This is probably the most fun series for me to do because it inspires a lot of reader comments. At the end of this post we will look at some of them generated by one photo in Part 6 of this series. Now, let’s look at some new ones.
Does Elvis look like he’s having fun, or what? The tag on this shot simply said 1956, which seems correct. Please go on Comments if you know anything more about it.
Editor’s note: Alert reader Delores advised that this photo was taken on April, 19, 1956 at the Municipal auditorium in Oklahoma City.
The caption on this photo said, “Move over Instagram Duck Lips photos. Here is the original Duck Lips! – and the best looking as well.” I have no idea what Instagram Duck Lips is all about, but I do like this picture.
As you can see, this was a Life magazine photo. Elvis on his Harley in front of Humes High School is obviously a posed shot, but it came out really well
The first photo in this post was Elvis and Vernon working on the Harley in the garage on Audubon Drive.
This is a really strong photo of Elvis. Isn’t that fringe on his shirt? Doesn’t surprise me a bit.
We’ll add one more photo of Elvis on his Harley. At first I thought this was part of the Al Wertheimer collection, but Elvis’ shirt and hat are different than those on Wertheimer’s famous shot.
Editor’s note: Frequent commenter Delores advised this photo was taken on Tuesday, April 2, 1963 at Dixie Queen in Memphis.
Editor’s note #2: More information has come in from another helpful reader, Sandy Van Horn. The photo above was taken by Memphis Commercial Appeal photographer, Robert Williams.
Priscilla had dozens of glamour shots taken over the years, and I have 42 of them in my files. However, this is a new one to me. Someday I should do a blog post on Priscilla’s hottest photographs. This one will be in there.
Linda Thompson and Priscilla. Looks like it’s Photoshopped. What do you think?
Somebody went to a lot of trouble to put this collection of police mug shots together. I’m sure you won’t have trouble identifying them, with the possible exception of Kurt Cobain on the bottom right.
However, there is a clue that this is not a police mugshot of Elvis – his identifier has no numbers on it, just his name. That’s because this was his official Army photo, highly cropped to not show his insignia and darkened a bit to make Elvis look more sinister. Here’s the real thing.
You can find the bogus police mugshot on some websites saying it was taken on October 18, 1956 after his arrest following a fight at a downtown Memphis service station. However, he was not photographed in jail and was quickly released. A week later the service station owner, Clarence Harwell, publicly apologized to Elvis for the incident. Elvis was cleared in city court of misconduct.
Here’s another one that some websites call a police mugshot. However, the photo was taken on November 17, 1970 in Denver, Colorado where Elvis was in town collecting an honorary police badge for donating to the construction of a gym. Elvis was not arrested but rather was taking a photo for his badge.
I like this shot because you don’t often see his hair looking like this (although another was in Part 6 of this series). Here’s something for you Elvis detectives out there who can always seem to find out stuff about the pictures I post. What is the album Elvis is holding?
You don’t see his hair look like this in many photos, either. The tab said it was shot during the filming of Follow That Dream, but I don’t remember it looking like this in the movie. It has to be before he started dying his hair black.
Continuing with the hair theme, he looks sandy-brown here. But is that army fatigues he is wearing? Anybody know?
This is not nearly as famous a haircut photo as the one taken in Ft. Jaffe after Elvis’ induction into the Army. Several months later in Bad Nauheim, Germany, Elvis’ hair had grown back.
Okay, let’s look at some reader responses to one picture in the post five weeks ago.
When I posted this, I wrote:
There was no information with this one. Elvis almost looks like a real law officer with the badge and the jacket passants (shoulder-straps). How do you like that huge TCB ring? I wish the photographer had snapped Elvis with his head up and smiling.
Within hours of posting this, in quick succession, I heard from three readers. Vanessa advised me that the photo had been taken at the funeral of a police officer. Selma advised that the deceased was Denver police officer Eugene Kennedy, and she provided links for more photos. And Sandy advised that the date was January 28, 1976, and she also provided links. Here are some other photos these ladies helped me find.
One photo was so large I could crop a blow-up of the rings Elvis wore.
And here is the photo of Elvis in the uniform and smiling, just like I had wished we could see.
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Elvis, Elvis Presley, and Graceland are registered trademarks of Elvis Presley Enterprises, Inc.
The pic of Elvis in the police uniform is definitely January 1976. It proves how misinformed people are. Elvis was slim much of the time, it was only when his colon condition was bad that he had some swelling.
Hi Pat. You are sure right about how people are so misinformed on Elvis. I try really hard not to put out anything that’s wrong, but I blew it a few times, too.
I also never saw Elvis’ colon condition mentioned in Comments before.
Phil
Sorry, Phil, several obvious fakes here.
Hi Diana: You are right. As reported previously in Comments, several people agree that the 5th picture (Elvis on motorcycle) is Photoshopped, and one reader believes the Humes High School photo was a fake. In the text, I said the Linda Thompson and Priscilla photo looked Photoshopped. Did you have any other pictures in mind?
Phil
Dolores is totally right about picture 5 being a fake, it is a bad photoshop. It’s his head, but it’s at a awkward angle. And that’s not fringe on the shirt, it’s ruffles. Definitely not a true picture of Elvis. Also she is right about the ‘blond’ hair photo. It was taken on the set of ”Kissin’ Cousins,” although this is a different wig than the one he wore in the movie. Although Elvis’ natural hair color was a light brown or sandy blonde, his hair was not naturally curly. This is obviously a wig,and it seems to be just sitting on top of his head.
Hi Leona: Interesting thought on picture #5 of Elvis on his motorcycle. I don’t really see it, but you are the second reader to point it out. Same on the wig picture. Keep the comments coming in.
Phil
Are you folks sure about the photo of Elvis in Denver.. He looks to slim for 1976. He started packing the weigt on then…
Hi David: You make an interesting point. I believe the website with the newspaper article was the source of the date January 28, 1976. That would be 19 weeks before Elvis’ death, so maybe it was during a healthy period for him.
Phil Arnold, Original ElvisBlogMeister
like it!
Both pics 4 & 5 are fakes! Pic 5 with the frilly shirt is photoshopped by posting Elvis’ head on some other person….(anyway I’m sure Elvis would never wear that ghastly frilly thing!) Re Pic 4 – the building is definitely NOT Humes School and I’m not sure the guy with the bike is actually Elvis!
Hi Jo: Three readers have the same opinion on the frilly shirt picture, so it looks like it ia ohotoshopped.
I Googled Humes High School and looked at a lot of photos. I can’t figure out why you think it was some other building. And the LIFE magazine watermark seems to speak for it’s veracity. We’ll see if anybody else comments on it.
Phil
The picture of Elvis with blond hair is from 1964 while he was filming Kissin’ Cousins.
Hi Delores: I knew I’d be hearing from you. Thanks for your three comments. So, you agree this picture was taken during the filming of a movie, but a different one than in the caption.
Phil
Picture 5 is a fake.
Picture 6, was taken on Tuesday, April 2, 1963 at at Dixie Queen in Memphis.
https://youtu.be/KqFr__nZnas
Hi Delores: Can you be more specific about why # 5 is a fake. Like Elvis’ head Photoshopped on to somebody else sitting on the bike?
I added an note to the post about the Dairy Queen picture.
Thanks, Phil
Second picure was taken in Oklahoma Citiy at the Municipal auditórium. April, 19, 1956.
http://www.scottymoore.net/oklahomacity.html
Hi Delores: I posted an Editor’s note on the post about the Oklahoma City location for this picture.
Thanks for sending your comments,
Phil
I am not getting notified f your posts for some reason. I am glad I got this one. Great pictures!
Hi Dea: Sorry about the notifications. I sure don’t want you to miss any Posts. Thanks for the compliment.
Phil