Memphis Airport

[UniqueDog12]

This is from the Luxemburg Fan Club Facebook page. Says photo was taken December 22, 1961 at Los Angeles Airport.

[drjohncarpenter]

This is from the Luxemburg Fan Club Facebook page. Says photo was taken December 22, 1961 at Los Angeles Airport.

uy_zpsze9am7es.jpg

You may wish to update your topic title. FB page information can be unreliable.

That airport is much too small to be LAX. It's been a curiosity ever since I first saw it, either here on FECC or in one of the "Elvis Files" books. Well, bah humbug, today I cracked the mystery of this photo with a little sleuthing.

611222_Memphis Airport.JPG

Leaving Memphis Municipal Airport - Friday, October 21, 1961




Yes, we see Elvis getting on a plane at the Memphis Municipal Airport:
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Memphis_International_Airport#History

Both the control tower and the Esso Aviation hanger seen behind him are a match with these images below.

501000_Flying magazine_Esso ad.JPG

Flying magazine - October 1950

730626_Memphis Control Tower.jpg

Memphis Airport - old control tower circa 1973
Photo thanks to davide



This most likely means Elvis left not from Los Angeles but Memphis for his holiday "escape" from Dee, Vernon and his three step-brothers, who were staying at Graceland. They would find their own home shortly before the end of the month.

Anyway, this is new information, and although a small piece of the puzzle, it is interesting. Maybe he hadn't planned to split town, but something happened at home after being released from "Kid Galahad" that made him leave.

-----

UPDATE:

A Memphis newspaper report I uncovered confirms the date of the photo was Friday, October 21, 1961. The singer was heading to California to film "Kid Galahad." See page 3.

[drjohncarpenter]

I just updated my earlier post with some fresh, new and much more accurate information. Enjoy!

[UniqueDog12]

Thank you so much for the correct information!

[drjohncarpenter]

Thank you so much for the correct information!

My pleasure. That photo had been bugging me for years. I knew it wasn't Los Angeles, but it didn't look like Las Vegas, either. A whole lotta sleuthing later, bingo! I found that Esso ad, and everything fell into place.

[california boy]

I just updated my earlier post with some fresh, new and much more accurate information. Enjoy!

Thank you so much Doc
Merry Christmas my friend

[Jim Dandy]

A fine piece of investigative work to find the facts - well done DJC!


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

[promiseland]

Nice job Doc!

[drjohncarpenter]

I just updated my earlier post with some fresh, new and much more accurate information. Enjoy!

Thank you so much Doc
Merry Christmas my friend

Right back at you! Thank you for the Christmas wishes.

[ed40]

Thank you very much Doc, great find my friend.....


Ed

[davide]

This is from the Luxemburg Fan Club Facebook page. Says photo was taken December 22, 1961 at Los Angeles Airport.

You may wish to update your topic title. FB page information can be unreliable. That airport is much too small to be LAX. It's been a curiosity ever since I first saw it, either here on FECC or one of the "Elvis Files" books. Well, bah humbug, today I cracked the mystery of this photo with a little sleuthing.

611222_Memphis Airport.JPG

Leaving Memphis Municipal Airport - Friday, December 22, 1961


Yes, we see Elvis getting on a plane at the Memphis Municipal Airport:
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Memphis_International_Airport#History

Both the control tower and the Esso Aviation hanger seen behind Elvis are a match with these images I dug up.

501000_Flying magazine_Esso ad.JPG

Flying magazine - October 1950

Memphis Airport_Control Tower.JPG

Memphis International Airport - control tower



Now, this most likely means Elvis left not from Los Angeles but Memphis for his holiday "escape" from Dee, Vernon and his half-brothers, who were staying at Graceland. They would find their own home shortly before the end of the month.

Anyway, this is new information, and although a small piece of the puzzle, it is interesting. Maybe he hadn't planned to split town, but something happened at home after being released from "Kid Galahad" that made him leave.

Where did the date of December 22, 1961 come from? Elvis left Memphis airport for L.A. to commence the filming of 'Kid Galahad' on October 21, 1961 - is this not a more likely date?

Davide

[drjohncarpenter]

Where did the date of December 22, 1961 come from? Elvis left Memphis airport for L.A. to commence the filming of 'Kid Galahad' on October 21, 1961 - is this not a more likely date?

Glad you have enjoyed this topic. The date appears in this book:

990108_Elvis Day By Day.jpg

Peter Guralnick and Ernst Jørgensen Elvis Day By Day (New York: Random House, January 8, 1999)



An October date might be likely if Elvis' hair did not appear to be pitch black in our photo.

In "Kid Galahad" it was still pretty close to his natural lighter color:

611011_Kid Galahad.jpg

[davide]

Where did the date of December 22, 1961 come from? Elvis left Memphis airport for L.A. to commence the filming of 'Kid Galahad' on October 21, 1961 - is this not a more likely date?

Glad you have enjoyed this topic. The date appears in this book, it's worth owning:

990108_Elvis Day By Day.jpg

Peter Guralnick and Ernst Jørgensen Elvis Day By Day (New York: Random House, January 8, 1999)

The October date might be likely if Elvis' hair did not appear to be pitch black. In "Kid Galahad" his hair was left natural.

611011_Kid Galahad.jpg

Yes I have the Day to Day book, It's always tricky to tell from a Black and white photo regarding hair colour - Peter Guralnick's book 'Careless Love' has no mention of Elvis returning to Memphis after 'Kid Galahad,' and before Vegas, I'm not saying it isn't the December date, and it's cool to get the location correct, but for me it's more likely taken on the departure on October 21. Gary Pepper writes that "he left on a jet plane at 4 p.m. Alan Fortas wrote that it was the one time, that Elvis did not go back to Memphis for Christmas. If we take it, that the publicity photos for 'Kid Galahad' were taken in Hollywood at the end of filming (late December) then the photo of him at the airport for me does not look to be in the same timeframe, he looks super slim and trim in the publicity photos? thoughts..

Davide

[Gunter]

This picture was posted on tumblr last week. Apparently from the same flight.

tumblr_nzrx44Jh7J1rjwkcuo1_400.jpg

[drjohncarpenter]

This picture was posted on tumblr last week. Apparently from the same flight.

How interesting, it's new to my eyes and almost certainly a companion to the photo being discussed. Elvis' suit, tie and pins, handkerchief and hair are all a match. And look at "Diamond" Joe Esposito next to him, I've never seen such a quiff on Colonel Parker's inside man.

Elvis' hair looks to be freshly trimmed, and still jet-black. If the date is indeed December in Memphis, a possible scenario is he returned home to get a fresh dye job and haircut before heading to Las Vegas for the next three-to-four weeks.

[davide]

Agreed- a match to the photo from Memphis airport, amazing to see new photos appear, and new to me also! Again looking through 'Careless Love,' It mentions Joe Esposito, who started to date Joanie Roberts a twenty year old dancer from the Sands in Vegas, and states Elvis 'flew in Bonnie Bunkley from Memphis.' No mention of Elvis returning to Memphis after the completion of 'Kid Galahad.'

Davide

[davide]

The Memphis Airport tower you show was built in 2010 - or I have misunderstood your research? the photo attached is the match.



Davide

[elvisjock]

Nice work, John. That haircut was too short for him. Makes his face seem somewhat swollen.

What gives with that Priscilla photo? Is it real?

[jurasic1968]

Elvis Day by Day is a must have. In my opinion it's better than Careless Love. Maybe because Peter worked with Ernst.

[drjohncarpenter]

The Memphis Airport tower you show was built in 2010 - or I have misunderstood your research? the photo attached is the match.

You misunderstood.

Nice work, John. That haircut was too short for him. Makes his face seem somewhat swollen.

What gives with that Priscilla photo? Is it real?

What Priscilla photo?

Elvis Day by Day is a must have. In my opinion it's better than Careless Love. Maybe because Peter worked with Ernst.

Apples and oranges. But I do wish an update could be done on Elvis Day By Day. Many years back I sent Ernst a detailed review of the corrections needed to make it far more accurate. But the book apparently did not sell enough to merit a softcover reprint, unfortunately.

[Mister Mike]

What Priscilla photo?

This one I believe:

[california boy]

I just updated my earlier post with some fresh, new and much more accurate information. Enjoy!

Thank you so much Doc
Merry Christmas my friend

Right back at you! Thank you for the Christmas wishes.

Thank you Doc , and by the way i added few pictures of me at Graceland when i first visited there on 2002 on the picture section "singers and celebs that visited Graceland" ,
Happy New Year

[davide]

The Memphis Airport tower you show was built in 2010 - or I have misunderstood your research? the photo attached is the match.

You misunderstood.

Really…?

Anyhow - Looking back at all the information that is available, including Day by Day, Frame By Frame by Bill Bram, and a detailed account by Marty Lacker from the book 'Elvis and the Memphis mafia' by Alanna Nash, where on page 236 he recalls Elvis did not return to Memphis after the completion of 'Kid Galahad,' but stayed in Las Vegas. The group did attempt on three occasions, to reach Memphis by road, but were stopped by the weather. This would indicate that the date placed of December 22, 1961 can not be correct.

Davide

[drjohncarpenter]

The Memphis Airport tower you show was built in 2010 - or I have misunderstood your research? the photo attached is the match.

You misunderstood.

Really…?

Anyhow - Looking back at all the information that is available, including Day by Day, Frame By Frame by Bill Bram, and a detailed account by Marty Lacker from the book 'Elvis and the Memphis mafia' by Alanna Nash, where on page 236 he recalls Elvis did not return to Memphis after the completion of 'Kid Galahad,' but stayed in Las Vegas. The group did attempt on three occasions, to reach Memphis by road, but were stopped by the weather. This would indicate that the date placed of December 22, 1961 can not be correct.

Davide

The dyed black hair seen in both photos indicates that we do not have all the information we need to make a final call on the day and month. But thanks to my sleuthing, the location is confirmed.

[davide]

The Memphis Airport tower you show was built in 2010 - or I have misunderstood your research? the photo attached is the match.

You misunderstood.

Really…?

Anyhow - Looking back at all the information that is available, including Day by Day, Frame By Frame by Bill Bram, and a detailed account by Marty Lacker from the book 'Elvis and the Memphis mafia' by Alanna Nash, where on page 236 he recalls Elvis did not return to Memphis after the completion of 'Kid Galahad,' but stayed in Las Vegas. The group did attempt on three occasions, to reach Memphis by road, but were stopped by the weather. This would indicate that the date placed of December 22, 1961 can not be correct.

Davide

The dyed black hair seen in both photos indicates that we do not have all the information we need to make a final call on the day and month. But thanks to my sleuthing, the location is confirmed.

I'm still not sure what relevance the modern control tower has to this topic…. Yes Sherlock, Elvis' hair colour is always going to be problematic …..but glad you agree regarding the timeframe, so you may wish to update your caption for the two photos, which should now read :
Leaving Memphis Municipal Airport, date unknown.

Davide