Chapter 13
Chapter 13: Fun, Fun, Fun - 1963 - 1964 for Marilyn and the King
After nearly a year spent out of commission recovering from her addiction to barbiturates, Marilyn Monroe, "the Queen of Hollywood" as she would come to be known, gave her career a much needed shot in the arm with a masterful performance in the biopic film Harlow. Still shaky on her ability to perform at all in the wake of her illness, she leaned heavily on her beloved husband, Joe, to help her steady herself and, pushed onward by his encouragement turned things around. Harlow was a box office smash and a critical darling, netting Monroe her first Golden Globe award and ensuring that she would remain a major box office draw for years to come, now as a serious actress, not just a sex symbol.
After leaving rehab, but before beginning production of Harlow, Monroe made headlines promoting a new book she found “endlessly fascinating.” Released by Betty Friedan in February of 1963, The Feminine Mystique was a seminal work in what would become known as Second Wave Feminism. Monroe called Friedan and asked her if she would visit California sometime so that they could discuss the book together, despite Friedan’s initial reservations, she agreed and the two met for dinner. The actress would credit reading the book and her meeting with Friedan as two of the driving forces toward her feminist activism throughout the rest of her life. To Monroe, whose career had begun with a nude spread in Playboy and several roles as the “dumb blonde” in comedies, the arguments made by Friedan struck an especially resonant chord.
“Women should not have to objectify themselves in order to make a living.” Monroe said in an interview given after advising President Kennedy and Congress about reasons to pass the Equal Pay Act. “I’ve been blessed with good looks, I will not deny it. But I’m also an actress. I want to tell stories and make people feel, empathize with my characters. There’s more to my performances than being some kind of sex kitten. The same goes for women all across this country. Secretaries, nurses, and everything else that women do. There’s no reason to doubt that a woman could be a doctor, or a lawyer, even President if she wanted to!” And work Marilyn would not struggle to find. Harlow, surrounded by free publicity from her activism, would go on to confirm Monroe’s new status as one of Hollywood’s serious leading ladies.
On a personal note, Monroe’s second marriage to DiMaggio had also been instrumental in her recovery and comeback. At times tumultuous given their different backgrounds and outlooks on life, the conservative, catholic former Yankee Clipper’s relationship with Monroe was nonetheless deep, fulfilling, and full of passion. Whenever the actress was in need of encouragement or a reserve of strength to call on, Joe was there. Likewise, when Joe had an inkling to get involved in baseball once again as a coach, it was Marilyn who gave her approval. “Just try and pick a team in California, darling.” Monroe said with a smirk. “You know I can’t bear to be without you for long.”
…
April 17th, 1964 was a day of mixed emotions for Elvis Aaron Presley, the King of Rock N Roll. In Graceland, the home he had purchased for himself and his parents in 1957 for $102,500; the King rolled out of bed and ambled over to his wardrobe to find a black suit, and matching tie. Normally averse to dark, depressing appearances, Presley had to make an exception today. He was to attend a funeral.
Colonel Tom Parker, Presley’s cantankerous, often dictatorial manager, had been driving along I-40 five nights prior, coming back from one of his high stakes poker matches when another vehicle, a massive Ford truck, crossed quickly into Parker’s lane without signalling first. Parker was caught off guard and had no time to react as the Ford smashed into his sedan, driving it off the road and into a telephone poll beside the highway. First responders to the accident declared Parker dead at the scene. 54 at the time of his death, Parker had been the man behind Presley’s career path from the beginning, but especially as of late. He saw for Presley, a future in Hollywood as a veritable money printing machine. “Three films a year, three soundtracks, millions of dollars.” He’d told the singer. “What’s not to love?”
For Elvis in truth, the answer had been “a lot.” After returning to the United States from a stint in the army in 1960, Presley had only been allowed to hold three concerts before being whisked away to Hollywood to start making movies. Though he enjoyed being an actor quite a bit, Elvis never had a chance to star in anything dramatic. Each time he’d reach for a script with some real weight to it, Parker would dash it aside in favor of another cheap, cheesy musical comedy. By ‘64, they’d become formulaic to Elvis. He missed interacting with his fans. As stressful and demanding as touring could be, the roar of the crowd and the energy of live music inspired him far more than the same old song and dance that the Hollywood movies were becoming. He was due for a change, he felt.
The conflicting emotions came in how Elvis felt about the Colonel’s death. He was ready to be done with the stupid movies, he knew, and Parker’s death would mean more freedom to pursue his own interests. But without the Colonel’s help, he would never have been the massive star he grew to be. And filmmaking hadn’t been all bad for Elvis. Two songs from movie soundtracks: “Can’t Help Falling in Love” and “Return to Sender” gave him number one hits, and several of the albums hit number one as well. They kept him in the spotlight while new artists, like the Beach Boys and the Beatles took his place as the hot new commodity in Rock N Roll music. Further, it had been while filming one of these movies, the soon to be released Viva Las Vegas, that Elvis met the woman he considered the second love of his life: Swedish-American actress Ann-Margret.
Called “the Female Elvis” by many in the entertainment industry for her sex appeal, beauty, charisma, and singing and dancing abilities, Margret and Presley had undeniable chemistry together during the filming of Viva Las Vegas. What many in the production team were unaware of was that the chemistry had been real, and the two began a torrid love affair when the cameras weren’t rolling. Presley, who had been quietly dating Priscilla Beaulieu, a young woman he met in Germany when she was only fourteen, was immediately smitten with Ann, whom he felt was the only performer he’d ever worked with who was his equal in every measure. On April 17th, as the King fixed his collar and combed his hair back, Ann climbed out of bed to help him with his tie.
“I’m really sorry about the Colonel, Elvis.” She said, her voice soft and sweet, like morning dew on the green grass of home. “Is there anything I can do for you?”
Elvis turned and looked at her, beautiful and wrapped only in the bedsheets they’d tangled in the night before. He managed a smile. “That’s alright, Ann. You being here is already helping a lot.” His hands fell to his sides, and she nearly giggled as she finished the windsor knot and tightened it just slightly. Being Elvis’ lover was a wonderful experience, Ann had decided. He wasn’t like many of the men of Hollywood she’d been with since hitting it big the year before with Bye, Bye, Birdie. There was a tenderness to him, an earnest boyishness that suggested a sort of irresistible, hopeless romanticism. When he sang “I Can’t Help Falling in Love with You”, it wasn’t just a record to make money and further his career, he meant every word from the very depths of his soul. After a few months with him, Ann had come to a potentially dangerous conclusion: Elvis Presley was not just a fling, he was her soulmate.
“I could come with you, if you would like.” She said, her arms twisting around his neck and pulling him closer to her. “I didn’t know him as well as you did, but I hate to see you so blue.”
The King nodded and let out a relieved sigh. “Thank you. It’d mean a lot.”
The funeral was a short affair. Parker may have been a genius of marketing and promotion, but he’d made few friends along the way. Elvis had to ask some members of his entourage, the so called “Memphis Mafia”, to fly in and serve as pallbearers for the casket. No eulogies were given, and a simple stone was erected with the Colonel’s name on it. It was almost fitting how businesslike the whole thing was. Presley joked to Ann as they left that if Parker had been allowed to arrange it, he would’ve charged for admission.
“Colonel” Thomas Andrew Parker
June 26th, 1909 - April 12th, 1964
June 26th, 1909 - April 12th, 1964
Even with Parker gone, his mind for image would prove posthumously vindicated once again. Viva Las Vegas, with its catchy title track, and the combined firepower of Elvis and Ann’s charisma, was each of their biggest hits to date. The couple celebrated with the cast and crew at a Hollywood party and after several months of deliberation; Presley made a decision that would change his life forever. Following a painful, tear filled call with young Priscilla, who was still holding out hope that Elvis would someday come back for her, ending their relationship; Elvis clinked a fork against his glass of champagne to gather the attention of everyone at the party.
The King cleared his throat and showed off his gleaming pearls as he began to speak. “Tonight is uh, a very special occasion, of course.” His eyes scanned the room and for a brief moment he felt almost sheepish. The shy, nervous boy from Tupelo had grown up to be the most recognizable face in the world, and yet his stomach was full of butterflies as he carried on. “I’ve already toasted George [Sidney, the film’s director], and everyone on the staff for this great success. But there’s something else I want to say.” He turned his gaze to Ann, who’d arrived at the party in a gorgeous gown of midnight blue and spent the whole night glued to Presley’s arm. “Ann, you were the best co-star a guy could ever ask for. Tell you the truth, I think people give me too much credit. You’re the one that made this whole movie work. Everyone give it up for Ann.”
The actress gleamed as the guests applauded heartily. “And, on a personal note,” Elvis, for all his fame, blushed as he stumbled over the words. “She’s helped me through a lot these past couple months. For the one person living under his rock who didn’t know, Ann and I are going steady, and I couldn’t be happier about that.” More claps, a few whistles of approval. “Tonight though, I have a request of my wonderful co-star.” The crowd watched with bated breath as the King fell to one knee and produced a black velvet box from his pocket. “Ann Margret, would you make me the happiest fella who ever lived, and marry me?”
Every eye in the room shot over to Ann at the speed of light. Leaping up from her seat, she ran to Elvis and planted a kiss on his lips. “Yes! Yes, you rascal! A thousand times yes.”
The pair were married on August 16th, 1964 in a private ceremony at Graceland. To celebrate their newfound bliss, Presley postponed any decisions about his career for the time being, and set out on a honeymoon with Ann which saw them criss cross the Atlantic as they visited her family in Sweden, toured the Colosseum in Rome, and caught some sun in Palm Beach, Florida. While stopping in London on their way back from Stockholm, Margret and Presley were seated at a cafe on the corner of two streets, enjoying some tea and biscuits, when they were approached by a handsome, clean shaven man in a suit and tie. Assuming he was some newspaperman, Presley was about to politely dismiss him when the man smiled uncontrollably. “Excuse me, Mr. and Mrs. Presley? I hope you don’t mind the interruption, but I have a few lads that are huge fans and meeting you would absolutely mean the world to them.”
Elvis returned the grin. This was what he missed most during his imprisonment in Hollywood. “Alright sir, we’re not in any hurry. Tell the boys to come on down.” He offered his hand out to the well dressed man. “It’s a pleasure to meet you, Mr.?”
“Epstein.” The man replied. “Brian Epstein.”
Ten minutes later, John Lennon, Paul McCartney, George Harrison, and Ringo Starr made their way down to the Cafe and were photographed shaking hands and swapping stories with the King and Queen of Rock N Roll. The first meeting of the Beatles and Elvis was not a long one, but it did plant the seeds for a burgeoning friendship between the band and their idol, especially between Elvis and Paul, who seemed to click with each other almost instantly. Though they were busy with tours and concerts for the rest of the year, the band agreed to visit Presley at Graceland at their earliest possible convenience, and even hinted at the possibility of touring together. This final prospect delighted Elvis mightily. As overjoyed as he was toward his new life with Ann, the road was his calling, and it was time for the King to take another triumph through his domain.
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