Originally Posted by
Menwithbrokenhearts
Thanks you guys. Had a fantastic day today! They had Jerry Schilling, June Juanico, Al Wertheimer and Maxine Brown, Gordon Stoker, Nancy Rooks and a few others in the Memorabilia roomas well as a video of some new acquisitions and the new 25th anniversary dvd that just came out today. Had to go buy it, it was really good. Apparantley they recently acquired the Elvis O Rama museum and the Colonel's collection. Some very cool stuff, cars, jewelry furniture, etc...
I'll try to give a brief overview of today, and then again tomorrow, but no details and pix until I get back home to my computer in a couple of weeks. I got some great pictures though, even got some of myself with all the above except Jerry. The line was way too long.
As for the ones who spoke:
Al Wertheimer was first. He told some great stories behind some of his pictures and showed alot that I had not seen before. He said he took around 2000 while he was with Elvis in '56. He is coming out with a big "coffee table book" that will be around 250 pages and is 65.00. Sounds great! The one story that sticks out in my mind, is , You know that very famous picture of Elvis on the motorcycle with the hat, looking down? I always thought he was posing that way, but what happened is that the motorcycle had quit on him and all the guys were trying to figure it out while the crowd was gathering around, then Elvis thought of the gas, and took the lid off and was looking down into the gas tank trying to see if it had any gas. It was out of gas! I love that story! And will never look at that picture the same again!
June Juanico was next. And let me preface this by saying that I met her, had my picture taken with her and had her sign her book for me and she is one of the nicest ladies I have ever met. My best experience there was talking with her and Gordon Stoker, a very nice kind man also.
Anyway back to June. She had nothing but good things to say about Elvis, and even told us why she left him, and although hurt by it,, she still loves him. Her first real love. She gets teary eyed talking about him. She got a standing ovation when she was done. She talked about their time together, how they met, their first date, Gladys and Vernon, the other girls, him on stage in '55. Her most poignant story was when they parted. She went to tell him goodbye at the train station, (they had been apart for a while, him seeing others and her responding by doing the same and getting engaged) He was so happy to see her, she couldn't tell him at first then she just sort of blurted out "Elvis, I'm engaged" he said "Really?" and just got quiet and sat down for a while. Then he asked her if she was serious, she said "yes" and he said something like "Well everything has a reason" They were teary eyed and hugging and he got on the train she waved goodbye and so did he. She turned away and walking away, turned back and he was still hanging off the train waving at her until the train went around the corner. The train whistle blew in the distance. She now lives close to train tracks and a bridge, and always woke up with a heavy heart and a bittersweet memory when she heard the train. During Hurricane Katrina, the bridge was blown down and she didn't hear if for weeks and suddenly began to miss it. She said it made her feel empty because she had lost that "connection". Then, some weeks later, in the middle of the night she heard it again and thought "MY first love has come back to me" Needless to say, she had people wiping tears at that. She said she was married for 35 years to a good man and tried her best to love him as much as she could, but could never get Elvis off her heart. Sweet lady.
Maxine Brown was next and what a hoot that woman is. She has a new book entitled "Looking Back to See" which is mostly about her experiences in country music in early days. The "Browns " toured with Elvis alot, and Jim Ed becoming the most famous I guess. She had some great stories about being on the road with Elvis and the boys, and did not hold back her feelings at all about the MM and other things that have been written since. She told a story about doing everyone's laundry on the tour and she had accidentally thrown a pair of her red panties in with the whites so everything turned out pink. She said all the boys were mad and upset except Elvis who said " YOu can bleach out my shorts but not my socks, I want to keep them pink" She said he liked those pink socks so much that he wouldn't let her wash them and the smell got so bad that one night while Elvis was sleeeping , Bill threw them out the window, socks shoes and all. Elvis woke up and found them gone, Bill confessed, and Elvis made them all turn around and go back and find his socks. Believe it or not, they found them! She told us she had just had hip surgery because she had fallen and broke her hip in two places and her pelvis and she said " The only good thing that came out of all that **************** mess was that I got a permanent screw!" That cracked everybody up!
Jerry was last. The interviewer , (CEO of EPE) can't remember his name, talked alot about the new book and Jerry read alot from it. It was mostly that and why he wrote it. It sounds like a good book that Jerry says"Tells the truth but as a friend, factual but sensitive) He read the end, and it was moving, I have to admit. He talked about how Elvis was a friend to him, and his opinion of Elvis' demise. That he had been let down creatively and disappointed so much in this area that he sort of gave up seeking creative gaols or trying to break new ground for himself, challenge himself and he said tthat is what drove Elvis and inspired him. A challenge. Without it he self destructed. ( my words, not his , to sum up what he said) Kind of a sad ending to the day.
But overall, a great day!
Write more tomorrow!
Also, they are releasing a dvd box set that has his best movies ( in their opinion) concerts, a dvd with movie song videos and some other bonus stuff. I 'll try to get details tomorrow.
Good night!
