Once Upon A Time: Elvis and Anita --> Out Now!

Anything about Elvis
More than 100 Million visitors can't be wrong

Moderators: Moderator5, Moderator3, FECC-Moderator, Site Mechanic



Delboy

Re: Once Upon A Time: Elvis and Anita --> Out Now!

#1079797

Post by Delboy »

Just received it too. It looks a great read. Will comment later. Not autographed but beggars etc. :D




jbarrett6
Posts: 16
Registered for: 11 years 11 months
Contact:

Re: Once Upon A Time: Elvis and Anita --> Out Now!

#1083074

Post by jbarrett6 »

Steelback wrote:The postman just arrived with one very sodden package. Honestly, it looked like the post office had left it sitting in a puddle for a week. Anyway, I made him wait while I checked the condition of the contents, expecting the worst. I didn't so much open the package, as just let it disintegrate in my hands, but inside, wrapped in a plastic zip bag (joy of joys!) was my signed copy of Jonnita's book.
So far I've just had a quick scan through, and it looks like it will be a thoroughly interesting and entertaining read. Nicely illustrated (thanks to all who contributed) and at well over 200 pages, money well spent.
I'm looking forward to reading it when time allows (busy 3 weeks coming up)
If you're looking in Jonnita, thanks for the plastic bag! :wink:
You are very welcome! I'm just happy you got the book!

I recently received a picture taken of my mom in 1958 or 59 leaving Graceland that I thought I would share with y'all. Mom believes it was 1959 when Elvis was gone. Patsy, Elvis' double first cousin, was the passenger that Moma was taking for a spin.
You do not have the required permissions to view the files attached to this post.



User avatar

Julian Grant
Posts: 1780
Registered for: 13 years 1 month
Location: Phnom Penh, Cambodia
Has thanked: 100 times
Been thanked: 152 times
Contact:

Re: Once Upon A Time: Elvis and Anita --> Out Now!

#1083081

Post by Julian Grant »

jbarrett6 wrote:I recently received a picture taken of my mom in 1958 or 59 leaving Graceland that I thought I would share with y'all. Mom believes it was 1959 when Elvis was gone. Patsy, Elvis' double first cousin, was the passenger that Moma was taking for a spin.
What a fabulous picture Jonnita, thank you for sharing.




TheMaskedClown
Posts: 687
Registered for: 11 years 6 months
Location: Downunder
Has thanked: 29 times
Been thanked: 26 times

Re: Once Upon A Time: Elvis and Anita --> Out Now!

#1083172

Post by TheMaskedClown »

This is a very good book.



User avatar

jinjoe
Posts: 546
Registered for: 13 years 7 months
Location: UK
Has thanked: 20 times
Been thanked: 14 times

Re: Once Upon A Time: Elvis and Anita --> Out Now!

#1083420

Post by jinjoe »

Thanks for the picture Jonnita




jbarrett6
Posts: 16
Registered for: 11 years 11 months
Contact:

Re: Once Upon A Time: Elvis and Anita --> Out Now!

#1088939

Post by jbarrett6 »

Just wanted to let y'all know that this weekend will be our first book signing! It is in Jackson, TN at Music Highway Crossroads at Casey Jones Village. It's so exciting, I can't wait!



User avatar

Topic author
drjohncarpenter
Posts: 107277
Registered for: 20 years 11 months
Location: United States of America
Has thanked: 11789 times
Been thanked: 33910 times
Age: 89

Re: Once Upon A Time: Elvis and Anita --> Out Now!

#1089002

Post by drjohncarpenter »

jbarrett6 wrote:Just wanted to let y'all know that this weekend will be our first book signing! It is in Jackson, TN at Music Highway Crossroads at Casey Jones Village. It's so exciting, I can't wait!
Both you and your mom will be there? Best of luck.


.
Dr. John Carpenter, M.D.
Stop, look and listen, baby <<--->> that's my philosophy!


jbarrett6
Posts: 16
Registered for: 11 years 11 months
Contact:

Re: Once Upon A Time: Elvis and Anita --> Out Now!

#1089065

Post by jbarrett6 »

Yes, we'll both be there and thank you!



User avatar

tankers2
Posts: 16
Registered for: 11 years 5 months
Age: 55

Re: Once Upon A Time: Elvis and Anita --> Out Now!

#1096723

Post by tankers2 »

I got my signed copy.. and I LOVE IT!! Great stories! :-)
I sent them a couple of pictures I had of Anita with Gary Pepper and Roy Barlow... not in time for the book tho... :-( Maybe the next editions! yeah! :-)
Fun tho... Anita signed it and said she "loved my Aunt Penny"... boy would Penny have loved that... because she sure loved her too! :-)
This page mentions Aunt Penny at the party Gary Pepper through for Albert Hand and Roy at Gene Smith's house! What a wonderful surprise while I was reading... I almost fell off my couch! haha
Great book Ladies! ... and I too appreciated the ziplock bag it came in... My son said... "wow... you have an original Anita Wood ziplock bag!" haha :-)
Anita Wood book Anita autograph.JPG
Anita Wood book Jonnita Autograph.JPG
Anita Wood Book Aunt Penny on page.JPG
You do not have the required permissions to view the files attached to this post.


Pam
~ President of the "Elvis Presley TANKERS (2nd Generation) Fan Club"
** To Honor Gary Pepper... and my Aunt Penny & Aunt June ~ ;-)
...TANKS for the MEMORIES... :-)

User avatar

Topic author
drjohncarpenter
Posts: 107277
Registered for: 20 years 11 months
Location: United States of America
Has thanked: 11789 times
Been thanked: 33910 times
Age: 89

Re: Once Upon A Time: Elvis and Anita --> Out Now!

#1100859

Post by drjohncarpenter »

As noted elsewhere, I have finished reading Jonnita's lovely book.

Once Upon A Time: Elvis and Anita is a warm, intimate look at the life Anita Wood shared with Elvis from the summer of 1957 to the summer of 1962. It reads as if you're sitting in the author's living room as she tells the story, including the occasional personal aside. Always she refers to her mother as "Momma," father as "Daddy" and grandmother as "Mamaw." It sounds hokey, but it's not. It's a genuineness that informs the entire book.

For those who follow the Elvis story with a keen eye, there are many new insights, experiences not noted in other Presley books that fill in more pieces of the puzzle. I won't totally spoil it for those of you who do not yet have this book, but here are a few moments I found interesting.

The fellow who Anita kept her previously-arranged date with, after Elvis had called to ask her out for the first time, was named Jimmy Omar. It was a classy move for a young lady just 19 years old to keep her original date, but it's clear Anita was always a cut above the average girl. But where, oh where, is Jimmy Omar today?

Gladys Presley was warm and inviting to Anita, and always a "straight shooter." Gladys' observation about Natalie Wood and panties is quite a revelation. Some of the seeds of Presley's destruction were evident in September 1957, in ways not previously cited in other biographies.

While Elvis was in Germany, Anita had an eye-opening experience in New York with legendary director Elia Kazan. Prior to that, Elvis treated her to three Fred F. Seals films in a single day. After Anita left the relationship in August 1962, she saw Elvis twice more, once by accident.

It's clear that one of the reasons Elvis stormed out of his soundtrack sessions for "Girl Happy" on the second evening, June 11-12, 1964, was not just over frustration with the substandard material, but the fact that Anita married football pro Johnny Brewer just a day later, on Saturday, June 13, in Memphis. There is no doubt Elvis knew about it, and no doubt Anita had been on his mind since news of their engagement was known earlier that year. His behavior during a Las Vegas vacation in February, and his comments about singer Phyllis McGuire, spoke volumes.

Finally, it was sad to realize that Anita's birthday, noted in the book as May 27, is also the date that she lost her husband, Johnny, in 2011.

The book has so much more, but you should pick up your own copy, settle down and enjoy it as I did. In many ways, this is Anita's final word on these years, through her eyes, given life through the gentle words of her only daughter, Jonnita.

In closing, here's a song that Elvis made sure Anita transcribed while he was overseas.

He wanted her to know the lyric was very important to him.



..

Marty Robbins "Tomorrow You'll Be Gone" (Columbia 2345, March 29, 1952)


520329_Columbia 20925_Robbins.JPG
Tomorrow You'll Be Gone
Marty Robbins
© 1952 Mariposa Music, BMI

What can I do, when they ask me about you
When they ask me if our love has died away
I wish that I could tell them, you'll be gone a little while
And not that you have gone away to stay

I wish that I could them that I never cared for you
That love was never meant for such as I
But in the mornin' you'll be gone, and I'll be left alone
With memories of the love that passed me by

If you're ever feeling blue, and you want me back again
I'll be waiting here and hope my waiting's not in vain
How I wish that I could keep you with me from now on
But it's too late, tomorrow you'll be gone

Tomorrow you'll be leavin', and I'll stand and watch you go
In life and love you'll make another start
A million tears may flood my soul, but not one will you see
The tears that fall will be within my heart

If the castles that you build should ever lean and fall
I'll be waiting here for you, to answer when you call
How I wish that you were mine to treasure from now on
But it's too late, tomorrow you'll be gone
You do not have the required permissions to view the files attached to this post.
Last edited by drjohncarpenter on Thu Jan 10, 2019 10:06 pm, edited 2 times in total.


.
Dr. John Carpenter, M.D.
Stop, look and listen, baby <<--->> that's my philosophy!


MORERO
Posts: 283
Registered for: 13 years
Has thanked: 61 times
Been thanked: 31 times

Re: Once Upon A Time: Elvis and Anita --> Out Now!

#1100865

Post by MORERO »

Received my autographed copy yesterday and started reading right away! :D
Great story, but a minus for me its poor printing of most of the photographs. It gives the book a bit of 'low budget' feel, and that's too bad, cause its a fantastic read!
Nevertheless, i really enjoy raeding it!



User avatar

rjm
Posts: 11323
Registered for: 13 years 1 month
Location: Cali
Has thanked: 2733 times
Been thanked: 1200 times
Contact:

Re: Once Upon A Time: Elvis and Anita --> Out Now!

#1100871

Post by rjm »

Oh, I can't wait! That was quite a taste. It's on my amazon wish list, so it's kind of a deal that I won't read it till Dec. 25.

I dunno if I have the willpower!

Thanks for the sneak peek, Doc.. And many thanks to mother and daughter for this gift to the fans!

rjm


"And even in our sleep pain that cannot forget falls drop by drop upon the heart, and in our own despair, against our will, comes wisdom to us by the awful grace of God."
Aeschylus

"Treat me mean and cruel, treat me like a fool, but love me!"

My Tumblr blog: https://robinmark64.tumblr.com/

https://www.youtube.com/user/robinmark64

User avatar

Topic author
drjohncarpenter
Posts: 107277
Registered for: 20 years 11 months
Location: United States of America
Has thanked: 11789 times
Been thanked: 33910 times
Age: 89

Re: Once Upon A Time: Elvis and Anita --> Out Now!

#1100977

Post by drjohncarpenter »

It is indeed a real gift, and essential to anyone who cares about the Elvis story, circa 1957-1962.

The moments recalled after their parting also make for interesting reading.


.
Dr. John Carpenter, M.D.
Stop, look and listen, baby <<--->> that's my philosophy!

User avatar

debtd1
Posts: 2943
Registered for: 15 years 5 months
Has thanked: 93 times
Been thanked: 74 times

Re: Once Upon A Time: Elvis and Anita --> Out Now!

#1101049

Post by debtd1 »

you've convinced me Doc, I've ordered it


"No-one, but no-one, is his equal, or ever will be. He was, and is supreme". Mick Jagger

User avatar

Topic author
drjohncarpenter
Posts: 107277
Registered for: 20 years 11 months
Location: United States of America
Has thanked: 11789 times
Been thanked: 33910 times
Age: 89

Re: Once Upon A Time: Elvis and Anita --> Out Now!

#1101121

Post by drjohncarpenter »

debtd1 wrote:you've convinced me Doc, I've ordered it
You will be happy you did!


.
Dr. John Carpenter, M.D.
Stop, look and listen, baby <<--->> that's my philosophy!

User avatar

1Sixstring
Posts: 167
Registered for: 11 years 1 month
Has thanked: 131 times
Been thanked: 40 times

Re: Once Upon A Time: Elvis and Anita --> Out Now!

#1168911

Post by 1Sixstring »

drjohncarpenter wrote:It is indeed a real gift, and essential to anyone who cares about the Elvis story, circa 1957-1962.

The moments recalled after their parting also make for interesting reading.
Thank you Doc for the insight here. And for the others as well.
:D
I'm about 6 months behind on this info but I'll trust everyone's suggestions that this is a great read, as the lovely lady Anita's story has always been of interest to me. Aside from her own talent I always enjoyed some of the recordings of her, along with her & Elvis together. Plus she most certainly was present in a interesting time period of Elvis' story, yet so little of that story told in great detail, until this book, so I've been curious....until I just read the comments here on the forum.



User avatar

Topic author
drjohncarpenter
Posts: 107277
Registered for: 20 years 11 months
Location: United States of America
Has thanked: 11789 times
Been thanked: 33910 times
Age: 89

Re: Once Upon A Time: Elvis and Anita --> Out Now!

#1169049

Post by drjohncarpenter »

1Sixstring wrote:
drjohncarpenter wrote:It is indeed a real gift, and essential to anyone who cares about the Elvis story, circa 1957-1962.

The moments recalled after their parting also make for interesting reading.
Thank you Doc for the insight here. And for the others as well.
:D
I'm about 6 months behind on this info but I'll trust everyone's suggestions that this is a great read, as the lovely lady Anita's story has always been of interest to me. Aside from her own talent I always enjoyed some of the recordings of her, along with her & Elvis together. Plus she most certainly was present in a interesting time period of Elvis' story, yet so little of that story told in great detail, until this book, so I've been curious....until I just read the comments here on the forum.
Thanks! You may enjoy reading this topic:

Anita Wood --> The One Who Got Away !
http://www.elvis-collectors.com/forum/viewtopic.php?f=1&t=61930


.
Dr. John Carpenter, M.D.
Stop, look and listen, baby <<--->> that's my philosophy!

User avatar

jurasic1968
Posts: 12443
Registered for: 11 years 6 months
Has thanked: 13689 times
Been thanked: 2619 times

Re: Once Upon A Time: Elvis and Anita --> Out Now!

#1169185

Post by jurasic1968 »

Thank you very much, Doc, for this beautiful review of the book. Now I have not the posssibility to buy the book, but can you write more about this quote, because I am not sure I understood why Elvis was in danger as early as September 1957. Because he didn't really wanted to join the US Army?

"Some of the seeds of Presley's destruction were evident in September 1957, in ways not previously cited in other biographies".




r&b

Re: Once Upon A Time: Elvis and Anita --> Out Now!

#1169190

Post by r&b »

drjohncarpenter wrote:
debtd1 wrote:you've convinced me Doc, I've ordered it
You will be happy you did!
Me too. Your review did it for me!



User avatar

Topic author
drjohncarpenter
Posts: 107277
Registered for: 20 years 11 months
Location: United States of America
Has thanked: 11789 times
Been thanked: 33910 times
Age: 89

Re: Once Upon A Time: Elvis and Anita --> Out Now!

#1169294

Post by drjohncarpenter »

jurasic1968 wrote:Thank you very much, Doc, for this beautiful review of the book. Now I have not the posssibility to buy the book, but can you write more about this quote, because I am not sure I understood why Elvis was in danger as early as September 1957. Because he didn't really wanted to join the US Army?

"Some of the seeds of Presley's destruction were evident in September 1957, in ways not previously cited in other biographies".
Anita saw Elvis having a dalliance with pills. The book contains lots of such revelations.


.
Dr. John Carpenter, M.D.
Stop, look and listen, baby <<--->> that's my philosophy!

User avatar

YDKM
Posts: 13285
Registered for: 20 years 11 months
Location: Nothingville, Sydney, N.S.W.Australia
Has thanked: 6930 times
Been thanked: 2842 times
Age: 63

Re: Once Upon A Time: Elvis and Anita --> Out Now!

#1220946

Post by YDKM »

:D Just finished reading this book and it is EXCELLENT!~ really interestingly written,,... marvelous and recommended essential reading!~ 8)


Bruce Jackson Born June 3rd 1949- Died January 29th 2011 Elvis's Sound Engineer from 1971-1977.
You Don't Know Me!

User avatar

Topic author
drjohncarpenter
Posts: 107277
Registered for: 20 years 11 months
Location: United States of America
Has thanked: 11789 times
Been thanked: 33910 times
Age: 89

Re: Once Upon A Time: Elvis and Anita --> Out Now!

#1220952

Post by drjohncarpenter »

YDKM wrote::D Just finished reading this book and it is EXCELLENT!~ really interestingly written,,... marvelous and recommended essential reading!~ 8)
What part did you like best? I greatly enjoyed the 1957 courtship.


.
Dr. John Carpenter, M.D.
Stop, look and listen, baby <<--->> that's my philosophy!

User avatar

YDKM
Posts: 13285
Registered for: 20 years 11 months
Location: Nothingville, Sydney, N.S.W.Australia
Has thanked: 6930 times
Been thanked: 2842 times
Age: 63

Re: Once Upon A Time: Elvis and Anita --> Out Now!

#1220958

Post by YDKM »

well actually pretty much all of it!~
but the bit where Anita heard Elvis discussing in 1962 which one to choose between Pricilla and her is incredible!~


Bruce Jackson Born June 3rd 1949- Died January 29th 2011 Elvis's Sound Engineer from 1971-1977.
You Don't Know Me!

User avatar

Joe Car
Posts: 11590
Registered for: 20 years 10 months
Location: Canada
Has thanked: 42 times
Been thanked: 499 times

Re: Once Upon A Time: Elvis and Anita --> Out Now!

#1221021

Post by Joe Car »

YDKM wrote:well actually pretty much all of it!~
but the bit where Anita heard Elvis discussing in 1962 which one to choose between Pricilla and her is incredible!~
Some of us haven't read it yet. Just sayin...



User avatar

Topic author
drjohncarpenter
Posts: 107277
Registered for: 20 years 11 months
Location: United States of America
Has thanked: 11789 times
Been thanked: 33910 times
Age: 89

Re: Once Upon A Time: Elvis and Anita --> Out Now!

#1221115

Post by drjohncarpenter »

Joe Car wrote:
YDKM wrote:well actually pretty much all of it!~
but the bit where Anita heard Elvis discussing in 1962 which one to choose between Pricilla and her is incredible!~
Some of us haven't read it yet. Just sayin...
Don't worry, there's a lot more to this than what you see above.


.
Dr. John Carpenter, M.D.
Stop, look and listen, baby <<--->> that's my philosophy!
Post Reply