Elvis - A Lighted Candle

[Wanda June Hill]

You guys know that I have said the only two guys one being Charlie realized that I did know Elvis, they didn't know how well of course, but Charlie admitted to have seen "me around" and Ed saw that I had the same private phone numbers that he had and that I had called them on a couple of phone bills I had on display at our convention. We spoke a little bit and he asked for my phone number (probably to check it out some how) but he didn't realize that wasn't the same number Elvis had-we had moved to a different area in California by the time we had the convention. So...it would have done them no good if that were his plan. However, he did call me to find out if I was going to be in Sacramento at a convention where he would be doing an interview-I said yes and he told me when his show was which was right after mine. He said, "see ya there" and hung up. We talked some there, but not a lot, there wasn't much time and he had another apointment. He stayed to hear some of what I had to say and to give me the Ok sign and the the signal he was leaving...like Elvis did with him to let him know which way he was getting off the stage.
Then there is Larry Geller who knows I knew Elvis but I've heard that he told people I was "just one of the gate girls and Elvis didn't have much to do with me"...etc;...I never was one of the gate girls. Though I was at his house when some were there in LA and I was at Palm Springs when some were there. I didn't wait around at his gate ever...nor would I have done that under the circumstances of our friendship. He started it and he guided it, it certainly wasn't anything I did to keep it going. I merely wanted a job at the studio! Other wise I wouldn't have gone in the first place...but boy, did he change that plan! I would have cleaned and polished his 37 pairs of shoes as long as I could watch him and listen to him while I was doing them! (Sic-Sic-Sick!) But back to Larry, he was offended because I wouldn't let him use the tapes along with the book he was doing. He said I'd make so much money and just think of that-and how wonderful it would make the book to have a recoding of Elvis talking about spiritual things etc; right along with the book. I said no, and never heard from him again. I liked Larry, and his books. But I wouldn't have sold my tapes to him or anyone else for all the money in China and I hear it has plenty these days. I turned down a huge offer from two big publishing houses and I turned down a television producer and also refused to turn them over to RCA's Felton Jarvis. They own Elvis' voice you know, and informed me I couldn't use it for anything
without their permission and direction.
I do not expect to hear from Lisa or Priscilla-maybe from Priscilla's lawyers-that happened. I know that there is a copy of We Remember, Elvis at Graceland somewhere because Vernon Presley saw it and wrote to me. He is the only family member to have acknowledge the book and to say that I am a friend for having written it. So that's all I have along those lines. Mrs. McCombs came over to our booth in Vegas at the first Elvis convention held there-she told me I had a beautiful book, thanked me for writing the good things about Elvis. And looked as if she wanted to talk more but two of his mm guys came and got her "away from me". Then Charlie came over, stood there looking at me, then came out with his remark about "think I saw you around some," and I said, hey, I 've seen you more than around-and I have you on tape asking Elvis a question-want to know what it was? He looked wide eyed and said, no, not now. And took off.
(He had come in, stood around waiting, finally Elvis said, Sit down Charles-be a minute here. And the minute is long...Elvis asks what he wants and Charlie says something about having to go down town and Diskin wants to see you there." Elvis said, "Aw shit he does! covered the phone and I couldn't make out what else he said but it wasn't anything like Okay we'll go!.)
One of the publishing companies wanted the tapes so badly they paid to have them verified and tested. I spent the entire day sitting there watching through a glass window while the guy did the testing...I would not let them out of my sight and didn't want to run the risk of copies being made. The guy heard them all-he cried over some of it and he was very nice and favorable toward Elvis' memory. He cleaned some of the hiss and background noise off the tapes, boosted the sound on Elvis' voice in some areas and put the tapes on new cassettes for me on his own- he later went to England and worked for their "secret service" what ever it's called, I've forgotten.And he died of a heart attack a few years ago
in Ireland. His daughter sent out notices to all his clients and I was on the list so I got one. That's how I learned of his death. I have his findings and a letter from England from him, that's my proof of the tapes being Elvis and me. And Larry and his wife heard some of it at our convention, he knows it was Elvis. Other people who have heard bits and parts know also, including a fan club in South Carolina who heard some that I brought for that purpose. They had no doubts it was him either. There were some 25 plus who heard it and not one questioned that it wasn't him. In fact, many women and a few men cried it was so moving for them to listen to him just talking like that again.
Actually, I don't have to prove anything. It's take it or leave it, as far as I'm concerned. Like Starla says, it's their loss if they don't want to believe it. and right she is.
I appreciate the questions...it will help me alot so don't hesitate to ask anything you think is proper and probable. wjh

[Wanda June Hill]

Rio are you taking about the one Elvis gave sitting in a chair with a guy asking him questions and Elvis is wearing a white jacket and pants and about to fall out of the chair? I think that's it- the story behind that interview Elvis told-and he didn't have to explain anything but he did. He had done the rehearsal and he was in misery because he had a detached retina of one eye and he had glaucoma that was causing it...he ended up having fluid drained from his eye with a needle. ouch.
But that day, he thought he had some time and the eye doctor had given him a muscle relaxer and told him it would help with the pain but he would need about two hours to take it and have it wear off before show time.
Well he thought he had two hours so he went to his room, took the tablet, lay down on the bed with a pillow over his eyes and was about to fall asleep when the guys rushed in, yelling at him and telling him he had to get up he had to do an interview right now and here he was hardly about to stand up by himself he was so relaxed he didn't think his legs would hold him. They got him coffee, helped him dress and walked him back and forth a little then took him down. He said it was awful, he thought he was going be sliding out of the chair and be laying out there in the floor and that trying to pay attention and understand what the guy who had some kind of accent was saying was almost impossible. He hoped nobody ever saw that interview! We did of course and he's a little slurry on some words but nothing he hadn't always had when caught off guard-he did alright. He just looked very relaxed...and he said ever body in the world would think he was stonned out of his mind and he wasn't taking anything like that... He was so proud that he had got off everything-he was clean and had been for several weeks and was back in shape and if not for the eye probelm he would have felt great.
He was crushed emotionall that Pris didn't come-she said she would and then changed her mind-she had too much buying to do for her store. And didn't want Lisa going over there with all the activitiy going on etc:. So Linda was there, I think-but I'm not sure about that-maybe not. He was home alone later and Lisa called him on another phone and she and Pris were coming to see him. He was so happy, and I guess Lisa asked him if he was crying and he said, "no...not much" I knew he'd be okay so I hung up the phone. He was missing them so much, he'd just done that show and no one was there at home or even acted like they gave a damn and he was so lonely and hurt. To him it was such a big thing-playing to the world! wjh

[Lighthouseseeker]

it "was" a big thing Wanda ,for the whole world,but unfortunately it wasn't big enough for some little people it seems..,and it was Lisa's right to be there to watch her daddy ..such a cruel behaviour to live him alone there ..and there can't be an excuse for this..as for the inteview,he didn't looked relax to me, I didn't know the whole story then,now I learned..but he looked extremely tense and worried and about to having a heart attack, when I first watched it and I felt terribly bad.. what their hurry for that interview,why couldn't they live him to rest even a little..

[RIO]

My english is not good enough and I'm probably not even smart enough to have a deep discussion about it. But my heart tells me that Elvis was not the kind of person to lie. I believe everything he says. You may say I'm naive. But I'm convinced that he wasn't addicted to anything, but to the love he felt for his fans.

You are smart enough to think by yourself and come to your own conclussion and if that´s what you think or feel that happened i respect your opinion...

I want to say thanks to all you girls for discussing this subject with me.

And to Wanda to get the time for explain my doubts.
But Wanda, is true Elvis got a shot into his eyes due to his glaucoma . Dr. Nick flew in from Memphis with ophtalmologist Dr. David Meyer and treated Elvis in his hotel. But it was on 16th February 1971, two years before the Aloha interview.

Have a nice day girls, as Elvis used to say May God Bless you as He Blessed Me.

[Wanda June Hill]

Hi Rio, I knew he found that he had that eye problem in the late 70's and it worsened in 71. Also perodicaly he had to have the eye fluid drained as his was closed angle kind that caused fluid build up-it has to be able to drain and his wouldn't do it and he had medication for that which he hated to take because he said it made him see double worse than halo's around every light source. Plus hie had severe headaches (Cluster kind) for years too. I don't know how he functioned as well as he did considering his nervous state, worries, ill health and the things he had to put up with on a daily basis right under his feet. He also had to have the doctor do that to his eye in Hawaii- if you watch the show carefully you will see one eye watering down his face more than the other, you will also see him flinch and shut his eyes tightly and you will see him wipe his eye with his scarf a time or two. One eye looks funny as well, he was not as active on the show because of having a headache and fearing he might lose his balance since his eye was bothering him a lot under the lighting. He had been told by that doctor to lie down and in the dark for several hours and that he shouldn't be working under the lighting. Well, that's like telling a hungry pig not to eat because he wanted to do that show. And he was very humbled to be able to do it. World wide scared him more than Vegas the first time and more than the Astro Dome.
He wanted to be at his best, he worked hard to get in shape and he was not drugged out...he had got off nearly everything and was proud of that fact. He thought since that was a big issue between he and Pris it might change her mind and she just might change her mind.
I think he would have tried again with her though most likely it wouldn't have lasted. He wasn't going to change who he was-he couldn't do it if he wanted to.
Anyway, I haven't seen that Aloha show in some time-it's on beta and ours died. We have VHS an VDD players but haven't bought any of his yet. That's something we want to do but first things first. Retiring is great but it does limit what we can spend sometimes. darn it. wjh

[Lighthouseseeker]

I JUST RESPECT THE MAN..WANDA THAT NEW DVD ALOHA DELUX EDITION IS A MUST TO SEE,WITH REHEARSALS,REHEARSAL CONCERT,DIFFERENT ANGLES etc..AND IT ISN'T BLURRY AS IN VIDEO,INSTEAD ,CHRYSTAL CLEAR..HOPE YOU CAN GET IT SOON.

[Blue Moon]

if you watch the show carefully you will see one eye watering down his face more than the other,

During "I'm So Lonesome I Could Cry" one can clearly see a tear come down his face, well definitely in one of the rehearsals as I recall. I thought he was just very sad and into the song. But now Wanda you've got me wondering if maybe it was due to his eye trouble rather than sadness.

[Rainbow Light]

Yes, me too. I had also thought it to be a tear originally but sounds like there is more to it than previously considered. Can imagine how much it must have meant to Elvis to have performed for this show, shown worldwide to so many people and so he did his very best, actually more than, gave his everything and can see that but surely at some cost and price to his physical health. Knowing this makes you appreciate the show even more you know?

Do hope you're able to get that DVD sometime Wanda, is a really great one!

[Rainbow Light]

Bringing this thread back around and thanks, Wanda, as always, for sharing so openly!

[MaryInTheMorning]

Thanks for bringing this thread back around Sue-Lenora as I seem to have missed it the first time around. My heartfelt thanks to you also dear Wanda for all of the heartfelt insight that you gave about not only Elvis the ENTERTAINER but also Elvis the MAN---your friend, the human being who allowed his light to shine so brightly from his precious heart and soul no matter what!!!

[Rainbow Light]

[/quote]My heartfelt thanks to you also dear Wanda for all of the heartfelt insight that you gave about not only Elvis the ENTERTAINER but also Elvis the MAN---your friend, the human being who allowed his light to shine so brightly from his precious heart and soul no matter what!!! [quote]

AMEN, dear Mari!