Tryin' to Get to You
Wertheimer accompanied Presley on a 27-hour homecoming train trip to Memphis following the singer's appearance on The Steve Allen Show in July 1956 in New York. Wertheimer took this remarkable portrait after the entourage -- the photographer, Presley and his manager, Col. Tom Parker -- changed trains in Chattanooga.
The Hollywood Reporter must have been reading my mind lately. I've been on a kick of posting photos of the original King of Rock and Roll, Elvis Presley. I've always been an Elvis fan, but in the past few years have come to not only appreciate his music, good looks, and films, but also his classic sense of style.
The Hollywood Reporter features sensational photos of the King by Alfred Wertheimer. Wertheimer was called in 1956 to shoot photos of the young King right when his career began to take off. The 2,500 photos he took will be shared in a book called Elvis and the Birth of Rock and Roll by Taschen in April. Will you get the book? If you're an Elvis fan like I am, what did you appreciate the most about him?
Out to Lunch
"This is one of my favorite pictures," says Wertheimer of the candid shot of Presley and his cousin Junior Smith. "The waitress was saying, 'Gentlemen, what would you like?' Junior actually is thinking about food, and Elvis is looking her over so carefully-- he was almost saying, 'Oh, I'd like you.' "
The King at Play
Wertheimer's most famous Presley photo -- of the singer and an anonymous fan -- was taken backstage at the Mosque Theater in Richmond, Va. “Within moments of setting up the frame, she says to Elvis, 'I'll bet you can't kiss me.' And he says, 'I'll betcha I can.' "
Professional Aspirations
"We wound up in the Supreme Men's Shop. He stopped by the door of the dressing room, and on that door were about 10 glossies signed by actors in dedication to the store owner. And Elvis was looking at them as if to say, 'One day I too shall be on the wall of the Supreme Men's Shop.' "
Necessary Maintenance
Given unfettered access to Presley in his suite in the Warwick New York Hotel, Wertheimer followed the sound of an electric razor and found Elvis, shirtless and shaving. "I say to him, 'Elvis, do you mind if I continue the assignment?' He said, 'No, come in.'
All photos by Alfred Wertheimer courtesy of The Hollywood Reporter Online
All captions in black courtesy of The Hollywood Reporter
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