Elvis's Viewing On August 17, 1977--A Time Limit??

[Tony Trout]

Here's something I've been wondering:

Why did Vernon only allow the Graceland gates to remain open for such a very short (at least it seemed 'short' to me...only two and a half hours) time for fans to view Elvis's body? Vernon made a statement in one of the local Memphis papers (which I just now have had the chance to read after winning copies of both papers on Ebay) that there just wasn't enough time for everyone to view the body. Why did they not allow the gates to remain open longer? Also, why were fans rushed out of the mansion so quickly after viewing Elvis's body? That last question is prolly a dumb question....

With Elvis's status in the music industry and his popularity among fans, one would figure Vernon would have allowed the gates to remain open longer than he did but he made the following statement:

"I am very sorry that all of the people who came to Memphis were not able to view the body, but there was not enough time," he said. "I was afraid that it would become more dangerous as the night wore on for the safety of the thousands of people that had come to Memphis to pay their tributes."

Maybe I just answered my own question.....

[JDD]

I don't have any solid answer for you, but everything I ever heard Vernon was destroyed emotionally by the death, He had a long couple of days, probably a million things on his mind. Just a guess but He probably just wanted it over with so he could deal with losing the last member of his own family on his own. I've never really heard of any other celebrity dying and the fans being allowed to walk in the house and view the body in state like that besides Elvis.

Not to mention the danger factor from your quote and that some fans were Killed out front that week by a car and it had to be an extreamly stressful time. Plus there were probably staff members and grounds keepers and the Colonel and so on and so on in his ear expressing condolences but probably also asking "What does this mean to me, do I still have a Job?" and he had to make some of those decisions too.

[franny]

I'm sure it was way too much for Vernon to handle...mourning the huge loss of his only son Elvis...He probably couldn't take it anymore...

I think with all the people fainting and the huge crowds that gathered, he may have been worried about it getting too dangerous and out of control and really he could not deal with that on top of everything else...

franny