ELVIS AND PRISCILLA





  • September 16, 1966, Elvis leased the estate at 1350 Ladera Circle, Palm Springs, California for one year for $21,000.  Colonel Tom Parker, Elvis' manager, lived in the neighborhood and he thought that it would be the perfect place for Elvis to relax, entertain his friends and escape from Hollywood.  However, Rona Barrett, the famous Hollywood gossip columnist, also lived around the corner.  She became suspicious that Elvis and Priscilla were going to be married when Priscilla Beaulieu arrived on the weekend of April 29th, 1967, with her entire family.  Elvis' entourage also began to assemble (Joan and Joe Esposito, George Klein, Sandy and Jerry Schilling, Marty Lacker, Dee and Vernon Presley).  Apparently "Miss Rona" even had the estate's maid followed in order to find out when and where the wedding would take place.  Then she announced on her nightly television broadcast that "the King and Priscilla are to be married in Palm Springs."

  • Originally the plan was to have the wedding and reception take place around the pool at the estate but because of the onslaught of the press and media, Colonel Parker arranged for Elvis and Priscilla to be married in Las Vegas.  Escorted by Joe Espositio, the best man, they slipped out of the house at 3:00 a.m. on Monday morning, May 1st, 1967, going out the back way, by the pool and across the fruit orchard to Rose Avenue where limos were waiting to drive them to the airport.  They flew to Las Vegas in Frank Sinatra's Lear jet, the "Christina", and by 4:00 a.m. the marriage license was obtained at the court house.





  • At 9:40 a.m. the wedding ceremony took place at the Aladdin Hotel, in owner Milton Prell's suite.   The ceremony was followed by a breakfast reception for approximately 100 guests.  On the same day, May 1, 1967, at 2:50 p.m., Elvis and Priscilla flew back to Palm Springs to begin their honeymoon.  Elvis carried Priscilla over the threshold and up the stairs of the Honeymoon Hideaway singing "The Hawaiian Wedding Song".





  • February 1, 1968 - Lisa Marie was born exactly 9 months from the date of the honeymoon. The next day Elvis went to United Artists in L.A. to  finish "Clambake" and then hurried back to Palm Springs the same evening.  It is believed that the "1968 Comeback Special" was planned during the many months he spent at the estate.

     

  • After this concert Elvis made numerous personal and concert appearances which led to him becoming the "Entertainer of the Century".

  • Elvis loved Palm Springs!  Elvis' favorite time of the year was the summer, even though he wasn't too fond of the heat. He resolved this problem by installing hotel-style air-conditioning units throughout the estate and he would keep the thermostat constantly low. His friends constantly commented that the house was like "a meat locker". Elvis often sang gospel music in the living room until dawn. Elvis at times would ride his Harley-Davidson to downtown Palm Springs for ice cream and at other times he would go to a bookstore called Bookland. Occasionally he would visit Colonel Tom Parker, his manager, who resided around the corner.

  • One day Elvis saw Robert Goulet on TV and he jokingly shot a gun at the TV screen. Later that evening he went to an appliance store in Indian Canyon and bought 10 TVs. Elvis had fun racing go-carts in Palm Springs at Camelot Park on E. Palm Canyon Drive. At the Indio Casino, Elvis played blackjack. He liked the game so much, that when he was in Vegas he had a blackjack table put in his Hilton suite.   Elvis' favorite nightclub entertainer in Palm Springs was Bobby Craig who often appeared at the La Conca Showroom.  Bobby's style was a combination of Jerry Lee Lewis' piano playing with Elvis' sneer





  • May 29, 1967 - Elvis and Priscilla dress in their wedding clothes and have a 2nd wedding reception in the trophy room at Graceland to include their friends and family who were not in Las Vegas for the wedding.

  • February 1, 1968 - Nine months to the day of their wedding, Priscilla gives birth to Lisa Marie Presley

  • ****[Now, at this point, depending on what source you're using, the stories start to conflict a little about what happened on what dates, so I just used one source]****

  • December 1970 - Elvis got a construction permit for work on the $339,000 he purchased the month before on Monovale Drive in Beverly Hills exclusively Holmby Hills

  • January of 1971 - Priscilla had already returned to California to supervise the on-going decoration of the new house

  • DATE UNKNOWN - There was almost equally evident estrangement between Elvis and Priscilla. Their new home was almost finished and that had been Priscilla's excuse since the beginning of the year - and now with the nearing of the end, she flung herself into karate, which is how she met Mike Stone





  • August 1971 - Elvis and Priscilla settle into their home on Monovale. Priscilla had been decorating for months

  • December 18, 1971 - Priscilla and Lisa Marie arrive in Memphis for the holidays.

  • December 25, 1971 - Although everything seemed normal, many recollected that Elvis and Priscilla appeared distant over the holidays

  • December 30, 1971 - Priscilla and Lisa Marie fly back to Los Angeles. Following their departure, Elvis announces to everyone that she was leaving him and she hadn't told him why, only that she no longer loves him



    IN HAPPIER TIMES



  • February 23, 1972 - Priscilla flew in for the end of Elvis' engagement in Las Vegas and informed him that she's involved with karate champ Mike Stone

  • July 26, 1972 - Elvis' legal separation from Priscilla became official on this date, but he'd already been dating Linda Thompson since July 6th.



    On Vacation When They Were Happy With One Another





  • August 18, 1972 - Elvis files for divorce - it was entered in Santa Monica Superior Court

  • May of 1973 - Priscilla had reopened the divorce case. The settlement on the face of it was clearly one-sided: for a man of such wealth to pay little more than $100,000 in a state where community property was the rule, and for both parties to be represented by the husband's lawyers was unfair - but that's what SHE wanted. Then she got involved in redecorating her new Pacific Palisades apartment (which Elvis had gladly agreed to pay for), and with part of the $50,000 that she received as an initial payment toward the settlement, she opened up a designer clothing shop in Beverely Hills, called Bis & Beau. Evidently the realities of doing business led her to a new-found appreciation for the financial realities of life. Her new lawyer introduced a motion to set aside the agreed upon settlement on the basis of "extrinsic fraud"

  • October 9, 1973 - Elvis' divorce decree was finalized in Los Angeles County Superior Courthouse in Santa Monica by Judge Laurence J Rittenland. Custody of Lisa Marie was shared jointly, legally, yet Elvis would pay $4000 a month child supprt. After a short 20 minute hearing, Elvis and Priscilla came out of court, walking hand in hand. They remained friends up until the day he died.



    Leaving The Courthouse



  • THE SETTLEMENT - Elvis would pay $125,000 in cash, plus $6000 a month for 10 years, (added to the $4000 he was paying for child support, even though they both had joint custody, and he's paying $10,000 per month!!) He gave Priscilla half the sale of the Hillcrest house (It finally sold on August 31 for $450,000), plus $4200 a month (now we're up to $14,200 per month!!) for spousal support for a year AND 5 percent of the new publishing companies, amounted to close to TWO MILLION DOLLARS!!



    Priscilla And Lisa Marie



    Elvis, Priscilla And Lisa Marie Getting A Family Portrait



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