Elvis Presley: The Searcher Page #9

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the fearful response,

it had a racial component

and a sexual component.

You know, it's all about

fear and the body.

Cohn:

I and millions of other

kids growing up,

we all had this feeling

that Elvis was,

sort of, sent to us,

to lead us out of the darkness

of our own confusion,

sexual confusion,

social confusion,

ineptitude.

Robertson:

Here's what it was for me.

Elvis came along,

and this soundwave came out

that ran right through me.

Priscilla:

You felt like

he was looking at you.

I mean, he had these eyes,

and he was connecting

with his audience.

As teenagers,

it was liberating.

Now we had something

to claim for ours.

Light:

I don't think there

was any context

for the kind of shift

that Elvis represented.

I don't think there was

any-- any possible way

to know that that

was going to resonate

and shake young people

to their core

in such a profound way.

Steve Allen:

The reason I booked him,

I recognized right away

that he had something,

a cuteness.

It was chiefly his face,

but a beautiful sound,

he really never had.

Landau:

The thing is that it was

well-known that Steve Allen,

who fancied himself

a major songwriter,

hated rock and roll.

And his purpose

in having Elvis was,

first and foremost,

he needed the ratings,

but secondly,

to be sarcastic

and condescending to Elvis

and to the music

he openly despised.

Elvis:

You ain't nothin'

but a hound dog

Cryin' all the time

You ain't nothin'

but a hound dog

Cryin' all the time

Dave Marsh:

Steve Allen, he was out

to humiliate an entire culture

of what he would've

called "hillbillies."

It was all a sneer.

Priscilla:

It's a control thing.

It was humiliating.

After that, he didn't

like Steve Allen at all.

Well, that was just a lie

Marsh:

As a child,

I was deeply offended.

There was something

wrong there.

Elvis, why are you

letting him do this to you?

Ferris:

We can look at Elvis

as a Southern trickster figure.

You deal with power

by yes-ing them to death,

and that's what Elvis did.

Very polite, very deferential,

but with his eye

on the sparrow.

He was basically

a good-natured Southern kid,

but he was on a mission

to deliver this music.

Schilling:

By 1956,

Elvis was coming

into his own.

The RCA singles were enormous.

"Hound Dog,"

"Don't Be Cruel."

They sold

three million copies.

Light:

When Elvis's

first album came out,

that sold 300,000 copies.

"Heartbreak Hotel" topped

all three Billboard charts:

country, pop, and R&B.

This was now a career

that was going to these

unimaginable heights.

Petty:

I often wonder

if there had ever

been a 21-year-old

that had that power,

that could mobilize

millions of youths

with the wave of his hand.

Priscilla:

His mother worried

so much about him.

He always wanted

to be a good son,

mostly to his mom,

and didn't want

to give her fears.

They would talk

every single day,

and he was comforting her

that he'd be okay

and not to worry so much.

(screaming)

Light:

By the time Elvis made

the first appearance

on The Ed Sullivan Show,

it was already something

everybody was waiting for,

watching for.

There was all kinds

of pressure

and all kinds of expectation.

The Sullivan Show

was the crown jewel,

that was the biggest

game in town.

Priscilla:

It was almost like,

okay, you know,

"I'll do these shows,

I'm doing my song,

I'm doing my thing."

But he's not letting go

of his roots.

Elvis:

Well, the morning's

so bright

And the lamp...

Gordon Stoker:

He wanted to do

"Peace in the Valley"

on The Ed Sullivan Show.

They said, "No, we've

never had a religious song

on this show,

and you're not going

to sing one now."

Priscilla:

That's one of the songs

his mother loved

was "Peace in the Valley."

He fought for that song.

No one wanted him

to do that song.

Elvis:

There will be peace

In the valley

For me

Priscilla:

But it was important for him

to sing it for his mother,

to his mother,

and keep his roots intact.

Elvis:

Peace in the valley

For me

Schilling:

If you really look at Elvis

on the Dorsey shows,

that's the rebel.

But then you see him

doing "Peace in the Valley"

on The Sullivan Show,

that's the good-natured

Southern kid.

Trouble I see

There will be peace

In the valley

For me

Man:

Okay, Elvis, this is

sort of off-the-cuff,

but how does it feel to be

right up there on top,

right with the best of 'em,

since you are

one of that class,

how does that feel?

Elvis:

Uh, it all happened so fast,

so I don't know.

I'm afraid to wake up,

afraid it's liable to be

a dream, you know?

Man:

Mm-hmm.

(man speaking)

(Elvis speaking)

Elvis:

We got a seven-year contract

with Paramount Pictures.

It's a dream come true,

you know?

I've had people ask me

was I gonna sing

in the movies, I'm-- I'm not.

Man:
I see you're signed

by Hal Wallis and company,

out of Paramount.

Elvis:
Yes.

Man:
Can you

tell us anything

about the first movie

that will be made?

Elvis:

We'll have

a movie coming out,

uh, we start making it

in June. It's, uh...

It's a movie

with Burt Lancaster

and Katharine Hepburn

called The Rainmaker.

Schilling:

He didn't get

The Rainmaker.

They talked him into

doing Love Me Tender.

And then talked him

into four songs.

Jorgensen:

I think that Elvis brought

a lot of insecurity with him.

He wanted to be a movie star,

that was much bigger

than being a recording star,

and he was fairly disheartened

when he learned

that he had to sing

for these movies.

Priscilla:

In the first four movies,

you see him so into the part,

and you see him really

taking the role seriously.

He learned everyone's lines.

He thought that's

what an actor did.

Training himself to be

more like a Marlon Brando

or a James Dean

or a Humphrey Bogart.

He respected

these actors very much,

and this is where he thought

his future was going.

Landau:

The movie people

took him very seriously.

These were

carefully made films.

They had scripts.

They had emotion.

King Creole,

Love Me Tender,

Jailhouse Rock.

They assigned him

stellar people.

Michael Curtiz,

who directed King Creole,

is the same Michael Curtiz

who directed Casablanca.

So they treated him

with respect.

Schilling:

King Creole, it was being

prepped for James Dean...

before the fatal crash.

Woman:

Crawfish

Fresh and ready

To cook

Elvis:

Crawfish

Crawfish

See, I got 'em

See the size

Stripped and cleaned

Before your eyes

Sweet meat, look

Sweet meat, look

Fresh and ready to cook

Fresh and ready to cook

Crawfish

Now take Mr. Crawfish

in your hand

He's gonna look good

in your frying pan

If you fry him crisp

Or you boil him right

He'll be sweeter than sugar

with every bite

Crawfish

See I got 'em

See the size

Stripped and cleaned

Stripped and cleaned

Before your eyes

Sweet meat, look

Sweet meat, look

Fresh and ready to cook

Fresh and ready to cook

Crawfish...

Priscilla:

Out of all those movies,

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