UNKNOWN STORIES BEHIND THE LEGEND


STORY #13
When Lisa Marie was four years old, she gave everyone at Graceland a big scare. Elvis was on tour at the time, having left just two days before. Vernon was named babysitter until Priscilla came to get Lisa Marie; Elvis and Priscilla were seperated and Priscilla had moved to their home in Bel Air.

The minature female version of Elvis went into the bathroom and locked herself in. Vernon could not get her to come out. He feared she would hurt herself or accidently take some pills, thinking they were candy. He called the local fire department for help. While he waited for the firemen to arrive, he tried to open the lock by inserting thick wire and other keys, but the lock was too good. He even tried to slide a credit card in at the side of the door to push the lock open, but it didn't work.  When the firemen finally arrived, Vernon was in tears. The fire chief checked out the lock and then asked for a bobby pin. After fiddling it back and forth and twisting the pin a little the lock opened. A relieved Vernon saw Lisa Marie sitting on the closed toilet seat with her arms crossed against her chest, and an angry look on her face. When Vernon called for her to come out, she stomped out of the bathroom with her arms still crossed. She gave her grandfather an angry look as she passed, walked into her room, and slammed the door.




STORY #14
When Lisa Marie's first baby tooth came out, Elvis named himself her personel tooth fairy. Lisa Marie was advised to put her tooth under a pillow at night and was told the tooth fairy would come and exchange the tooth for money. She ran up to her room and put the tooth under her pillow early so that she wouldn't forget. The following morning she woke up to find a $5 bill under her pillow. Lisa Marie jumped and yelled all around Graceland, waving the money at everyone. When Elvis got up several hours later, Lisa Marie showed him what the tooth fairy had left for her. Elvis played it cool and acted very happy for her. When Lisa called to tell her mother about it, Priscilla was shocked. She scolded Elvis and told him the going rate for a child's tooth was 50 cents!




STORY #15
Elvis was obsessed with cleanliness, germs, and bacteria from a very early age. He was especially opposed to using other people's dining utensils. As a result, he carried his own little utensil kit with him wherever he went. Gladys was embarrassed by Elvis' behavior. She scolded him, telling him that people would think he was crazy if he brought his own silverware when invited to their homes. Elvis explained that no matter how often people washed their utensils, they could not get rid of all the germs and odors. He told his mother that she should not worry about what people thought, but what her own son felt. Gladys' heart melted. Elvis' obsession stayed with him throughout his life. When drinking out of coffee cups that others had used, he drank from the area where the handle meets the rim, ensuring that others had not used the same spot. In addition, he never shared his food or allowed anyone to eat off his plate.




STORY #16
In 1942, Elvis was involved in his first school fight. When he got home, he was sporting a large shiner on his left eye. Gladys took one look at Elvis' bruises and torn clothes and called for Vernon. Elvis told his parents about the fight and how he'd lost. Vernon told his son to fight back harder, not to yield to another boys punches, and above all, not to lose. Gladys was horrified by her husbands advice. Vernon told her that no son of his was going to be pushed around and that Elvis had to learn to protect himself. While his parents bickered, Elvis went outside and began to shadow box. His father was right: he was a Presley, a fighter, a survivor, and had to win. The next time Elvis was picked on by a bigger boy, he was not afraid. He looked his apponent squarely in the eye, dodged the boys punches, and landed several of his own, knocking the boy down. The champion proudly told his father about his win. Gladys was very upset that her husband had turned their son into a fighter, but Vernon was proud. He congratulated Elvis and then gave him some money for a movie.




STORY #17
In 1944, Vernon taught Elvis how to drive a car. Vernon sat in the passenger seat of the 1934 Ford, offering instruction to his son. Elvis loved to drive; whenever his father asked him if he'd like to go for a spin, Elvis ran like lightning to the car. The neighbors found it peculiar that Elvis was allowed to drive as such an early age. He could barely see over the dashboard, so it was quite an amusing sight to see the young Presley behind the wheel. In order to reach the accelerator and brakes, Elvis had to adjust the drivers seat all the way forward, sit on the edge, and stetch his legs as far as he could. Every time the big old Ford was seen cruising around with no driver, the neighbors knew it was Elvis.




STORY #18
AS TOLD BY... GEORGE KLEIN - There was a mayor in Memphis who really liked Elvis and wanted to honor Elvis in some way. There were a lot of fans who kept saying, "Why don't you name something for Elvis ?". So finally they decided to rename Higway 51 South, which runs {in front of} Graceland, as "Elvis Presley Boulevard". They asked me to find out what Elvis thought about the idea. Elvis said, "Look, I don't want to make a statement because either way I could look bad. If I said yes, it would look like I had a big ego; If I said no, it would look like I'm a snob or I'm not happy that they're doing this. I can't win either way - just tell them I'll be happy, I'll be flattered, I'll be extremely honored if they name a street after me. But by the same token, if they don't, I won't care; I won't get mad; it won't bother me in the least". So, I told them and they passed a resolution and named the boulevard after him.


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