Anita Wood --> The One Who Got Away !

Interesting reading Doc, again. Would be nice to read her memoires one day...

Thanks very much for your kind comments.

Surely, though, one of the über collectors on FECC must have at least one of Anita's 1963-64 Santo singles?

I gotta say...Anita Wood has aged beautifully!

I gotta say...Anita Wood has aged beautifully!

She sure has!

Excellent post, John, thank you: great background info and research.

When she started appearing in documentaries a while back. she always came across sincerely and intelligently.

Put her alongside Dixie, Ann-Margret and Linda: classy ladies.

Yeah, thanks!

Many fans rightly believe Elvis would have had a much different life if she'd not been ...
the one who got away.

In the end of the day, I think we have to realize that Elvis would not settle for a woman who demanded a life with a certain (normal) degree of independence and - not least - some kind of professional career!
He wanted/demanded his women to dedicate themselves to support him and stand by him, not having a non-domestic role in their own right. Right? I think THIS is a part of his private/human tragedy - his old-fashioned demands did not correspond (too well) with the new ideas of women.

He wanted/demanded his women to dedicate themselves to support him and stand by him, not having a non-domestic role in their own right. Right?

Well ... besides Anita Wood, what about:

Yvonne Lime
Anne Neyland
Dottie Harmony
Tuesday Weld
Nancy Sharp
Ann-Margret
Susan Henning
Barbara Leigh
Joyce Bova

He wanted/demanded his women to dedicate themselves to support him and stand by him, not having a non-domestic role in their own right. Right?

Well ... besides Anita Wood, what about:

Yvonne Lime
Anne Neyland
Dottie Harmony
Tuesday Weld
Nancy Sharp
Ann-Margret
Susan Henning
Barbara Leigh
Joyce Bova

Oh I don't think his old fashioned views prohibited him from having fun with career types. He just wasn't interested in marrying one. I think part of the attraction of Priscilla was that he thought she would be the stay-at-home type who would look after her man. She might even have been happy with that role if he'd actually been home more.

Oh I don't think his old fashioned views prohibited him from having fun with career types. He just wasn't interested in marrying one.

He wasn't interested in marrying Ann-Margret, or Joyce Bova?

Oh I don't think his old fashioned views prohibited him from having fun with career types. He just wasn't interested in marrying one.

He wasn't interested in marrying Ann-Margret, or Joyce Bova?

I don't think so. Let's face it, if he really loved any of the women that were in his life, he wouldn't have been with other women on the side. Most of the women were no better or worse than he was when it came to relationships. Many of them were already attached to someone when they decided to chase after him and they didn't hesitate to go after other men afterwards. Why everyone thinks being a slut is classy, I'll never know, but they were all slutty and wanted something from him.

?

Hold on, Elvis & co chasing anything decent-looking in a skirt for kicks is ok, but women doing the same are sluts?

I think part of the attraction of Priscilla was that he thought she would be the stay-at-home type who would look after her man. She might even have been happy with that role if he'd actually been home more.

I agree.

He wanted/demanded his women to dedicate themselves to support him and stand by him, not having a non-domestic role in their own right. Right?

Well ... besides Anita Wood, what about:

Yvonne Lime
Anne Neyland
Dottie Harmony
Tuesday Weld
Nancy Sharp
Ann-Margret
Susan Henning
Barbara Leigh
Joyce Bova

Oh I don't think his old fashioned views prohibited him from having fun with career types. He just wasn't interested in marrying one. I think part of the attraction of Priscilla was that he thought she would be the stay-at-home type who would look after her man. She might even have been happy with that role if he'd actually been home more.

I agree, and I'll add... not having all the guys and gals around too.

Thanks for all the cool replies. Does anyone know what Anita has been up to in recent years? I'm pretty sure that she has retired from singing, and I've read she teaches at a Christian school somewhere near her home.

Last edited by drjohncarpenter on Wed Jul 06, 2011 9:20 pm, edited 1 time in total.

Oh I don't think his old fashioned views prohibited him from having fun with career types. He just wasn't interested in marrying one.

He wasn't interested in marrying Ann-Margret, or Joyce Bova?

Ultimately, no, because he didn't. I think Priscilla won out over Ann because he thought she would be traditional wife material and not have the distractions of a glitzy career. By today's standards, Elvis' views about women/relationships are quite old fashioned. But hey, the guy was born in 1935 in Mississippi.

I don't think it's any great secret that Elvis and his friends enjoyed the company of a lot of women.

Nice ASSETS. Shake it but don't break it.

E always knew hot to choose the hot ladies.

Nice ASSETS. Shake it but don't break it.

E always knew hot to choose the hot ladies.

she was super hot,he should've kept her around

On topic: The problem with Anita Wood, at least at the time, was that she had way too short hair. Short hair doesn’t look good on women.

Says you. Anita Wood is gorgeous,short hair and all.

Shorter hair was the style of the time.Check out Marylin in the 50's,early 60's.

That's a pretty sweeping statement that 'women don't look good with short hair'. Princess Diana did ok, as did Audrey Hepburn as did the already mentionef Marilyn. Some women look lovely with long hair, others look great with short hair. There is no rule.

That's a pretty sweeping statement that 'women don't look good with short hair'. Princess Diana did ok, as did Audrey Hepburn as did the already mentionef Marilyn. Some women look lovely with long hair, others look great with short hair. There is no rule.

Short hair was a trend at that time, but it all depends on the individual person. There are women who look awkward with short hair, but others look good.

You are right, the trend was short at the time.
Notice Natalie Wood.
She had longer hair before and after dating Elvis, but in, around 1956 she was sporting that short look.
She looked MUCH better with longer hair, and so did Anita.

That's a pretty sweeping statement that 'women don't look good with short hair'. Princess Diana did ok, as did Audrey Hepburn as did the already mentionef Marilyn. Some women look lovely with long hair, others look great with short hair. There is no rule.

Short hair was a trend at that time, but it all depends on the individual person. There are women who look awkward with short hair, but others look good.

You are right, the trend was short at the time.
Notice Natalie Wood.
She had longer hair before and after dating Elvis, but in, around 1956 she was sporting that short look.
She looked MUCH better with longer hair, and so did Anita.

I didn’t think I would see the day, but we actually agree on something.

There are women who look awkward with short hair, but others look good.

So true. The moral is, never follow trends just for the sake of it.

Thanks for all the cool replies, please let's keep the weird, angry and inaccurate comments to Off Topic, or better yet off of this forum.

Back to the subject, does anyone know what Anita has been up to in recent years? I'm pretty sure that she has retired from singing, and I've read she teaches at a Christian school somewhere near her home.

Last I heard she taught Kindergarten at the school.

I think she retired from singing around the time she got married.

She didn't have any commercial success despite being a pretty good singer.

Thanks for all the cool replies, please let's keep the weird, angry and inaccurate comments to Off Topic, or better yet off of this forum.

Back to the subject, does anyone know what Anita has been up to in recent years? I'm pretty sure that she has retired from singing, and I've read she teaches at a Christian school somewhere near her home.

Last I heard she taught Kindergarten at the school.

I think she retired from singing around the time she got married.

She didn't have any commercial success despite being a pretty good singer.

Like Elvis said, they were going to give her music which was a little too "popular" which was more in the vien of
Julie London, and again as Elvis pointed out they should have given her stuff more like
the material Connie Francis was putting out.

Boring songs= no success.

Last edited by ekenee on Sat Jul 09, 2011 10:03 am, edited 1 time in total.

Like Elvis said, they were giving her music which was a little too "popular" which was more in the vien of Julie London, and again as Elvis pointed out they should have given her stuff more like
the material Connie Francis was putting out.

What Elvis actually said, on the May 1958 Eddie Fadal home recording, is that he was afraid that her record company would give her torchy ballads a la Julie London.

But, as heard in my original post, her first single A-side in October 1958 was a very Connie Francis-like cover of "Crying In The Chapel." Her June 1961 Sun single was also very catchy pop, and both sides are included in that same post. Her music wasn't boring, it was actually in line with what was popular, and she delivered the material with panache.