In the late Fifties and early Sixties he was the largest star on the planet, so why did Elvis solely come to the UK as soon as – and why did The King flip down The Queen?
On today, March 3, 1960, rumours ran like wildfire by way of the small Scottish city of Prestwick, 30 miles southwest of Glasgow. Teenager Ann Murphy acquired a cellphone name at work from her mum telling her that Elvis Presley actually can be arriving on the airport in just a few hours.
The star was on his approach house from Germany after finishing two years of navy service. Even although it had interrupted his nearly instantaneous rise to worldwide fame since 1955, his supervisor, Colonel Parker, and report firm and been holding followers tantalised with common prerecorded music and updates.
16-year-old Ann dashed house, become “my American jeans, lumberjacket, bobby socks and blue suede shoes”, after which cycled three miles to the airport along with her greatest buddy Muriel. It was a US forces base till 1966 and was used as a refuelling level for navy and later transatlantic industrial flights till the Seventies.
Base commander Colonel Russell Fisher, admininistration officer Major Ben Bacchus and chief govt officer Major Ed Miller formally met Elvis and Miller recalled: “He was an extremely pleasant, sincere young man who took the time and trouble to speak to everyone he met. The lucky few fans who were in the right place at the right time were left with the memory of a lifetime.”
Ann informed the Elvis Presley Fans web site: “Muriel and I have been proper on the barrier. We have been so excited and immediately the airplane was in entrance of us. The door opened and there was Elvis. He was so good-looking in his uniform. He waved and we began screaming. He shouted: ‘Where am I?’ and other people shouted again: ‘Prestwick’ – however I used to be shouting: ‘I love you’.
“Elvis got here down the steps and regarded incredible with that lovely smile. We might hardly imagine we have been taking a look at him. We might practically contact him. Then Muriel did an incredible factor. She jumped over the barrier and threw herself on him – a few enormous navy policemen scraped her off and put her again over the barrier.”
Elvis was reportedly far more relaxed and approachable without his manager and entourage around him and spent time talking to fans before going inside for a press conference and then reboarding the transport plane.
Two years later, Elvis was invited by the Palace to join the line-up for the 1962 Royal Variety Performance alongside Bob Hope, Cliff Richard and the Shadows, and Eartha Kitt.
Queen Elizabeth presided over the event but The King turned our queen down. In fact, apart from some concerts in Canada, and shows and filming Hawaii, he never left the United States again.
Most believe this was due to the influence of his manager. Dutch national Parker was an illegal alien in the US (with rumoured links to a murder back home in Breda) and did not want to risk leaving the country in case he wasn’t permitted to return. Therefore, he made sure Elvis was never booked to appear overseas.
However, a sensational claim emerged when theatre impresario and football enthusiast Bill Kenwright told BBC Radio 2 that The King did return to the UK, and was accompanied by star Sir Tommy Steele for a secret trip around London.
Bill said: “I bear in mind him telling me about when Elvis got here to England very quietly. Evidently Tommy obtained house one night time and the cellphone rings. A voice says, ‘They inform me you are good.’ Tommy says, ‘Who’s this?’ ‘Elvis’ says the voice. ‘Get outta right here’, says Tommy. ‘Are you nearly as good as me?’ says Elvis… and so they began this mock rivalry.”
Apparently Elvis flew over and they dashed around London all night in a blacked-out car. It seems hard to believe this could have happened with absolutely no witnesses, but Steel himself was questioned about it and said: “I swore by no means to expose publicly what occurred.
“I can solely hope he [Presley] can forgive me. It was an occasion shared by two younger males sharing the identical love of their music and the identical thrill of attaining one thing unimaginable.”
To today, solely Prestwick Airport within the UK has an official plaque commemorating the time Elvis Presley visited this nation.
Content Source: www.specific.co.uk