Elvis's Hair

[eric]

Just a couple questions about Elvis's hair.Elvis seemed to always take pride in the styling of his hair
Until after 1970 when it always looked messy and uncombed.Was this him having a I don't care
Anymore attitude or was this just a reflections of the times?Also did Elvis style his own hair or did
Someone else do it for him?

[emjel]

I think part of it was due to the freedom from the movie contracts. I think they wanted to ensure he had that good clean wholesome image in the movies. For me, I think the styling in 69/70 was good, but after that, as you say, everything just got too long and messy especially the sideburns. Add this to the garish jumpsuits, the weight issues and the image wasn't the image I wanted to see. And now we are reaping the benefit or as I should say suffering from the impersonators.

[fn2drive]

When youre stoned most of the time, hygiene and grooming arent your highest priorities. 76 was the worst hair year. He had a little, Lord Fauntleroy haircut in mid 76 that screamed i've given up.

[r&b]

Just a couple questions about Elvis's hair.Elvis seemed to always take pride in the styling of his hair
Until after 1970 when it always looked messy and uncombed.Was this him having a I don't care
Anymore attitude or was this just a reflections of the times?Also did Elvis style his own hair or did
Someone else do it for him?

Elvis had many hair stylists throughout his career. Larry Geller was the last main one. I think even Charlie Hodge washed it in the 70's. The last time it really looked styled neatly was in the main Aloha show. But it was too black most of the time and did not look natural . Also his eyes looked like too much black was going on. The movie album covers ,especially World's Fair , Fun In Acapulco, Double Trouble almost make him look like a wax figure. Many people put down the Pot Luck album cover , but that was natural Elvis and he looked great & healthy there.

[promiseland]

When youre stoned most of the time, hygiene and grooming arent your highest priorities. 76 was the worst hair year. He had a little, Lord Fauntleroy haircut in mid 76 that screamed i've given up.

Elvis was far from being most of the time. This is an unfair statement. How about unhealthy and exhausted? Don't believe everything you hear and read.

[Mister Mike]

When youre stoned most of the time, hygiene and grooming arent your highest priorities. 76 was the worst hair year. He had a little, Lord Fauntleroy haircut in mid 76 that screamed i've given up.

[DarrylMac]

Longer hair was the fashion in the 70's and as such, it was always going to look different, less styled that the shorter cut of the 60's.

Like with anyone, Elvis had good and bad days right to the end. It wasn't any sort of gradual caring less - he still made an effort sometimes. We shouldn't judge Elvis appearance under the hot lights, sweating on stage, but rather how he looked more generally.

[jurasic1968]

In the middle 60's Elvis's hair was completely anachronistic with the fashion of these days.

[drjohncarpenter]

Just a couple questions about Elvis's hair.Elvis seemed to always take pride in the styling of his hair
Until after 1970 when it always looked messy and uncombed.Was this him having a I don't care
Anymore attitude or was this just a reflections of the times?Also did Elvis style his own hair or did
Someone else do it for him?

His hair grooming, or lack thereof, in this period is indicative of his issues with depression.

[MountainMisst]

Aloha was mentioned - as we know, the lovely, late Patti Parry, cut Elvis' hair for Aloha.

THAT'S TRUE. ELVIS DID NOT LIKE THE WAY HIS HAIR LOOKED FOR THE FIRST TAPING OF THAT SHOW. SO HE ASKED ME TO RESTYLE IT. BUT YOU KNOW I ALWAYS TELL PEOPLE LARRY GELLER WAS THE PERSON WHO REALLY CUT ELVIS'S HAIR. I JUST CUT IT FOR THE "ALOHA SPECIAL." AND I MUST SAY HE NEVER LOOKED BETTER.
LAUGHING!

Source: http://www.elvis2001.net/patty%20parry.htm

As has been mentioned before, Elvis' hair was cut with the (terrible in my opinion) fashion of the 70's, at least he didn't wear some of the horrible clothes.

Elvis, probably, would have also felt the need to stay on trend.

[Mister Moon]

The big question is, who decided that Elvis should shave off his sideburns for "King Creole" ?

Holy Vic Morrow !

[mike edwards66]

The big question is, who decided that Elvis should shave off his sideburns for "King Creole" ?

The ol' Colonel. Always thinking. And he was right, Elvis looked much better without them.

[drjohncarpenter]

The big question is, who decided that Elvis should shave off his sideburns for "King Creole" ?

Holy Vic Morrow !

According to author Peter Guralnick, it was a request by the film's respected director, Michael Curtiz.

Elvis was a little taken aback at first when Curtiz told him he would have to cut his sideburns and lose fifteen pounds for the role ...

Peter Guralnick, Last Train to Memphis: The Rise of Elvis Presley (New York: Little, Brown, and Co., October 3, 1994), p. 450.

[mike edwards66]

The ol' Colonel told Michael Curtiz, to tell Elvis, to shave his sidelocks. Always thinking.

[stevelecher]

I'd always understood Michael Curtiz asked Elvis to cut the sideburns and lose weight also. He expected a bit of an argument and instead found his star quite cooperative.

[drjohncarpenter]

According to author Peter Guralnick, it was a request by the film's respected director, Michael Curtiz.

Elvis was a little taken aback at first when Curtiz told him he would have to cut his sideburns and lose fifteen pounds for the role ...

Peter Guralnick, Last Train to Memphis: The Rise of Elvis Presley (New York: Little, Brown, and Co., October 3, 1994), p. 450.

I'd always understood Michael Curtiz asked Elvis to cut the sideburns and lose weight also. He expected a bit of an argument and instead found his star quite cooperative.

What I said.

[matilda]

Elvis never cared much in the 60s about directions given about his hairstyle or the colour.
Hal wallis made several attempts to change that (he did not like, for instance, the inky black colour of elvis' hair).
One instance was for roustabout ....the other easy come easy go where he tried to intervene.
But elvis did not care...he styled , cut and dyed his hair the way he wanted and never reported to the hair department or supervisor.
At that point maybe that was elvis' way of saying"fuxx you, i made the contracts for those crappy movies....but nobody tells me how to comb and dye my hair".

[jurasic1968]

Yes, I think that's the logical explanation. Elvis was so annoyed with Wallis that he didn't care anymore about his films.

[matilda]

Maybe the clause was in the contract.but elvis didn't care about it....since when he reported for production for easy come easy go, his hair was already cut and dyed by larry geller in memphis right before he went to hollywood..so the report to the hair department went nowhere.

Same goes for roustabout(where wallis wanted get rid of that blue black hair cause of the more rough/tough character elvis was supposed to play.again ...elvis didn't care).
Elvis didn't care and followed that clause in his contract since the mid 60s.
Period.

[Dan_T]

Elvis never cared much in the 60s about directions given about his hairstyle or the colour.
Hal wallis made several attempts to change that (he did not like, for instance the inky black colour of elvis' hair).
One instance was for roustabout ....the other easy come easy go where he tried to intervene.
But elvis did not care...he styled , cut and dyed his hair the way he wanted and never reported to the hair department or supervisor.
At that point maybe that was elvis' way of saying"fuxx you, i made the contracts for those crappy movies....but nobody tells me how to comb and dye my hair".

Elvis had a clause in his contracts stating that his hair wasn't to be cut without permission, but he had to report to hair & make-up departments. Even if he had his own stylist, this is done as a matter of maintaining continuity.

Didn't work in "Change Of Habit" Anybody remember the scene ?

[Dan_T]

According to author Peter Guralnick, it was a request by the film's respected director, Michael Curtiz.

Elvis was a little taken aback at first when Curtiz told him he would have to cut his sideburns and lose fifteen pounds for the role ...

Peter Guralnick, Last Train to Memphis: The Rise of Elvis Presley (New York: Little, Brown, and Co., October 3, 1994), p. 450.

I'd always understood Michael Curtiz asked Elvis to cut the sideburns and lose weight also. He expected a bit of an argument and instead found his star quite cooperative.

What I said.

Yes, and I recall reading that he didn't want Elvis to do any of the "Moves" he was famous for either.

Which in my opinion is the same as a director asking Michael Jackson not to do any of the moves he was famous for.

Anyway, I love King Creole !

[matilda]

I hope you don't misunderstand me on purpose.
My point was that elvis even didn't followed direct instructions from hal wallis personally who did not want the blue black colour.
Way back in 1958 elvis lost even weight and cut the sideburns after the instruction from curtiz.

In careless love it is specifically described how wallis wanted elvis to look like.
And in the case of easy come easy go it was his direct request that elvis let his hair dye and cut in hollywood....the way the producers wanted him to look like.
Elvis instead didn't follow on purpose or just didn't care about it and cut his and dyed it before in memphis-against wallis specific order.

The thing with continuity wasn't my point. Its logic that elvis wouldn't come on set with blue black hair one day and blond dyed hair the next day (just to piss the crew and the director off).
And i never questioned elvis humbleness toward the crew, cast and director etc.
Its well known that elvis was in hollywood one of the easiest actors to work with. Always respectful and nice to everybody.

I just made my point about something else....and i think you know what i meant.
He just didn't cared about certain things before production of the movies....and turned a deaf ear to the instructions of directors and producers. That's what i meant. Once he was on set he dutifully and friendly did everything what he was asked to do.

But before production of a movie he didn't care what was expected of him.

By the way....when elvis arrived for production of Paradise, Hawaiian Style he came to the set visibly oberweight.......and the director wasn't happy. But couldn't do anything about it or even tried it.
Back in 1958 Mr. Curtiz would have send elvis right back home and woud have made in no uncertain terms clear that in 2 weeks he better loose that weight.
But elvis was a different person in the mid 60s and didn't care about such things.
Which is not meaning he wasn't professional and friendly to everybody on the set once a movie was in production.

I hope i made my point even more clear now.
Ps:how did you exactly know that this clause was specifically written at elvis' behest?
Elvis rarely did read contracts or made suggestions.

[matilda]

Not my point.yes, elvis was precious about his hair. That's not news. (But he even obliged for his hair colour for the 68 tv special because cameramens told producers during rehearsals that this particular hair colour makes problems under the heavy studio lighting. So he used a little different hair dye.......still looking blue black on screen-but a different colour with different tone so the problems were solved. But he followed the demands cause he cared for the special. The story is from on of the last 68 tv specials photobooks)
But directors or producers of movies have a participating role about how an actor should look for a certain role.
And hal wallis at least twice demanded strongly a change of hair colour and for rostabout even an different hairstyle because of the role....he had a right to make such demands.

But they were ignored by elvis.
Thats all. Nothing more.
Draw your own conclusions.