?

'Harum Scarum' (1965)

Tagline: "1001 Swingin' Nights!"

Plot: Presley is an American action film star on a promo tour of the Middle East. He's kidnapped by a band of assassins who take him to a kingdom untouched by time. Mayhem, music and a ludicrous karate fight with a leopard ensue.

Love interest: Princess Shalimar, played by Mary Ann Mobley.

"Speedway," (1968)

Tagline: "Smooth, fast and in high gear!"

Plot: Presley is Steve Grayson, the hottest thing on the racing circuit. He owes back taxes so he wants to win one big race to pay off the debt. Ridiculous script, ridiculous songs, ridiculously phony racing segments.

Love interest: Nancy Sinatra (who had a huge crush on him in real life) as the IRS agent hot on his trail.

"Charro!" (1969)

Tagline: "On his neck he wore the brand of a killer ... On his hip he wore vengeance!"

Plot: Jess Wade (Presley) is wrongly accused of stealing a cannon from Mexican revolutionaries. He sets out to find the gang of criminals really responsible for the heist. Memorable for Presley's well-groomed and sexy beard.

Love interest: Ian Balin. (Ina Balin!?!)

"Change of Habit" (1969)

Tagline: "When the King of rock meets the queen of comedy, romance rules."

Plot: Unfortunately, this dreck was Elvis' swan song to his feature film career. The singer stars as a doctor who works at an inner-city free clinic run by a progressive order of nuns. He falls for a raven-haired beauty of a co-worker who has a surprise up her wide sleeves for him.

Love interest: Mary Tyler Moore as the non-habit-wearing, guitar-strummin' Sister Michelle.

"Lawrence of Arabia" (1962)

Tagline: "From the creators of 'The Bridge on the River Kwai,' a mighty spectacle of action and adventure!"

Plot: Perhaps playing the British-turned-Bedouin T. E. Lawrence would have quenched Presley's desire to roam the desert.

Love interest: None to speak of, but Presley would have had some pretty heady dialogue with the likes of Omar Sharif, Anthony Quinn, Alec Guinness and Jack Hawkins.

"Grand Prix" (1966)

Tagline: "All the glamour and greatness of the world's most exciting drama of speed and spectacle!"

Plot: John Frankenheimer directed this one (and it's a beauty), which starred James Garner as a Formula One driver who gets the ax from his British racing team after a crash at Monaco injures a teammate. He then drives for a Japanese team while becoming involved with another driver's wife. Thrilling, realistic race sequences.

Love interest: The steamy Jessica Walter as the philandering wife; Eva Marie Saint as an American journalist.

"Hombre," (1967)

Tagline: "Hombre means man. Paul Newman is Hombre!"

Plot: "Charro!" would have never become a reality had Presley been given a shot at this Western. Paul Newman stars as a white man, raised by Indians, who is on a stagecoach ride across the desert. He runs into trouble and racism at every turn. There are oodles of close-ups of Newman's sparkling blue eyes, but Presley's would have filled the bill quite nicely.

Love interest: The very sexy Diane Cilento.

"Doctor Zhivago" (1965)

Tagline: "A love caught in the fire of Revolution."

Plot: If Presley wanted to play doctor, why not go for the gold with this David Lean treasure that starred Omar Sharif as the title character, a dreamy-eyed poet/doctor obsessed with a married woman. Their love is made difficult by her husband and the Russian Revolution. OK, nobody said love was easy.

Love interest: The luminous Julie Christie as the haunting Lara.

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