Jock Carroll, circa 1952
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Jock_Carroll
http://www.marilynphotos.com/about-jock-carroll/
According to his son, Angus, it was not a coveted assignment and it turns out dad made a few misjudgments along the way, although he ended up liking the young singer:
Carroll's work was published on September 8, the day before Elvis made his first "Ed Sullivan Show" appearance. Overall, it was a well-written essay capturing Presley in the center of the storm. There were a few factual errors, but that was not unusual for the period.Jock did not want to go. He did not think much of New York, and even less of "rock 'n' roll." Still, it was an assignment, and he flew to New York and spent two days with Elvis … He had several hits under his belt-including Heartbreak Hotel - but he was not yet a superstar.
With fans outside the Hudson Theatre, 146 W 44th Street, New York - Sunday, July 1, 1956
Photo: Jock Carroll
Expecting the worst, Jock was no doubt surprised. He found Elvis to be polite and modest. He didn’t drink, smoke, or swear. And he went to church. In his hotel room, Jock interviewed him along with two other reporters. When asked about his plans for the following week, Elvis said he would be in Memphis. Only when prompted for more information did he reveal that the show was a benefit for the Memphis Variety Club.
When asked how he felt about some of the critical stories that had been written about him, he said, "I don’t blame them. They’ve got a job to do, just like me."
NBC-TV camera rehearsal with Steve Allen, Scotty Moore, D.J. Fontana - Sunday, July 1, 1956
Photo: Jock Carroll
Although Jock liked Elvis, he misread the situation. He thought Elvis was a flash in the pan, that the furor would die down quickly and he would soon be forgotten. When Colonel Tom Parker, Elvis’s manager, eager to get his artist as much press coverage as possible, asked Jock to join them for the next two weeks on tour, he declined. "That was a mistake," Jock later admitted.
https://anguscarroll.wordpress.com/2010/06/11/on-the-brink-of-fame/
One aspect of the Presley article his son's blog consciously avoids is the prejudiced manner in which Carroll recounts the replies of Elvis and his friends from the "Deep South." They are written as heavily-accented, Southern drawls. For example, notice how one of the Elvis quotes from the 2010 blog, which I copied above, differs from the original 1956 magazine:
In fact, Presley was not a country bumpkin, and didn't speak that way to the press. It's obvious that Angus is protecting his father's legacy with such edits. But, to be fair, Jock was not the only journalist who presented young Presley to the public like this in the 1950s. Sadly, Elvis and class condescension would really cross the line years later, in Albert Goldman hate-filled 1981 biography."Ah don't mind them, ah mean blame them," said Elvis. "They jest tryin' to do a job, they got a job to do, jest like me."
Back to 1956, here is Carroll's report, as published more than 55 years ago:
Ottawa Citizen "Weekend Magazine" - Saturday, September 8, 1956
