Ed Sullivan had earlier refused to have Elvis on his show but as he was now the biggest star in the country he had no choice. ibid.
All Shook Up was to be the first of his twenty-one top stops, even more than a young group from Liverpool. ibid.
After the huge success of the Comeback Special there was only one place for Elvis to go – Vegas. ibid.
By the summer of 1955 Elvis’s extraordinary success in the American south was starting to attract national attention. One man in particular could see Elvis’s money-making potential. Elvis: The Man Who Shook Up the World, Channel 5 2020
‘Colonel Parker was this kind of blustery, cigar-chewing, massively overweight, sweaty, untidy, ill-mannered larger than life character.’ ibid. Bethan Roberts, author Graceland
The energetic way Elvis sings and dances in this appearance was shocking to a fifties’ audience. ibid.
The blacklash during 1956 was said to be difficult for Elvis’s mother, Gladys, too. ibid.
The Americas of Elvis’s teenage years was also changing fast. The economy was growing, and for the first time young people had money in their pocket. They were going out watching films, and above all, listening to music. ibid.
Elvis’s version of That’s All Right helped to set him on course for global stardom. ibid.
As Elvis is increasingly pulled away from her [mother’s] world, Gladys’s life starts to unravel. ibid.
Elvis officially entered the army on March 24th 1958. Colonel Parker had arranged for news crews from around the world to be on hand to record this extraordinary event. ibid.
On 31st July 1969 a nervous Elvis Presley stepped out on to the stage at the International Hotel in Las Vegas after an eight-year absence from performance. The show was a triumph: the culmination of a long hard journey for Elvis to show the world who he really was as an artist. Elvis: Rebirth of the King, BBC 2020
But the triumph was brief and the end was not pretty. The grind of over 600 Vegas shows in 8 years eventually killed the king. For many this cartoon image of Elvis is the one that endures. ibid.
In 1956 Elvis Presley shook up the world. Tall, dark and preternaturally handsome, this dirt-poor southern boy scandalised segregated America when he performed Hound Dog on NBC’s Milton Berle Show. ibid.
In 1956 Love Me Tender was one of the highest grossing movies in the world. What could possibly go wrong? ibid.
Elvis determined that his future would be as a balladeer aimed at a mature audience, but it was a direction that set him on a collision course with the Colonel. ibid.
Elvis is a searcher. It’s a part of him that never left. Elvis: The Searcher I, Priscilla, HBO 2018
’68 he was a nervous wreck. Nervous because he didn’t know if his audience was going to accept him. People had not seen him perform in so long. ibid.
Elvis was born in a shotgun house. The poorest of the poor lived in those houses. His twin brother did not survive birth. ibid. Professor Bill Ferris
Elvis was like Huck Finn exploring. At night he would slip in to the black churches and listen to gospel music and to sermons. ibid.
Elvis, he longed to be a great gospel singer. ibid. Tom Petty
What happened in Memphis at that time was a convergence of forces: the convergence of radio, DJs and artists. ibid. Ferris
But the basic set up when it was just Elvis, Scotty, Bill and a beautiful echo tape delay, it was all you needed. With that voice you could do anything. ibid. Robbie Robertson, musician
And I knew I could help him exploit his talents all over the world. ibid. Colonel Tom Parker
Elvis was able to bring a value to the presentation of black music. ibid. David Porter, Stax Records
Elvis’s first television appearances were earth-shattering. He sang at a moment in the history of the south in the early 50s when his music was truly a revolutionary sound. ibid.
He was basically a good-natured southern kid but he was on a mission to deliver this music. ibid. Ferris
He goes into the army which is where he gets the pep pills for the first time, the Methedrine, to stay up on watch. ibid. Petty
So he was gonna follow what Tom Parker said. He’d been right so far. ibid. Prescilla
The 68 Special really showed Elvis’s career in its entirety. They took Elvis’s original songs and made them more modern. Elvis: The Searcher II, dude
The Sinatra Show – it was a very conservative move at the time. He was just trying to find his place after coming out of the army. He basically had to believe in himself and that’s what Elvis did. ibid. Springsteen
He had to make three movies a year. So these soundtrack albums became a big part of the contractual obligation to release music for RCA. ibid. Jackson
The movies were very harmful to his image. ibid. Petty
The Colonel was not taking him to the place he needed to be. ibid. Priscilla
Las Vegas: It worked great in the beginning – just got to be same old stuff. ibid. Ronnie Tutt, drummer
1971: 157 concerts; 1972: 165 concerts. ibid. captions
By this time he had started to turn to prescription drugs to keep himself going. He was on a relentless wheel of performance to travel, and you started to see the stress of that. ibid. Alan Light, writer
Grace Kelly: Hollywood Icon. In six short years her legacy remains, captivating audiences in some of the era’s greatest pictures. While she shone on screen, off screen she was a force to be reckoned with. Grace Kelly: The Hollywood Years, Channel 5 2021
High Noon: Aged just 21, Grace was just 30 years younger than Gary Cooper but she created a convincing on-screen chemistry. ibid.
At 28 years her senior, Gable was the first older man Grace had been involved with. ibid.
Hitchcock was already planning their future collaborations. Grace was one of Hollywood’s most popular stars now with nine film under her belt. ibid.
There is more to the story of Princess Diana than meets the eye. The nursery school assistant who became the most famous woman in the world. But who she really was is still disputed. Some see her as a victim. Others cast her as manipulative. But while she may have tried to use the press there is no doubt they hunted her … The princess who changed the world. Diana, ITV 2021
When Diana is six, her parents split up. It is a bitter divorce for which her mother is blamed for. Her father wins custody, and Diana is sent to boarding school the following year. ibid.
Diana has been asking her parents if she could move to London for some time. ibid.
The Royal Family approve of the relationship. But Diana is becoming aware that Charles still has feelings for his ex, Camilla Parker Bowles. ibid.
As a teenager, Diana didn’t get along with her stepmother. And having lived out the fallout of a divorce first-hand, she’s determined that her marriage will be different. ibid.
Charles and Diana go no honeymoon on the royal yacht Britannia, along with over 200 members of Her Majesty’s media. Diana becomes consumed with jealousy about Camilla, and is dismayed to discover that Charles has taken a photo of him with her. The couple begin to argue. Diana’s weight loss becomes ever more apparent. And Charles is becoming concerned. ibid.
Diana is suffering from post-natal depression. ibid.
She is becoming the biggest star in the world. ibid.
Diana arrived unannounced in the Bullring near Waterloo Station to meet the homeless who lived there. She spent the evening listening to stories of the men and women of cardboard city. ibid.
Rumours began to circulate that a tell-all book was about to be published. As the publication date nears, Diana is asked by the Palace if she has had any hand in the book. She strongly denies her involvement. The book is a huge scandal. The Queen and Prince Philip hold crisis talks with the couple and urge them to save their marriage. ibid.
Diana starts to become involved in an ever-more elaborate game with the press. As the paparazzi chase her, she briefs journalists and has dinner with editors. ibid.
Diana nicknames her boyfriend [Dr Hasnat Khan] Mr Wonderful. She is extremely careful to keep him a secret from the world’s press. And then she takes a big step to introducing him to William and Harry. ibid.
There was my name up in lights. I said, ‘God, somebody’s made a mistake.’ But there it was, in lights. And I sat there and said, ‘Remember, you’re not a star.’ Yet there it was up in lights. Marilyn Monroe
Unfortunately, I am involved in a freedom ride protesting the loss of the minority rights belonging to the few remaining earthbound stars. All we demanded was our right to twinkle. Marilyn Monroe