David B. Hecht 56 publicity photo - location found! UPDATE!

[davide]

de

[keninlincs]

Thanks David

[Dan The Man]

Magnificent!!!
Your topics are a thrill to read. You should, if you don't allready, get into the Elvis book business.

[drjohncarpenter]

Another terrific topic, David!

However, I must insist that you start putting these in "All Elvis" -- they are more than just a collection of photos, you offer a living and accurate history. And they are a delight to read!

That said, it's cool to see some more verification of what I posted on FECC over 4 years ago:

Post Subject: 1956 Publicity Photo!
Posted: Tue May 30, 2006 8:52 pm
http://www.elvis-collectors.com/forum/viewtopic.php?f=8&t=22893&p=272110&#p272110

We DO actually see those shoes in other photos. I'm almost certain it's the shoes Elvis wears in the pix after signing with RCA in NOvember 1955 and here they are on Feb 4, 1956 at the Dorsey show ...

Well Brian, a Presley expert I contacted off the MB regarding this query did not pan out, so I'm going to make an educated guess about this.

If we assume the photos were taken in NY, as evidenced by the guitar, and sometime close to the February 4, 1956 "Dorsey Brothers" appearance, based on those shoes:

Elvis likely had a photo session with David B. Hecht between January 26 (Thu) and February 4 (Sat).

1/26 was his first full day in NY, and he didn't leave town until Sunday morning, 2/5. This was the longest extended period of time Elvis ever spent in the "Big Apple," or at least in 1956.

DJC

My vote for the session date is Sunday (1-29). You could get a milkshake in New York on a Sunday.

The one question I have is this:

If the December 1, 1955 New York publicity shots by "PoPsie" were made at RCA New York, and Hecht's January 1956 images were created at Carnegie Hall, where did the guitar come from?

It's not Elvis' guitar, but the same instrument is used at both photo sessions.

[TheCoolKing]

Thanks Davide!!

[epf]

Wow. Impressive, on many levels.

[davide]

Thanks for the comments

Davide

[JamesVRoy]

what happened to my posts?

Ok, I see you have two duplicate threads
http://www.elvis-collectors.com/forum/viewtopic.php?f=8&t=55108

It might've been easier to cross post a link to the other in hopes of keeping all the content together. Anyway I centralized all your threads in one post if that helps.

[Juan Luis]

Great...thanks!

[George Smith]

Genius.

We are not worthy.

[otto]

Just Magnificent

Thanks davide

[davide]

updated with some new images, and improved quality on one of the black & white photo's - from members on the picture section.

Davide

[jon_burrows]

Another quality post David, thank you.

[Little Darlin]

WOW just WOW. That Julie Andrews cover blew me away. Where do you find all this stuff David. Thank youi very much for posting

[davide]

To help the story of these publicity sessions further, here are some memories as told by Janis Martin

Interview with Janis Martin about meeting Elvis.

JM: only twice. First time I met him he still had a contract with the man before Colonel Tom and he had to finish his shows that he had booked through him. He was booked here in Danville. I met him that night. The only other time I met him was in New York. He was up there for a publicity session of picture stills and I was there to record. We saw each other for maybe 20 -25 minutes in the lobby and he slept most of the time then. So very few words ever passed between us.

"Most Promising Country & Western Female Artist of 1956" award.

Interview with Trevor Cajiao

"I was there to cut some records in the big RCA building which covered nearly a block in New York City,they had a big lobby and I was sitting in the lobby waiting for the studio to clear,and he came in. He sat down in the chair,he looked over and said 'How's it goin ? I said 'Oh pretty good',he said 'Oh , I'm so tired' He had black rings under his eyes and looked really exhausted. He closed his eyes he put his head back and went to sleep..and he slipped all the way down to the floor. He was like he didn't have a bone in his body,that's the way he was. Then they came and tapped him on the shoulder - he had hardly been asleep a few minutes-they woke him up and told him it was time to go. So I asked him,i said 'What are you here for?' he said 'To make some of these publicity stills'. They took him down the hall one way and i went the other,and he started to walk off,then he turned around,looked back and he said,' Good luck! he said 'It's hard road..it's a hard hard road. 'Oh,he was beautiful'

Taken from ETMAHM No. 57 sept 2002


After some very helpful research by FECC member DJC, we both feel that we now have the most probable answers to the above extracts,and how they relate to the New York publicity sessions.

Here is the timeline (provided by DJC)
Nov-Dec 55 = Acetate cut of "Will You, Willyum" at WRVA Radio, Richmond, VA
Late Jan 56 = Meetings with Sholes at RCA New York, perhaps some reference recordings, just Janice and her guitar, cut in the studio (this may be where she was asked if she had any original songs)
Early Mar 56 = First formal RCA session, at 1525 McGavock Street in Nashville.

Elvis, as far as we know, only had two Photo Session's during the period 1954-1958 located in New York City,the one with photographer 'Popsie' ,and the photo's featured in this topic by David B. Hecht. We can conclude that Janis Martin has over time merged the times when she visited the RCA building with a future date,and that Elvis and Janis' meeting took place at the RCA building prior to the photo sessions on either the thursday 26th (Afternoon) or friday the 27th January 1956.

With thanks
Davide/DJC

[davide]

Here is an extract from a letter written to ETMAHM(No. 23) magazine from Chick Crumpacker,which supports and reveals a bit more info.

David's(B. Hecht) studio was in the Carnegie Hall building,at 56th Street and 7th Avenue. Ace Lehman the RCA Records art director who accompanied us to the session,now relates a version that David's place was a former vocal studio where Caruso practiced and that there is a plaque outside telling about this.

Ace,Elvis and I went across the street afterward for a milkshake at the (then) Sheraton Hotel drugstore a semi notorious place in it's own right, a mafia gangster was later shot in the Sheraton barber shop,a story that was in all the newspapers and is still talked from time to time

Chick Crumpacker


October 25th 1957 Newspaper.

Davide

[stranger]

Here another cover on a 1955 RCA album with picture of David Hecht.

[EPA4368]

Great work. Thank You!

[davide]

Thought I would post this shot,though not new..it's big a improvement in quality,(also updated some shots of the red jacket)

Davide

[Rtn 2 Sndr]

Where were the jacket and shirt photographed? Is that part of the Graceland collection? I have very seldom seen any of Elvis' clothing from the fifties on display there--the jumpsuits dominate the displays.

[HoneyTalkNelson]

Here's a little more of the album cover than you usually see. This was taken from an un-used slick.

I'm sorry I had to do it twice. It's too big for my scanner, and the right side is cropped too!

[drjohncarpenter]

That cover slick is way cool!

[HoneyTalkNelson]

That cover slick is way cool!

Thanks, glad you liked it. Would you like to see others?

[Juan Luis]

That cover slick is way cool!

Thanks, glad you liked it. Would you like to see others?

Sure!

[drjohncarpenter]

That cover slick is way cool!

Thanks, glad you liked it. Would you like to see others?

Sure!

Please be sure to create a new thread and put it in All Elvis!