ELVIS up close and personal with sonny west

Elvis really made me mad a couple of times but mostly he made me laugh but there was always the music and when I think of him and I think of him every day the thing I remember most about him was his humanity [Music] [Music] Valen you stupid [Music] [Applause] I want to thank all of you for coming here and we got in with the good weather so now when the bad weather we'll have to ask for it to go down while we go to lunch and then it in your home it can start back again right that's what we've been asking for anyway thank you all for coming I hope you enjoy it I'm looking forward to sharing a lot of stories of my life with elbows I hope to give you an insight into him beyond what you already have from the books and the movies and documentaries you've seen a lot of that was not done by some of us that were really personally close to him and so I want to tell you that I want a first thing I want to do is tell you about when I met him I met him in 1958 just before he was getting ready to go to Germany and I was home from the Air Force I'd gotten out and was home and my cousin red took me out too and my three sisters and my brother-in-law out to the skating rink two for Elvis's private rollerskating party that he was having had a lot of them which I was to find out much to my chagrin but anyway I'd like to first tell you to kind of give you a theme of what he was beyond what you saw that was when I first met him I first saw him when I was in high school he came to the campus and he was promoting his record new one that's all right mama which was recorded on my birthday in 1954 July the fifth and so that fall I'm in school go out at lunchtime and there he is on the campus and he's singing these songs that he that he had and as I thought at the time he moved around a lot but he was good you know he even then he was jumping around all over the place girls were giggling and laughing oh yeah any hands from this and so then the next time I saw him was I was in the Air Force and he did a concert show out in Tucson Arizona where I was stationed at the base out there and I went saw him there and dynamite dynamite shoots in 56 and then the next time I saw him probably will stick out in fact I know it will stick out in my life forever Red's father my Uncle Tom who was my favorite uncle passed away he actually passed away the same day that Elvis's mother passed away just she passed away early in the morning around 5:30 a.m. or so and later that evening going into that day and that evening Reds father died so it made their funerals a day apart but it's kind of ironic because they were buried one day apart but they were in the same funeral home the services and also the same exact stateroom and I was sitting there with my dad in the family area and Reds up there on the front row and we hear this noise behind us and was turning around and look and there's a private entrance it comes in from the street and here comes Elvis with a couple of guys with him and he's just kind of stumbling along and he's calling out the red head where were all you man red he's got understand he had just buried his mother the day before and he came in and red stood up and they embraced and Elvis was crying very very openly they walked over to the casket and he said overhead I know how much you love him I know how much miss him and he said mama was just there yesterday so I know what you're going through and they hugged and then Elvis did you know what rare I'll be there for you man come out to the house when you're ready but I got to get out of here a lot of people were crying watching it that's the most emotion I ever saw of Elvis in the rest of the years I saw some other trying times for him even when we went out to to visit his mom's grave site there in the early 60s whenever we would drive out there quite often and go up there and he just talked his mom well we kind of stood off to the back whoever was with him but that was his humanity that's the Elvis that you won't you won't see you won't ever see that he's gone but that's the Elvis that was there that no one else saw except us guys and his humanity really really was something that stuck out in so many ways and that's one of them he was that's when he showed how human he really was you know he was there for red even though he just lost his mom so now after that he went back to the base and he came back on leave before he went to Germany to spend 18 months over there and red invited myself and and my three sisters and my brother-in-law to come out there to meet him to a private party he was having he had a lot of them at the rollerskating rink we went out there red brings Elvis over they skate up and everything and I'm not a very good skater I didn't spend much time skating when I was younger you know other things were more fun but they come over and introduce and I was very impressed with how nice Elvis was I mean this is a superstar and he's hey Sonny nice to meet you and everything he nice to meet you whoa you know my brother-in-law's in the Air Force and he's home on leave and he's so we're standing there and they said look we play a game here called war and we'd like y'all to play with it but we want you to see how we play it first and then you'll know how we plant and you can join in after we take the first break we said okay well they went out there and I'll tell you war is a good word for it is chaotic bodies flying all face it's a combination of hockey rugby football everything wrassling judo karate you just don't hit in the face and I'm seeing bodies fly through the air and I'm seeing them get body blocked and flipping over and hitting on that floor and I you know with my brother my brother-in-law walks away he's I'm not going out there and he put back up there and set next to my sister and so I had noticed a box a big cardboard box over to the side where people were getting out of elbow pads and putting on the elbows and putting on their knees and I'd already done that because I knew I was gonna fall out there when I tried to skate so ridding them they take the break and they come over and first thing rich where's bill my brother-in-law I see back up a barber of my sister up there sitting down and red holler and Bill come on bill said I can't get out there man I got a family to raise yeah he was only 28 or 29 you're about five or six years older than us at all but he acted like he was no man so we had looked at me said well that's you Sonny I said let's go but I'm gonna go over that box first I went over that box boy and I put pads on from up here I look like a goalie in a hog leave without the mask and I asked me you got any chest protector here and I load it up from the top of my knees down to my ankles all the way to my hands up and I said I'm ready well I went out there I forced new guy on the block I'm on the other team so I go down there and I get over next to the rail cuz I look like I said I don't skate doing I need that way if I start to fall grab hold up so I'm there and I look up there's a girl on Elvis's team and she's on the side of the rail that I am up there on his side and she was the only girl that he would let escape because she was tough she looked more like a Chicago a linebacker you know I'm thinking uh-oh sure enough they blow the whistle and I start trying to get going and the others just leave me and all sudden here comes just freight train at me whoa and I put my hands up just to try to absorb getting the bow I'm getting ready to get and it knocked me spinning and I went down man you know what it hits I get up don't say anything about it and I start looking for someone to do it again I always said and I just get going and something grabs me by my shirt and jerked me backward and my feet go out and I hit that floor and she goes skating by you know so I got up next and I started looking for her I'm looking around because I think she'd be like a shark circling you know waiting for me and I didn't know why at the time I didn't know what it was and so I didn't see her so I got up again and I started moving on and I see someone I start going and all of a sudden something hit me behind my knees and my legs went up I hit the floor when she goes skating by again I said enough enough I crawled over to the side ready to get up afraid she'd get me before I got there I crawled over and got against the rail and just leaned back against the rail that's around the rink and they just kept mine watching bodies flying and duck and some of them go by and then they blew the whistle took a break here comes ready no we had what are you doing I said man I'm resting he's arresting I said yeah all I've done is get up and down off at for that girls just beating the hell out of me over here always laughing he said Melinda come here so she skates over here why are you after him that's Reds cousin that she liked red this red was as physical as she was you know boom busting heads so she I don't care who he is she said if he's gonna knock me down I'm gonna knock I said how am I trying to knock you down I'm trying to get out of your way you know and I said a matter of fact if you leave me alone and I happen to end up in front of you just give me a minute to turn and I'll just go the other way so Elvis is dying laughing so he said Melinda leave him alone you know he's he's okay so we went ahead and skated everything and into the night there I went up and I had a split she almost even had a first-aid guy that does the butterfly stitches case you get a cut so I had a cut he put that I had to cut in my head were skates almost knocked me out hit me in the head and cut my head my shoulder I got knocked into the rail one time because I was hanging close to it and they haven't used it up real bad so I go up to Elvis after it's all over with and I thank him for having me and my sisters out there and and tell him you know that I really enjoyed meeting and everything he said yeah a lot of fun right and I said uh yeah I had some fun you know he said well I'll see you tomorrow night then I said Elvis tomorrow night I probably wouldn't be able to walk much less skate he said well maybe not but you got here skating won't you I didn't know it folks but at that time that was the seed was planted not only for a friendship that would endure and get bigger and everything and grow over the years starting a year and a half and he got back in the army but also I'd be doing his bidding I'd be doing what he needed done when he asked me to go to work he let me know that so he went to Germany and then he comes home oh one thing - back then I said GD a lot I mean like every other word soon as I said and we had told me man Sonny it was really likes you but you really say Gd and he doesn't like that word I have to stop saying it you know and I did they don't else have it quite a bit but later on through the years when he got mad but so he came back and I went out to see him say hi to him welcomed him home and the war started again I got to the skating rink but we had breaks where we went and watched movies all night too but I hung out with him and I was still doing my day job working from 8:00 to 5:00 or with this appliance store I repaired washer dryers and at ACE appliance and so after about two or three weeks and Elvis asked me if I'd ever heard of karate fact when I walked in to see him there he was in the he's in the foyer right there doing karate with his friend that had studied with him in the army and he asked me I'd ever heard of it and I said no but I've seen those outfits cuz I've seen judo and they had on the the Gea's and he said yeah he said this is the it's called again so anyway getting back to it so when I started hanging out with him he went ahead and and I thought I could work for him I said no I'm just kidding cuz everybody got quiet I said well what would I do and he said well whatever I need what I whatever I need you to do Drive go get something you know run errands or whatever I said okay I'll have to give my notice two weeks notice from my boss he said that's okay so we're getting ready to go down to Florida where I'm doing a TV show with Frank Sinatra which it was that time next special welcome back Elvis thing or whatever and he said then when we come back we're gonna go to Nashville record a couple of songs then we're gonna head out and make a movie I said I'll be ready to go so I was he went on down to this special got $125,000 back in 1964 singing two-and-a-half songs not bad uh unheard of but that's what Colonel could do he could he knew how to make those deals so we head out go out on a train actually private train we have a club car and a sleeper and we're sitting in the club car there on the ride took about two and a half three days to get out there and we're visiting in there and I always wore flat top when I was young it was a very popular haircut back then you either wore along with the da's or you had a half-and-half which was flat top on the back with the da's on the side well I just kept Mike I played baseball football so I just kept my hair short and I was looking at me said Sonny that hair is not gonna cut it out in Hollywood man that's what we mean he said you gotta let that Moss grow he said get that Tony Curtis look you know sweep it over and everything you do that's okay I didn't know that's 21 years old I'd be in the airport I'd been anywhere big time so I started doing it and I've got a pictured amount of fact taking on a while in the country where my hair is starting to it's growing that way so we got out there and we went over to the Beverly Wilshire hotel same hotel where they shot pretty woman if you remember that movie and Lamar and Charlie and I are staying up in the penthouse which the birds big word nice sounding word but it's just a big room with two studio bed we had to bring in a fold away for for Charlie and Elvis had a two-room suite where Joe and his cousin Jean stayed in one bedroom and Elvis had the back bedroom so we're gonna go over and to the set the Paramount to start filming gie blues they'd already shot some second unit stuff in Germany while Elvis was actually over there they did some tank shots with a double and everything so we're crazy we're young and we're gonna have some fun well we pull pranks on each other all the time and we pulled one on Elvis because his co-star was Juliet Prowse who was engaged to Frank Sinatra at the time the chairman of the board right so Elvis warmed her up she's kind of aloof when they first started and he but his charm they meant he had the charm he warmed her up pretty soon she's all over him you know but anyway read one they were sitting there and they're they have a portable dressing room that they roll over to the soundstages because all the stars have a permanent dressing room there on the lot but they use these ones on rollers that they take a tote little tow truck and they bring them to the different sound stages all it is is its own wheel that's got the door you step up to it and it's got a couch here it's got a closet there for hanging wardrobe and it's got the mirror here for the makeup and everything so their doors closed when out and read knocked on that doors it's Elvis here comes Frank well about two minutes that door where you know everybody I just kidding you ready I'll do that again I'll get you man don't do that again so we did it again a couple more time he ends up chasing us around the studio then one day here comes Frank remember the old crywolf story well I wasn't crying wolf I knock that door see because it was at lunchtime and the soundstage doors are real big so where they bring the equipment and they just roll them open and let the stage air out for that morning shoot while all was going on with the dust and everything and there's that silhouette with that little pork pie hat and that little suit and those little Batman I thought oh man here comes Frank Elvis him and Juliet are in there get away that door hey look I'm not kidding you I'm keeping my voice knocking I don't want him to hear me telling him that here he comes I'm not the Elvis I'm not kidding that Sonny open the door man you better get away Matt door here he comes up hey fellas how y'all doing hi miss Sinatra how you doing yes sir we're doing good he's we all seen Juliet and that's a yes sir she's there here going over their lines right there and Elvis and Juliet Paulie G listen that's Frank so present real quick that door open Elsa well hello Frank like you just now see him you know could I didn't get a chance to knock and so he said see what happens guys with crywolf and we looked at it was anything going on he said hey your damn business just don't cry wolf anymore yeah that that's way that didn't it another thing we did another thing was was a water fight we had start off got these pistols little water pistols that you could buy back at the drugstore at the toy store and we're shooting each other everywhere the crews getting in on it they're stealing our guns when we set them down so they can shoot us and it's going on but by the time we got back to the Beverly Wilshire hotel now we've graduated two buckets of water the wastebaskets filling them up whom sweet got wet always got wet and then read we've jumped Elvis and pinned him down I grabbed his legs and I was holding on to his legs Joe Esposito was around his waist having his arms pinned and Reds up there doing something I didn't know where I wouldn't have been in on it taking his hand and rubbing elbows his nose Elvis had extremely sensitive nose and he's rubbing that thing hard I was in custody car long enough and I can feel that body I think we're getting ready he's gonna get loose about the timer it said let's go well he jumped up went that way and I jumped up let go of the legs and I got out he caught Joe Joe try to get old him down boy town start pounding on Joe Joe's trying to roll away from him he's kicking him you know not not to really hurt him but he's kicking calling him names you were part of it this now he gets it guitar D he hits Joe with hits his elbow and Joe ow that gun I heard he I don't care and he tried to hit him again then he comes looking for a red now we're smart we're out in the hallway where we can move on if we need to he comes out that door and he sees his board he takes it get Tony swings it at us and that thing comes saying through in about that time they had permanent guests in that hotel and this guy heard this ruckus and he opened over little old guy opened that door not get to him but he looked down there and slammed that door and went back inside and a few minutes later the phone rang assistant management what's going on up there what do you mean mr. so-and-so across the hallway said that y'all out there throwing guitars and everything else in the hallway I said not us well we were asked to move so he was kicked out Knickerbocker 2 in the 50s so it wasn't nothing new he didn't really trash him but we did get the carpet wet and things like that but it was a I'd like to regress here if I could while we're talking about this movie that I was first with him on in 1956 he went out to make a movie called Love Me Tender it's a very sweet story about his mom and in the movie you know all know that if seen that Elvis died up on that mountain and so when they saw the preview of it and his mom and dad were there with him and they're watching that Fox at a studio they had their and she start crying you shouldn't have died he said mom I didn't that's just the part she said no no that boy in that picture shouldn't have died he was such a sweet boy Tom had help with his character you know so he said well mom that's just the way they make movies out here so they laugh now the studio sends out sneak previews along with comic cards about what you think of the movie what you liked what you didn't like this and that about 90% of them came back love the movie this Elvis shouldn't have died studio said we got a problem he's got his major star here that we're getting ready to break I've got a good movie and they don't like it the ending and you know how Hollywood is that ending back in you got to have that great ending with the curtain blowing music playing and everything's just gonna be wonderful so they brought Elvis back and they shot a new ending because he at that time during that movie he died on that mountain that was yet that's the last thing you saw of him his character they brought him back and they superimposed him big on the screen playing the guitar with that sweet smile on his face and he's kind of looking over the ranch like he's up in heaven and he's looking out for everyone he loves down there that was great fans loved it they accepted it so it went out and got good reviews and everything but that his mom was right on you know because a lot of people said he shouldn't have died if y'all remember he was such a an innocent young kid on that thing the character he played he's just someone that you you don't want someone like that to die so he didn't you know well he did but he didn't but also up there Lynette movie before oh by the way two movies that Elvis died in both of them were at Fox and both of them were westerns he died in Love Me Tender and he died also in the movie flaming star which I'll tell you about right now because before the movie started we had to go out there for him to pick out the horse that he wanted to ride in the movie they got about six or seven horses there for him to choose from and the ring of two Wranglers there so Elvis goes over he picks out this big horse big red he's the I like I like the looks at him about him so they tighten the saddle up that was got up on him and the head Wrangler took off and went out this on twentieth Century Fox which is now Century City but it used to be a huge back lot there with Western towns and country homes and all kind of scary houses they just you know where they shot these movies so they take off and we're let's guys three or four of us sitting there with any boy we'd like get on that horse those other horse and go out and ride with him you know so we're just kind of sitting there on sudden we hear there's ruckus whoa you stomach whoa and we look here comes up with that horse and running away with him always his legs are flopping out he's hanging on to that thing man that horn and I think oh oh and it's scary it was funny later like we're doing now but at the time it was scary and there's a little gate that comes in where they load the stock in I was not gonna make a gate man I was gonna get thrown I'm really my I'm scared for him and that horse comes to that gate because he wants to come back to where he was and as he makes that turn those back legs spread out Elvis hangs on goes way over here on this side and that horse gets them together he goes back this side is almost like slow motion and then he runs in and he makes it through the gate he comes in and there's a lean-to with a 2x4 over the in front of the stalls and he runs in there and Elvis saw it and he ducked his head and I tell you he could have been killed with a broken neck it could have been very bad so nobody was anything except upset at what we were seeing that horse came to a dead stop when he got in there Ellis jumped off that horse Oh hit that horse right in the jaw oh the horse went in there Hank took a little step he said no and about that time the ringer will come up and Elvis didn't warm scene he'd be a good horse a good order stroke in his forehead well that Wrangler comes up and now he he's upset he's just white he's scared because the picture had him started and Elvis could have got hurt badly the movie putback for shooting and he would never get another wrangling job so he comes up mr. Pressman he jumps off at you okay so yeah I'm okay petting that horse he said could I could I have those rims he takes the reins he takes that horse walks him out to the middle of the crowd he gets up on top of him and he Spurs him good and that horse lurches forward and he jerks that rein horse stops he did it again several times horse starts frothing at the mouth here he's getting hot you know he's upset is she's being stressed out all of a sudden little speckles of blood appear no it's his mouth and he explained to us he said the horse had been ridden for a while ink his a mouth hardened up I had to tenderize it again boy that guy could start to support that horse thought he was going to hit start and he'd go but let me know or just stop as all it was so he when he had that done he's got off of him said Elvis he'll pick out another horse we'll try this again he said no I want him he's a crazy sumbitch try something again that's what she did to it so that's the horse he rode he didn't he didn't give him a problem the whole show you know [Music] you know there was something else Elvis liked to do besides breaking horses you know and that was play football I'm just kidding about the breaking horses but that's what he just about had to do with that horse but and we there's a little park over there near where we lived at Bel Air now if we've been moved over and it's called Beverly Glen it was right next to the estates there in bel-air and we would go down and play football on Saturday and then we would watch the course the pro football games on Sunday he was a big Johnny Unitas fan for the cokes and a big big Jim Brown fan of the Cleveland Browns so we went down there any word got around not only just in the Hollywood scene but other people started coming up there willing to play cheerleaders start gathering up there one the cheerlead but anyway some celebrities that came out one of them was Michael parks and he he was along he was in that series then came Bronson he did a lot of movies and stuff to you you'd know if you saw him but if remember that series he did that and and another guy there that did a series his name was I'll told you I'll tell you about him because he played football for UCLA and that's a whole different story with Vicki Nelson and what he tried to pull but Pat Boone came up there once a little rough tie hardened from Bronco came up there tough guy he played ball in college and everything too so we had a lot of good times up there Ricky Nelson heard about it well Ricky idolized Elvis but he also wanted to beat Elvis in football so he goes to UCLA and he's got some friends that play on the football team UCLA that also worked on his series with his mom then he actually played a college friend of Ricky's he brings about five or six of them over there and you know what we held our own we didn't do extra points we just scored a touchdown and that was six points than we kicked or threw the ball to the other team and they beat us 18 to 12 I got to tell you something there was a guy on that team called Kent mcwhirter he's about 6 to about 240 pounds and it was all muscle well Allan Fortis who worked fellows had made Allstate at Central High School there in Memphis when he played Bollywood got a scholarship to Vanderbilt and he went there and then he dropped out after a year or two and quit playing and I think he even dropped out of college but he was good little ball player but he was short and stocky and he wouldn't very fast so Kent was doing spin-offs of him and coming right on in and getting in the backfield every play so Elvis said Sonny you and Alan switch places ok I don't know what I'm in for now I'd go over there and I thought uh-oh I'm about 190 pounds at that time so we line up and sure enough boy he comes exploding across that line and our shoulders hit and I thought I'd trust you so I kept him out a lot of the time and he got in sometimes but when I went to shower at the end of that game up the house I could barely lift my arm up towards my face in my hair shampoo it and over the next 2 or 3 days I couldn't have to shave with my left hand this was just nothing but a big black and blue hurting painful hurt and so all that week I'm just at the end of the week starting to get a little bit better and I'm thinking man I hope they don't come back oh I don't want a rematch and they didn't come back but I ran into Ken over the years and in fact we studied acting together at an acting class out in San Fernando Valley and I got to know him real good the Ender he's only a hundred and eighty pounds without the weight lifting his normal weight was about 180 and you wouldn't know him as Kent McWhorter you would know him as Kent McCord of one adam-12 yeah that was Kent and we became really good friends over the years but anyway we had a place that we went down in Palm Springs that Elvis rented home because car park had a home down there and he was always saying they'll but you need to get a place there for you guys to get away on the weekends and come down there and relax you know and I was okay so we went down there first time we stayed in a hotel called the spa that they had down there and Elvis did like it so we got a room and we got a house that he wanted to rent so he rented this house and I've got about three stories that I want to tell y'all about that but they all took place at different times of course this first one took place in the early 60s and it's about boxing and grass another word for grass it pop so you don't misunderstand Elvis got it someone gave him these two or three joints so they had these Friday Night Fights live from the Olympic auditorium with downtown LA Eileen Eaton and Mickey co-promoter I can't think of his name right now so we would go down would watch him so Elvis told everyone to stay out just read and Sonny and I are gonna watch the fights because worse the guys didn't care that much for the fights anything so we got in there we lit up smoke those joints we're watching that fight and we're watching that fight and it's the longest fight in the world I said man this is this the longest fight I've ever seen it's that it's the longest round I've ever seen and I said how you know what round it is he said we'll look at the tape TV right there see the 12 it's a 12th round he's pointing to the channel it's lit up back then they they had these knobs that you turn they didn't have remotes you turned the knobs and it had a little lit up window and whatever channel it was that's what would lit up so red said red that's not the round man that's the channel [ __ ] Oh God didn't know that fell back so a little bit later we're back into watching that fight again stoned out of our gourds man and where'd gets up takes a book of matches and he goes over it gets in front of the television lights a match puts his hand over that 12 he starts going up and down the front of the television with that light and I said what are you doing he said I'm trying to find the round Elvis had read it doesn't show you the round he said but I saw it Wally - no it's the channel move your hand oh he fell out again this time he hit his head and looked like a dead frog laying there always fell off the couch laughter so we went ahead and watch the fights and it got over with and we were hungry we had not one hungry Alice went on back this room so we go into the kitchen and read makes himself a ham and cheese sandwich I have a taste for a BLT I get the bacon out tomatoes and the letters and everything the bread and I start frying that bacon and boy that bacon just will not fry it's just so slow and I'm like come on come on red finish his sandwich talking about it's the best sandwich he's ever had man that sandwich is good I'm having another one so he has another one I'm still waiting my bacon to fry you know so finally it's done and red is getting ready he's done with this two sandwiches and he leaves and goes back to his bed so I finally had my sandwich ready and I'm just about ready to get into it and Elvis comes around the corner what are you doing Sonny I said oh I made a BLT he said I know I smell that bacon man and could you make me one well Elvis did have an insomnia problem as long as I've known him sleepwalking and insomnia and he took medication to go to sleep at night but if you took it on an empty stomach it would hit you good and you'd gone out if you had just eaten something that wouldn't work as good so I looked at and I knew how long it took me to make that bacon I said have you taken your sleeping pill yet oh yeah I don't here take this when you'll never make it so he took it I get the stuff out and I start making like another sandwich I'm starved and I'm making it I get to thinking L was gonna walk this one too he's never eaten one sandwich in his life so I'm thinking trying to get that bag I'm throwing the grease on top of it trying to make it cook quicker and everything and I get it done boy and I just dive into it I know if I bitten into it he won't want it I'm just watching them and he didn't so I just started enjoying my salmon I put my stuff up went to bed I was happy warrior you know but that stuff it's true man food tastes better and things do last longer but anyway another story back then was was with the vice president Agnew and this took place like before this was in the late 60s he's down there staying at Frank Sinatra someone's some celebrities home and he always finds out about it from some police people we knew down there so Elvis wants to give them a gift so we go over there it's gonna call the SAC Secret Service out there and we drive up Elvis gets out and he's got this box it's a gun in there that he wants to present to vice president Agnew it's 357 Magnum with gold inlay in it the ivory handle with black itching in it it's just a beautiful gun I think it cost him about $3,000 custom-made so the Secret Service takes it takes it in we go inside we beat the vice-president nice man we're talking and everything and after a while I was said mr. vice president I wanted to give you a gift and this is before the Nixon thing okay and he said I wanted to give you a gift and so I brought it over and he says you're one of your Secret Service guys who has it so he brought it out and he opened it up and showed her a beautiful Connie saw this is absolutely beautiful he said but I can't take this else while I'm in office and I'd certainly like to have it when I when I get out of office and they'll say yes sir that's fine I'll hold onto it for you so went ahead and and held on to it for him and I don't know how long laughter that that vice president Agnew had to resign from office and we told Ellis it was you can give him that gun now he's not in office you know I don't get the gun you damn crook get that car so Agnew never got the gun but now here's a favorite of Tim my friend Tim Rossford I got to tell this story you don't know how much elvis counted on us guys until you hear this story it's regarding a taxi in Palm Springs California we get down there everyone goes there room we get up the next morning there's about four or five of us the other guys they take off in one of the cars and they go shopping I look and know that I've got to get some bacon and eggs tomatoes and things like that toast and things for Elvis's breakfast when he wakes up later in the afternoon I don't know what Elvis already awake none of us knew it but he's already back there getting ready to come out and that's unheard of I leave I guess he walked out right after me after I was gone and he said he called out nobody answered he went all through the rooms rooms he's never even been in before he'd even know they were there and couldn't find anybody so he decides to call a taxi because he wants to go shopping so he picks up the phone well Elvis never did this he would just say get daddy on the phone get Purcell on the phone get the car long ago and we would dial it and give him the phone hit talk when he was done he hit hang up so he picked up the phone and dialed oh the operator told her he needed a taxi she said I don't do that sir he said well what do you do she said well I help with with personal person calls and and collect calls and things like that but you need to get a hold of information to get the number for a taxi he says okay how do I do that she said dial for one one he went to his okay he hung up me down she answers he says yes ma'am I need the number of a taxi and she said which one he said doesn't matter any one of them she said no sir which company we got several here we got yellow cab Elvis knew that one everyone knows yellow KC said that'll be fine that's good so she gave him the number he calls the number dispatcher answers a phone may I help you yes I'd like it have a taxicab come pick me up please all right sir what's that address I don't know he didn't know that but I got to tell you I didn't know the address I knew where the house was but I don't even remember the name of the street either but she said you want a cab and you don't even know where the address he said well no I'm just down here visiting I'm just leasing the home and everything and and I don't live here and she said well what street is his own he said I don't know that either man she's is this some kind of joke he said no ma'am it's not my name I'm Elvis Presley oh you are I'm Elvis Presley and I just leased this house from Jack L Warner well everybody in Palm Springs knew who Jack L Warner was he owned Warner Brothers Studio he was the head guy had a huge home down there we weren't in actually in his home we were in his guest house which was a four bedroom with a pool and everything that was just the guest house on the estate and she said well oh you're Elvis Presley and you're at the Jack L Warner almost well I know where that is I'm gonna send a cab over there and Elvis Presley better come out and get in it he said ma'am why are you being that way she I'm just kidding you but I think you're kidding me so anyway I'm what's in the cab over there so she did well the cab driver gets over there buzzes intercom cuz you have to have a key to get in or out or you can open it from inside in the box there when I buzz you can talk to him and say just a minute or they can identify themselves and you hit a button and opens Elvis didn't know where this box was he heard that cab drivers voice taxis here okay I'll be right out taxis here and he knew them the guy wasn't hearing him he didn't know how to talk back to the guy he's I'm coming right out don't leave so he runs out he goes up to the gate big 7 1/2 foot so gates solid I wanted the wrought irons you see that it's solid for privacy and big stucco fence about seven and a half feet can't see through he comes out there he can't open the gate he doesn't have a key there's no button there or anything to do he said don't go man he said my name is Elvis and he says I know this Patrick told me that was Elvis Presley won the cab he said well I'll be there if I crawl over this thing just don't go and I pull up I see the cab driver there and I say can I help you and he said well maybe not me but the guy on that fence that he's that was professional on the other side if he can't get his gate open I called out I said Elvis Sonny open this gate I went over and turn that key and that gate opened up he comes storming out of there where you been I thought went to get some food for you for breakfast I thought you just sleep where's the rest of muster they went shopping without me I want to go shopping I said well we'll go let me put the food up and everything will go he said give that guy hundred dollars I walk over that cab drive and I peel off a hundred-dollar bill I gave it to him me oh thanks Elvis you ever need me again man just call me that guy five minutes man $100 you know but that's just that's just a thing to show how much Elvis was protected how much was done for him and it just started and it just grew and grew the bigger he got and the more things that he did the less he did that we do every day just for you know just take for granted and everything but I'd like to take some stories too while we're up there in Bel Air there's story about a chimpanzee that Elvis God y'all have heard about it his name was scatter and Elvis asked this guy that he got it from why'd you name him that he says because when he gets mad you better scatter various they're very strong they have been known to take cyclone fences and just pull them apart when they're mad just open them up so we said well what makes him that way he said oh you probably won't see him that way you'll just bite your son he had no fangs but boy he could syrup in some draw blood with those teeth if he didn't like you doing what you were trying to make him to do so kind of Alan kind of got the responsibility for taking care of him Alan Fortis and Elvis had him dress him up because got that it was from a show he was chained he was a trained chimp from a guy that was retiring and he was closing down his show and I was heard about it and he bought the chimp from him so he had Alan dress him up in his little yacht hat with his Ascot there's a little suit and everything in the pants put him in the back of the limousine and Alan get up there like a chauffeur and drive him around that champ just sitting back here and that car back there like Heath I guess he did it all the time because he was trained for the show or whatever but it was funny to watch and I really think probably a lot of people back then thought that probably was cheetah who was the the chimpanzee for a Superman I mean for Superman for Tarzan you know because who else would be what other chimp would be driving around like that being chauffeured driven but then but scatter like to drink he'd go if you set your drink down and he was out and take off he would he'd just drink it down and he'd get drunk and cause a problem he went ahead and swung on a curtain and knocked the hole right through a big TV I mean a big movie screen there in the room at Bellagio there where we watched movies he just knocked the hole right through it I was just died laughing you know didn't bother him and one time he got loose there and he took all he swung on the phone lines in the basement down there where his room was in his cage he told all the phone lines loose it took him three days to get him sorted which ones went to intercom which ones for line one which one was Elvis his private line and it took him three days to sort it out but he swung on the ripped him right off the ceiling then he got out one time and that was his downfall he chased the next-door neighbor's gardener into the pool we'll Japanese guy screaming and yelling took off jumped into that pool screaming and yelling people come out of the house and there's scatter who doing this on the side of the pool just warning that guy don't come out well we got a letter from the Bel Air home old Association no exotic pets so little scatter had to be shipped back to Graceland and Elvis had a beautiful custom-made place temperature controlled air conditioning heat and everything you know for him and but let me tell you what happened what a long scattered ID he's young that's six or seven years old they lived be 40 or 50 and he one day they went out to feed him he was dead and we found out that chimpanzees can actually will themselves to death they give up if they're lonely they're like humans they have to have comfort and they have to have you know communication with each other and one by himself just gives up and he did he was so used to being drunk and crazy and all of a sudden now he's just sitting out there and people come out and feed him that's about it I was really we didn't go out there and busy with him that much but anyway it always really loved that chimp and everything but there's there's a lot of stories that that I wish I could recall all of them I really do so that I could tell you because he was really upset when that chimp died and then then and then again it just he was able to move on he's able to to get by it and move on and when that cage stayed there Elvis never had it torn down never put anything else in it but he didn't have it torn down I think in a long time later that they might have they might have removed that building burn it might have done it I could I can't remember the latter years but for years it just stayed out there some of the guys thought that maybe one of the major poisoned him because he bit them too when they fed him there's one Daisy they just couldn't stand him so we thought it bed we didn't think about that and later on when someone said that they think she might have done it it was too late to check him out see what kind of toxic level he had of arsenic or something in him you know but anyway scatter was scatter and Elvis had a lot of fun with him I like to tell y'all now a very moving story one that still touches me today almost like the one with my uncle and with Elvis the first time I saw him like that there was an appeal story written in The Commercial Appeal their morning paper in Memphis and it was an article regarding this little woman that had no legs from the hips down she was born that way she had had children raised them she would even raise they had in the story she had raised some of her grandchildren and this appeal story was that she how she got around on some wood that was nailed together and underneath they had these roller skates nailed to it and they had these special handles with some like a leather thing and she pulled herself along like skiers doing snow skis and everything I'm so Marty read it Marty Lanka and he brought up to the house and I was sitting there with Elvis dining room table and Mark said elves when you get a chance I think you might want to read this that was it okay he finished eating and he picked over the paper and he looked at it he looked up after you ready should find out where she lives so Marty did call the paper the hell was wasn't bought the most expensive electric wheelchair made and he and Priscilla Marty Allen Richard and I think Billy and myself went out there and it was in the trunk of the car we took it up to the house her husband who was retired from the railroad let us in and he called her out she came out we heard her come around that corner the house was spotless borge bleached white carpet I mean the linoleum in the kitchen just shiny and comes out and we heard her she comes around a corner face to face with that wheelchair oh my oh my and tears started to come into her eyes if you knew what it was and tears came to our eyes chef she could sit in it we lifted her up the Elvis on the one side and I on the other put her there and she's checking it out and that was the marina I don't know how to tell you how to operate this thing but he said they demonstrated over there and this year you can just go wherever you want to and get there fast and everything so he said we just wanted you to have it she starts crying we start crying and soon we're out of there we have to we have to get out of there walk outside and Alan said helis I don't think she knew who you were he said it doesn't matter she knows someone cares you know everyone knows through papers articles books and everything about Elvis's generosity it was almost to a fault he just gave and gave and gave II love to give and he loved the reaction that when you gave him after he gave you something he didn't want you to fall over him he didn't want you to keep saying that he didn't want you to come to day after day oh he didn't won't here he didn't have time for that so you thanked him and then you moved on one night we were coming back he was getting a custom-made bus done by George Barris who made all those monster cars and all those things for television those shows and he was doing Elvis's bus and customizing it so Elvis Marty Locker Billy Smith Elvis cousin myself went out there to look at it one night it was in May at California and we're driving Elvis's Rolls Royce limo I'm driving we get out there see the bus and we're talking about in George mattis and he's saying this is coming along it's starting to come together and then we left we came on back it's beautiful night clear stars up there and everything and Elvis all of a sudden while we're driving up through bel-air getting close to home you know what this is baby blue convertible night we said yeah it is I was his son he turned his car around let's go that Cadillac place I turned it around we go over to a place called Hillcrest Cadillac over there on Wilshire Boulevard I parked the car we go inside salesman there it's somewhere around 8 o'clock at night I guess and I always introduced himself as if he needed to but that's just where he was hi I'm Elvis Presley and he said you have a baby blue Cadillac convertible here he said no sir we don't we don't I'll find you one I'm sure there's a dealer somewhere around he wasn't gonna lose that sale you know if he could if he if he could help it and I was said okay and so he said okay well as we had been riding over Elvis often had said how much he loved the colors black and white for a car that he'd usually rather have a black or a white our because you get tired of colors when we walked in that showroom and I talked to my said that was you sure you want blue when we walked in there it was a black Eldorado convertible right there on that showroom floor with the mahogany accent it's a beautiful car I said Elvis you sure meant about that blue one he said man that's pretty yeah but I want that blue one don't we let it go so when he said he could find one he said Martin you standing there with him see what y'all can find Billy he suddenly let's go across the street so we went over cross the street to the used car lot part of Hillcrest all kind of Cadillacs there man a few convertibles we're walking through no blue ones and I think that's what he's looking for but if this guy can't find one I was once that blue convertible whether he gives away the next day he wants it that night you know it's that that's where he wanted things so he said there's not I'm not it's not here what I'm looking for he said where's that other Cadillac place I said well further down Wilshire there's a Louie lers down near Fairfax or the Braille he's let's go Billy tell Marty we're going somewhere else with back a few minutes so we went down there and I pulled in I let Elvis and Billy out up there at the at the door and I packed I backed the rolls-royce back over in the corner there and got it out of the way and I got out and I walked and as I get to the door Elvis and Billy and the salesmen are coming out the door of the showroom and I stop and everything and and Elvis said like that one there Sonny like black-on-black and I looking there's this beautiful 1963 couple years old Eldorado convertible black interior leather I said they're yellow that's what you're talking about man and that blue can't hold up to that well maybe you're right but he said that's not my class you're Carl but the keys out I looked at him I said no no it's not either no it's not I turn out I walked away I went back got into the rolls-royce got behind that driver's seat the Elvis comes over gets into the passenger seat said what's wrong with you I said nothing's wrong Elvis I you don't need to buy a car for me man it just bought me a motorcycle a few months earlier I drove his cars when I needs a car I said you know Elvis you always seem to be giving and we always seem to be taking and I don't I don't want you to think yet do that he said Sonny you guys are given when you don't know you're given I put a lot on you over the years but you handle it and this is just my way of showing you I appreciate that and I said well that's nice but just think that if you think it that's okay with me so something you can't tell me when you were a little boy that you didn't sit on that curve and watch Cadillacs go by and think one day because when you got a Cadillac back then you had arrived man you were it and he said and wish someday that you would have one that's what Elvis every every kid does that everybody said I know what I did it and he says you know what here you've got yours now let's go get mine I hugged him okay let's go so we left he drove the rolls-royce limo with Billy with him and I put the top top one down I put that top down and we head back up to the other place we get up there and we walk in and Elvis walking in the salesmen Martillo elvis they found one over in Long Beach they're gonna service it and and they're gonna bring it on over that was looked at Selma stood sir would it be a problem to cancel that order and me take this one he changed his mind he wanted that black boy and he said no sir so he made the call in cancer never mind he's gonna buy one here he's getting one here so he said something about having it delivered to be ready to pick up tomorrow we can deliver it us no no no I'm taking that tonight he said mr. president I said it's got breaking oil in it I know that new cars that break in all that you get changed real quick after you buy the car and he said well I yeah but I don't know if it's got gas has to give me the keys I knew that was one that car I don't know when I put that key in I turned it and that needle move just a hair it's got enough to get us a gas station Elvis so we drove out of there with it we pulled that right off the showroom now it's got a behind it Billy got in with him Marty got then the Rolls Royce driving and I was in my car we went up to the service station gassed up and went on up to the house we picked up the rest of the guys Elvis got Priscilla he's got his top down but it was on down it was down when it was on the showroom floor so we're gonna go for a ride so we come out of bel-air and we head down Sunset Boulevard going towards the beach well as you got the lower and lower towards the beach it gets cooler and cooler the guys in the back with me in the back seat of my car said Sonny man put that top up it's cold back here I said no way no way that top unless he puts his top up this top stays down guys but I turned on the heater and I put the side windows up and they're huddled up right up between the seats and letting us heater blow on them everything I huddle like this year so we get down there a little bit and I think Elvis feels it's a little bit cool too and I don't know whether anyone complained or not but all of a sudden he makes a u-turn on Pacific Coast Highway we were here towards Malibu and he turns around and as he turns I watch him and his side windows are up I don't know if he's got the heater or not but his side winter so I make the turn we get back up to the house and everyone's talking about the car and everything and then they'd go inside but not me I'm walking around and I'm looking at that car I just can't believe this is my car it is absolutely beautiful and then I finally went in and Elvis we think was it I don't think I'm gonna go back out there for a little is it no no it'll be there tomorrow come on stay in here let's talk about it next day he goes out he starts buying more Cadillac convertibles for the rest of the guys he thought a black one for red just like mine except it had red leather interior and we're the only two that got the black ones just two men white and gold and nobody got a blue one though he wasn't he didn't buy anyone a baby blue one but there was all different colors two or three wives couple of goals a light gray and a maroon and it took us about a week for to find them but he found them all and I think it was something like eight or nine Cadillacs if he bought in a week's time and they started looking like a caravan you know all these different color convertibles driving around everybody want to take their car woman that was an arwing gonna be taking the car to get it our car you know we're not gonna have eight nine Cadillacs going down the road so but that was that was just his generosity like the wheelchair in one way from his heart with with the need that this woman had and we didn't have a need but he just wanted us to be happy and and sharing some of his wealth and what he had and that was his way of doing it I used to joke about when I went to work for him I was making $75 a week over the appliance store but when I went to work for him my shower was $35 a week over half cut but let me tell you something that's 35 like a thousand dollars a week I drove Cadillac cars I stayed in the best hotels ate the best food my clothes were done my dry cleaning I had to do one thing I had to paid my cigarettes they were 25 cents a pack you know how many packs $35 will buy you a week but anyway that that was part of it but while we were up in that that home where he did this there was one night he asked me go outside with him in the backyard of this home that proved your way the first home we had moved in out of the hotel but we left it after a couple of years went to another home and then they remodeled it they wanted him back so they remodeled it the way that he said I need another bathroom off the master bedroom they did it and we came back to that home and that's where we ended up meeting the Beatles I know there's one Beatle fan and he I know that for sure we'll get that second Stanley but he said let's go outside so we went out there and we're talking everything and he's just being quiet Osen he says son you see that light over there and I look over to see a light off over and it is nicely for ya plane he's I so okay but lights coming closer and closer and close I'm waiting for the sound of a prop or a helicopter or a jet engine I'm waiting for some sort of sound and say no I always as a plane there is no sound and it's getting closer and closer there's a tree line there around the golf course and it just kind of went and disappeared behind the trees there and I still I'm not hearing a sound he said it's going in and get Jerry so I went in the house and got Jeremy come back at Elvis not there we started calling for him he's not answering Jerry where'd he go I said I don't know and I told you I said there was a light he wants you to see that was coming from across the sky that went over in here and everything I said you go up one side of the house and I'll go up the other we'll go out see if he's out front went out there he went out there folks I'm I gotta tell you I'm young at that time I'm about 26 years old I'm starting to think what is going on here cuz Elvis had accent figured sometimes you know moving making Bush's quiver and clouds form and dissipate you know and so we're hauling out there and all of a sudden I hear this voice I'm down here guys and we look now he's about three houses down in the driveway so we hurry down there to Mary thanks what are you doing what are you doing down here he said oh nothing he said that like they're they're gone I said who's gone he said they're gone but they'll be back okay I'd like to meet him Alice you will and he was serious you will we went back up to the house I talked with your ass yeah I don't know what he stole night it was like he said when he was playing I said gee I gotta tell you there was no sound there was no engine there was no noise I was in the Air Force I know what airplanes sound like and there was no sound I don't know what it was could have been a dead stick plane you know engine dead or something but it came a long way with no engine but that we didn't talk about anymore he didn't bring it up I never asked him did they come back yet I never asked him that well that's that's where it was but that's the house where we met the Beatles Stanley you know a lot of people ask me about that what was that like because their Beatle fans and Ellis hands well I love the music of a Beatle I thought they were extremely talented I love their movies that crazies like a bunch of Elvis's all in it together they were each crazy you know and a lot of fun you could see it that they had fun and that reminded me of our our group we went singer to entertainers but we still pull jokes and just had crazy times with each other and they came up there they've been wanting to meet him since the last year in 64 but I was making movies and everything and he just wasn't available so this time it's arranged for them to come up there and to the house and say hi to him when they come in John Lennon has been quoted you know by saying the statement that Elvis and he said before Elvis there was nothing and John prolific songwriters so he I knew how he meant that and most people did it's pretty evident and then they asked the group about the del was having him impression on you did he influence you in any way and then Ringo Starr went I don't know what you mean then started doing Elvis of shimming and stuff you know right this is on the press conference so we died laughing at that well when they came in Elvis stayed inside there and he's watching television got big couch it goes like this here chairs over to the side and he's sitting there in his Pharisees watching and the Beatles come in Elvis gets up and say hey guys every time he shakes her hand he knows him by name you know Paul John George Ringo and they're just looking at him they're not saying nothing it's like frozen time man and it's it's so obvious and it also look guys it's not like you're calling on the King or something and he meant the King of England you know how you bow down there and Johnson yes you are you're the king you're the king and those I don't mean that kind of King come on guys let's do something let's talk sing play or something I'm otherwise I'm gonna go back and watch television oh no no we're ready and then that loosen it up so they got some bass and guitars out and they sang and they'll sing some of their songs they sing harmony with each other and it went on in Ringo was kind of beating on the table a little bit but the rhythm his hands got tired or so or something and he just kind of eased out he has read and I had to go play a game of pool with him there in the game room which was right next to the den there so we went and played a game of pool and but a lot of people it's just we just kind of accepted that they were the Beatles and he was Elvis and they were meeting saying hi to each other there were no tape recordings made there were no photos taken inside it was all kept like that people said to God why didn't one of you guys taped it tape it and I said I wished I had I wished I had bored to have that tape of that meeting but some of the guys went over to I went to the house the next night and we the house they were leasing and they had this big fence around you had to call them crawl up a mountain if you didn't go up the driveway as a mountain around it's on top of this big wooden fence around it girls were climbing up that mountain you can see them out there like Indians boy working their way up trying to get up next that like that after that fence to try to get in but when I told you about them being crazy and everything like this should give you an idea what I mean we had some famous fireworks at Graceland Christmas times our special time fellas we're always there for Christmas and a lot of it had to because of fireworks on New Year's Eve he'd buy thousands and thousands we had to go to West Memphis because you couldn't you couldn't have him there you can buy him in the city where we lived in the county at the time so he wasn't going against any city ordinance by having those flowers and we'd get in the back yard and he's big cannons go off and doing all that and then it came time to the to the wars with the roman candles we had gunfights with roman candles shooting each other they staying and saying they would sting you and they burned if they got your skin not bad like someone to a lighted match on your something but anyway we and then Elvis went to these things the Rockets bottle rockets push put him there and let him go way up in the air could I go in there they're fast they go five thousand miles an hour man he'd shoot those things at us and you didn't know where it's going cut it's doing this here and I was running by the house point boom one of them hitting a house knocked a hole in and I just kept on going so we're hiding from him cuz it's funny to him [ __ ] you think get things going to get you a few minutes someone opens the door says timeout timeout the house is filling up with smoke I went over there and I look boy and there I looked inside where that Roman can't I mean where that rocket had knocked a hole in that stucco wall like I see some embers in there smoking and burning I whoa I went and got the hose and I brought her when I stuck at holding him I got thing about Elvis shooting at me again while I was doing it and I took off and left the hose there so we continue on a few minutes later they say house is flooding I turned the water off and I go over there real quick get that hose out in Elvis's daddy's gonna get mad at y'all for doing that man I'm not gonna hold in the wall smoking up the house flooding it I said okay all right I'm gonna stay away from you a little while later we went into the house and we were talking about it and mr. Presley had a habit there were nuts and different things especially at the holidays he would grab a handful of peanuts some thermos mouths and children well we're sitting around the kitchen talking about what we've done and Elvis had burnt my butt up with a flare they had these little things like helicopters that you like takes off real fast you put them underneath someone hit you so I put one under Al and I'm ready for it to go off and I look there's one under me and I jump back and right into Elvis's flare I snuck that's phosphorous hits it keeps burning folks it doesn't go out and it's burning me and I took off across that thing hitting back there trying to hollering he's laughing funny to Elvis and when I won got that hose and put on there you know trying to put it out but we're in there later laughing and talking about this and and Vernon comes into the room and they're on the kitchen counter there's a bowl there and it's got these little red and white things in there Vernon grabs a handful told him they blow up it's those poppers that you throw smoke billowed out of his mouth I bought if I got my teeth L was his dying Elvis fellow his chair went over backwards he fell on floor and burning that ain't funny it ain't funny and Elvis knew he wasn't hurt but it stung it numbed him up a little bit he said y'all ought not to do that people gonna think that now was the daddy you the first one all night he said well you watch there'll be some others come in and do it you just watch so he hung out there for a while waiting the people walk in and out and no one went over there to it here comes Billy Smith about 13 14 years old Elvis's nephew I mean Vernon's nephew burn does it Billy you don't have some of that candy there Billy said yes sir where is it is it right there in that bowl right there no sir Uncle Vernon that's those pop things you throw down again Elvis starts laughing about it he said daddy I told you well someone do it but I won't be here when they do and he left no one did Ernie's the one that did happen but it was that was some of the crazy times we Richard we started wearing my goggles and things because Richard got hit near the eye and it hurt him a little bit but it didn't do any permanent damage to his eye but everybody realized you know and I could be taking especially that rocket you don't dodge that rocket it's it comes and if you're there it's gonna get you there is no way Bob Hayes bullet Bob Hayes couldn't get out of the way every one of those things when you got you it got you it never hit anyone though we were lucky because it was just crazy things but I got a story we talked about charisma and things like that and Elvis was loaded with charisma magnetism everything you can think of that you think you see on TV in his news conferences or whatever and you see this and you think guy he's gorgeous man well let me tell you something folks a lot of actors a lot of entertainers thought the same thing about Elvis and he found out from Jack Lord for my wife five-oh they became friends he told me I was you got a lot of fans up there in New York he started naming Paul Newman Tony Francis Steve McQueen Ralph Meeker they all work together doing plays and stuff up there on Broadway and they knew each other from acting from actors do they all think yours you're something man and because they were friends of Jack's because Jack was up there with him and it was it really moved our later always a guy you believe that man they're fans of miners so here we are we can't wait to see the movies come out with so that really pleased him you know that charisma that Elvis had in magnetism it was very evident to these other celebrities and people that saw it also and because they had their own and Elvis admired it in them and one of them was Muhammad Ali he was in Vegas in 1973 to fight Joe Bugner from Europe young strong bull boy 21 years old and I mean I leave one the fight that night but I'm telling you he had all he can handle it was a decision the guy just kept coming kept coming took everything I'll he had to give him but before that while he came in there and was training he was staying Caesars Palace and he came to the show Elvis's show and we're huge fans of Ali so who when the show was over instead of receiving him back in the dressing room we immediately had them escorted up to the suite because Elvis want to spend some time with him so we met him up there they were up there actually waiting when we got there we came in the back way and I'll he stopped and looked at me said man I know why dogs women love you so much you almost as pretty as I am that broke it L was his grand and laughs walked ups and shook his hand everything and and so they started talking everything you know and Ali had mentioned about Elvis's jumpsuits how much he liked them so he had a guy with him that came over to me and he said Sonny I'll he's talking about getting a woman a robe made out of like that jumpsuit of Elvis's can you tell me who makes those and everything and I said well I could but let me let me check what that was hearing a little bit so when the time presented itself I told gene I said I'll get back to you I'll call you and give you the information he said okay his name was Gene Kilroy so we visited everything and they messed around talking Holly did a couple of butterfly stings and stuff you know they left and I told Elvis as Elvis I leave wants to get his guys to get a robe made up like your jumpsuit and I thought maybe you might want to do that he's oh yeah he said called bill and set it up so I called gene I said gene we're gonna take care of it I'll call you when we've got it back here in town he said okay so got touched blue told him it was for Allie he's six three about 225 pounds or so want the sleeves big enough for the gloves to be able to be brought through him when he's in the ring with no hassle so they need to be flared big and they need to be still big all up in here too so it go down to mid-calf or a little bit lower and make it sharp and he did it came in I called gene gene checked acid we're going to come over early on the way to the fight and I leave we're gonna come there to the hotel because they were fighting at the Convention Center which was right next to the Hilton Hotel so they came over the night of the fight well I went over to get him and I took a security guard and a security a Hilton security station wagon and I go to Caesars guard stays out there I go in go up Tally's floor tell the guards and I'm there to pick up Ali and his party hey miss Costas sure you are I don't know I am I said really I said just check with Gene Kilroy he said I will but he still doubted it they went over there and all of a sudden here comes gene out the door Sonny you ready well this guy's scarred scary like manner change real quick you know okay yeah so gene they come out Holly come hey Sonny so we're getting the elevate and we go down we start walking through the casino he's like a panther of pacing he's got this I'm walking next to him and I'm just getting bumped damn it's just draining off of him you know people are olly olly the whole casino is saying Allie and he's walking he's got this look on face and he's doing and you can see him he's acknowledged him but he's got he's got things in his mind and I we couldn't think of so we get out to the car I said over this way here eilean we start over towards the station wagon he said where are you sitting Sonny I said I'm all set up front yeah I'm gonna sit up front with Sonny so he gets into the middle of the front seat it stretches old arms out and they go on forever you know the driver the security guards like this year to drive the rest of them the doctor and Jean and his brother the bodyguard Ali's brother and Dundee is low they get in the back of the station wagon there so we're driving over to the hotel the Hilton and I can feel this energy and it's on me I'm just kind of moving around a lot Sonny what's wrong you I said I oh yes you've got me so pumped up I'll get up and whip his ass for you all right Sonny yeah okay Sonny's my second tonight you know so we get over there and and it really was it was just contagious so we get over there and we go upstairs through the back way up the elevator and everything and Elvis is waiting and they come in Elvis has the road brought out well they're supposed to he puts it on Eileen oh man she puts those arms through there starts doing his shadowboxing doing this stuff and it's a big mirror there and as he turns around Gene Kilroy sees what's written on the back it's supposed to say the people's champion I messed up I had the People's Choice gene whispers to me Sonny as opposed to any of the people's champion I said Oh God I leave man around me that big mirror therefore he goes what does it say back five voices loudly the people's choice and I spoke up I said let's not leave that's my fault I thought that's what was supposed to America I thought that's what you are or what you were and you know and I'll get it fixed or we'll give him another one right I was I can't afford that several thousand dollar Noah said yeah we'll take a [ __ ] no wait a minute wait a minute now y'all just wait a minute people champion People's Choice no I like it anybody say that people's champion but People's Choice you hit right you're at God in his guy oh yeah yeah so that's the class that he had he took it like the heat off of me so he left before he left he said Elvis I know you need Sonny man I need my guys and I know you need him but I'd like to ask you if you to let him come over and be your representative tonight watch me what that boys asking me hero and he said son he's my second we found that out in the car I would say what as I'll tell you later boss I'm just hoping he says yeah so he says yeah okay so I did I went over then I sit on the third row with Gene and watched it and my boys pulling for Olli and Bugner was really tough tough on him he won the decision and I left cuz I knew he'd ever poured it in all kind of people dressed rooms I just went back over to the show to do my job with Elvis and we kept through with the engagement I don't know how long it was later three four weeks or a month and a half or something but the home I'm living with Elvis Terry and Ella had Holmby Hills and buzzer intercom buzzer rings I answered and it's the maid downstairs said Muhammad Ali's on line one I said who she said Muhammad Ali's yeah so I think it's someone I've been talking about telling people about this and I think Alan somebody's gonna put me on hello it's not it this is yeah who's is Holly well hey Ali I'm thinking this does sound like him yeah and he says just called man see how you doing you know I'm getting ready for my next fight he better not be as tough as that Bugner was you know I bragged about what I was gonna do and I didn't barely just get it done so I'm just letting him talk I don't know what to say to him you know and I also know you want to talk to Elvis Sonny I thought if I want to talk to Elvis I called Elvis you know I called you I'll talk to y'all was another time that's okay so we talked for a few minutes and then it was done he called one more time he talked two or three times to talk to Elvis and everything but he really was loaded with charisma I was saying next to Elvis he had more charisma and magnetism and an aura about him more than anyone else besides Elvis he ran a close second but I loved him then and I love him now and I just feel so sorry what's his disease you know it's just have such a Grand Champion and have him debilitated like he is it just breaks your heart but at the Olympics with that that was when that great it was so good but I sure would like to see him before anything happens just to say hi to him again I'm going to do it I'll get a chance to do it and I'm gonna say hi to him one of the craziest times wants oli left town was when we had a gun fight I rather wasn't real one Elvis had had death threats but he hadn't had anything for a couple years now so we decided to pull this prank on the Stamps Quartet we get we're gonna say there's a threat on Elvis life someone's trying to kill him and then we're going to ask the stamps if they'll help us walk with Elvis through the corridors back there from the dressing room to the suite to help protect it so we get the guards in on it two guards that do the escort with us from the hotel we got them to empty their guns that night the bullets we got blanks for mine and Red's guns we're ready to set it up we go to JD and we tell him we got a problem I got another death threat he said man we haven't had one of those and so lost that I know it but it's it's here I said I want to know if you and the guys would walk with security is stretched out they have no extra people to put around him and we need help getting him from the dressing room up to the to the suite and we've just won a few guys would do it well man I'll do it good I love him but he's I got to talk to my guys I got to make sure they understand that if they do it or don't do it it's okay because you know there's still gonna be a member of the stamps whether they do it or not so he wouldn't owe us okay so he won't talk to him then he called us in Edenic he was an air policeman in the Air Force knows how to handle a gun he carried one for almost four years and he's we call him the wild man for other reasons he was crazy he was really about that close to being insane but I loved him to death today still do I see him talk to him he's talking kind of for the group he said JD told us what it's about so maybe you can give us some more detail that's okay yeah what it is is this I went on to it again about the death threat and I said just JD's gonna do it he said but he wanted you guys to know that you could do it as your choice and he said well yeah we're gonna do it we love him - man right guy the guy says yeah yeah yeah I let that go for a second I said that's man I appreciate it I know Elvis will because you know the more bodies around him the less chance the bullets gonna get to him then it hit him Bill bein with start praying he was a real religious one of the group yes it well yeah we're still gonna do that right guys Donny all yeah we're gonna do it so we set it up so I was the point man as always I was in front rid brings up the rear the two guards on the side cup the other guys in the group were there and then the stamps are around so I don't see what's going on back there but red does it's right in front of him Elvis is looking down at the at the at the Carter he cannot look up because he he can sense what's happening these guys are looking at every nook and cranny in that car de Bourgh springing those next look that down that hallway they're doing this Elvis is trying not to see this so we get upstairs go in the back way and manly yeah we made it and they're happy that you okay they settle down I said right in front of them I'd love to rear it I said real I'm gonna go check with security see if we've got any more information on this nut I'll be back up so I let them see me the stamps see me go out the front door I go around through the club that's up there back to that back elevator and my room is back there and I come in that door and I go back to my room and I put a black coat on and I get my gun out I go back up there with that car to meet that four year in the sunken living room out there and you can see him out there all happy I take it gun I see freshly you're dead pow Elvis balls red grabs his gun starts running in my direction and he fired off a couple shots now Wow red drops oh I've been here and he hits and rolls JD jumps down on Elvis jumps down Elvis and JD jumps down on top of them to cover him Donnie Sumner just disappeared from my view he just took off and I found out later he had Boston over this big bar over it like a gazelle never broke a glass never broke a bauble or anything and landed behind that was crouching back there in hiding Eddie Nick pulled over a big round table there as a shield and jumped down behind it oh I forgot to tell you the guards are dead too they pull their gun as I shot them so four shots for dead people so so it pulls that table over and bill jumps down behind him builds the one that prays a lot he starts speaking in tongues praying everything he told me shut up shut up bill somebody give me a gun that's what he is asking for well he crawls oh and gets one of those guards guns but it was empty because we had it emptied all sudden as I'm making my way through the dining room over there on the other side through the kitchen dining room to come out over there that's where L was and JDR I hear I hear any say man they don't even cable it's in these things thank goodness I could have got shot so I get over there this is when I find out where Donny is just over on the other side of that bar everything's quiet down now and JD's big old gray head starts rising up above that bar and I see it I went wow and I shot the wad hit him oh my god I've been shot he went back down he fell back over on Elvis Donny saw my hand when I shot that's when I found out he's there he comes out grabs holding my hand my wrist here with the gun with his left hand and in his right hand is a big two court can of tomato juice he's gonna smash my face with it he draws back and does when I pull over to the side and went flying out of his hand over and took a gouge out of the wall but the momentum and I pulled my arm in the his hand slipped off and it's a sunken living room so I'm up a couple of steps on the on the dining room level and he's there on his knees and I've got that gun I said Donna you're dead he thought it was me to say oh god it's you and he painted he really painted he fell over dead faint he thought I had gone berserk and was killing everybody so everyone's laughing Elvis stars laughs and everyone glad it's over with now in JD's getting up I'm glad he said when I was down and I felt L was shaking I thought it's a joke he just he's laughing he's just shaking from lying here when that shot hit me ain't that I don't know he's scared that's why he's shaking so we're all laughing about it and everything and everyone's fine with it now except eddying it ed Enoch is ranting and raving very upset that we would do this to him make him think that he was going to save someone life and it's just a big joke can't believe you guys did this does and we're just looking at him he's going on and walk I mean it you think you think it's funny you know what we got to do this to Burton in those guys that's how quick he got to thinking about it was funny but we had a crazy times with them you know over the years and I love him to death and I sells him they're not all there JD's gone it is their ed Hill is now not with them because he had a stroke but it's it's some really good memories and I was I could see that whole thing that night and it really was funny there's another thing that was a very important meeting like the ollie and that was when Elvis decided he wanted a federal narcotics badge a winner he was good at getting what he wanted you're gonna find out just how good so he went up there to meet with John Finn later up in Washington DC who was a deputy director of the Bureau of dangerous drugs and narcotics and asking for federal patch so I can't give you one and give you the honorary or so but I can't give you a real 100 said I don't want honorary I want the real thing I can help you know people don't think of me in that way and and I can help and he said well I'm sorry but I can't he's only the man can give you that never said the man he said the president so mr. Finlay I think he's nice meeting you he's gone off to see the men he drives writes a note drops it off at the White House gate the guard takes it in gives it to who he's supposed to give it in to a guy by name add white Chaffin who is responsible for that part of it he reads the note and he calls bud crow he said bud is one that makes the appointments he said bud we got a problem but said what is it what's problem he says well the king is here and he wants to meet with the president but said King what king nobody told me there was a king coming today he said no not a king the King and bud picked up poison he talked about Elvis Elvis Presley why that's right he wants to meet with the president yes he does I've got a letter right here from him that he's written dropped off at the gate and bless it well can we do it I said I don't know we're gonna fronted by committees and holliman's gonna have to check off on it who was the chief of staff John Alderman he said well let's do it I see so they had to see if it was beneficial to the president to meet with Elvis if it was good or bad or whatever they ran it by and people went ahead and said yeah that he's a connection to some people that maybe you're not we're late I'm not into President Nixon right now but he he's got a lot of input and and everything so they decided to have the meeting and John Holliman laughed and checked I said okay let it happen well I didn't even know he was in Washington DC that day I was asleep in Grayson at my room and that morning I get a call around 8 o'clock in the morning it's Jerry Schilling Sonny I said yeah what he said Elvis wants you to get the next plane to Washington DC I said Washington why he said he wants you up here I said is Ellis up there he said yeah I thought he's asleep he's know he's up here who all night California and back he left that night with just his American Express cards all he had and he got a flight to LA and back and got Jerry out there and flew back to DC so I go out and catch the plane I was that close to not being able to meet the president I got up there and as I pulled up in that taxi from the airport Jerry he's standing outside and I get out of the cab he said hurry up Sonny he's gonna take you lugged it up to my room we don't have time we're going to see the president the elbows coming around with the car and here comes the limousine but this guy Ben was his name driving it and I was sitting back here in the seat hurry up get in we got to go we get in the car we drive over there they take you all of us into one area they take Jerry and I are guy named Jeff Don Feld and who was an aide with but he took us to another place else goes in well now he's dressed really to the max I've got a purple fur suit on Cape rose-colored glasses 14 karat go big gold belt that the Hilton had given him International Hotel actually gave him for breaking records and a walking stick came with presents there in his conservative thing suit time he looked at the Elvis after they had said some greetings and everything he says you dressed kind of wild don't you son he said mr. president you got your show to run and I got mine Nixon said that's right that's very good that's very good so they hit it off so then we went ahead and they talked and met and then we're over there talk about how we can't believe we're gonna meet the president the guy tells us you probably not you don't have so much time and Elvis seems to be taking all of it as you don't know Elvis will meet him phone rang come on he said yo let's go y'all gonna meet the president so we go over there and step inside never says come on in guys I couldn't just walk into the Oval Office I judges to the side Jerry to Ellis has taken over the room come on in mr. president here's those guys I want you to meet president gets up behind the desk walks out there shakes my hand take Jarrett chicks Jerry hand hits me on the shoulder said you a couple of big guys I'll take pretty good care of him and Elvis poker yes sir they do mr. president they do he said well that's good that's good don't you have something them mr. president oh yeah president goes over to his drawer goes in there and comes back with these 14-karat gold key chains with the presidential seal hanging from one gives me one gives you and we thank him then all of a sudden he says mr. president they got wives too he's calling the shots hidden he back they go elvis follows him over there he comes back with gifts for my wife judy and for his wife I mean Jerry's wife and it's got these gold bows with the presidential seal he gives them to us we thank him again Elvis is over there going through his drawer president looks over and says you see anything you like there Elvis you know yes sir you've got some pretty good things here your lawyers that help yourself I got plenty of them at the start of the show I said that the day that I met Elvis my life would never be the same well I'd like to tell you the end of that story it's the day that he died my life changed and will never be the same again thank you [Applause] y'all missing - I know you do in your hearts your minds but we are always having they can't take that away from any of us it love you thank y'all for coming hope you enjoy [Music] you

Channel: ajgherts2

Views: 960,522

Rating: 4.7137971 out of 5

Keywords: elvis presley, sonny west, graceland, memphis, memphis mafia

Id: cCtA49rihJY

Length: 103min 41sec (6221 seconds)

Published: Mon Dec 04 2017