Cyber Club

By telephone : 01656 786996

The 'Porthcawl Elvis Festival 2005' is sponsored by
the McArthur Glen Shopping Mallsupported by
Elvisly Yours.

We are still looking for Elvis look-a-likes who can seriously play rugby and appear for the Elvii Rugby XV v Porthcawl RFC.

Sunday October 2nd for the "Wooden Spoon" Charity. Applications to Peter Phillips wplp@beeb.net

Hemet, CA 92545

I developed a long correspondence with Pat in the 1980's and early 90's to try and help her in the US stamp campaign. Elvisly Yours had released the highly successful first day covers in the UK to honour Elvis' 50th birthday and I sent samples of the covers to Pat. What is not known is that the US stamp was probably stopped for years by EPE. They had sued me in 1985 in US Federal Court and the case went on for over six years. Under their own rules the US Postal Service has to wait ten years after the death of a celebrity before a stamp could be released so the Elvis stamp should have been released in 1987 in the USA.

The Postal Service gave Pat all sorts of excuses why they still waited to release an Elvis stamp but I believe the real reason for the delay was EPE who claimed rights of the name, image and likeness of Elvis Presley and the US Postal Service were fearful of a lawsuit with EPE. Within ONE week of me deciding NOT to appeal my US lawsuit to the Supreme Court the announcement of the US Elvis stamp was made in late 1991. It then took over one year for EPE to set up hundreds of licenses for Elvis stamp products, the US Post Office to have a mail competition to decide the design (great profit for the Post Office) and to distribute the stamps for Elvis' birthday on January 8th 1993, six years late. EPE made millions from the license deals and it would be interesting to find out whether the US Postal Service made any money other than from sales of the stamp.

The day I was assaulted at Graceland

In 1988 we did a special project with a famous British TV programme called "Surprise! Surprise!". Each week the programme was watched by 16 million people and made wonderful surprises for people, making dreams come true, uniting families some after 40 years apart. It was a very heart warming show and often brought a tear to your eye. I contacted the programme about our annual project to take a handicapped Elvis fan and family member to Graceland. We raised money each year to make a dream come true for a handicapped Elvis fan. They loved the idea and wanted film before they went receiving the tickets as a surprise and then the following week for their visit to Graceland.

We invited two handicapped fans to our shop, John Rowan and John Tompkins. In front of the cameras they were asked about their love for Elvis and if they wanted to visit Graceland. Of course, they said they would love to go and the presenter Bob Carolgees said "you're going to Graceland, here's your tickets...let's go". The look on their faces was wonderful. One boy was Down Syndrome and made a speech saying it was the best day in his life and how happy and grateful he was to everyone and how much he loved Elvis. Most of the camera crew were in tears after his moving speech.

When we arrived in Memphis I phoned NBC to ask them if they could film our visit to Graceland for "Surprise! Surprise" and they loved the idea and met us at the Graceland Gates the next morning. They had a camera ready and we were going to walk up the drive. The man at the Gates said let me check with the office and he phoned and we waited. He told us that the person who could give the decision was in a meeting and would not be out for over one hour. NBC said don't worry we will phone and sort it out. Forty minutes later we are still outside the Gates and nothing is happening. The handicapped fans were getting tearful and it was a very hot day. NBC kept on calling, kept on saying they have filmed hundreds of times and they would sort it out...an hour goes past and I said we should go and get the bus and do the regular tour. NBC did interviews outside the Gates so they had some film, at least. Then after 1 hour and 20 minutes a message came from Todd Morgan that we should get the tour bus but NBC would not be allowed to film. Remember, 16 million people each week would watch the story over two shows in Britain....what great PR for Graceland.

I paid for the two fans, their family members and myself, no free tickets from EPE and we get the bus. Suddenly, the NBC film crew drive up and had got permission. Then a 6ft 4ins tall security guard arrives and starts making conversation with me leading me away from NBC and the boys. It was their day and I just went along with this farce until we got around the back of the house where Elvis' cars used to be kept. NBC said they would like a film of me and boys all walking away from the cars towards the house and started to film us. By this time Toad Morgan had arrived from his important meeting and the security guard on Toad's orders pushed me over, away from the filming. I said "don't you push me around" and Morgan screamed out loud "there is a lawsuit going on and a conflict of interests...we don't want you in the film". I shouted "don't push me around" and this was in front of all the shocked visitors to Graceland. Instead of paying me as a publicist for getting Graceland on one of the top rated programmes in Britain I am assaulted. I could have sued them but I did not want to spoil the beautiful story of the visit of two handicapped boys to Graceland. I have never seen film footage of the assault and wonder whether NBC still have it from October 1986. I was told the poor security guard lost his job at Graceland the next week, but Toad still remains.

In October 1989 year I organised "Presleynost" with the first Soviet citizen to ever get a US visa just to visit Graceland. For this Elvisly Yours promotion there were five film crews and the world's press outside the Gates of Graceland for a worldwide publicity event and this time we weren't kept waiting, but that's another story for the next Newsletter...

An example of Chutzpah

For many years we took handicapped Elvis fans to Graceland. We fund-raised each year through our fan club and hopefully raised enough money to pay for a trip with expenses for a handicapped fan and family member or friend. If we were short, as was usual Elvisly yours made up the difference. During one year the City of Memphis reciprocated and Elvisly Yours were the hosts to two black children from the ghetto in Memphis who had a letter from Mayor Hackett of Memphis for the Lord Mayor of London. I had to try to arrange for the boys to meet the Lord Mayor and wrote to the Mansion House where he lives.

I got back a short letter of apology saying the Mayor, Sir Greville Spratt was very busy and he did not have time in his diary to meet the boys from Memphis. If you don't succeed at first try, try again has been my lifelong motto. I immediately phoned the Mayor's Office and explained to the Equerry in Waiting for the Mayor (I think that is his title) that the children from Memphis were black and that to refuse to meet the child was a snub to the Mayor and City of Memphis and the media would regard the matter as racism by the Lord Mayor of London. Within half an hour the Equerry phoned me back and arranged the meeting at the Mansion House for two black kids from the ghetto in Memphis with the Lord Mayor of London, that's chutzpah! The Mayor was delightful and very charming and was very kind and presented the boys, their teacher and me each with gifts, very unlike his Equerry.

About 100 Elvis events in
and around Porthcawl!

BOOK TODAY!

By telephone : 01656 786996

About 100 Elvis events in and around Porthcawl!

BOOK TODAY!

By telephone : 01656 786996

About 100 Elvis events in
and around Porthcawl!