Sam Thompson, Bodyguard:
“One time my sister Linda, my wife Louise and I had been down with Elvis to see the old Circle G Ranch in Mississippi and were on our way back to Memphis in Elvis’s Stutz Bearcat.
We passed a little boy, maybe ten or eleven years old by the side of Highway 51. It was summer, it was hot - dust in the air. The kid was caked in dust, sitting at a little watermelon stand.As we go by, Elvis pulls over; this was the middle of nowhere. This little kid - I know he knew who Elvis was, but he wasn’t gonna let Elvis know that he knew. He was a businessman this kid. He sat there and waited for Elvis to walk up. Elvis had to initiate the conversation, "How much are the watermelons?” A price was established. The kid was real tough and he wouldn’t come off the price.
So finally Elvis just turned around and said, “We’ll take the whole stand…”
That’s the only time the kid’s visage cracked…Elvis bought the whole watermelon stand, bought all those watermelons and took them back to Memphis.
The pretty young thing at the table with us was an aspiring actress named Tracey Morgan. In Jailhouse Rock her part was so small, you wouldn’t think she has a story to tell -- uncredited: the Girl in the Booth -- but she does:I had taken a lot of ribbing in my drama class about being such a fan of his, because I played his records all the time. I knew I was going to class the following night, so I asked Elvis at lunch if he could stop by my class, and I thought to myself, “That’ll show ‘em.” Elvis graciously said, “Yes.” But later in the day he came over and said that the Colonel told him he couldn’t, because everyone would be asking him to stop by their group or whatever. I felt bad, but I understood. Then he asked me where my class was, and I told him the address.
I went on to class that night and everybody was teasing me. “So, you got to work with your hero, “Elvis Pelvis,” and so forth. All of a sudden, the door opened and there stood Elvis! The whole class stopped and stared. Elvis looked at me and smiled. “Hi, Tracey, how are you? I just thought I’d stop by and say hello.”
I answered, “Hello,” but he quickly left and got back in his car and drove off. I thought to myself, "Well, wasn’t that a sweet thing to do?”
I was a celebrity for months because I had gotten Elvis Presley to come to class. But, I really hadn’t. Elvis… made sure he was riding around in the drama class neighborhood. That’s what I remember most about him, he was always kind, he was always polite, and he never acted like the “star.”
He was just a very sweet, talented, gorgeous man. I’ll always love him.A Memory published in 1990 ~ Elvis International magazine
There was an older couple that would occasionally drive from the Valley to Elvis' Hillcrest home. They came often enough that Elvis got to know them and they were such a sweet pair but the husband wasn't in the best of health. Elvis always focused on them when they were there.After several months of not seeing them he asked all the regular fans if they knew if anything was wrong or if any of us had a way to contact them because he was starting to get a little concerned. We didn't know their last names and only knew they lived in Van Nuys.
About six months later and we run into the woman in the lobby of the Hilton hotel along with her neighbor. We told her Elvis had been asking about her over the summer and she said "oh, you didn't hear?" She went on to tell us that Elvis showed up at her door one day (she lived in a trailer park). I know we kind of looked at each other like.....yeah, sure he did....but apparently Elvis, getting more and more concerned because he knew her husband was in poor health, tracked their address down because he had memorized the licence plate on their car and he used that to start his search.
Her husband had died ... she said they had photos of the visit and took them out and show us. Sure enough...that was Elvis alright and that was definitely what looked to be the living room of a trailer home that was filled with flowers, from the funeral I presume. They each had a photo taken with him.
He'd never said a word!! She said Elvis had come alone....no entourage!
The best birthday present. January 8, 1977.
We were in Palm Springs, after I finished doing his hair in the bedroom he put on his black suit – he looked fantastic. He turned to me and said, “This is my day, Lawrence, my birthday, and I get to do whatever I want. C’mon man, watch this!” He had a big smile on his face as he picked up the book The Prophet and a stack of money, motioning for me to follow him to the living room, where everyone was waiting.“Will all you guys please leave me and the ladies alone; I want to talk to them for a while.” We all left, leaving our wives or girlfriends with Elvis. For the next forty-five minutes he read to them several passages from The Prophet. Then he said, “This is my birthday, and what I want most is to give you all a gift.” As he handed each one a new hundred-dollar bill (a very generous gift in the 70s), he admonished, “Now you have to promise to spend this on yourselves, and I’m havin’ Robinson’s keep their store open late tonight just for you. No one’s gonna bother you; I’m sending security with you. So you all go and have fun for me on my birthday.”
So what does the man who has everything want for his birthday? If he’s Elvis…just the joy of giving to others.
From Larry Geller ~ Elvis’s hair stylist
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Danny Smith ~ Billy Smith´ son (Elvis´ cousin)
“I know that when we were out at Palm Springs house, it was probably three or four o’clock in the morning…I was hungry. Mom and Daddy were all asleep. I thought, ‘Well, y’know what? I’m going to get up and make my way to the kitchen and get me something to eat.’When you come out of your bedroom, there’s a short hall and then it cut back and you had to go across the living room to get to the kitchen. I’m bobbing along, like I said, about halfway, half asleep. I’m bobbing and I’m going across the living room – and I freeze!”
“Out of the corner of my eye is you know who. It’s Elvis! He’s sitting on the couch and I’m like, ‘Oh s***! What do I do?’ So I started on to the kitchen and he said, ‘Come here’. He kind of patted on the couch and says, ‘Sit down a minute.’ He was eating pizza and said, ‘You want a piece of pizza?’ I’m like, ‘Sure!’”
He asked me: “Are you having a good time out here? I’m really glad that you came so that Lisa would have somebody and I want y’all to have a good time.’ I stayed there thinking that I was having one hell of a time with Lisa Marie, as we did got up to much mischief together.
“We sat there talking and watching The Flintstones and shortly after, he just got up and said, ‘Hey, I’m gonna go lay down and go to sleep.’” Thats was when I made full advantage of the situation. “I didn’t ever make it to the kitchen because I finished off the pizza!” “Basically Elvis liked pork sausage or just a plain cheese pizza. He didn’t like any of the other stuff on it. They were his two favourites, that’s about all he would eat.” It turned out to be sausage pizza that time around.
YouTube channel Memphis Mafia Kid
'It was the very first day on set and I was so nervous'.
So I decided to go take a nap and if I was needed on set, they would call me. I went to my trailer and the air conditioner wasn't working. I was just hysterical - really hysterical.
I walked around the set when I discovered a big hut and thought there would be air conditioning inside. 'All of a sudden, there was a hand stopping me'. And I was told, 'That's Elvis' dressing room. You can't just go in. I'm going to have to ask if you're allowed'.Security let me in and I ended up taking a nap on a couch in the cool area. Elvis was near me looking at me when I woke up. 'He was putting a cold compress on my face' 'He thought I must have passed out or something'.
'He was absolutely beautiful'. I didn't even know what to say because I was so shocked. And then he went, 'Don't worry about it. I just want you to feel good. Are you hungry? Do you want something to eat? Are you thirsty?' I couldn't even talk!' I was overwhelmed by his presence. 'He smelled like baby powder and milk. And he kept insisting if I needed or wanted anything'.
We became friends while working together. We were united by our admiration for martial arts and spiritual ideals.Irene Tsu ~ Paradise Hawaiian Style co-star
Remembers the King ~ Fox News August 7, 2020
Fall '71 tour ~ Elvis in Boston Garden Nov, 1971
I was particularly excited about Elvis's performance at the Boston Garden. After Elvis's show, he came offstage and we started walking him fast to his waiting limo in the Garden's load-in area. As we made the walk, we passed an old black janitor who waved and said, "Hello, Mr. Presley."Elvis didn't hear him, so I leaned over to him and said, "Elvis, give a wave to that guy over there."
"What did he say?"
"He just said, 'Hello, Mr. Presley,' and waved."
Elvis went from walking full speed ahead to stopping dead in his tracks. I noticed that I was getting the evil eye from some of the other guys- just wanted to get him in the car and out of there.Elvis walked over to the old guy and introduced himself. The old guy had to put his broom aside so that he could shake hands with Elvis. ??
"Let me ask you something, sir," said Elvis.
"Yes, Mr. Presley?" "You got any kids at home?"
"I got a few. A few grandkids, too."
"Do they like my music?" asked Elvis.
"I don't know everything they listen to, but I know they like your music, Mr. Presley."
"Do you like my music?"??, Elvis asked.
"Mr. Presley, I love your music."
"Okay," said Elvis, turning to me."GK, you hold back and ride with the band to the hotel. I'm going to get out of here, but you get this man's name and address and I'm going to have RCA send him all my albums."
He turned back to the janitor. "Is that all right with you, sir?"
"Why, thank you, yes, Mr. Presley," the old guy said.
It was yet another lesson to me about how important it was to Elvis to be nice to people and treat them well. He was kind and generous with his time, even when it clearly took an extra effort on his part.I stayed behind at Boston Garden and got the name and address of the old guy I made sure than RCA sent the man the Elvis records.
~ George Klein ~ Elvis: My Best Man
At a show in Monroe, Louisiana, Elvis gave a little girl a scarf. But two women fought to get it off her and left the girl crying. It was one of the few times Elvis got angry on stage, he took off the cross he had around his neck and gave it to the girl, then asked the security guards to escort her back to her seat. The chain had diamonds and an Onyx stone.Source: Cindy Hazen and Mike Freeman book The Best of Elvis
In 1975, Elvis was staying at the Hilton in Las Vegas during one of his concert series when he heard a touching story about an elderly woman who had lost her home in a fire. Deeply moved by her plight, Elvis decided to take action. He arranged for his personal limousine to bring the woman to the Hilton, where he met with her privately. During their meeting, Elvis listened to her story with empathy and compassion.What happened next is a testament to Elvis's big heart. He not only gave her a significant amount of money to help her rebuild her life, but he also made arrangements to cover her immediate living expenses, ensuring she had a comfortable place to stay while getting back on her feet. This was not a rare occurrence; Elvis was known for his spontaneous acts of kindness and generosity.
Elvis's generosity extended beyond individual acts of kindness. He frequently gave away cars, jewelry, and other valuable items to friends, family, and even strangers. One notable example is when he famously gave away 200 Cadillacs over his lifetime. He often bought cars in bulk and handed them out to people who impressed him with their hard work or kindness.
Another memorable instance occurred in 1973, when Elvis performed a benefit concert in Honolulu, Hawaii, called "Aloha from Hawaii Via Satellite." This concert was the first to be broadcast live via satellite around the world, reaching over 1.5 billion viewers. The concert not only showcased his immense talent but also raised $75,000 for the Kui Lee Cancer Fund, demonstrating his commitment to using his fame for charitable causes.
These stories of Elvis's generosity have contributed significantly to his lasting legacy. They reveal a side of him that was driven by a genuine desire to help others and make a positive impact on their lives. Fans and admirers often share these anecdotes, celebrating not just Elvis the performer, but Elvis the man, whose kindness and humanity left a lasting impression on those who were fortunate enough to encounter it.
