RARELY seen photos and story 1973

[howardrobardhughes]

Here is the link...

www.timcooper.com

Officer's name is Tim Cooper
...In 1963 while working at a grocery store in Los Angeles, I learned that a fellow employee had a hobby as a painter in oils on canvas. I saw some of his work and asked if he would do a painting of Elvis. I gave him the album cover, ?50 million Elvis Fans Can?t Be Wrong? of Elvis in his gold lam? suit. This painting is 18 x 24 inches. I was very emphatic about how detailed and precise the painting must be. It took the artist about 27 hours of work just on Elvis? face until I was satisfied. Then in 1972 I had the same artist do another painting of Elvis? ? Madison Square Garden? album cover. This one is about 32 x 40 inches in size.


.....I had often wondered how it might be possible for me to get Elvis to autograph these paintings. In 1973 while employed as a Los Angeles policeman, I took the paintings with me to work. I was assigned to Hollywood Division of the L.A.P.D. During my lunch hour I stuffed the paintings in the trunk of my police car and raced over to Elvis? house. I had no way of knowing if I would be allowed entry to his home, let alone leave the two paintings there in hopes that Elvis would take time to sign them. When I arrived at 144 Monovale Drive in Holmby Hills, I rang the bell on the large black gates. There were multiple love notes scribbled on the gates to his home. I noticed the security cameras above the gates begin to rotate, focusing directly at my black and white police car and me. A few moments passed. No one spoke to me over the intercom. Then suddenly the gates opened slowly and silently. I wondered if the Hebrews felt the same exhilaration when they were fleeing the Pharaohs of Egypt and watching Charlton Heston part the Red Sea. I drove through the gates, up a short circular drive, which brought me to the carport area. One of Elvis? security men came out of the house to see me; his eyes puffy from being disturbed out of a sound sleep. I pulled the paintings out of the trunk and asked if I could leave them for Elvis to sign. He said, ?No problem.? He told me that Elvis was asleep; it was about 11:00 a.m. and suggested that I return in about a week to get the paintings. I thanked him and left with a great deal of excitement at the prospect of getting Elvis to sign the paintings.


.....About a week later I returned to Elvis? home in my police car to pick up my paintings. I was very excited. The security cameras adjusted and homed in on me once again. The gates to the Red Sea parted slowly. I drove up the driveway to the house. The housekeeper, Henrietta Gibson ( in photo> ), was working at the time. She was truly a very sweet lady. A little blonde girl was running around the kitchen and Henrietta introduced me to her. It was Elvis? daughter, Lisa Marie. I had an inexpensive pocket camera with me and Henrietta gave me permission to take some pictures of Lisa. I snapped a few pictures of Lisa next to my paintings, on my police car and next to Elvis? favorite car, his Stutz Blackhawk. Lisa was a little bit of a ham as she struck the pose for me next to the Stutz. Still, she was very much a sweetheart and always answered my questions with ?Yes sir? and ?No sir.? I was at the house for only 30 minutes or so. Then Henrietta told me that Elvis forgot to sign the paintings and returned to Memphis. My heart sank. She suggested that I leave the paintings at the house because Elvis was due back in a week or so.


.....I thanked little Lisa Marie and Henrietta and left with my pocket camera and newly acquired photos. As I drove out of the Presley estate and back on to Monovale Drive, one of Elvis? neighbors was across the street, standing in front of his own home. He smiled and waved at me with a nod of approval. I waved back, hoping that he would not recognize the stenciled numbers on my black and white cruiser designating it as being from Hollywood Division. Then I became concerned that he might call my Watch Commander and inquire about what a Hollywood Division police officer was doing at the West Los Angeles home of Elvis Presley?

.....As I cruised slowly by the man he smiled knowingly at me. ?Chasing the Presley fans away, huh?? he asked. I nearly choked at his question. I am sure my face began twitching uncontrollably like a guilty child getting caught by his father with his hand in the cookie jar. ?Uhh, yes sir,? I answered nervously. ?That?s what I?m doing. Keeping the peace. Chasing the Elvis fans away.? I forced a Cheshire cat grin. ?They can be pests at times.? I gunned the engine of my police cruiser and raced back to my assigned division in Hollywood. I still recall this particular event as if it happened only yesterday.


.....I was unable to return to the Presley home on Monovale Drive until four weeks later. When I returned, I found a real estate sign posted in front of the house that read, ?SOLD.? I rang the bell at the gate. No one answered. I rang again. Nothing. The security cameras did not move. I started to panic. What about my paintings? I contacted the real estate office and spoke with the agent who had handled the sale of the Presley home. She told me the house was vacant. Elvis had packed up and moved everything back to Memphis. I explained to her that I had left my paintings in the house about two months prior and I had returned to pick them up. She told me that the house had been sold and no one was living there. She agreed to meet me at the home and allowed me to inspect the house for myself. I was sure that my paintings had been packed up with Elvis? belongings and trucked back to Memphis. How would I ever be able to get them back?


.....The next day I met the real estate lady at the gates of the former Presley home. We went into the estate together. I remember there was a lot of green inside the home. Green carpeting. Green walls. The house did not have a single object remaining inside, except for two items: my oil paintings. Both were standing against the wall in the small room where I had taken pictures of Lisa Marie. Both had what appeared to be Elvis? signature on the front, ?Thanks, Elvis Presley.? Elvis had been kind enough to sign and leave them for me to pick up. It is amazing that I was able to get them back. No one on his staff had my name or phone number and I did not have anyone?s name or phone number in the Elvis entourage.

.....I still have the oil paintings. The artist who created my paintings has a local following here in Los Angeles. He has done several murals for the City of Los Angeles, one in San Jose, California, and many other works for individuals. I have kept the photos of Lisa Marie in my scrapbook for all these years. Over the years many people have asked for copies and suggested that I offer them for sale. I did not give it much thought and never made copies for anyone except Priscilla Presley. I mailed her a copy of the picture of Lisa standing next to the Stutz and the L.A. Police car. Those are the only copies ever mailed to anyone until now.


.....I left the police department in 1979 after ten years of service due to a neck injury. I then landed a job as a limo driver and bodyguard for a family in Beverly Hills. I was with that family for ten years. Oddly enough, while working for this family in Beverly Hills, I had to go to the airport and pick up a business associate of my employer. Once I had my employer?s associate comfortable in the back seat of the limo he told me his address. I was directed to drive to the one hundred block of Monovale Drive in Holmby Hills.

.....My head snapped around and I stared at the man sitting in the back seat of my limo. ?You mean up by Presley?s old home?? I asked.

.....?Yes,? the man answered quizzically with a little chuckle. ?You know where it is??

.....?Yes, sir.? I said. This man seated in the back of my limo was the same neighbor of Elvis? who had smiled at me when I was a police officer back in 1973 and asked me if I had been ?chasing the Elvis fans away!?




.....Presently I am performing estate security for another international businessman who lives on Bellagio Road in Bel Air, California. Coincidentally, my present employer?s son tells me that he attended the same school as Lisa Marie, The John Thomas Dye School on Chalon Road, also in Bel Air. I have been told that Elvis previously owned a home on Perugia Way, which can be seen from my present employer?s home, across the fairways of the Bel Air Country Club.

[dparr]

fantastic pics of lisa have seen them before but not without writing across them.thanks for posting

[Cherokee]

Yeah great pictures you got there howardrobardhughes. Also the paintings look pretty cool to me, can you remember how much you've actually paid the painters?

Howard didn't pay anybody because he's quoting a story from THIS site. Remember Howard was only 12/13 in 1976/1977 (his plane story)?

www.timcooper.com is the site of the man who "commissioned an artist here in Los Angeles to create two oil paintings of Elvis Presley".

[Memphis]

Howard, It would be nice if you also posted the url to the story or pictures you are posting, it's easy just copy and paste the address line just like you copy and paste the content. It's nice to give the content providers their due. Just my opinion

[howardrobardhughes]

I added the link to his site on my post..I thought this was a very interesting story..and rare photos..

[Teddybear]

Thanks For Posting These, They Are New For Me.

[cibetty]

Woow! Cute pics about Lisa, I've never seen them before. Thanks for sharing!

[ksimms2]

That was a wonderful story and great pics! Thanks so much for posting!

[goodelvisgirl]

yup gret pics and a nice story thanks

[presley31]

I seen this awhile ago, but thanks for posting.

[jon_burrows]

Thanks for posting. I really enjoy reading stories like this.

[marijaep]

Great article and photos. Thanks for sharing

[Diane]

Great pictures and story. Thank you.

Diane

[rhythmknights]

good story and really cute pics of LisaMarie. i love how Elvis was so thoughtful about the officer's paintings. thanks for the post.

[tony70]

thanks for posting this fantastic

[elvisfan92]

Thanks For Posting Never seen them before