Who is Elvis Presley?

Angelo

Los Angeles, 01/08/10

It was 1956, Anne Fulchino, a publicist at RCA Records, was on the phone with her young, talented, albeit still not widely known friend. They were discussing the gig she had lined up at CBS' Studio 50 - home of the weekly live broadcast of Tommy and Jimmy Dorsey's Stage Show.

Wow! The Dorsey brothers, Benny Goodman, all the big bands he was so fond of. A dream gig!

But it wasn't quite as he expected. "No", said Anne, "I want you to go to the studio and shoot Elvis Presley"... there was a pause - a very long pause and when Anne's friend spoke he asked simply; "Who is Elvis Presley?"

That telephone call led twenty-six year old photographer Alfred Wertheimer on a journey that redefined his life and gave way to the iconic images of The King everyone the world over has known ever since.

In marking the anniversary of Elvis' birth 75 years ago the Smithsonian Traveling Exhibition Service, in conjunction with the History Channel and the Washington, DC based Govinda Gallery, a retrospective of Wertheimer's Elvis portraits, titled "ELVIS at 21" launched its debut today at Los Angeles' Grammy Museum before embarking on a three year, nine city tour.

Following a members' only cocktail reception more than 200 people packed the museum's auditorium for "A Conversation with Alfred Wertheimer", a delightful 90 minutes of banter between Mr. Wertheimer, Chris Murray (Director of The Govinda Gallery) and Robert Santelli, Executive Director of the Grammy Museum and the evening's moderator - with often quite funny remembrances of the months Mr. Wertheimer spent in close proximity to Elvis in New York & Memphis, on trains, backstage, in hotel rooms and at his parents' home.


1. Libby O'Connell (The History Channel) and Robert Santelli open the evening.




2. (L-R) Chris Murray, Alfred Wertheimer, Robert Santelli




3. Ever the documentarian, AW snaps away and records video throughout the evening.



4. AW listens to a question posed by an audience member.



5. Los Angeles City Councilman Tom LaBonge presents a Proclamation issued by the Mayor honoring Mr. Wertheimer's work.




6. In the Gallery



7. A beautiful space and presentation



8. "The Kiss" one of, if not the most famous images.



8a.




9. Patricia Bunin was 13 years old in 1956 when she snuck away from her aunt's house in Charlotte NC to board a bus downtown in hopes of meeting her idol. Avoiding crowds at the lobby entrance of the hotel, she found her way to a stairwell where she climbed twenty stories to find Elvis. For her efforts she was rewarded with a kiss on the cheek and a private serenade of "Pretender"



10. Reception and book signing



10a.



11. Stumped? I asked Mr. Wertheimer which was his very last image of Elvis. After a pause he said; "that's a great question that no one has asked before" After thinking about it a moment he recalled one when Elvis was departing on a ship and at the last moment tossed a deck of cards over the side, caught the wind and flurried down to the dock.



additional information:

http://www.grammymuseum.org/interior.php?section=programs&page=publicprograms

http://www.vanityfair.com/culture/features/2010/01/elvis-at-21-201001

http://www.google.com/search?q=alfred+wertheimer&ie=utf-8&oe=utf-8&aq=t&rls=org.mozilla:en-US:official&client=firefox-a

bfjr

Good read Angelo, enjoyed it.
Even took me down memory lane, just for moment

Angelo

bfjr wrote:

Good read Angelo, enjoyed it.
Even took me down memory lane, just for moment

Hey Ben - old pal... long time. How goes everything?

Thanks for commenting. You should get down to the Grammy Museum and have a look, the prints are incredible.

MooreDriven

CBS News Sunday Morning is doing a segment on Mr. Wertheimer's photographs and Elvis this morning. If you miss it, it may be available on their website.

Angelo

MooreDriven wrote:

...If you miss it, it may be available on their website.

I did and I hope so. Thanks for the heads-up.

leaforte

I watched Jail House Rock on his birthday...laughed, loved, and had so much fun checking out the old school cinematography! Thanks for sharing.

Angelo

Feedback from Patricia Bunin:

Hi Angelo, here's a copy of my column that appeared in today's Pasadena Star News, San Gabriel Valley Trib and Whittier Daily News.
Thanks for sharing your site with me. You did such a good job capturing the core of the event, in words and photos.
I enjoyed meeting you and hope our paths will cross again. Best wishes, Patricia




Senior Moments: One Good Kiss Deserves Another
Patricia Bunin

My unforgettable kiss from Elvis Presley in 1956 was the subject of last week’s column.
On January 8, which would have been “The King’s” 75 birthday, I returned the favor by
kissing renowned photojournalist, Alfred Wertheimer, at the debut of his “Elvis at 21”
exhibit at the Grammy Museum in Los Angeles. (Elvis fans and photographers, do not
miss this traveling exhibit sponsored by the Smithsonian and the History Channel. Details
at www.grammymuseum.com.)

Wertheimer, who at 80 brings the same passion to his photography as Elvis did to his
singing at 21, listened attentively as I relayed my story of meeting Elvis the same year he
took the photos in the exhibit. Hearing that my three-hour wait in the hotel stairwell,
after climbing 20 flights of stairs, was rewarded by a song and a kiss from Elvis didn’t
surprise him. “At that time, Elvis allowed closeness,” he said. That’s what made it
possible for him to take the series of photos culminating in “The Kiss”.

Swept away in the moment, the words tumbled out like they were coming from someone
else’s mouth, “Will you kiss me? Just like Elvis did?” I asked. He responded good-naturedly. I
thanked him with a peck on his cheek, and left the exhibit on a high.

When my husband and I arrived home later, there was an urgent message on the
answering machine from the Grammy Museum. Was it possible that I had mistakenly
taken Mr. Wertheimer’s glasses, which had gone missing at about the time I kissed him?

Although I didn’t steam up his glasses with my kiss apparently, I did take them.

“I considered delivering these to your hotel room myself, Mr. Wertheimer,” I said in my
apology note tucked in with his glasses that I found in my purse, “but since I already got
to kiss you, and walking up 20 flights of stairs is not quite as much fun any more, please know
that, as with Elvis, meeting you was unforgettable.
I sealed it with a kiss.