Anyone who has followed Moon in the Gutter for even a small amount of time knows how much I love and value Elvis Presley, so it’s probably not a surprise that I am including his work as an actor on this list. I do hope my choice of performance perhaps is a little surprising as I know that his roles in such dramas as King Creole (1958), Flaming Star and Wild in the Country (both 1960) might indeed be more expected. When thinking about Elvis on the screen though, perhaps the things that mean the most to me are his warmth and humor and these two qualities were never more apparent than they were in his role as photographer Greg Nolan in Norman Taurog’s fantastic chaotic comedy Live a Little, Love a Little…a film which showed Elvis could have been a modern-day Cary Grant had anyone at the time been wise enough to notice.

Watching Elvis today in Live a Little, Love a Little will prove an eye opening experience for anyone who has long accepted the myth that this great man couldn’t act and that all of his films fell under one certain formula. Taurog’s ingenious film not only breaks the ‘formula’, that had began to fail around 1966 and 1967 with such dreck as Paradise Hawaiian Style, but it smashes it to pieces and it offers Elvis, a wonderfully gifted comedian, the most flexible and engaging role of his career. As Nolan, Presley is ferociously funny, incredibly natural and unbelievably sexy…it’s one of the great comedic performances from the sixties and the real ‘tragedy’ of Elvis Presley’s film career is that hardly anyone seemed to notice just how incredibly funny and charming this man was on the screen.

The time has come for a serious reevaluation of Elvis Presley’s undeniable abilities as an actor and his film career in general. Today I am pleased to offer an amazing guest-commentary from another writer who agrees with me on this fact, the amazing Sheila O’Malley. Some of you might remember this chat Sheila and I had regarding Elvis’ film career over at her essential Sheila Variations, which I was so honored to take part in. Sheila’s writing has been a constant source of inspiration for me and I think her many articles on Elvis are absolutely essential for not only fans of the man but anyone interested in American culture in general. I am thrilled and honored to offer up this brand new piece that Sheila has written regarding Live a Little, Love a Little and one of modern cinema’s most undervalued great actors.

-Jeremy Richey, 2012-

 -Sheila O’Malley on Elvis Presley in Live a Little, Love a Little–

Great American character actress Mildred Dunnock tells a story about the first days of shooting Love Me Tender (1956), which was 21-year-old Elvis Presley’s film debut. He played one of Dunnock’s sons. He was totally green as an actor. In one scene, Dunnock had to bark at him, “Put that gun down!” The first time they shot it, her tone of command so threw him (and he was, famously, a boy who did what his Mama told him to do) that he put the gun down, although the scene actually called for him to ignore her order and race out the door. They cut, and director Robert Webb said, “Why on earth did you put the gun down?” And Elvis said, guileless, “Well … she told me to.” This anecdote has been used to mock Elvis’ ineptness as an actor, but Dunnock had another take: “For the first time in the whole thing he had heard me, and he believed me. Before, he’d just been thinking what he was doing and how he was going to do it. I think it’s a funny story. I also think it’s a story about a beginner who had one of the essentials of acting, which is to believe.”

This is an extraordinary statement from a woman who knew what she was talking about when it came to acting. Extraordinary because Elvis’ gifts as an actor have not just been dismissed, but barely acknowledged.

One film you never hear anything about is Live a Little, Love a Little (1968), directed by Norman Taurog, a prolific director who had been around since the 1930s, and directed most of the Elvis formula pics that made Elvis and Colonel Parker so much money in the 1960s. By 1968, Elvis was nearing the end of his movie contract, and he was starting to look forward to live performing again. His movies were no longer drawing the audience they had in the early 1960s, and so Live a Little, Love a Little came and went. It is a forgotten film., and what a pity, because it is a stylish, madcap, ridiculous romp, featuring one of Elvis’ funniest performances.

In Live a Little, Love a Little, Elvis plays Greg Nolan, a photographer who finds himself in the crosshairs of a crazy dame named Bernice (or is it Alice?) (played by Michele Carey) who decides that she will have him, come hell or high water. She drugs him to keep him captive in her beach house. When he wakes up, he has been fired, and also has lost his apartment. Greg then begins a madcap race to get another job, all while trying to ditch the insistent unflappable Bernice. The mood here is reminiscent of the great screwballs of the 1930s, where poor elegant Cary Grant loses his mind trying to maintain his dignity in the face of the adorable onslaught of Irene Dunne or Katharine Hepburn.

The Elvis formula pics like Blue Hawaii, Girl Happy, It Happened at the World’s Fair took place in what I call “Elvis Land”, with stunning locations but no recognizable real-world issues. The only reason to see many of them is Elvis. With Live a Little, Love a Little, the formula loosens quite a bit. The psychedelic grooviness of the 1960s is allowed some room to express itself (there’s a wacky dream sequence), and, startlingly, there are only a couple of songs, one being the unforgettable “A Little Less Conversation”.

What makes this performance unique in Elvis’ career is that he is allowed to be cranky in the face of some dame chasing after him. He plays a normal man, in other words, who happens to look like Elvis Presley. In most of his films, he is pursued by no less than three women (the Elvis formula pics loved the triangulation of Elvis), and he is open to all of them, which causes much mayhem along the way. But here, he is a solitary man, a workaholic, and he feels nothing for this broad in the bathing suit who has kidnapped him. He just wants to get away. This is a normal reaction. His crankiness is what makes the performance so funny. Watch his facial expressions in the sequence where she has shoved a thermometer in his mouth to check his temperature (she gasps when she sees the reading: “98.6!!!” Elvis barks, “Oh, come ON, that’s NORMAL!”), as she babbles on to him about her life and her wacko philosophies. He is undone by this woman. What a refreshing change in Elvis’ movie career, where Elvis(TM) wasn’t undone by anything. He’s hilarious when he feels trapped and annoyed. He runs up and down staircases, he hides behind newspapers in crowded elevators, and at one point he mutters to himself out of the corner of his mouth, a la W.C. Fields, “Ya miserable kid.” In the Elvis Formula Pics that dominated in the early to mid 1960s, Elvis was rarely allowed the opportunity to play anything remotely human. He played his own image and myth, and he did that better than anyone, being, as he was, sui generis. But it’s such a joy to see him tossed into a chaotic situation, involving demanding bosses, impatient clients, chilly secretaries, a ditzy-eyed dame, and a giant slobbering dog. He is harassed by them all.

 It was 1968. Elvis was a new father. In the summer of that year, he had filmed a TV special for NBC which would air close to Christmastime, and is now known as his “comeback special”. He was in his absolute prime. Elvis was always a good-looking man, but here he is almost otherworldly in his beauty. But it’s not a vain performance. Half the time, he is in a terricloth robe, unshaven, chasing Bernice around her house, shouting up the stairs at her like a lunatic. He is forced to eat dog food at one point. Of course he is, deep down, strangely drawn to this weird woman who can’t stop pursuing him, but at the same time he just wants her to leave him alone.

 What an interesting dynamic: To allow the biggest sex symbol in the world to show annoyance at being pursued by a woman. Elvis was always a good sport about the throngs of women who chased him, from his earliest days performing on the Louisiana Hayride out of Shreveport, Louisiana, where he first started making his name. His car was repeatedly demolished. His clothes were torn off. Women would dress up as maids and try to storm the barricades of the hotels where he stayed. His mother worried that the girls would kill him, but he always knew they just wanted to get close to him, it was okay, they didn’t mean any harm. In Live a Little, Love a Little, Elvis is allowed to be annoyed by the fact that women pursued him with a single-mindedness bordering on mania. He is allowed to have some feelings about the fact that nobody, ever, left him alone.

One of the things that Elvis brought to all of his roles was a sense of ease and openness before the camera. Mildred Dunnock saw it in 1956. This young man had the rare ability to believe. The camera picks up honesty and cannot abide phoniness. Elvis never lied, and Elvis was never phony. This was true in King Creole and it was true in Girls! Girls! Girls!. Elvis “showed up” with his honesty intact, regardless of the absurdity of the material. You never feel like he is slumming. This was one of his aces in the hole as a singer and performer, and it is there in his acting roles as well. In Live a Little, Love a Little, he gives a wonderful comedic and realistic performance which is essentially forgotten.

You can’t understand how good Elvis Presley was onscreen, how funny, how human, how real, if you haven’t seen Live a Little, Love a Little.

 Posted by Jeremy Richey at 6:17 PM 0 comments

Labels: 31 Performances Ripe for Rediscovery, Elvis Presley, Live a Little Love a Little, Sheila O’Malley, Writing on Film

Here is the link to this very nice blog site: 

http://mooninthegutter.blogspot.com/

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FRIDAY, DECEMBER  14, 2012

I am sharing one of my all-time favorite Christmas cards as my greeting to everyone visiting the site this Christmas season and into the New Year.  This is a vintage card from way back in 1988.  I have had this card for so very long…but this year, I am sending it to Jesse.

I do wish every visitor to this site a most joyous, blessed and Merry Christmas…also, a most happy and prosperous New Year. 

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My dear friend Susan sent this YouTube video to me recently.  Also, my good friend M J sent me an audio cassette of this same greeting and song from Elvis.  I believe this was released in 1982.  It is truly beautiful…enjoy :-))

Elvis Presley – Silent Night (With Message From Elvis)

http://youtu.be/yBacHN-wDBs

httpv://youtu.be/yBacHN-wDBs

Uploaded by SUNtoRCA on Dec 2, 2010

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I just came upon the following YouTube video which is so very accurate and poignant in it’s words of compassion and understanding for Elvis…the man and the human being.  Yes, Elvis is gone…but Jesse, the man, is still with us to this very day.  I thank God for you Elvis/Jesse.  You light up my life.

I could not have written truer words myself…this is exactly what has always been in my mind and heart.  Bless this author for putting these words to paper.  Also, bless the creator of this video for putting those lovely words to music and photos.

Uploaded on Feb 9, 2010  by issyx91

“I think this poem was so beautifully written, so I made a video of it.
The poem is not by me, but by somebody with the name Maria. Maria, if you see this, I hope you don’t mind me using it. I couldn’t find a way to contact you to ask you for your permission. If you don’t want me to use it, just send me a message.”

http://youtu.be/3rXiKPziAF4

httpv://youtu.be/3rXiKPziAF4

A very good friend phoned me today to tell me that he had heard a very touching account about Elvis on the Elvis Sirius radio show a few days ago.  It fits in so perfectly with the words in this video.  Interestingly, they said that the last ever show that Elvis performed in Las Vegas was on Dec. 12, 1976.  After that show, Rex Humbard had gone back to Elvis’s dressing room to visit and have prayer.  Rex Humbard said that Elvis began crying, sobbing actually, and said that his life was empty and held no meaning for him.  This took place around the same time that Elvis wrote those very sad words on the hotel stationary…those which he tossed into the trash and which were later fished out and salvaged by someone.  One of those notes is the “letter” about which Wayne Newton wrote and recorded his song about Elvis titled “The Letter”.  So, that was definitely a very sad time in Elvis’s life.  It just breaks my heart to know that he had no one to trust to whom he could open up in those lonely and sad days…that he did not know who he could turn to.  You will recall that Jesse wrote in his book that he had originally planned to fake his death in 1976 but chickened out.  It is so very easy to see that he could not have continued to live in the sadness and misery which he was enduring.  He most certainly would have died if he had not found a way to escape; to save himself; to reinvent himself as Jesse and give life to Jesse.

Jesse said that the last two years of his life, as Elvis, were misery.

Below is a video of Wayne Newton’s song based upon Elvis’s note:

The (Elvis) Letter Help me Lord

Uploaded by veronique99

http://youtu.be/NqYjal0MpAU

httpv://youtu.be/NqYjal0MpAU

Below is the link to my site page dedicated to the topic of Wayne’s song and Elvis’s notes:

https://lindahoodsigmonstruth.com/wayne-newtons-song-the-letter-was-inspired-by-a-note-written-by-elvis-elvis-handwritten-notes-a/

On that page you may see copies of Elvis’s handwritten notes as well as typed transcripts of them.  Also, you may see and hear more from Wayne Newton about this song, etc.

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SENT TO JESSE THRU THIS POINT ON FRIDAY, DECEMBER 14, 2012

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SATURDAY, DECEMBER 15, 2012

A reminder from Edgar Cayce about why we are all here…

Edgar Cayce’s Thought for the Day

Think on This… And keep that constructive attitude of prayer, of thanksgiving, of joyousness in an OPPORTUNITY to serve in ANY manner where and when those of thy fellow man stumble or falter. For as ye do it unto the least of His children ye do it unto Him. Reading 844-2

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TUESDAY, DECEMBER 18, 2012

This is a sweet song and video to enjoy during this Christmas time…

Published on Dec 9, 2012 by laury etta

Elvis Presley -On A Snowy Christmas Night – Recorded May 16, 1971

http://youtu.be/i8-cK78bL_M

httpv://youtu.be/i8-cK78bL_M

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This is one of my very favorite Christmas songs…love the sweet words.

Elvis Presley – If I Get Home On Christmas Day

Uploaded on Dec 4, 2007 by MemphisRocksReturned

http://youtu.be/Pxjc3HC-Zao

httpv://youtu.be/Pxjc3HC-Zao

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The below Edgar Cayce Thought for the Day perfectly describes the manner in which Elvis lived his life before 1977…he gave, gave, gave, and gave…publicly and privately.  His lifestyle as Jesse does not afford him the same opportunities, but he is still just as caring and generous.  What a perfect example for us all to follow.

Edgar Cayce’s Thought for the Day

Think on This… “For all that ye may ever keep is just what you give away, and that you give away is advice, counsel, manner of life you live yourself.” The manner in which you treat your fellow man, your patience, your brotherly love, your kindness, your gentleness. That you give away, that is all that ye may possess in those other realms of consciousness. Reading 5259-1

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A friend sent the following link to me.  This is an excellent assortment of photos of Elvis with President Nixon during his visit to the White House.

I have the book showing the photos taken at that meeting…but this is the first time that I have seen all of them displayed on the Internet.

I love these photos so very much…a truly historic moment in time.

Elvis meets Nixon, 1970

Chris Wild

‘On December 21, 1970, Elvis Presley paid a visit to President Richard M. Nixon at the White House. The meeting was initiated by Presley, who wrote Nixon a six-page letter requesting a visit and suggesting that he be made a “Federal Agent-at-Large” in the Bureau of Narcotics and Dangerous Drugs.’

– The George Washington University

Thank you to The National Archive

Here is the link to this web site: 

http://www.retronaut.com/2012/01/elvis-meets-nixon-1970/

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SENT TO JESSE THRU THIS POINT ON TUESDAY, DECEMBER 18, 2012

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Here is an article about the box set which Jesse requested recently and enjoyed very much…saying that he had never seen some of the footage on the DVD before.

Elvis Presley: Prince From Another Planet

RCA/Legacy

by James Kelly

One would think all the Elvis Presley material in the world has been released, but when something new crops up, it’s an opportunity to enhance and repackage older material. In 1972, Presley played four historic shows at Madison Square Garden, his first NYC appearances since 1957. One show was previously released on CD, but now we have two of the shows, plus an unusual DVD containing 20 minutes of rare 8mm footage shot by a fan from close range. What’s odd is that the scattered footage is synched with the entire hour-long concert, and pops on the screen at random intervals. Nevertheless, Presley looks amazing in Technicolor, and sounds fantastic. Bonus features include an excellent documentary regarding these legendary concerts. “Prince? Nope, he’s the KING!” (4 out of 5 stars)

Here is the link to this article: 

http://clatl.com/atlanta/elvis-presley-prince-from-another-planet/Content?oid=7107887

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I have started a new page for the remainder of December.

Below is the link to the next page of Current News and Events

https://lindahoodsigmonstruth.com/current-news-events/current-news-and-events-december-2012-contd/