MY TRIP TO THE GRAMMY MUSEUM FEATURING AL WERTHEIMER ELVIS PHOTOS!

Wow, what a way to celebrate Elvis' birthday by going to The Grammy Museum in Los Angeles where an Elvis pictorial exhibit by Alfred Wertheimer started yesterday! The museum was offering a program called "A Conversation With Alfred Wertheimer". I decided to take in this free program (it sold out) and an extra treat was I, with other Elvis fans, got to the museum early enough to get a "tour" with Mr. Wertheimer at the very exhibit that opened that day. This guy is 80 years old and is sharp as a tack! He walked us around each of the framed photos and gave great explanations and stories about how each picture came about. Some of us asked questions and when you ask him a question, he runs with it! You'll get a 5 minute answer. After this exhibit ends at The Grammy Museum in late March, the Smithsonian Institution Traveling Exhibition Service is taking it on the road. I would say everyone should go see it if it is coming to a city near you. Here is a link for info:

http://www.sites.si.edu/exhibitions/...at_21/main.htm

If Mr. Wertheimer is involved in any way, make sure you get in on it. There was a signing of his book (Elvis At 21 - Photographs by Alfred Wertheimer) after the program last night and although I didn't stay for that, I was able to get him to sign my Elvis 56 cd cover which I am thrilled about!

Here are a few pictures:

On tour with Mr. Wertheimer. The rest of that mural behind him is still be added to the wall inside The Grammy Museum as he was speaking!
http://i101.photobucket.com/albums/m...MuseumAW_1.jpg

Here, AW tells us about how Elvis needed a guitar strap, which they couldn't find, so they used a clothes line. He's pointing out the knot in Elvis' "guitar strap".
http://i101.photobucket.com/albums/m...useumAw_11.jpg

This is Mr. Wertheimer taking a picture of Chris Murray, found and director of Govinda Gallery in Washington, D.C. When asked why he was taking pictures of the panel, AW said, "Because I have a disease called Documentation". He took pictures of the fans too while he was giving us the tour.

http://i101.photobucket.com/albums/m...nversation.jpg

Outside The Grammy Museum:
http://i101.photobucket.com/albums/m...yMuseum_1a.jpg

So it was a great night last night. For anyone who lives near The Grammy Museum, go see this exhibit if you get the chance. It's well worth the cost of admission.

That's really great, I am so happy you got to see this.(y) Thanks so much for sharing and the photos, and about the guitar strap, that's really neat! I would love to hear some of his stories, I love '56.

Glad you enjoyed the stories,Tommy. I don't know how well-known these stories are and I certainly can't tell them the way Mr. Wertheimer did. I've seen many of these shots before, but never paid much attention to their history until last night. Here are two more photos that were at the exhibit whose stories, I thought, were pretty interesting (I snagged these photos off the internet from the book Elvis 56):

I never noticed the torn paper on the table in this shot, which I'm sure I've seen before, but Mr. Wertheimer said that Elvis would read his fan letters and then tear them up. He asked Elvis why he did that and Elvis' repsonse was, "I'm not going to carry them with me. I've read them and seen what's in them. It's nobody else's business". AW told us the story, but what I wrote in quotes is used as a quote on The Grammy Museum wall of the exhibit.
http://i101.photobucket.com/albums/m...14-rippedu.jpg

The other interesting story that sticks out is about this photo:
http://i101.photobucket.com/albums/m...46segregat.jpg

Mr. Wertheimer said last night he didn't know at the time he took the photo, but at that time there was still segregation (someone later saw this photo and told him). The black lady at the counter in the photo put her order in and waited for it (standing, not allowed to sit at the counter). AW focused on Elvis in the shots and noticed she got very uncomfortable when he shot the photos. He said she backed off after that first photo and of the series of photos Mr. Wertheimer took, that was the only one she appeared in. He couldn't understand why she seemed upset. The segregation story makes this photo even more interesting to me.

Thank you very much I so enjoyed your stories, I wish I could see and hear Mr. Wertheimer. If you don't have the book, you should try and get it, it's a wonderful book.

Thank you again for the stories. (y) (y)

That was fascinating-I would love to hear this man in person sharing his stories.(y)

Quote:

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Originally Posted by KPM

That was fascinating-I would love to hear this man in person sharing his stories.(y)

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Yes, same here KPM. (y)

Thanks, for sharing ilovelvis. :notworthy

franny

This was really interesting to read, thank you so much.

Mr Wertheimer looks very good, too.

Great stuff, thanks!

Wow, thanks for sharing. I always loved his photos. I'm still waiting for the opportunity to buy one of his pictures in postersize or on canvas. They really deserve to hang in the rooms of Elvisfans and music lovers.

Thanks for sharing your story with us. Sounds so exciting.(y)