Welcome to For Elvis
Fans Only.
'An Elvis Presley
picture is the only sure thing in Hollywood'.
Hal Wallis.
Elvis'
Movies
Elvis Presley starred in 31 feature films as an
actor and two theatrically released concert documentary
films, all of which enjoyed financial success.
For a number of years he was one of Hollywood’s
top box office draws and one of its highest-paid
actors. His two most critically acclaimed films,
Jailhouse Rock (1957) and King Creole (1958) have
become classics of their era. His movies and concert
films enjoy a healthy life today in television
syndication and home video sales and rentals.
Some of his top-selling music came from his movies.
Eleven of his movie soundtrack albums went to
the top ten, and of those, four went to number
one. The soundtrack for G.I. Blues (1960), was
number one on the Billboard Top 100 album chart
for 10 weeks and remained on the chart for 111
weeks. The album from Blue Hawaii was number one
for 20 weeks and was on the chart for 79 weeks.
The
Concert Stage
When Elvis Presley returned to the live
stage after the success of his 1968 television
special and the wrap-up of his Hollywood movie
contract obligations, he opened at the International
Hotel in Las Vegas in the summer of 1969 for a
4-week, 57-show engagement that broke all existing
Las Vegas attendance records. He returned to the
International a few months later in early 1970,
during the slow winter season in Vegas, and broke
his own attendance record. Right after that came
a record-breaking six-show engagement at the Astrodome
in Houston, where Elvis played to a total of 207,494
people.
Elvis took his elaborate live show on the road
in the latter part of 1970 for his first concert
tour since 1957. Throughout the 1970's Elvis toured
America, breaking box office records right and
left, and continued to play an engagement or two
per year in Las Vegas and Lake Tahoe. Among the
outstanding highlights of this period was in 1972,
when Elvis performed four sold-out shows at Madison
Square Garden. During his 'concert years' from
1969 to 1977, Elvis gave nearly 1,100 concert
performances.
Television
Specials
Elvis Presley’s three network television
specials - Elvis
(1968), Elvis:
Aloha from Hawaii, via Satellite (1973), and
Elvis
in Concert (1977) - stand among the most highly
rated specials of their time. His 1968 special,
Elvis, is one of the most critically acclaimed
music specials of all time. His 1973 special,
Elvis - Aloha from Hawaii, via Satellite, was
seen in 40 countries by 1 billion to 1.5 billion
people and made television history. It was seen
on television in more American homes than man’s
first walk on the moon.
All
About Elvis
Elvis
Aaron Presley, in the humblest of circumstances,
was born to Vernon and Gladys Presley in a two-room
house in Tupelo, Mississippi on January 8, 1935.
His twin brother, Jessie Garon, was stillborn,
leaving Elvis to grow up as an only child. He
and his parents moved to Memphis, Tennessee in
1948, and Elvis graduated from Humes High School
there in 1953.
Globally, he has sold over one billion records,
more than any other artist. His American sales
have earned him gold, platinum or multi-platinum
awards for 131 different albums and singles, far
more than any other artist.
Among his many awards and accolades were 14 Grammy
nominations (3 wins) from the National Academy
of Recording Arts & Sciences, the Grammy Lifetime
Achievement Award, which he received at age 36,
and his being named One of the Ten Outstanding
Young Men of the Nation for 1970 by the United
States Jaycees.
His talent, good looks, sensuality, charisma,
and good humor endeared him to millions, as did
the humility and human kindness he demonstrated
throughout his life. Known the world over by his
first name, he is regarded as one of the most
important figures of twentieth century popular
culture. Elvis
Presley died at his Memphis home, Graceland,
on August
16, 1977.
Elvis in Hollywood – a time to reassess? - Elvis' Hollywood years have tended to be dismissed as a failure, both artistically and musically. Whilst some may concede that some his 1950’s output is of value, and others might argue that 'GI Blues', 'Blue Hawaii' and even 'Viva Las Vegas' film and soundtracks aren’t that bad, the majority of fan and general public opinion is dismissive to such an extent that this part of Elvis' musical heritage is widely ignored. Mark Cunliffe sets out to establish the truth. Read more.
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