The Colonel

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The Colonel Page 53

by Alanna Nash


  In California, a number of people were instrumental in helping me trace the intricate business and personal relationship of Hal Wallis and Parker, beginning with the staff of the Margaret Herrick Library, Center for Motion Picture Study at the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences: Linda Mehr, Barbara Hall, Faye Thompson, Bonnie Daley, Marcelle Angelo, Eddie Baker, Sue Bulden, Galen Wilkes, Andrea Battiste, Jonathan Wahl, Matt Poodiack, Scott Curtis, and Kristine Krueger of the library’s National Film Information Service. Larrian Gillespie not only worked alongside me there, but offered room and board and showed me the sights of L.A. She was a true friend when I needed one.

  And in Nashville, Kent Henderson, Ronnie Pugh, Alan Stoker, Paul Kingsbury, John Rumble, Dawn Oberg and Kyle Young of the Country Music Foundation gave aid and comfort at every turn, Kent going on to pore though government documents outside the office.

  Thanks additionally to David Millman, Nevada State Historical Society and Museum, and to Frank Gorrell for his expert tutelage in the art of gambling and his recollection of Parker’s personal history in the Las Vegas casinos.

  As usual on any project, my fellow journalists bolstered me with facts, interviews, and long-distance hand-holding. I’m especially indebted to Moira Bailey and Kristen Kelch of People magazine; Bill Bastone of The Village Voice; Ted Bridis, Ed Staats, Lisa Holewa, and James Derk of the Associated Press; Andrea Campbell; Bob Cannon; Roger Capettini; Floyd Martin Clay; James P. Cole; Patsi Bale Cox; Don Cusic; Joe Delaney, Ruthe Deskin, Dee McConnell, and Merilyn Potters of The Las Vegas Sun; Jim Dickerson; Joe Elliott, WHAS Radio, Louisville, Kentucky; Pat Embry of The Nashville Banner; Jim Emerson; Ralph Emery; Todd Everett; Chet Flippo of CMT.com; Stephen Fried; Peter Gilstrap; Vernell Hackett; Michael Hall of Texas Monthly; Stacy Harris; Leland Hawes of The Tampa Tribune; Jack Hurst; Chris Hutchins; Beth Johnson of Entertainment Weekly; Rich Kienzle; Deborah Evans Price, Billboard magazine; Danny Proctor; Tamara Saviano; Tom Scherberger of the St. Petersburg Times; Elizabeth Schlappi; Bob Schulman; Steve Simels; Panky Snow; Linda Upton; Bill Willard; E. Bingo Wyer; and especially Beverly Keel, who turned her reportorial skills to my cause, and not just because her journalist father coined the term “Elvis the Pelvis.”

  Thanks also to Marsha Mercer of Media General News Corp.; Margaret Schmidt of The Jersey Journal, Jersey City, New Jersey; the library staff of The Louisville Courier-Journal; David Valenzuela, Carolyn Marlin, and Anita Coursey of the library staff of The Nashville Banner; and Kyle Neiderpruem, Freedom of Information Committee, Society of Professional Journalists.

  Additionally, I am grateful to my tireless researchers: Jim Cole of the Mississippi Valley Collection, University of Memphis; Pam Courtney; Juliana Hoskinson; Art Nadler; Nancy Randle; Margaret Shannon; and Lynn Waddell. Judy Raphael not only did research, but also introduced me to the book’s single best source, her brother, Byron. And Charlene Blevins accepted a records-checking task that tested her both as a journalist and as a thespian, and proved her equally skilled at both.

  Thanks also to the following, who helped with a myriad of special collections and archives: the staff of the American Film Institute; Manny Arocho, Librarian, Special Collections Department, Tampa-Hillsborough County Public Library System; Art Bagely, Special Collections, University of Tampa; Carol Butler, Salvador Dali Museum; Dean DeBolt and Benita Fox, University Librarians, Special Collections and West Florida Archives, John C. Pace Library, University of West Florida, Pensacola, Florida; William B. Eigelsbach, Manuscripts, University of Tennessee Libraries; Ed Frank, James Montague, and Sharon Banker of the Mississippi Valley Collection, the University of Memphis; General Library and Museum of the Performing Arts at Lincoln Center; Sharon Johnson, Special Collections Librarian and Archivist, Autry Museum of Western Heritage; Ashley Koostra, Archivist, Mississippi Department of Archives and History; Lois Latimer of the Tampa Historical Society; Laura Lupole and June Miller-Spaan of the Chautauqua Institute; Robert A. McCown, Special Collections Library, State University of Iowa; Sally McManus, Palm Springs Historical Society; the staff of Profnet, for Internet search queries; Dr. Richard Ranta, the University of Memphis; Cheryl Rogers-Barnett, Director of the Roy Rogers–Dale Evans Museum; Ed Schreiber and Michelle T. Rogers, for copies of letters Parker’s office sent to fans; Phyllis Stinson, for sharing her incredible archive of Parker memorabilia; Robert Vay and Paul S. Koda, Special Collections and Archives, George Mason University, Fairfax, Virginia; Mark Weitzman of the Simon Weisenthal Center; and Travis Westly, Reference Specialist, the Library of Congress.

  For help with the Albert Goldman archives, Jere Herzenberg, Carolyn Krupp, and Jane Krupp.

  And for additional assistance with obtaining and interpreting information regarding Parker’s army years, thanks go to Colonel Gregory Belenky, Walter Reed Army Institute of Research; J. Earle Bowden, historian and former editor of The Pensacola News-Journal; Leah Dickstein, M.D., Director of the Division of Attitudinal and Behavioral Medicine, University of Louisville; Thomas M. Fairfull, Chief, Museum Division, U.S. Army Museum of Hawaii, Schofield Barracks, Hawaii; Donne Florence, University Relations, Media, and Publications, University of Hawaii; Judith A. Bowman, Assistant Curator, U.S. Army Museum of Hawaii; Lt. Col. Allen Frenzel, U.S. Army, Professor of Military Science, University of Hawaii; Jerry Goodson, Reno Veterans Affairs Office; Susan Heffner, Director of Library and Archives, American Psychiatric Association, Washington, D.C.; Wendy Hollingsworth, Assistant Branch Chief in the Records Reconstruction Branch at the National Personnel Records Center, St. Louis, Missouri; David J. Johnson, Museum Technician, the Casemate Museum, Fort Monroe, Virginia; Lt. Col. Richard S. Johnson; Earl Kilgus, for sharing memories of Fort Shafter, and his grandson, Robert H. Egolf III, for the photograph of the 64th Coast Artillery; David P. Ogden; Al Reynolds, Reference Librarian of the Walter Reed Army Institute of Research Library; David A. Ross, Curator of the Air Defense Artillery Museum in Fort Bliss, Texas; Bud Smyser of The Honolulu Star-Bulletin; Mr. and Mrs. Clifton E. Sprinkle Jr., Raymond Willis Sprinkle, and Scott Sprinkle, for help with the Fort Barrancas years; and Dr. Sheila A. Schuster, both for help with interpretation of - Parker’s army papers and for the loan of an audiotape transcriber.

  For help with Parker’s early years in America, Allen “Slim” Binkley; Paul E. Mix; the Tom Mix Museum, Dewey, Oklahoma; Merle “Bud” Norris; Dr. Richard F. Seiverling; and Debbie Taylor of the Tampa Bay Humane Society.

  Parker’s immigration history and illegal alien status were especially difficult to track. My thanks to the following for assistance: Robert Ellis of the National Archive; Linda Kloss of the FBI’s Freedom of Information Privacy Act Section, Washington, D.C.; Diane Biggs Korwin, Gary Baude, and Marian Smith of the Immigration and Naturalization Service; the Honorable Ron Mazzoli; Margaret Roman of the U.S. State Department; Lily Talapessy of the Dutch Consolate, New York; and Blanchard E. Tual.

  For insight into the carnival years, Jack Bennett; John Campi; Cheryl Collins; Fred Dahlinger Jr., Director, Collections and Research, Circus World Museum, Baraboo, Wisconsin; Larry Davis; Bruce Feiler; James E. Foster, editor, The White Tops; Chappie Fox; Ken Fox, Magic Makers Costumes, Huntington, West Virginia; Dave Friedman; Bob Goldsack, publisher, Midway Museum Publications; Ward Hall; Minnie Heth; Allan C. Hill; Joseph G. Hoffman; Bob Jarvis; Don Marcks of The Circus Report; Joe McKennon; Harley Newman; Fred D. Pfening Jr., editor, Bandwagon magazine; Maggie Riley; Judy “Rustie” Rock; Renee Storey of the Clyde Beatty/Cole Bros. Circus; Jeanie Tomaini; Hoxie Tucker; Ernie Wenzik; Bettie Siegel Whittaker; Safari Pete Wood. And for foot-long hot dog research: Chris Brian, Bill Dryden, Rick McCarty, and Kenny Vincent.

  On such a project, photographs are especially important, and while many people contributed, I owe a round of applause to Jeff Burak, Time Pix; Kelly C. Hill, Photography Research Manager, and Angie Marchise, Curatorial Assistant, Elvis Presley Enterprises Inc.; Steve Buchanan, President, Grand Ole Opry Group, and Barbara Turner, Gaylord Entertainment Group, for assistance with the Gord
on Gillingham photo collection; Maria Columbus; James Forsher; Tony Davidson; Trish McGee, the Ryman Auditorium; John Mott; Elizabeth Odle, The Nashville Public Library; James R. Reid; Michele Romero, Entertainment Weekly; Robin Rosaaen; Karen Silveroli, the Las Vegas News Bureau; Marsh Starks and Rebecca Bagayas, The Las Vegas Sun; The Tampa Tribune library and photo departments; Richard Weize and Heidi Cordsmeier of Bear Family Records; and the incomparable Al Wertheimer.

  A very special thanks to Greg Howell, former exhibitions and collections manager of Graceland; to Paula B. Kennedy and Joan Buchanan West, of the E. P. Continentals Elvis Fan Club, who helped me unearth a key part of Marie Parker’s past; and to Mark North, who gave me an extraordinary tour of Parker’s former home in Madison, Tennessee.

  And for care and feeding of the author, Elizabeth Thiels and Ellen and Bill Pryor in Nashville; Ted Dons and Maria Dons-Maas in Holland; Barbara Shircliffe, Sandra Polk Ross, and Frances Keenan in Tampa; and in Memphis, Charles and Virginia Overholt, who at the directive of Diana Magrann, kindly let me stay in Vernon Presley’s house. My Memphis cousin, DeAnna Mooneyhan, was brave beyond all measure.

  On a technical note, it’s impossible to properly thank Jerry Maskalick and Dan Coddington of Dr. Dan’s Computers, as well as Brian Arnold, for modifying my word processing for this project, and for gluing it—and me—back together when my system crashed, and crashed, and crashed.

  Finally, I haven’t the words to thank my parents, Allan and Emily Kay Nash, who gave me bottomless financial and emotional support during this long and difficult journey. No mother and father could have done more. Judy F. May, Elizabeth Clifford, and Robert Morse also deserve my deepest gratitude for always being there, as does Carolyn Shircliffe, who transcribed nearly all of the hundreds of interviews I conducted for the book. Her family—Mary Jo Shircliffe, Barbara Shircliffe, and the late Montgomery Shircliffe—did so much in innumerable ways to make this book see the light of day, and served as my guardian angels on a constant basis. Additionally, Robin Rosaaen supervised all critical Elvis sightings, and Bill and Connie Burk performed Herculean deeds, especially on our joint trip to Holland. Bill also fact-checked the manuscript.

  Warm thanks, too, to Bobbie Ann Mason and Frances Zichanowicz, who kept me buoyed during the last half of the writing. And I’m especially grateful to Phil Collier of Stites & Harbison for extraordinary legal magic, and Hugh Wright, Leslie K. Hale, Missy Coorssen of National City Bank, and Susan Lemley of Grover Greweling & Co., CPA.

  In many ways, it is astonishing that this book survived the many setbacks that threatened its publication, but then it had many shepherds along the way. Joyce Engelson, as always, offered sage advice and enthusiasm when I needed it most, as did Regula Noetzli and David Black.

  But it was Sam Hughes and Bob Solinger of the Dickens Group Literary Agency who lent a peerless stewardship. Sam was the one who strongly encouraged me to do the book, since I had met with the Colonel on three occasions in Las Vegas and had written about him in my two previous books on Elvis. She was always the one with the clearest vision for it, never giving up when others, including myself, lost faith.

  Sam and I labored through some wrenching times in the six years it took to bring the book to completion, and at one dark juncture, we not only split our business association, but also dissolved our deep friendship. Two years went by before we reconciled, and she set me back on course to continue the writing, working several miracles along the way. “It just looks as if we were meant to be together,” she said, and I knew she was right.

  The day after Simon & Schuster agreed to acquire the book, Sam became ill with pneumonia. Two weeks later, she died, at the age of fifty-five, leaving a crater in my heart and an unfillable void in the lives of her family and clients. After that, not a day went by that I didn’t feel her sitting next to me at the word processor, suggesting a word here, elaborating on an idea there. Now a project that started out as one kind of haunting had turned into another. Here’s to you, Sam. I’ll be seeing you.

  INDEX

  Aaron Music, ref1

  Aberbach, Jean, ref1, ref2, ref3, ref4, ref5, ref6, ref7, ref8, ref9, ref10, ref11

  Aberbach, Julian, ref1, ref2, ref3, ref4, ref5, ref6, ref7, ref8, ref9, ref10, ref11, ref12

  Acuff, Roy, ref1, ref2, ref3

  Adams, Gaylen, ref1, ref2

  Addie Pray (Brown), ref1

  Adler, Buddy, ref1, ref2, ref3, ref4, ref5, ref6

  Air Force (movie), ref1

  Albritten, Dub, ref1

  Alden, Ginger, ref1, ref2, ref3

  Alien Registration Act (1940), ref1, ref2, ref3

  Allen, Steve, ref1

  Allied Artists, ref1

  “All Shook Up,” ref1

  All Star Shows, ref1, ref2, ref3, ref4

  “Aloha from Hawaii” (satellite broadcast), ref1, ref2, ref3

  Also Sprach Zarathustra, ref1, ref2

  Always Elvis (fan festival), ref1

  America (group), ref1

  American Federation of Musicians, ref1

  American Federation of Television and Radio Artists, ref1

  American Guild of Variety Artists, ref1

  American National Bank, ref1

  American Studios (Memphis), ref1

  Ames, Harriet, ref1

  Anka, Paul, ref1

  Annenberg, Walter, ref1

  Ann-Margret, ref1, ref2, ref3, ref4

  “Are You Lonesome Tonight?” ref1

  Armstrong, Louis, ref1

  Arnold, Eddy, ref1, ref2, ref3, ref4, ref5, ref6, ref7, ref8, ref9, ref10, ref11, ref12, ref13, ref14, ref15, ref16, ref17, ref18, ref19, ref20, ref21, ref22

  Arnold, Sally, ref1

  Asmus, Carolyn, ref1

  Association (group), ref1

  Atkins, Chet, ref1, ref2, ref3, ref4

  “Aura Lee,” ref1

  Austin, Gene, ref1, ref2, ref3, ref4, ref5, ref6

  Austin, LouCeil, ref1

  Autry, Gene, ref1, ref2, ref3

  Axton, Mae Boren, ref1, ref2

  Baker, Herbert, ref1, ref2

  Banke, Bruce, ref1, ref2, ref3, ref4, ref5

  Bardwell, Duke, ref1, ref2, ref3

  Barnum, P. T., ref1, ref2, ref3

  Bartholomew, Dave, ref1

  Bean, Orville, ref1

  Beard, Chris, ref1, ref2

  Beatles, ref1, ref2, ref3, ref4

  Beaulieu, Priscilla Ann

  early relationship with EP, ref1, ref2, ref3, ref4

  marries EP, ref1

  moves to Graceland, ref1

  See also Presley, Priscilla Beaulieu (wife of EP)

  Beaverbrook, Lord, ref1

  Belafonte, Harry, ref1

  Belew, Bill, ref1, ref2, ref3

  Berman, Pandro, ref1, ref2

  Bevis, Jason Boyd, Jr. “Bevo,” ref1, ref2, ref3, ref4, ref5, ref6, ref7, ref8, ref9

  Bible scam, ref1

  Bienstock, Freddy, ref1, ref2, ref3, ref4, ref5, ref6, ref7, ref8, ref9, ref10, ref11, ref12, ref13, ref14, ref15, ref16

  “Big Hunk o’ Love, A,” ref1

  Billboard charts, ref1, ref2, ref3

  Billboard magazine, ref1, ref2

  Bill Haley and the Comets, ref1

  Binder, Steve, ref1, ref2, ref3, ref4, ref5

  Binder-Howe Productions, ref1

  Black, Bill, ref1

  Blackwell, Otis, ref1

  Blaine, Hal, ref1

  Blue Bird, The (play), ref1

  “Blue Christmas,” ref1

  “Blue Eyes Crying in the Rain,” ref1

  Blue Hawaii (movie), ref1, ref2, ref3, ref4, ref5, ref6, ref7, ref8

  “Blue Moon of Kentucky,” ref1

  “Blue Suede Shoes,” ref1, ref2, ref3

  Blye, Allan, ref1, ref2, ref3

  BMI, ref1

  Boasberg, Charles, ref1

  Bodie Mountain Express, ref1

  Bogert, Frank, ref1

  Bolger, Ray, ref1

  Bowers, Milton, ref1, ref2

  Boxcar Enterprise
s, ref1, ref2, ref3, ref4

  Boyd, Charlie, ref1

  Boyer, Sidney, ref1

  Boys Town (movie), ref1

  Brand, Harry, ref1

  Brando, Marlon, ref1, ref2, ref3, ref4

  Brasfield, Rod, ref1, ref2

  Breda, Holland, ref1, ref2, ref3, ref4

  Breen, Joseph, ref1

  Brent, Evelyn, ref1

  “Bridge Over Troubled Water,” ref1

  Bridges, Beau, ref1

  Briggs, David, ref1, ref2

  Brokaw, Norman, ref1

  Brooks, Garth, ref1

  Brown, David, ref1

  Brown, Earl, ref1

  Brown, James, ref1, ref2

  Brown, Tony, ref1, ref2, ref3, ref4, ref5

  Bruce Greater Shows, ref1

  Bulleit, Jim, ref1

  Bullock, Bill, ref1, ref2, ref3, ref4, ref5, ref6, ref7, ref8

  Burgess, Jack, ref1

  Burk, Bill, ref1, ref2, ref3

  Burnette, Smiley, ref1

  Bush, George H. W., ref1

  C.W. Parker Shows, ref1

  Campi, John, ref1, ref2

  Cann, L. Harvey “Doc,” ref1

  Canned Heat, ref1

  “Can’t Help Falling in Love,” ref1, ref2

  “Can’t Win, Can’t Place, Can’t Show,” ref1

  Capitol Records, ref1

  Carnival Time Shows, ref1

  Carpenter, Bill, ref1

  Carter, Mother Maybelle, ref1, ref2, ref3

  Carter Sisters, ref1

 

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