1952 - filling station helper

[colonel snow]

67 years ago: 12 june 1952 - employment application for filling station helper


colonel snow

[Christopher Brown]

Interesting. Can you imagine applications now with questions of Nationality and Religion, among others? Oh to be in HR then.

[drjohncarpenter]

67 years ago: 12 june 1952 - employment application for filling station helper


colonel snow

Looks like you found that document here:

Lot #348
ELVIS PRESLEY HANDWRITTEN EMPLOYMENT APPLICATION

SOLD
Sold price
$6,250 (5 bids)

An Index Employment Company Confidential Information Form filled out by Elvis Presley on June 12, 1952, for a "filling station helper" position. The form has Presley’s handwritten Social Security number, name, address, date of birth, and other personal information. Presley also lists his previous employers and duties as well as salaries received.

https://www.julienslive.com/lot-details/index/catalog/261/lot/102364/ELVIS-PRESLEY-HANDWRITTEN-EMPLOYMENT-APPLICATION

It's a fascinating little piece of history, Elvis at 17, having just finished his junior year at Humes High, looking for a summer job.

But everyone missed what Elvis actually wrote on the form.


He was looking for TWO possible positions:

Filling Station Helper or drug store carpenter helper

Also interesting was the "PAST EMPLOYER" information Presley included, including why he left each job:

3 wks - Bill Stafford, Poplar - putting fuses in rockets - $35.60 - under age

1 mo - Arthur Groom, Loew's State - chief of service - $18.00 - interferring with school work

Not sure what happened after this card was submitted, did he work that summer?

For a short while in the fall he worked the assembly-line at Marl Metal Manufacturing on 208 West Georgia Avenue. The business made chrome-plated tubular steel tables and chairs. He quit because he was falling asleep in class.

Just a bit more information about the pre-fame Elvis.


'

[Marko]

What a fantastic piece of history. Thanks for sharing!

Who did Elvis name as his nearest close relative? I cant make that out.

[drjohncarpenter]

What a fantastic piece of history. Thanks for sharing!

Who did Elvis name as his nearest close relative? I cant make that out.

Digging into the history tells us just a little bit more about the man and his music.


For "Nearest Close Relative" he wrote:

Mr. Charlie Mann
368 Carol St. - Memphis - Tenn.

It was his uncle.

Lillian (Smith) Mann was Gladys' oldest sister, six years her senior. Her husband was Charlie. He passed away on 6-03-1957.

[MysteryTrain]

Interesting that 17-year-old Elvis checked the box indicating that he was divorced.

MT

[drjohncarpenter]

Interesting that 17-year-old Elvis checked the box indicating that he was divorced.

MT

Actually Elvis didn't. The two boxes he checked were "Male" and "Single."

He was both at the time.

[Fish]

368 Carol St. - Memphis - Tenn

It seems that Carol Street does not exist anymore. There is a Carol Drive, would that be the same street but with a different name?

[Marko]

What a fantastic piece of history. Thanks for sharing!

Who did Elvis name as his nearest close relative? I cant make that out.

Digging into the history tells us just a little bit more about the man and his music.


For "Nearest Close Relative" he wrote:

Mr. Charlie Mann
368 Carol St. - Memphis - Tenn.

It was his uncle.

Lillian (Smith) Mann was Gladys' oldest sister, six years her senior. Her husband was Charlie. He passed away on 6-03-1957.

Cool, thanks for clearing that out!

[drjohncarpenter]

368 Carol St. - Memphis - Tenn

It seems that Carol Street does not exist anymore. There is a Carol Drive, would that be the same street but with a different name?

No, Elvis just miswrote "Street" instead of "Drive." Carol Drive existed in 1952.

[GaryP]

Is this info mentioned in the ‘Boy From Tupelo’ book?

[colonel snow]

These facts are not mentioned in the book “Day by day” by Peter Guralnick & Ernst Jorgensen. In this book is not much mentioned about the year 1952.

Elvis starts working 13 june 152 according the documents.

colonel snow

[colonel snow]

1952 - job application


colonel snow

[drjohncarpenter]

Is this info mentioned in the ‘Boy From Tupelo’ book?

No.

The document surfaced at an online auction in 2019, the book went to the publishers in 2012.

Not sure that it's relevant to the timeline or story anyway.

[lpa]

Poor kid, it breaks my heart to see these things.

[MysteryTrain]

Interesting that 17-year-old Elvis checked the box indicating that he was divorced.

MT

Actually Elvis didn't. The two boxes he checked were "Male" and "Single."

He was both at the time.

You are correct, Doc. My mistake.

MT

[Jokerlola]

Poor kid, it breaks my heart to see these things.

It breaks your heart that he applied for a job?

[jurasic1968]

Elvis did what he had to do. In 1952 he didn't know that in 4 years he will be the number one singer in the USA and in the world, too.

[drjohncarpenter]

You are correct, Doc. My mistake.

MT

No biggie. I actually thought the exact same thing the first time I looked at it.

It's a layout anomaly. Usually the checkboxes sit to the *left* of the item, not the right.

[drjohncarpenter]

Neat share, but I think you're misreading this one as well.

What it shows is that the agency wanted to put Elvis into a job at Klyce Motors at 7 South Cleveland (at Monroe) in Memphis. They sold cars there.

But it does not show Elvis signing and accepting the job. So we must assume he did not work there after all.

It goes unmentioned in the Guralnick and Jørgensen book because they likely did not have the documents back in 1999.

These facts are not mentioned in the book “Day by day” by Peter Guralnick & Ernst Jorgensen. In this book is not much mentioned about the year 1952.

Elvis starts working 13 june 152 according the documents.

colonel snow

[drjohncarpenter]

Another neat one. What this appears to be is more information for the employment company, the same two jobs from the first file are listed here. The cool part is that Elvis lists the start and end dates of both of them.

He lasted at the movie theater for four weeks! We know he was fired. Why? Because of a fight with another usher who snitched on him for sharing candy with a girl, without charging her. Heh.

From the form:

FORMER EMPLOYERS

June 3, 51 to July 1, 51 - Precision Tool Co. - $30.00 - under age

April 17, 52 to May 28, 52 - Loew's State Theatre - $14.00 - x

Good to learn Bill Stafford was the guy in charge at Precision Tool. Elvis did not mention this on the other form, just his name.

REFERENCES

Mrs. S. Frate - 185 Winchester - Sewing - 3 years

Vester Presley - 37 N. Bellevue - Precision Tool Co. - 13 years

Bill Stafford - x - Precision Tool Co. - 1 year

1952 - job application


colonel snow

[GuyLambert]

Super interesting
Thanks everyone!

[Wayne]

He lasted at the movie theater for four weeks! We know he was fired. Why? Because of a fight with another usher who snitched on him for sharing candy with a girl, without charging her. Heh.

Wasn't it the case that the usherette was giving him free sodas, candy and popcorn, and not as you have stated above? Details are important.

[colonel snow]

Another document from 1952 – 24 march 1952 driver’s license till 1 january 1953.



colonel snow

[Lee Wood]

Thanks all, very interesting.