I asked you to have to audition I was
with central casting because the dancers
were all in central at that time so I
went in you know and became a member of
central casting and they sent me on a
dance interview for an Elvis Presley
movie called clambake which was at
Disney and I got that and Elvis loved
having the same people around all the
time
he felt very secure that way and I ended
up being one of his five dancers and did
15 movies with him 15 movies so clambake
comes along what did you specifically
have to do to get the part just dance
you know they they would have like
groups of girls dancing on the beach and
dancing you know so they we just got to
you know dance and do you know do that
kind of stuff and it led I don't know
actually how it happened but the second
whenever the second one was I got to do
that one and pretty soon I was doing all
of them and like I said he was he'd like
having the same people around all the
time so he felt very secure and half the
time I mean we didn't even go for break
for lunch he would rabb food brought in
and we'd all sit on the floor and sing
songs and he played the guitar or play
the piano we would go to when we were
shooting yet MGM which we shot a lot at
we would go when we weren't shooting we
would go over to Veterans Hospital to
the park and play touch football until
everybody found out we were there and
then we couldn't go there anymore
at MGM I would walk into the rehearsal
halls and sit and watch him do you know
rehearse songs and stuff with Joe
Esposito and read Horton and oh my god
the guys were always there you know his
gang his mafia we'd go up to the house
in Bel Air and play games and it was
just like I was one of the guys it was
just fun since you had that rare window
into being in Elvis's circle literally
is there anything you can think of that
would surprise people who have been fans
their entire lives about him you know
like I said he was very shy and he'd
liked having the same people around and
and and I know what happened to him and
then later life you know when he went
back to you know working in Vegas and
doing all of that and I and I probably
shouldn't say it but I think the colonel
had a lot to do with that and I remember
when we were shooting changed habit
which was the last feature that he
actually did and we were the backlight
of universal and it was winter and we
were dancing out in the streets and it
was freezing I think that's the first
time I ever saw him pick up a drink they
brought his apricot brandy because it
was warm and he took a sip of that and
was the first time I'd ever see him
drink anything like that ever and it
just was such a good guy you know um
there's actually picture on my wall that
says nice working with you kid
that I was I'd never asked him for
anything and when we wrapped that show I
everybody was asking for you know
picture autographs and stuff and I
actually went up in aiesec and I had one
too and he went that's what he gave me
that and he gave me an album I have one
of his albums that he gave me that night
but you just didn't ask for stuff and
you didn't have a cell phone so you
didn't take pictures you know it's just
you know you look back at an eco-car I
wish I had pictures but you just didn't
do that those days
