Elvis - A Lighted Candle

[MaryInTheMorning]

While online the other day, I came across the transcription of the following telegram that our dear sweet Elvis sent to The Colonel back in 1955. As I read it I the first thought that came to my mind was exactly was the title of this post is--"If he only knew then what this so called "father" would end up doing to him.........." God bless his sweet and albeit naive little heart. The telegram reads as follows:

November 22, 1955

After the switch from Sun to RCA Elvis sent a telegram to The Colonel: "Dear Colonel, Words can never tell you
how my folks and I appreciate what you did for me. I've always known and now my folks are assured that you are the
best, most wonderful person I could ever hope to work with. Believe me when I say I will stick with you through thick and thin
and do everything I can to uphold your faith in me. Again, I say thanks and I love you like a father, Elvis Presley."

Now my other thought/question on this is that I thought that his mom and/or his dad NEVER liked or trusted the "good ol' Colonel"(NOT!-sorry couldn't help myself ) from the get go?? Didn't Elvis himself say that one of the times he fired him or was about to fire him and he also said he wanted someone else to manage him? Wanda, can you shed some light on this for me? I welcome everone else's thoughts on this also. When I read it, it just made me so sad that Elvis had such blind acceptance, faith and love in a man who wound up hurting him so much.

[Wanda June Hill]

Consider the time frame of the telegram...he had just left Sun where he had struggled his butt off working for what he got through there...they couldn't take him any further and there was the Col. who got him signed with just the largest recording company in the world and then was taking him to New york and tv and hollywood was next....big, big plans for a little boy who had had nothing and was still reeeling from the whole thing happening to him. And no his mom didn't trust or like the Col. Elvis said so in 77 and that her main reason was he was underage and off on his own away from her sight etc; and that's all he said there...that was her reasons. Anyway, the Col. at the time of that telegram was like a "God" to Elvis...and the Col did treat him well then I guess, anything he wanted basically to keep him happy...and what keeps a young man happy? Money to buy cars, etc; whatever he wanted-in his case a home for his family...mom and dad....and cars...and cars... a thing that meant freedom to people who had none that would run etc;. And to Elvis what could be better, more meaningful than to have a "father" looking out for you?
For all of his family? Makes perfect sense to me at that time in his life. And yes, he grew bitter and frustrated and angry and upset, tried to get free but realized he needed the Col because no one could figure out the maze the Col had going except the Col. and Elvis didn't have the money to pay him off....so Elvis backed down but he was about to get free-he just ran out of time. wjh

[Amanda Viola]

....big, big plans for a little boy who had had nothing and was still reeeling from the whole thing happening to him.

Completely understandable. Here really started his dream for welldoing and giving his family everything they could need (and could dream of). And he was so, so young...

The Colonel was in part a father to him, because he put Elvis in the world, helping him to be Elvis Presley, helping him to have a public identity. Maybe, if the Colonel would heve been less "fox", more fatherly, Elvis could not have had the enormeous and unique push up he had, with the consecuent resound in the media. Now it seems evident that the inmense success Elvis had, was a basic portion of his destiny, to be able to reach so many milions of people around the world.

[MaryInTheMorning]

Wanda and Amanda--EVERYTHING you both said makes perfect and complete sense and it explains why Elvis said what he did in the telegram. I guess it's just one of those things where "if he would have known THEN what we know NOW..........." Does that make any sense at all or am I just rambling here? lol! Also, I think I remember reading somewhere on here where at the time that Larry told Elvis that "THAT book"(nicest way I can put it ) was going to be published after all, that was yet another time where he tried or wanted to fire the Col.(get a different Manager, for the life of me I can't remember the other guy's name) and he was screaming that his Daddy never liked or trusted him either??? Wanda, am I remembering this correctly or am I going crazy along with rambling too? lol!

[Rainbow Light]

Now it seems evident that the inmense success Elvis had, was a basic portion of his destiny, to be able to reach so many milions of people around the world.

Right on, Amanda!