Elvis - A Lighted Candle

[Wanda June Hill]

(excerpts from her letter. She knew Elvis just before he went into the army and saw him twice when he returned.)

[Elvis would come up to our rooms (we had two adjoining for 4 struggling acttresses) and make us all laugh telling about things that had happened to him on the set. He was shy the first time, but we seemed to fit together, he called my friends "sisters" and always asked about whomever was "missing" or where we were looking for work. We all worked waitressing to pay our daily bread bills; Elvis paid for our rooms a couple of times and refused to take any money for it saying that he was using them as much as we were so he felt he ought to pay something too. He'd come around and have who ever was home wash his hair and sit under our salon style drier and Elaine ironed his shirts for him once in a while...or sewed on buttons. He always looked sharp, everything went together and boy, when he wore black and red, he sizzled!
Sometimes before he left we all got kisses-usually he would kiss me last and whisper, "Come see me, please?" I'd go up and stay with him but he didn't always ask-and I didn't always just go up, he was very old fashioned in some ways, in a cool and level headed way. I liked him best when he was in a funny, laughing alot mood and my favorite times were when he sang to me, very softly right into my ears. He was pretty romantic at times. The last time we were together was almost a disaster. I had met another young man who was five years older than myself and I ended up marrying him, had the kids and then he died of lung cancer having smoked from age 8 years old. I told Elvis that I was seeing another fellow, he was okay with that and wished us well. Then the last time he came to our rooms, we were having a little party because I was pregnant (happy to be) and my fella and I were going to get married. I told Elvis I was pregnant and he blanched white faced, stood there with his hands kind of wrung together; we were staring at him, with no idea that he would think what he thought. He looked as if he were going to die from lack of air, I went to him, took his arm and asked if he was alright. He stammered something and hung his head, looking as if he couldn't look me in the eyes. It dawned on me that he thought he made me pregnant so I grabbed him in a hug and said, "Not you honey! I'm getting married next weekend-I told you I had a fella on the line!" It's a wonder the curtains weren't sucked off the windows he took such a deep breath and shook all over like a dog!
He stammered some then softly, just to me said, "I thought, I thought...gawd you know what I thought" I told him my fella and I wanted to have babies-so with him I didn't use anything and neither did he. Elvis knew that I took care of that problem-he was very, very careful about that-HE did not want to have any kids unless he was married to their mother first! And wasn't shy about saying so - I don't think he would have allowed anything to happen that might override that decision!
That was the last time he came to our rooms-the girls said he was friendly when they ran into him but it was me he wanted and not any of them though they were more than willing. He was intrigued because I was raised like him, in the south and through some rough times. We understood each other-he also knew that I wasn't interested in being a big star - or a bit player and if I thought that was what I was headed for-I'd quit. I did after 1967. I hadn't done anything of merit, just paid some bills and raised the kids with commercials, bit parts and looking good at functions now and then. I saw him briefly in 1964 on the set of a Dean Martin movie and Elvis was happy to see me, knew me right away and came hurrying over to give me a hug. He was so handsome, young and vital and sexier than ever and did he ever beam when I told him so.
End]

[Blue Moon]

Just too funny! I would loved to have been a fly on the wall and seen Elvis' expression! Poor guy. His life must have passed before his eyes. Possible newspaper headlines floating through his head: Bad boy Elvis fathers child with unwed mother.
And all his perfect marriage plans gone temporarily to dust in one nearly oxygen deprived state.

[Wanda June Hill]

Yeah, that's what I thought when I read her letter the first time...oh boy, what must have flashed through his mind! Here he was going to be in the Army, with all that going on, and a woman was going to give birth to his kid!!! Oh lordy! It's a wonder he didn't have some kind of attack right there and "be layin' on the floor twitchin'" etc: as he'd probably say about it. It must have just about took every bit of blood out of his entire head-he might have fainted as he was prone to do that during those early hectic days. It is amazing how many women say they have washed his hair-that he asked them to wash it. I guess maybe because his mother did that for him-probably all the time when he was at home growing up etc: and even after. Other people have said he always washed it first in the sink or under the faucett and then finished off rinsing it well in the shower. And he said that he washed his hair in the tub sometimes...and I always remembered that is what I did as a kid, once we had a real bathtub (we had tin tubs-round ones as I was growing up and heated water for it as we didn't have hot water heaters etc: and we had wells or a hand pump for water. Anyway, when we got to the big time, (hehe) my step mom showed me how to lay back in the water, get my hair really wet, soap it up and then rinse it in the bath water-now I think, heavens, that sounds awful and my hair must have been "stuck together" by the unrinsed out soap! We used Ivory soap for everything including washing our hair. In the summer I "showered" and washed my hair outside with the hose because we had a real pump and water tank and had running water!!!
Even a water heater-but it was Oklahoma humid heat weather and the hose water was like bath water warm and in the evenings it felt really good to hose down and wash my hair and then just air dry. We had a huge attic fan that sucked air from outside through the windows in the bedroom and the fan was up above my closet which just had a curtain door so it could get air through there. So I had a cool room for sure in summer time...and the noise level was such that I slept like a log-I couldn't hear anything else anywhere inside or outside. Then when I was older, teenaged I used to sneak out the window of my room and go for a ride with friends-my boyfriend had a car so we'd ride around a little while, pick up a few other friends and then start dropping them back off with the furthest ones first, etc: and then I'd sneak back inside and my dad and stepmom never did know until I told my dad a couple years ago. They couldn't hear a thing for that fan either! We had day lilys planted along side the house and I was very careful not to break any of them off or bend them and they hid the signs of my escape etc:....Always liked day lilys ever since too. hehe.
Anyway, Elvis must have just "about died" to hear that lady say she was pregnant just as he walked in the door!
It would have been a sight but I feel sorry for him too...
he was such a baby then. As he said, "thought he was....somethin' an' then the Army proved me wrong".
That big change I think was losing his mom...and not getting to greive like most people do-but it was most likely the best thing for him...he was forced to go on, to not dwell on it. Though Charlie says in his book that he listened to Elvis sobbing into his pillow night after night on the ship and then at other times as well all through Elvis life... it would be Charlie who sat with him, stayed by him and let him cry it out...and not be alone. wjh

[Wanda June Hill]

You know, in Sonny West's interview he says he thinks that Elvis was Bipolar and that was why he was so up or down and explosive at times and very hyper and over active. He does fit some of the symptoms, even his child hood ones-but he also fits the Atten. Deficiet etc; problem kids too. Back then we just thought they were over active kids and "cranky" etc:...he didn't sleep normally and had spells of being over active until he couldn't stop himself he said several times, and that he had to be worn out so tired he couldn't think before he could sleep long enough to do any good. I think he burned out from it all just about as he said-that he was "burning up inside" and I guess that is why he needed to take tranqulizers and etc: to calm down...he had to do that to rest but it wasn't a real rest...I am so glad I'm not that type person. It seems like so many were from that time period-Starla's boss that she has now is from that time and he is hyper and has attention span of about 3 minutes so when she meets with him and wants to tell him something, she has to do it fast while he can "get it" and "resolve it" in 3 minutes or so.
He's almost a genius in many ways and runs several businesses-completely different from each other-and does it quite well. He has Hep. C and is being treated for it-lots of guys his age have that-he admits he and his college friends used needles and etc: and that is probably where he got it as some of them have it also...those still alive. He is a Beatles fan but loves Elvis too...she never tells people about knowing him un less they are very good friends and don't question too much.
My friend here that didn't know, is still my friend but she is kind of different now and sometimes I wonder if she feels funny or maybe a bit miffed I didn't say anything for several years. Whatever, it could just be my imagination so I just won't go there...time changes things. We still meet for lunch ever so often anyway. wjh

[Amanda Viola]

Thank you very much Wanda, for bringing Elvis to us so closely, with so much detail from your direct knowledge.

About Elvis' symtoms from childhood, I believe they were caused by the shock with a denser reality an evolved soul may have when emboding here. He was trying to "adjust" all his life through, at many different levels.

We have at least another case very close at the ELC website: Maia, and she has been much less "exposed" all her life -I understand to let her perform better her function. In some way, Elvis was "sheltered" too, because "he had" to build a very private life in order to survive...

[Wanda June Hill]

Yes, you're right Amanda when looking at things through that lens-on just the human element I can see where some people would tend to put him (them) in scientific/medical catagory and eleminate the spiritual altogether. He was adjusting as best he could and in rapid fire mode most of his life...in physical/emotional and spiritual/emotional. Alot for a child and even more so for the child like innocence he tried to keep within his heart for the world and all it's inhabitants-good and bad.
And our Maia is one for sure, sensitive and intutitive, naive and clever, gifted and giving and the list is so long and my spelling so poor I'll quit there...after adding so spiritual she is floating off the earth nearly! What was that Elvis said of angels? They can fly because they take themselves so lightly...our Maia does certainly rarely take herself much above the width of a toothpick! Would that she put herself personally more foremost when she can and get a little stronger by doing that.
wjh

[Rainbow Light]

Right on, Wanda!

[maia]

I have to say that with Elvis's LIFETIME diet of foods he ate, this could have been the cause of many of his health problems from day one! I have had to learn a lot about FOOD, given my own situation. What he ate could have caused all KINDS of dis-orders, including emtional swings, etc.

[Amanda Viola]

Even when we may take on account what kind of food Elvis used to eat -most probably producing him health disorders- we should have to consider too what emotional compensation it had for his "strangeness" feelings -like consolation- and what kind of reaction his body produced with them. We all know people that can stand all kind of food that would kill directly another one (and the opposite is true too). I know by experience that two bodies don't react to food the same, as we don't react the same to emotional impacts, etc. etc.

I believe that even the physical body of Elvis was the matter expression he needed. El'vis said that he did not made present in his Elvis incarnation his full soul's energy. It may be corresponding to be born much smaller than normal. When I look to his adult body, I always feel he could have been bigger, as if something is missing...

Sorry if today I'm not expressing with more clarity what I mean, but there is outside a strong East wind blowing soundly, charged with positive charge of ionization produced by its friction with the Sahara desert sands. The closed windows are shaking and my mind is all shaked up too!

[Rainbow Light]

No worries, Amanda!

[/quote]Even when we may take on account what kind of food Elvis used to eat -most probably producing him health disorders- we should have to consider too what emotional compensation it had for his "strangeness" feelings -like consolation- and what kind of reaction his body produced with them. We all know people that can stand all kind of food that would kill directly another one (and the opposite is true too). I know by experience that two bodies don't react to food the same, as we don't react the same to emotional impacts, etc. etc. [quote]


Just wondering here if perhaps you mean like "comfort eating", perhaps? I've wondered if, maybe he'd had the chance to be challenged more as an actor with more serious dramatic roles and also had the opportunity to do other things which he could have wished, overseas tour which would have challenged his talent and so on, he wouldn't perhaps have eaten the kinds of foods he did?

I know we all have to take responsibility for our actions, our health and lifestyle for sure and that's understandable but I can't help wondering at times whether there isn't, at some level, an emotional 'reason' for Elvis to give in to some unhealthy habits at some times?

Please don't think I'm 'getting at' Elvis, I'm most definitely not as I know he had many illnesses also that caused water retention in his last years and so on but sometimes I just can't help pondering on what could have been if he'd had the chance to be challenged more according to his artistic gifts and talents?! Whether this would have changed anything? Perhaps Wanda J might add her thoughts here too?

[Amanda Viola]

I do think food has much more meanings to us than just bringing us energy for our body to function. Early in our lives it has clearly an emotional nourishing aspect.

[MaryInTheMorning]

Thank you so much Wanda for sharing this with us and for bringing us closer to Elvis' own heart through your wonderful friendship with him within your own beautiful heart and its knowledge and experiences. I too feel the same as others have said---so funny but poor Elvis. The thoughts that must have gone through that poor boy's mind at that moment. To quote our poor and completely shocked boy" Lord have mercy".

[Rainbow Light]

Lord have mercy, yes, indeed!

Thanks as above, for your thoughts too, Amanda!