154 Gloria Pall & Elvis Presley in Jailhouse Rock

I made this piece for Gloria Pall after speaking with her on the phone about her roles in "The Twilight Zone" and "Jailhouse Rock". Gloria sold me quite a few T-Zone related items and autographs, and we developed a nice friendship because of it. Below is the text I burned on the piece for Gloria.

I got a call from MGM in 1957 a year after I met Elvis in Vegas in April 56.  They wanted me to be a strip teaser, or a nicer way to say it was a Burlesque Queen. I had been a Vegas show girl and I knew how to dance so that was OK with me.

Well in April '56 I was at the New Frontier hotel visiting my showgirl friend, Muriel. I remember out front they had this big 100 foot blowup of Elvis. Backstage, Muriel asked me if I had met Elvis Presley. He was standing in the corner checking me out and looking me up and down. I had no idea who he was. She asked me if I knew Elvis. I extended my right hand to shake with him and he took my fingers to his mouth and proceeded to suck all my fingers one by one.

I asked him, "What kind of a handshake is that?" "That's Tennessee style Ma'm" he said!

I answered, “Remind me not to go there!  You're a corny horny little hick!" He laughed his head off.

So he goes out and does his show, he's jumping around and wiggling and doing these gyrations. The people just looked at him, wondering what he was doing. The dining room was only half full so he flopped. The colonel then took him off the marquis.

So back to Jailhouse Rock, I went to the interview and they said I was perfect for the part. When I showed up for my scene in costume

Elvis walks over to me while I’m in the make up chair and he says "You remember me Ma'm?" I said, “You look familiar.”

He said, "I met you backstage at the Frontier". I said, “That was you?" (Laughing)

I really gave it to him, but Elvis had a great sense of humor. He thought it was funny that I was pretending not to know him.

I said, “Are you an extra? What are you doing here?” He answered,” I’m the star."

I said, “You’re putting me on.” He said, "No, I swear I’m the star!" He said, "Ask the make up man."

So I asked him, “Is this guy the star, or is he putting me on?”  The make up man said, “Yeah he's the star.”

So I looked at Elvis and I looked at the make up man and I said, “He winked at you right?” “No I really am the star”, said Elvis.

So Elvis started to follow me around like a puppy dog. He wanted to talk about Vegas. He said that he flopped there but he was going to go back and be a star. I said, “Oh sure.” The more I teased him the more he loved it.

I mean everyone was applauding him everywhere he went, trying to attach themselves to him. To me he was just a kid; I’m eight years older than Elvis. But everyone was latching on to him because he was on his way up the ladder to great success.

We went out to lunch during the movie; He took me to the Commissary. He had his famous peanut butter and banana sandwich. It was pretty gross. He liked it deep fried and here I am a health nut ...no fried foods.

Gloria told me that she intends to will this piece to Graceland so maybe someday it will be on display there?