My friend from the garden treated me to the movie for my birthday. It is 2 1/2 hours long and kept my attention for the entire time. I ended up in tears. Elvis was really before my time but everyone knows Elvis. I have two of his albums, Greatest Hits and a Christmas album. My ex mother in law had tickets to see him at Madison Square Garden right after he died in August 1977. His cousin was also an Elvis impersonator. I knew Elvis from his songs and movies. I knew Elvis because I had read that he resented The Beatles popularity, when they idolized him. I thought I heard or read that Elvis was just “a good ole boy,” who was prejudiced. I also thought that Colonel Tom Parker was also a “good ole boy.” Wow what could be father than the truth!
What I didn’t know about him I learned from this movie. I didn’t know his family was poor and his father did jail time. I didn’t know he was raised along with the poor blacks and that they were all of his musical inspirations. I did learn how he “felt” the music which therefore led to his sensual movements that drove the girls crazy. How at that time it was so scandalous to move the way he did. I do remember that on The Ed Sullivan Show they wouldn’t film him from the waist down.
I didn’t know anything about Colonel Tom Parker and what a fraud he was. I don’t know how factual the movie is but I did love it and the young actor who played Elvis was outstanding. It was very sad watching him head down the road of drug addiction. being aided by those that were so called, closest to him. It was sad seeing another artist go down that path and being taken advantage of and know that it is still happening today.