NationMaster - Encyclopedia: Cultural depictions of Elvis Presley

Elvis Presley has inspired artistic and cultural works in the years since he has died. The following lists cover various media to include items of historic interest, enduring works of high art, and recent representations in popular culture. The entries represent portrayals that a reader has a reasonable chance of encountering rather than a complete catalog. Lesser known works are not included. This image is a postage stamp produced by the United States Postal Service after 1978. ... This image is a postage stamp produced by the United States Postal Service after 1978. ... Elvis Aron Presley (January 8, 1935 â€“ August 16, 1977), often known simply as Elvis and also called The King of Rock n Roll or simply The King, was an American singer, musician and actor. ...

For purposes of classification, popular culture music is a separate section from operas and oratorios. Television covers live action series, TV movies, miniseries, and North American animation but not Japanese anime, which appears with manga and graphic novels.

1 Trivia
2 See also

Trivia

Music

Has won three Grammy awards, all for his gospel recordings. These were for the 1967 "How Great Thou Art" LP, for the 1972 LP, "He Touched Me" and, in 1974, for the song "How Great Thou Art" (live).
Billboard historian Joel Whitburn declared Presley the "#1 act of the Rock era", beating out The Beatles, based upon his dominance of Billboard's list of top 100 singles artists since 1955.
Elvis guest starred on T-Unit's Second Album in their performance of "Jailhouse Rock."

Billboard is a weekly American magazine devoted to the music industry. ... Joel Carver Whitburn (born November 29, 1939 in Wauwatosa, Wisconsin) is an American author and music historian. ... The Beatles were a highly influential English rock band from Liverpool. ...

Acting

He was offered the lead role of Tony in the film adaptation of the Broadway musical West Side Story. Despite Presley's arguments that it would legitimize his acting career, "Colonel" Parker forced Presley to turn it down thinking that it was non-commercial. The film won ten Academy Awards including Best Picture.

Broadway theatre[1] is often considered the highest professional form of theatre in the United States. ... West Side Story is a 1961 film directed by Robert Wise and Jerome Robbins. ... The references in this article would be clearer with a different and/or consistent style of citation, footnoting or external linking. ... The Academy Award for Best Picture is one of the awards given to people working in the motion picture industry by the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences; the awards are voted on by other people within the industry. ...

Finances

When Presley was drafted into the US Army in March 1958, his monthly pay went from $100,000 to $78.
Presley's estate earns over 40 million dollars every year which is a record for a deceased entertainer.
In 2005, for the fifth year straight, Presley was named the richest deceased celebrity in www.Forbes.com. In 2006, he's in the number two spot after Kurt Cobain of Nirvana fame. (see also preceding section entitled, "Presley in the 21st Century")

Alternate meaning: For the Boston Brahmin family associated with John Forbes Kerry, see Forbes family. ...

Personal life

Presley was an avid practitioner of Kenpo karate, studying under both legendary instructor Ed Parker and Parker's protégé Mike Stone. The latter would take a romantic interest in Priscilla Presley, eventually being among the causes of the couple's divorce. Presley was known to have attained at least a eighth-degree black belt in the martial art.^[1]^[2]
Presley was an honorary member of Tau Kappa Epsilon fraternity.

Kenpo may also refer to the Constitution of Japan (æ†²æ³•) Kenpo or Kempo (æ‹³æ³• KenpÅ; lit. ... Edmund Kealoha Parker (March 19, 1931â€“December 15, 1990) was an American martial artist, exhibitionist, and teacher, perhaps most famous as the founder of American Kenpo. ... This article or section does not cite its references or sources. ... Tau Kappa Epsilon (TKE, pronounced T-K-E or Teke, as in teak wood) is a college fraternity with chapters in the USA, and Canada, and affiliation with a German fraternity system known as the Corps of the Weinheimer Senioren Convent(WSC). ...

Name

His given middle name at birth was Aron;^[3] however, Aaron was placed on his gravestone by his father because Presley preferred that biblical spelling and had legally changed it. Aaron is the official spelling used by his estate.
A number of people the world over are named after Presley, many of them becoming quite well known themselves: Elvis Stojko, a Canadian who was the three-time World Figure Skating Champion; Elvis Crespo, a salsa and meringue musician; Elvis Dumervil, a former University of Louisville All American football player, now with the Denver Broncos; Elvis Perkins, a musician who is the son of actor Anthony Perkins; and Elvis Polansky, son of movie director Roman Polanski.
Musician Elvis Costello adopted Presley's first name a few months before Presley's death in 1977.

The word Bible refers to the canonical collections of sacred writings of Judaism and Christianity. ... Elvis Stojko M.S.C., M.S.M. (born March 22, 1972 in Newmarket, Ontario) is a Canadian figure skating world champion. ... The World Figure Skating Championships is an annual event sanctioned by the International Skating Union in which elite figure skaters compete for the title of World Champion. ... Elvis Crespo Elvis Crespo (born July 30, 1971 in New York, New York) is a Puerto Rican Merengue singer. ... Elvis Dumervil (born January 19, 1984 in Miami, Florida) is a current National Football League defensive end for the Denver Broncos. ... The University of Louisville (also known as U of L) is a public, state-supported university located in Louisville, Kentucky, United States. ... City Denver, Colorado Other nicknames Orange Crush Team colors Navy Blue, Orange, and White Head Coach Mike Shanahan Owner Pat Bowlen General manager Ted Sundquist Mascot Thunder, Miles League/Conference affiliations American Football League (1960-1969) Western Division (1960-1969) National Football League (1970â€“present) American Football Conference (1970â€“present... Anthony Perkins Anthony Perkins (April 4, 1932â€“September 12, 1992) was an American actor best known for his role as the serial killer Norman Bates in Alfred Hitchcocks Psycho. ... Roman PolaÅ„ski at Cannes with Adrien Brody, 2002 Roman PolaÅ„ski (born August 18, 1933) is a Franco-Polish film director and actor. ... Declan Patrick MacManus (born August 25, 1954, in London), better known by his stage name, Elvis Costello, is an English musician, singer, and songwriter of Irish ancestry. ...

Legacy

The 1960 Broadway musical Bye Bye Birdie is a satire about the effects of the compulsory U.S. military draft on a famous singer similar to Presley.
Kirsty MacColl's 1981 song "There's A Guy Works Down The Chip Shop Swears He's Elvis" is a reference to all the unusual sightings in the United Kingdom of the singer.
Presley had a short mention in the S.E. Hinton classic, The Outsiders.
In the novel A Clockwork Orange by Anthony Burgess, one of the narrator Alex's "droogs" (friends) wears an Elvis Presley mask, when they go out on crime sprees.
The Broadway musical All Shook Up features the songs of Presley, and is based on the plot of William Shakespeare's Twelfth Night.
Freddie Mercury wrote the song "Crazy Little Thing Called Love" as a tribute to Presley. The song remained in the #1 position on the U.S. charts for four weeks in 1980.
Wink Martindale, who was a close friend of Presley, aired a nationwide tribute in his memory following the news of his death. Martindale was an up-and-coming radio DJ in Memphis at the time Presley's career began to take off in high gear.
Richard Dawson also paid tribute to Presley on an episode of Family Feud.
The 2002 Disney animated feature Lilo and Stitch contains more Presley songs than there are in several movies in which Presley himself starred. The film's closing sequence also features a montage of photographs, one of which portrays the film's main characters posing before the gates of Graceland. The film also broke several rules related to Presley in films which included using his photo, shortening his songs for time and dressing up like him. However, the Graceland estate allowed the producers this degree of freedom.
In December 2004 Wade Jones from Belmont, NC sold 3 tablespoons of water from a cup from which Presley drank on eBay. The water fetched $455. One week later (January 2005), he sold an appearance of the Elvis Cup on eBay for $3,000 and currently tours with the Elvis Cup. Jones says he scored the Styrofoam cup at a 1977 concert the King played. Hoping for a better souvenir, he ended up getting a cup out of which he saw Presley drink.^[4]
The "Doctor Who Adventures" magazine published a list of the top ten historical figures people would like to travel back in time to meet; Presley ranked 2nd, behind Sir Winston Churchill [1].
The Chinese tend to nickname him The King of Cats (Traditional: 貓王, Simplified: 猫王, Pinyin:Māo Wáng) after the "hillbilly cat" remark in The Memphis Press Scimitar interview. (See:Devotion to his Mother)
In Soul Calibur, the character Maxi bears a distinct resemblance to Presley and is a martial artist like him.
The Thai film Killer Tattoo features a Thai assassin who insists that he is Elvis, and demands to be addressed in English, a language he does not speak.
In Shaman King, Ryunosuke Umemiya dresses up like Elvis Presley and is a big fan of him.
The cartoon character Johnny Bravo has a voice like that of Presley in addition to his resemblance to Presley's idol James Dean.
Dread Zeppelin is an American band best known for covering the songs of Led Zeppelin in a reggae style, sung by an Elvis Presley impersonator.
The Norwegian rock band Kaizers Orchestra has a stagehand who is dressed like Elvis, and he can be seen in the Viva La Vega DVD, coming out on stage several times to help with the instruments. Jackal Kaizer even encourages him to come out on stage for applause, insisting that "He's still working in the industry. He never left the building!" He goes on to insist that Elvis is assisting the band in their rise to stardom, and that they "wanted Roy Robertson" but were told that he was dead.
In 1985 Bruce Springsteen, a longtime admirer of Elvis, released "Johnny Bye Bye" as the b-side to his single "I'm on Fire." The song pays tribute to Elvis and contains modified lyrics from a Chuck Berry song of a similar name.
Former Japanese Prime Minister Junichiro Koizumi is a longtime Presley fan who has released a CD of his favorite Presley songs with his own commentary, He also helped finance a statue of the music pioneer and made a historical visit to Graceland in June 2006 with United States President George W. Bush.
Some of Elvis' hits were covered later by famous artists : "Can't Help Falling in Love" (1961) was covered by British reggae band "UB40" (1993) ; "Always on my mind" (1972, although it was not originally sung by Presley) was covered by country singer Willie Nelson (1982) and British duo Pet Shop Boys (1987) ; "Suspicious Minds" (1969) was covered by British trio Fine Young Cannibals (1986).
For a broad listing of Elvis references and episodes in TV programs see EIN's Elvis Rules on Television [2]article
Probably the most unusual film with an Elvis related plot is 1999's "underground" slasher movie, Evil Elvis Christmas [3]

But But Butie is a Broadway musical satire on American society written by Michael Stewart (book), Lee Adams (lyrics), and Charles Strouse (music). ... Kirsty Anna MacColl (10 October 1959 â€“ 18 December 2000) was an English singer-songwriter. ... The Outsiders is a novel written by then 16-year-old S. E. Hinton and first published in 1967 by Puffin Books. ... It has been suggested that Milk Plus be merged into this article or section. ... Anthony Burgess (February 25, 1917 â€“ November 22, 1993) was a British novelist, critic and composer. ... Musical theater (or theatre) is a form of theater combining music, songs, dance, and spoken dialogue. ... Wikipedia does not yet have an article with this exact name. ... Twelfth Night, or What You Will is a comedy by William Shakespeare. ... Freddie Mercury (September 5, 1946 â€“ November 24, 1991) was a rock musician, best known as the lead singer of the English rock band Queen. ... Crazy Little Thing Called Love is a song performed by the English rock band Queen, written by singer Freddie Mercury in 1979. ... Wink Martindale entering on Tic Tac Dough Wink Martindale (born Winston Conrad Martindale on December 4, 1933 in Jackson, Tennessee, USA) is a disc jockey and television game show host. ... Richard Dawson, a panelist on Match Game, seen here in 1977 during the infamous School Riot episode. ... It has been suggested that Family Feud Broadcast History (United States), Family Feud in popular culture, Family Feud rules and production, Family Feud around the world be merged into this article or section. ... For the Disney Channel in other countries, see Disney Channel around the world. ... Lilo & Stitch is an animated film, set in Hawaii. ... Graceland. ... Doctor Who is a long-running British science fiction television programme (and 1996 television movie) produced by the BBC about the adventures of a mysterious time-traveller known as The Doctor, who explores time and space with his companions, solving problems and righting wrongs. ... Sir Winston Leonard Spencer-Churchill, KG, OM, CH, TD, FRS, PC (Can) (30 November 1874 â€“ 24 January 1965) was an English statesman, soldier, and author, best known as Prime Minister of the United Kingdom during the Second World War. ... Traditional Chinese characters are one of two standard character sets of printed contemporary Chinese written language. ... Simplified Chinese characters (Simplified Chinese: 简体字; Traditional Chinese: 簡體字; pinyin: jiǎntǐzì; also called 简化字/簡化字, jiǎnhuàzì) are one of two standard character sets of printed contemporary Chinese written language. ... It has been suggested that Pinyin_method be merged into this article or section. ... Elvis Aron Presley (January 8, 1935 â€“ August 16, 1977), often known simply as Elvis and also called The King of Rock n Roll or simply The King, was an American singer, musician and actor. ... Soul Calibur is the second game in the Soul series of fighting games developed and produced by Namco, consisting of Soul Edge (Soul Blade in the US), Soul Calibur, Soul Calibur II, and Soul Calibur III. Originally an arcade game, Soul Calibur was ported and released for the Sega Dreamcast... Maxi (çœŸå–œå¿— Makishi) is a fictional character designed for the Soul series of fighting games. ... Killer Tattoo is a 2001 action-comedy film written and directed by Yuthlert Sippapak. ... The English language is a West Germanic language that originates in England. ... Shaman King (ã‚·ãƒ£ãƒ¼ãƒžãƒ³ã‚ãƒ³ã‚° ShÄman Kingu) is both an anime series and a manga series by Hiroyuki Takei. ... Ryunosuke Umemiya, usually called Wooden Sword Ryu (木刀の 竜 Bokutō no Ryū), is a character in the anime and manga Shaman King. ... Johnny Bravo was an American animated television series about the boorish, skirt-chasing title character who constantly searches for a woman willing to date him. ... James Byron Dean (February 8, 1931 â€“ September 30, 1955) was an American film actor. ... Dread Zeppelin is an American band best known for covering the songs of Led Zeppelin in a reggae style sung by an Elvis Presley impersonator, though their act now encompasses many other songs and other styles of music. ... For the bands 1969 self-titled debut album, see Led Zeppelin (album) Led Zeppelin were an English rock band, and are one of the most successful groups in popular music history. ... This article does not cite its references or sources. ... The Norwegian rock band Kaizers Orchestra was formed in 2000. ... Viva La Vega is a DVD presented by the Norwegian company Amazon Film of the band Kaizers Orchestra. ... Geir Zahl, Janove Ottesen (middle) and Terje VinterstÃ¸ in Copenhagen 2005 Janove Ottesen (born 1975, formerly Jan Ove Ottesen) is a Norwegian musician, born in Bryne, Rogaland. ... Junichiro Koizumi , born January 8, 1942) is a Japanese politician who served as Prime Minister of Japan from 2001 to 2006. ... George Walker Bush (born July 6, 1946) is the 43rd and current President of the United States, inaugurated on January 20, 2001. ...

Likes and dislikes

Presley was a big fan of Captain Marvel Jr, and may have styled his trademark haircut after that of the comic book character. In addition, Presley's stage outfits (with a half-cape similar to those worn by the Marvels) and his TCB logo (with a Marvel-esque lightning bolt insignia) may also show inspiration from Captain Marvel, Jr.
He was proud of his role in King Creole because the part was originally offered to his idol James Dean.
His favorite roller coaster was the Zippin Pippin at Libertyland. He would rent out the park to himself just so he could ride it non-stop.
One of Presley's favorite female singers was Anne Murray^{[citation needed]} and he recorded a version of "Snowbird".
One of his favorite songs was "Something" by George Harrison.^{[citation needed]}
His favorite film was Dr. Strangelove--he was a great fan of Peter Sellers.
It is commonly known that Presley loved gospel music. The last record he listened to was a new album by JD Sumner and the Stamps Quartet, the group that accompanied him on stage. Their record was on Presley's record player in his bedroom on the day he died.
Presley disliked being called "The King", saying that "there's only one King, and that's Jesus."
Elvis loved his Cadillac cars, Sir Guy and Don Loper Shirts.

Captain Marvel Jr. ... King Creole is a 1958 Elvis Presley film and soundtrack based on the 1952 Harold Robbins novel, A Stone for Danny Fisher. ... James Byron Dean (February 8, 1931 â€“ September 30, 1955) was an American film actor. ... The Zippin Pippin is one of the oldest still existing wooden roller coasters in the USA. It is located in Memphis in a park currently named Libertyland. ... Libertyland is Memphis, Tennessees only amusement park. ... Anne Murray CC, ONS (born Morna Anne Murray June 20, 1945), is a Canadian singer born in Springhill, Nova Scotia, known for her rich alto voice and her taste in choosing songs that appeal to pop, country and adult contemporary listeners alike. ... This article or section does not cite its references or sources. ... For the hit 1987 single by Depeche Mode, see the album Music for the Masses Film poster for Dr. Strangelove or: How I Learned to Stop Worrying and Love the Bomb is a 1964 satirical film directed by Stanley Kubrick. ...

Miscellaneous

His death occurred only three days before that of Groucho Marx. As a result, the great comedian's death did not receive as much media attention as it may have otherwise received. Coincidentally, the two owned houses next door to each other in Beverly Hills, California.
Although not in practice, Elvis was technically Jewish according to Jewish law because of his uninterrupted maternal Jewish heritage (i.e. his mother's mother's mother...etc. was Jewish). He was known to wear both a cross and a Star of David around his neck, explaining that he "wouldn't want to be kept out of Heaven on a technicality."
Punk band Peter and the Test Tube Babies recorded a song titled "Elvis is Dead" for their album "Pissed and Proud" making fun of his weight and drug problems. Notable lyrics include "Elvis had a heart attack/because he got so big and fat"
Funk/rock group Living Colour recorded a song titled "Elvis Is Dead" for their Time's Up album. The song ridicules those who contend that Presley is alive.
Country comedy duo Pinkard & Bowden recorded a song titled "Elvis Was a Narc", which mocked Presley's stand on illegal drugs while himself consuming large quantities of pharmaceuticals. A live version also poked fun at the "Elvis Lives?" phenomenon.
Presley had a pet rabbit called Dean, after his idol James Dean.
Presley had remarkably large feet, taking an unusual size 15 in shoes.
Elvis was considering joining the The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints (Mormons) at the time of his death, and may have already set a baptism date.^[5]
Singer Harry Nilsson, a fellow RCA Records artist, was disappointed that the label canceled a publicity push for his latest album (Knnillssonn) to instead promote Presley's back catalog after his death, and asked to be released from his recording contract.
McFarlane Toys came out with a line of action figures that depict Elvis in his greatest moments like "Jailhouse Rock", "Blue Hawaii", "'68 Comeback Special" etc... there have been 6 figures released as of now.
Elvis's beloved teddy bear Mabel was made in 1909 by the German manufacturer Steiff. It was on display at a children's museum near Wookey Hole Caves near Wells, England, when Barney, a Doberman-Pinscher guard dog went wild and destroyed it and damaged about 100 other valuable stuffed animals in the summer of 2006. The insurance company had insisted that the valuable teddy bears be protected by guard dogs.

Julius Henry Marx, known as Groucho Marx (October 2, 1890 â€“ August 19, 1977), was an American comedian, working both with his siblings, the Marx Brothers, and on his own. ... The Star of David The Star of David in the oldest surviving complete copy of the Masoretic text, the Leningrad Codex, dated 1008. ... Peter and the Test Tube Babies are a punk rock band formed around Brighton in 1977 and still touring today. ... Pissed and Proud is an album of live recordings by English punk rock band, Peter and the Test Tube Babies. ... Living Colour is a hard rock group formed in New York city in 1984 by black musicians. ... Sandy Pinkard and Richard Bowden are an American Country Music comedy duo (in the vein of Homer and Jethro), famous mostly for their parodies of popular country songs, some cowritten with Tim Wilson. ... James Byron Dean (February 8, 1931 â€“ September 30, 1955) was an American film actor. ... The Salt Lake Temple of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints is the largest attraction in the citys Temple Square. ... Harry Edward Nilsson III (June 15, 1941 â€“ January 15, 1994) was an American songwriter, singer, pianist, and guitarist, most popular during the 1960s and 1970s. ... Knnillssonn is an album by Harry Nilsson. ... McFarlane Toys is a company started by Todd McFarlane that makes detailed models of characters from movies, comics, musicians, video games, and sport figures. ... The entrance to Wookey Hole. ... For other uses, see Wells (disambiguation). ... Motto: (French for God and my right) Anthem: God Save the King/Queen Capital London (de facto) Largest city London Official language(s) English (de facto) Unification - by Athelstan AD 927 Area - Total 130,395 kmÂ² (1st in UK) 50,346 sq mi Population - 2006 est. ...

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