http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Dw2TDXfvph4

Elvis Presley screen test at Paramount Pictures as he sings his hit Blue Suede Shoes in 1956. . Elvis made his film debut in 1956 in the film Love Me Tender.

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Elvis Presley Screen Test for Paramount appeared first on Witnify.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Y_cVTeyUsPc

Dolly Parton is an American singer-songwriter known for her numerous country music hits. Parton is the most honored female country performer of all time, and has had 25 songs reach number one on the Billboard Country charts. In this video, Parton speaks of the time that Elvis Presley almost recorded her hit “I Will Always Love You”, why that didn’t happen, and how Whitney Houston came to sing it years later.

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Dolly Parton On One Of Her Most Famous Songs appeared first on Witnify.

“The drug culture, the hippie elements, the SDS, Black Panthers, etc do not consider me as their enemy or as they call it, the establishment. I call it America and I love it. Sir, I can and will be of any service that I can to help the country out. I have no concerns or motives other than helping the country out…”

In a letter to U.S. President Richard Nixon, Elvis Presley offers his services as a federal agent for the Bureau of Narcotics and Dangerous Drugs. After flying to the White House to personally deliver the letter, Elvis met with the president and was presented with the police badge he coveted. The duo also posed for photos that have become the most frequently requested in the national archive. Who would have guessed the risqué King of Rock completed an “in-depth study of drug abuse and communist brainwashing techniques?”

“Dear Mr President,

First, I would like to introduce myself. I am Elvis Presley and admire you and have great respect for your office. I talked to vice-president Agnew in Palm Springs three weeks ago and expressed my concerns for our country. The drug culture, the hippie elements, the SDS, Black Panthers, etc do not consider me as their enemy or as they call it, the establishment. I call it America and I love it. Sir, I can and will be of any service that I can to help the country out. I have no concerns or motives other than helping the country out. 

So, I wish not to be given a title or an appointed position. I can and will do more good if I were made a federal agent at large and I will help out by doing it my way through communications with people of all ages. First and foremost, I am an entertainer, but all I need is the federal credentials. I am on the plane with Senator George Murphy and we have been discussing the problems that our country is faced with.

Popular image Nixon and Presley’s meeting on January 27, 1972. Source: U.S. National Archives.

Sir, I am staying at the Washington hotel, Room 505-506-507. I have two men who work with me by the name of Jerry Schilling and Sonny West. I am registered under the name of Jon Burrows. I will be here for as long as it takes to get the credentials of a federal agent. I have done an in-depth study of drug abuse and communist brainwashing techniques and I am right in the middle of the whole thing, where I can and will do the most good.

I am glad to help just so long as it is kept very private. You can have your staff or whomever call me anytime today, tonight or tomorrow. I was nominated this coming year one of America’s 10 most outstanding young men. That will be in January 18 in my home town of Memphis, Tennessee. I am sending you a short autobiography about myself so you can better understand this approach. I would love to meet you just to say hello if you’re not too busy.

Respectfully, Elvis Presley

PS
I believe that you, sir, were one of the top 10 outstanding men of America also. I have a personal gift for you which I would like to present to you and you can accept it or I will keep it for you until you can take it.”

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[Text] Elvis’s Hand-Delivered Letter to Nixon appeared first on Witnify.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-kP2woBzr9M

In this interview on NBC’s Today Show, wife Priscilla Presley and daughter Lisa Marie Presley fondly remember the late music icon Elvis Presley. Lisa Marie recalls that she was awestruck watching her father perform and declares that “there wasn’t a persona onstage” because Elvis was as great a spirit offstage. Priscilla speaks kindly of the candlelight vigil that took place outside of their home in Graceland, on the 35th anniversary of his death because it reminds her that Elvis’s music has a lasting legacy. Elvis Presley passed away on August 16, 1977.

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Priscilla and Lisa Marie Presley Remember Elvis appeared first on Witnify.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FjJr5Yimfeo

Famous television personality, Milton Berle, discusses Elvis Presley’s controversial performance of “Hound Dog” on “The Milton Berle Show” in 1956. He gives a light-hearted account of the media frenzy that criticized Elvis’s provocative hip gyrations, which was different from his own surprising response.

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Milton Berle on the TV Performance that Scandalized America appeared first on Witnify.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=c3VtlcfwGbo

Elvis Presley is interviewed about his acclimation to army enlistment and he comments on how the other soldiers treat his as a famous musician. Presley was drafted into the army on March 24, 1958.

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Elvis on His Time in the Army appeared first on Witnify.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9hBtBm8fY5Q

The Reverend Mother Dolores Hart, born Dolores Hicks, recalls an especially tender gesture from Elvis Presley and shares how it affected one woman for the rest of her life. Before embracing a religious vocation, Hart appeared in ten films in five years, debuting in “Loving You” (1957) as the love interest of Elvis Presley. In 1958, she acted in another Presley film, “King Creole.”

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Mother Dolores Hart Reveals a Thoughtful Elvis Moment appeared first on Witnify.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SBMLiKDi5oM

Actress Angela Lansbury shares what it was like to portray Elvis Presley’s mother and work with him in the 1961 musical romantic comedy, Blue Hawaii. Discover what she thought of him personally, how well they got along, what she thought of the film’s location and more. Blue Hawaii was nominated by the Writers Guild of America in 1962 for best written American musical.

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Angela Lansbury Describes Elvis Presley in Blue Hawaii appeared first on Witnify.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gP-zcXtiXhA

Lead vocalist and lyricist of the legendary rock band Led Zeppelin, Robert Plant, discusses the tremendous influence that Elvis Presley had on his love of music and musical career, as well as the influence Elvis had on music in general. Discover what happened when Plant met Presley; what they talked about; why Presley stopped singing in his concert, mid-song, because Led Zeppelin was in attendance; what impressed Plant about Presley’s moves; and much more.

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Led Zeppelin’s Robert Plant on the Influence of Elvis appeared first on Witnify.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ybQr9Ii1sbk

Singer Wayne Newton, a close friend of Elvis Presley, shares his memories of The King, including the story of a deeply personal letter that Elvis wrote to God and to himself, and then decided to throw it away. Discover how the letter ended up in the hands of Newton; how it tore his heart out; and how he responded musically to the letter’s message. Also hear about lighter, more fun moments.

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Wayne Newton Explains the Song He Wrote About Elvis appeared first on Witnify.