The funny thing is, Elvis almost didn't go to this holiday shindig.
But he did, and at Devore's home he met the King.
And the mask was a special gift, from a man.
George Klein's recent memoir tells all:
Halloween fell a few days after the Pan Pacific shows, and our group was thrilled to have been invited to a party thrown by Sy Devore, the top Hollywood designer known as the "tailor to the stars." Except that the invitation was really for Elvis, and he didn't want to go. The more excitedly we talked about the party, the less interested he was in it, and when somebody made the mistake of saying "Everyone's going to be there," that about clinched it: He didn't want anything to do with the Halloween party. But he didn't count on an early-evening visit from Billy Murphy, who turned up with a handmade Halloween present for Elvis: a beautifully put-together, gold Mardi Gras-style mask. Elvis took one look at Murphy's mask and said, "All right, we're going to the party."
[snip]
I walked into one of the party rooms and saw a costume that topped them all: Nat King Cole was dressed as Elvis, with a black leather jacket, pasted-on sideburns, and a guitar around his neck. Elvis and I had always loved Cole's music, and I went right up to him and introduced myself. He was extremely nice, and when he heard I was with Elvis, he said he really wanted to meet him. I went to find Elvis, and at first it was hard to get him away from the pretty girls he was talking to. But as soon as I told him who Nat King Cole was dressed as, he had me lead him there. I'll never forget the sight of Mardi Gras Elvis standing there talking to Nat King Cole Presley.
George Klein, with Chuck Crisafulli, Elvis: My Best Man:
Radio Days, Rock 'n' Roll Nights, and My Lifelong Friendship with Elvis Presley (New York: Random House, 2010), p. 104-105
The meeting with Cole may well explain actress Gloria Pall's memory lapse. Cole's "black leather/Elvis" costume must have gotten jumbled in her memory of that night.
This is such a neat topic!